The Door Swung Open

So, I am taking on a writing challenge today. Awesome blogger, and author Rachael Harrie, has a writing contest for those who are interested in participating (tomorrow is the last day). This is a flash fiction contest, so the content has to be short. In this case, under 200 words.

There is one requirement: to begin the story with the words "The door swung open."

That's pretty cool. And if you want to make it even harder on yourself, end it with "The door swung shut." If you like it even more difficult, keep it EXACTLY 200 words. This is what I decided to do in order to learn the most.

Though flash fiction is difficult --trying to develop, and execute an actual story within 200 words is excrutiating -- it can be done and is a fantastic writing excercise. Below is my story. Go there today and enter your story!

The door swung open. It glided like a dove hovering over the ground, and reminded me of Grandpa’s pond on the ranch in winter, when the ducks were the only ones out there.

The door was lighter than I anticipated. I mean, how did I explain it? Sure, it looked like a pearl, but not like any pearl I’d seen before. The user’s guide never told me to expect an unseen color and that it would be a door-like gate, glowing and shimmering at the same time.

Man's words always seem to be the most inadequate when trying to explain extraordinary places.

I walked through of course, not knowing who opened it. No one was around, but I heard water flowing, and heard grasses swaying, and I swore they were singing…

I pondered the gate again touching it as I walked by. It seemed to quiver with my touch, the way Grandpa’s pond used to look when I threw in a stone.

Then, there he was … Grandpa. Though gone years ago, he was here.

I laughed and saw someone else next to him, and cried out in joy, His gaze pulling me towards Him.

And, the door swung shut.

-Heather Spiva

Characters That Work

I’ve heard countless times that agents, when looking for the next great manuscript and readers, looking for the next great read, want compelling characters. But, what does this mean? Compelling? And why have I never thought of characters as compelling when I can’t put the book down? Sure, these characters are amazing, and sometimes I want to be in the middle of the stories as if they were my own experiences. But why? Compelling characters make me --force me-- to be in love with them as they find their way through trials or charge fearlessly down hidden hallways and dark forests. This makes for wonderful literature, and for fascinated readers. But how do we do this? How do authors create compelling characters -- ones that not only we want to read but others too -- and convince our readers that they should care about them? Here’s a tiny list by which I try to strive: Make them human: This is a given. And most writers would tell you this is. Give your character flaws that lots o

Increasing Your Vocabulary │ Overused Words

My husband and I have this running joke that if we played a drinking game for the first -- and only the first-- five minutes of any news segment, anywhere in America, we'd be under the table in two. Why? Because this drinking game is based on the repeated use of the word "impact." It's okay if you can hate me now. Because after this post, you will notice this word EVERYWHERE and how overused it is. I get it. The word is impactful. It makes a point. Pulls a punch. But ... it's beyond this, my friends. It's overwhelmingly beyond this now. I also understand that each decade has it's colloquial and trendy words. Totally understand that. I can dig that, yo. But, there's an all-out assault on this word. And most of the time, it's used incorrectly. Do you know what the word impact means? Per Merriam-Webster, it means 1. a.: to fix firmly by or as if my packing or wedging b.: to press together 2. a.: to have a direct effect or i

Make a List │ Getting Things Done

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A Work in Progress

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