Literary Heroes: Whom Would I Invite to a Coffee/Tea Party?

My literary heroes (aka fictional characters and or/their authors) on the guest list:


1) Amy Tan (author of "The Joy Luck Club")
2) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his creation,
3) Sherlock Holmes and his chronicler,
4) Dr. James H. Watson,
5) Stephen King
6) Agatha Christie and her detective,
7)Hercules Poirot
8) William Goldman ("The Princess Bride") and his swordsmen,
9) Inigo Montoya ("Hello my name is ---, you killed my father, prepare to die!") and
10) The Dread Pirate Westley (aka "As you Wish"),
11) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (incl. Allan Quatermain, Mina Harker, the Invisible Man, Captain Nemo, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and Tom Sawyer),
12) Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn's creator, Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens),
13) Diana Gabaldon ("Outlander") and
14) her time traveling doctor, Claire Beauchamp-Fraser and
15) Clare's Scottish husband, Jamie Fraser,
16) and while we're in the UK, Ian Fleming and
17) his superspy James Bond, along with his boss
18) "M", the gadget guy,
19) "Q" and the snarky aide,
20) "Miss Moneypenny"
and to help with catering the tea/coffee party
21) Sookie Stackhouse ("True Blood")


Writers, whom would you invite?

Original Flash Fiction: A Walk on the Beach

Flash Fiction= less than 100 words

A Walk on the Beach.

The gray skies of dawn, the cool crisp smell of seafoam and brine. The breeze whipped the ocean like cotton candy. I blinked in the cloudy haze and tried to get my bearings. Yes, the bridge is this way. I stepped onto the cool sand, my bare feet sinking into the wetness. My toes shivered, but as I made my way to the shoreline, they stopped trembling.

I pulled the hood of my windbreaker more securely over my head as the goosebumps popped on my flesh.

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Stories from the Hairdresser, the Coffee Shop and Other Places

Yeah, I finally got around to cutting my hair today. I chopped off about 4 inches worth. The hairdresser asked me, "Are you sure you want to cut so much off?" I said, "North Carolina summer. It'll grow back in time for winter." So yeah, shoulder length and layered. MUCH cooler and easier to take care of. With 3 kids, I don't have time to fuss with my hair. Grunge Mum 101.


We chatted while she did my hair about everything. Busy times/slack times in the hair salon (high times: prom, Easter, Christmas, weddings. Low times: NASCAR races at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Seriously. Everyone's at the track. No one can park at the Mall.) Interesting clients. Learned a lot about daily life as a hair dresser. Kids bouncing on mattresses and dancing to Spongebob and the Wiggles.


Filed the info away under "Possible character". Even while I'm getting 4 inches lopped off at the salon, I' m still watching and listening. Yeah, the writer in me is always on the lookout for possible inspiration from real life. They say that sometimes Real Life is stranger than Fiction, and that's absolutely true. Real Life can inspire fiction. Being a writer requires you to watch and listen...you never know who or what will inspire an story.


Coffee houses are also good places to find writing sparks. My favorite place is called Jackson's Java, an independent coffee place just down the road from UNC Charlotte. It's a college hangout, and during the year, all sorts of people drop by. I'll jot notes to myself in my notebook and maybe do a quick sketch or two of a cool set of teacups they have on sale, or maybe a bottle of coffee flavoring.


Just watch, listen and find inspiration for your writing. It'll come from the most unexpected places.

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Five Minute Snippets (Writing Prompts)

Here are three "snippets" (short fiction) based on prompts from The Writer's Book of Matches: 1,001 Prompts to Ignite your Fictionby the staff of Fresh Boiled Peanuts, a literary journal. The original prompts are in bold.


These snippets were all written in 5 minutes and are unedited. I wanted to set the scene for a possible story in each one. They're all different, with different characters and settings.

Snippet One

Note: "Dame Melba" was an Australian actress in the early 20th century who did many "farewell tours", but always managed to make a "comeback" on the stage. Kinda like Michael Jordan in basketball or Brett Farve in (American) Football.

"Melba, like the toast?"


Argh. What the hell was it with these Aussies? I sighed, rolled my eyes and replied, "Melba. Like the Dame."


Jackeroo grinned and nudged my shoulder. "You're not plannin' on leavin' and makin' a big fuss when y'come back?"


"Not planning on it."


He laughed, then sobered a bit. "Didn't mean to cast any doubt on your dependability, love."


"I knew you weren't, Jackaroo, and I appreciate it," I said, managing a smile. Usually it was the other way around: being dumped by your employer and then being "wooed" and "invited" back, with stipulations.


Sometimes, being a contractor sucked.


Jackaroo, bless him, was more subtle than people gave him credit for. Well, I don't see any reason to make a fuss. Lemme know if y'need anythin'."


"Much appreciated, mate."

Snippet Two

"Love is not what I'm looking for right now. In fact, I'm happier without it."


"That's pretty sad. How can you live with someone, sleep with someone, share their life, without being in love?"


"Easy." She flashed her diamond bracelet at me, and it threw rainbows on the ceiling. "There are other things in life to live for. Tings a lot more tangible, my dear. I'm what you education types call--what?-- a visual learner. A kinesthetic learner. I need to see, to feel, my reassurance of his love and devotion."


I stared down at my cold tomato soup. The cool, matter-of-fact tone just appalled me. How empty Mrs. W.'s life was, with all her possessions, but no soul.


And I had to humor to ensure my husband's job.


This was going to be more trouble than it was worth.

Snippet Three

Note: "Due South" was an American TV show, pairing a Canadian Mountie (RCMP=Royal Canadian Mounted Patrol) and a wise-cracking New York cop. It was a funny look at American stereotypes of "polite" Canadians and of Canadian stereotypes of "loud, obnoxious" Americans.


"It seems funny to say so cliche', but there has to be a reason why we keep meeting like this."


He laughed and extended a hand. "Someone's either trying to tell us something, or we're the vicitims of a massive cosmic joke." He smiled to take the sting out of his words. "Constable John Brennan, RCMP."


She blinked and shook his hand. "Um...you're a Mountie?"


Brennan laughed again. "Yes, but I don't have a dog named Diefendorf. Otherwise, I've got the red uniform and the hat."


Karen rolled her eyes. "You're probably sick of all the 'Due South' jokes."


"Eh, I'm used to it. I get a lot of flack for being from 'Up North', but I let them roll off my back." Brennan shrugged good-naturedly.


"No offense, but what's a Canadian doing this far south? The weather?"


He sighed and replied, "I'll have you know that the sun does make an occasional stop in Alberta. I'm headed down to Florida; I have relatives there."

All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010

Writing Prompt: "I Was Glad"

Prompt from The Writer's Book of Matches: 1,001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction by the staff of Fresh Boiled Peanuts, a literary journal.
"I was glad."


******


"I was glad, what kind of epitaph is that?"


"Short, simple and to the point. I like it."


"Glad of what? Glad about what?"


"Does it matter? Sounds like he had a good lie. Maybe he died smiling."


"Maybe, but considering what he went through, he was probably glad it was the end."


"It's 'I was glad'. Not 'I am glad'. There's a difference."


"Semantics."


"Counts for a lot. I don't think he had an evil one in his body. He treated everyone kindly."


"Do unto others before they do it to you."


"You have to admit that that his enemies had nothing to complain about."


"Yeah, because he let them run roughshod over him. Of course they wouldn't complain about their meal ticket, right? I wouldn't have."


"They left him alone. That's all he really wanted."


"He could have done so much more in his life. Instead, he lived alone and puttered around. And he was glad about that?"


"Some people want an uncomplicated life, and just want to be left in peace."


"He was the wrong person to inherit a lot of money."


"Yeah, he was, but he was glad of that fact."