This story is based on a real-life experience I had back in the day. Geri grabbed my hand as the flight from Houston to New Orleans lost power. The silence of the engines brought shivers of gooseflesh, raising the hair on my arms. The airplane stopped climbing. I squeezed her hand back, trying to reassure … Continue reading Mo’Betta Gumbo
A few weeks ago, my go-to writing site presented a challenging contest: Write a story of 1,000 words or less, using a list of words, and translate those words into a foreign language. I took the dog for a walk and imagined a fictional conversation with my mother, who grew up in Europe. This was … Continue reading Stubborn German
I wrote this piece during the winter when I could call on the weather experience of the day. Writing about the bone-numbing cold is challenging when it’s pushing triple-digit temps outside. I found editing this piece in the heat interesting because it took me back to those much cooler days, making me feel the ambient … Continue reading Braving the Blizzard
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun I recently got some feedback on the first part of an old story I had posted on a writing website a few years ago. So, I went back and looked at the comments from the reader. I decided it needed a new coat of polish. I began editing the piece. Having … Continue reading Revisiting Old Writing
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun Many of the stories I write contain events or feelings from real-life experiences I’ve had throughout my life. For example, some of what my character, Aeryn Mateyus, feels on the slave ship comes directly from my experiences as a sailor while serving in the U.S. Navy. The rolling deck, the wind, … Continue reading Using Life Experiences In Your Writing
(C) 2020, JJ Shaun A couple of weeks ago, I had a weird day. Weird in that I could not hold onto a writing prompt for the life of me. For the two weeks prior, I could look at the requirements for the contest and remember from one second to the next what those words … Continue reading Finding Words
Long before false dawn, Sam had the group up and making the tiny clearing look as unused as possible. He knew it would be impossible considering that it had been occupied by five people, four of whom did not know how to walk softly. The girls came close, but Sam thought Chase was a lost … Continue reading Chapter 6: Pursuit
Short fiction is an art form. As with any story, it must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It must make sense and be complete. Most short stories fall in the 1,000- to 4,000-word range, although Writer’s Digest defines short stories as 1,500 to 30,000 words. Stories written using fewer than 1,000 words … Continue reading Writing Short Fiction
A piece of my scattered mind.
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J.J. Shaun 