Month: July 2018
Dearest Readers,
Short Story Saturday resumes this week when Part II of One Plus One Equals Three is released. For those of you who enjoyed meeting Daniella, Nicole and Brady in Part I, you will equally enjoy Part II. For those of you who have not the pleasure, consider reading the preview and then subscribing to read the whole thing. One Plus One Equals Three is a funny, thoughtful story and will be a (very) naughty story before we are done because funny, thoughtful and naughty is what you expect from me.
One of the questions I get asked from time to time is: how often do you write? Do you write every day? Most days? Some days?
People are different, but rare is the day when I don’t put something to paper. Offhand, I think the last time I didn’t write something on some project or another was two years ago when I was on a road trip. I took the last three days or so off because we were doing things and setting some time aside to write was too difficult to bother with. And those days off were nice. But writer’s write and I find it is best to write every day.
One question I get from time to time is where does inspiration for stories and characters come from?
Everywhere is the only possible answer to this question. Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere and I am fond of saying every person I meet is a character and every situation a plot. In fact, it is rare when a person or situation does not suggest something to write about. It may not be particularly good, or it might be something that I write on slip of paper so I don’t forget it or it might flee my mind as quickly as it came. Now, I can’t write everything that comes to mind, but there is always a plot to be found. I presume this happens to every writer. It’s what we do: turn the human experience over and examine it before sitting down and saying what we feel needs to be said.
Character Interview Tear Sheet
Character: Daniella
Book/Short Story: One Plus One Equals Three
Inspired By A Real Person: Yes, someone named Daniella
Q: Daniella, welcome. Please, state your relationship with Kaitlyn.
A: I don’t really know her all that well, actually. I would run into her from time to time at the bank and we were friendly and that was it. We were not, are not close. In fact, I had completely lost touch with her because she stopped coming into the bank. It was the only time I saw her.
Q: Were you surprised when you turned up as a character in One Plus One Equals Three?
A: Oh yeah. No doubt. I didn’t even know she was a writer.
Q: Now that you are, what do you think?
A: Oh, I like it. A lot. Nicole and I go way back and we both liked Brady and were hoping he would ask one of us out. Nicole is pretty foxy and, of course, is stuck up about it and she was sure it was going to be her. Brady, though, has scoped me out pretty good – I’ve got humongous bazoongas and I’m plump but not fat and he likes that I can tell – and we have some things in common and I thought it would be me. We’re both pretty funny together.
Dearest Readers,
We are pleased to debut Short Story Saturday today! Today’s feature is One Plus One Equals Three, Part I. You will meet Brady, Nicole and Daniella in Part I and you will find Brady likes both of these women and, like guys throughout human history, Brady is having a difficult time deciding which one to ask out. Part II will run in a couple of weeks. If you haven’t already, click here to read a preview and click here to subscribe.
Deciding whether to base a character on someone you know or to start from scratch is one of the writer’s most basic dilemmas and there is not a hard and fast rule. My advice is to trust your instincts.
Dearest Readers,
It is with a great of pleasure we announce the debut of Short Story Saturday here at the Reading Salon. Our first offering will be One Plus One Equals Three, featuring Brady, a man faced with the timeless dilemma of not being able to decide which girl to ask out.
Part One will move tomorrow (July 14). A preview will be available and, of course, the entire story is included in your subscription.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn K
Character Interview Tear Sheet
Character: Angel
Book: The Angel and The Captain
Inspired By A Real Person: Yes, someone Kaitlyn K knows
Q: In the book, you are referred to as both Angel, the name the Captain has for you, and Biscuit, a childhood nickname first used in the book by your father, whom you meet for the first time in your late 20’s. What’s your real name?
A: I’m not telling! It was never really important to the story, so it was never mentioned so there is no reason for me to blab it here. As I recall, it was used once in an early draft, but it didn’t make the cut. The name, though, was the real name of the girl who inspired my character.
Q: What did you think of the name Biscuit?
A: Shrugging. I dunno. I suppose it’s adorable for a toddler. I don’t really remember being called Biscuit regularly. Sometimes when I was a girl, but that was mainly aunties and that tapered off after Dad left.
Dearest Reader,
The saying is as trite as it is old:
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Age and common usage do not make this lesson any less valid, however; it is reinforced each day if we are open to its lessons. Not only that, it is reinforced in virtually everything us humans try. I offer two examples: an athlete does not surpass himself if he does not pass what he once thought was his point of maximum endurance and a carpenter does not build something lasting without trying techniques he hasn’t tried before.