Nice to get an easy one today. Hopefully a sign of things to come! Let’s go, August, come on, let’s pick it up. Now, let’s see… what’s Michael Phelps doing tonight?
Working Title: Now What?
1st Sentence: She sat in the theater as the credits rolled.
Favorite Sentence: The Gofer, the Gaffer, the Candlestick Maker.
Word Length: 274
Photo by Belinda Hankins Miller, July 2007.
Again, had to work hard to get the story on the page and then I had to press like crazy to finish it. Really liked the vision for this one but had to settle for a mediocre delivery. Hope it comes together in revision. I really miss the days of this challenge when I had time to look at older stories and re-work them. Maybe soon I will find a better rhythm and add revision to my days again. Not until the Olympics are over, that’s for sure.
Working Title: Me, Too
1st Sentence: Juror #3 complained about the bottled water.
Favorite Sentence: They were arguing about the war, about the last thirty years of trickle-down economics, about gun control and racism and gay marriage, and whether public school students should be forced to observe a moment of silence before lunch because some Baptist kid had been taught to believe the whole world should stand still while he thanks Jesus for a bologna sandwich and a bag of Fritos.
Word Length: 1,071
Photo here.
Too many things to do and I can’t seem to just set my feet, scowl, and knock down each pin. I think it might be time to admit that having to complete a story every day is extremely mentally taxing. What to do? I can’t stop.
Working Title: Tango Tangle
1st Sentence: Sure, they could learn a couple of others, too, but it was the Tango she wanted in her feet.
Favorite Sentence: In the end she sank to the ground in a kind of slow motion twirl, landing in a bunched up slump with Cliff leaning over her, his face red as a split tomato.
Word Length: 1,959
Photo by Jenny Mealing, October 2005.
To celebrate finishing a quarter of stories, I took the day off from everything but my shorty. Which is good, because it took me ALL DAY to put this little thing out. I started three stories, even wrote three pages for one that I just threw away. But finally, finally, August sets sail.
Working Title: Miss Lucky
1st Sentence: The winner is… Melissa Belby!
Favorite Sentence: Occasionally—in a moment she knows by instinct is exactly right for it—she opens her eyes a bit wider, even, and smiles small.
Word Length: 570
Photo by Vera and Jean-Christophe, April 2008.
can't thank the Maine Arts Commission enough for granting her their 2012 literary fellowship, which she used to launch Daily Shorty. Claire writes, edits, coaches other writers, and blogs in Lewiston, where she stays sane by working on her scraggly yard, running 5Ks as slowly as possible, perfecting cracker recipes, and playing badminton. She spends the remainder of her free time with her sweet husband and perfect cats. You can contact Claire at dailyshorty@gmail.com.
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