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Death at Panera (A spoof and homage to Murakami and 1Q84) Sunil Maulik, (c)2016 Evangeline walked the short distance to her car on wobbly heels. She nonchalantly tried to wipe the blood off her scarf, convinced that everyone was staring at her. A bead of sweat ran down her neck as she struggled uncharacteristically with … Continue reading
1. Find a great plot or story. 2. Play with form and language. 3. Have the reader enjoy identifying the plot. 4. Combine plot and character. 5. Create stories that continue long after having been read. (e.g. William Trevor) 6. Place surprise on the page: even on every paragraph. (e.g. Jorge Luis Borges, JG Ballard) … Continue reading
For the fifth time in as many years, She was confronted with the challenge of what birthday present to take to someone who was incredibly strange, to the point of being deranged. Gadgets were to him buzzing hives of evil, vibrant with malignant activity, much of which he felt only he could perceive, or … Continue reading
The door to Hank’s hog-and-waffles, the last of its kind in the Mission, swung open and two large, heavyset men wandered in. They looked up and down the darkened restaurant, and evidently satisfied, sat down at the counter. Hank meandered over and asked them what they would like. “I dunno,” the larger of the two … Continue reading
The Dying (with apologies to James Joyce) Lily, the gardener’s daughter, was being run off her feet. Marshaled to help with the catering, she had brought one guest after another (men, mostly) into the massive kitchen, served them champagne and showed them where to leave their coats (in the pantry, converted into a closet). She … Continue reading
I have watched her like this on many evenings, envying her ability to quickly master her toys, while mine lie confused and listless. She effortlessly works her way around the computer keyboard, games twinkling with passion, I watching intently over her shoulder. We are joined at times like this, sisters together, our intensity … Continue reading
The salt in his sweat was burning now, spearing his right eye with a intensity. The rivulets ran down the side of his face, viscous and globular, settling into his eyes. Still he held his gaze skywards, drawn to the burning sun, trying to match the intensity of its heat with his gaze. The … Continue reading
Gael applied the smile to my face with his usual cynicism. While I appreciated his skills, it tired me to listen to his tirade about the mayor’s excesses, the homeless, and how we’d been robbed in the elections. I had heard these stories many times before, in our village, on my travels, in this deeply … Continue reading
The Jogger with the Dog The rumor was that someone attractive had appeared in the condo complex; a woman with a little dog. Doug (Douglas) Graham, who had only been in San Francisco for a month himself but was already at home there, had begun to take an interest in the new arrivals. Sitting in … Continue reading
1. Never open a book with weather. 2. Avoid prologues. 3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue. 4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said” … he admonished gravely. 5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of … Continue reading
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