Shannon here: Donna Schlachter shares the inspiration for her Short Story Collection, Second Cups and Second Chances. Comment or answer the question in any post dated June 18th – 30th to enter the drawing for winner’s choice of a print or digital copy plus 3 other titles. Deadline: July 11th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Donna:
I love those “based on actual events” stories that are so popular in books and movies. Well, there is a reason readers love them—we know not everything really happened, but some of it did. I mean, who can argue with Ninety Minutes in Heaven or The King’s Speech? That simple disclaimer allows us to step into the lives of other people, even if just for the time we spend lost in the book or movie.
So when I decided to gather short stories together, I went back to a source I knew well: the stories from my family. And while several of the tales in Second Cups and Second Chances began with nuggets of reality, the truth was that I didn’t actually know the details of the original events at the time to write that version. In fact, the story about the little boy learning about his parentage was completely different—he was older, not from his grandmother—well, you get the picture.
However, the circumstances of my mother’s birth were similar, although no hyacinths were involved, at least so far as I know.
And the tale about the sun through the clouds—my mother’s mother always said that the sun rays through the clouds are God’s loving shining on us. So, while no belligerent teen was involved, that is a saying I still repeat all these years later.
What I’m trying to say here is that we all have family stories. And we don’t need to write an entire book about it—we can write short stories. We can blog. We can journal.
I find that writing a story helps me process my thoughts and memories. I have one where I was about three, my father and my mother’s father were eating cherries, and they were spitting the pits against the side of the mobile home we lived on. This plain metal clad trailer had a stripe running its length just below the edge of the roof. And they were sitting in folding lawn chairs, eating cherries, and spitting them out, trying to hit that stripe.
Well, my mother’s mother was inside, cooking dinner. She came to the door, wiping her hands in her apron, frowning, telling them to stop making a racket. That memory was as clear as a bell to me until about 20 years ago, when I attended a writing workshop about memoirs and memories, and the instructor encouraged us to pause and reflect on the ending. Not necessarily the one we remembered, but to push past and see the real thing.
In my memory, I was sitting on the ground, playing in the dirt, and I saw and heard the men laughing and spitting and challenging each other. I saw my grandmother. I heard her voice. Saw her displeasure. Then I waited…and waited…
And she turned away, a smile on her face.
Wow! I’d always remembered the other ending. This was one much more like the woman I knew and loved.
And now, when I tell that story, I mention the smile.
So as you read short stories, whether you know they are based on actual events or not, consider that any or all of the details presented are likely true for the author or someone else who told them a nugget of that particular story.
And look around your own life and record those nuggets for others to read, remember, and enjoy.
Reader Question: Have you ever tried painting? If so, how did it turn out? Or tells us about your
hobby?
June Book Bundle #2
My Journey into Writing Fiction by R.F. Whong, to download this giveaway, you’ll need to sign up for my weekly newsletter
Romancing the Elements by Jenny Carlisle, Contemporary Romance Novella Collection, print
If I Perish by Paula K. Parker, Biblical Fiction, digital
Second Chances and Second Cups by Donna Schlachter, Short Story Compilation, print or digital
About Donna: Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, three housemates, and two cats who rule the roost. As a hybrid author, she writes squeaky clean historical suspense and contemporary suspense. She has been traditionally and indie published more than 60 times in novellas, full-length novels, devotional books, and books on the writing craft. Donna also ghostwrites, edits, and judges in writing contests. She is also a Certified Book Coach, helping authors move their book projects forward. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both. In her spare time, she paints like a whirling Banshee Bob Ross-style in oil on canvas, minus the Afro. Learn more and connect:
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About the Short Story Collection – Second Cups and Second Chances:
Sweet stories of second chances from a God of second chances. The stories in this collection will warm your heart and encourage you to keep on going when all your circumstances say otherwise. No matter where you are or what you’re struggling with, these stories will touch you where you’re at. Each story stands on its own, but in total, paints a picture of a God who offers second chances, and third chances, and more. Stories include forgiveness, living out your dreams, revising your opinion of others, and finding a forever home. A sweet summer read. Soon releasing in bilingual (English/Spanish) Version.
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