Fly Fishing Article

I just learned that Michigan's Streamside Journal will be publishing an article I wrote in their next issue. The article is entitled "Little Rivers, Big Practice." Please support this local sporting journal with a subscription. Find out more

here.

A Recent Poem

Sleep Over

It’s the first time
he doesn’t want us
around. They disappear
upstairs with sleeping bags,
pillows, a miniature suitcase,
like bonsai luggage.
They close the door.
My wife and I aren’t sure
what to do with our
sudden personal space.
We drift around
the empty downstairs.
I go to the landing
twice, lift a foot
to the first step.
My wife shakes her head.
“Just let them play,”
she says, smiling,
watching the weather
channel, trying to be positive
despite the cold fronts.
The upstairs rumbles
with their running
and distant voices.
What they will begin
to share tonight in whispers,
will leave us behind,
the start of what will be
our son’s own life.
Watching TV, my wife
and I remember
how to hold hands
like teenagers. Skin
finds skin, fingers
slide between fingers,
knotting, intertwining,
palms sweating
beneath the slow rhythm
of thumb rubbing thumb
until coming
downstairs so quietly,
they startle us,
as though we’d forgotten
we weren’t alone.

Upcoming Readings

I have some readings coming up in the early months of 2005. On Friday, January 21, I will be reading at the Creative Spirit Center in Midland, MI. Find out more

here.

On Friday, February 11, I will be reading at Michigan State University. Check out the details

here.

And, on Monday, February 28, I will give a reading at Firelands College in Huron, OH.

Hope to see you at one of those events!

More Fiction Advice

As a fiction writer, never underestimate the value of a little research. It can really add to the authenticity of a story. In one of my stories from Emergency Stopping, I had a character who abandoned his life to live in a cabin alone in the woods of northern Michigan. Eventually, the mortgage company sent someone out to assess the property, on which he still owed money. What I needed to know was how many missed payments would pass before the mortgage company actually sent someone to the property. I wanted to get the details right. So, I called a mortgage company. I explained that I was writing a story, and I explained what the story was about. The man on the other end of the line was more than happy to tell me how long it would take before the company would send someone. Okay, it doesn't make or break the story, but it was important to me to know that I had it right. I think every short story writer, though working in fiction, should still have a deep love of fact.

Free Advice for Fiction Writers

Okay, I teach fiction writing, so this is my chance to share the love. Stop back from time to time and see what kind of tips and advice I have to share.

First piece of advice -- and this is for beginners more than anyone. A story is about character, not plot. Plot is something that comes out of character. If you start out with a plot in mind, most likely you'll write a story with two-dimensional characters.

So, where does plot come from if you start out with a character? It comes from conflict. The character has to be up against something. And, something has to be at risk. What will the character lose if he or she makes bad choices? Or, what could be won? If there's not something at risk, then you probably don't have a very engaging story.

Someone might say, "Well, what about Jack London's "To Build a Fire"? That's a great short story. And, that's just about a plot." Well . . . not really. Look at the beginning of the story. The man in the store tells the main character that the weather isn't fit for travel. Hearing that, what does the main character do? He travels anyway. As a person, he doesn't do a very good job of reading the writing on the wall. It's not a plot that brings him into the sub-zero weather, it's a character flaw. What's at risk? Well, his life, which he loses.

What's important, though, is that Jack London imagined a character. He didn't imagine "some guy" out in the tundra. He imagined a very specific guy. The plot comes out of that guy's character. Had he been a different guy, he may have said, "You know, you're right. I'm not going to travel today. I'll wait and see if it warms up tomorrow." But, he didn't say that and as a result we have Mr. London's excellent story.

So, don't overthink the plot. Instead, decide who your character is and what he or she is up against. Plot will come from there.

Another Big Thanks

Okay, he's done it again. Matt Bell, despite a maelstrom of chaos, was able to put the finishing touches on my website. Now, all of my books are available through Paypal via this site. You can also order them through the P.O. Box address. Just order one. You know you want to.

Thanks again, Matt.

Don't forget to check out Matt's site. You'll find a link below.