Last winter was a very mild one, as I recall. It had hardly snowed until one evening in early February. Snow had been predicted all day and finally arrived in earnest not long after dusk. I stepped outside in the still evening air and watched the flakes as they fell slowly to the ground... so slowly, in fact, I could imagine the snow suspended in front of me like a field of stars. I thought that might make a cool visual I could incorporate into a story at some point. I even wrote a couple paragraphs about it once I got back inside. That moment didn’t fit into my current project though, so I filed those paragraphs on my hard drive for the time being.
A few months later I was fleshing out the germ of a new story, the tale of a man who is the victim of corporate cutbacks and subsequently tries to forge a new life path (something many of us can identify with, yes?). I had the characters alive and vivid in mind. I knew the general the arc of the story and had, in fact, started writing it. I also knew that it was lacking a compelling pivotal moment, something that would transition the main character from one phase of his life to another. I started going through some of my notes, the random bits of dialog, character and incident that would often pop up on their own accord. These notes would generally wind up being stored on my hard drive until such time something could be incorporated into a larger work. I happened upon the vignette I wrote about the snowfall and knew that was just what I needed.
Now that the final piece was in place, I finished the story the very next day. The snowfall bit actually provided an effective transition from the reality of the story as a whole to... well, let’s just say a somewhat more fantastic realm, a place that would enable the main character to explore his life and move forward to the next phase. I was very happy with the completed story, so much so that I made Advent the title of my short story collection.
“Advent” is just one of the fourteen stories that I’ve included in my new book, “Advent: A Short Story Collection”, now available on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Short-Story-Collection-ebook/dp/B008K12Q3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342404759&sr=8-1&keywords=advent+jim+moens
Showing posts with label advent book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advent book. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Story Behind the Story: Norm
A couple years ago I found myself between writing projects. I had started a novel (one that will yet be written, by the way!) but it fizzled and I didn’t have the wherewithal at the time to fix what needed to be fixed. I knew I had more to say, but my writing mojo was nowhere to be found. I was frustrated, to say the least.
I had gotten home from work one evening and took a call from a friend. Given that it was an especially pleasant late summer/ early fall day, I opted to walk around outside as we talked. I saw my neighbor Norm (not his real name, just the one I assigned him for the story), an elderly man who lived a few doors down from me. I nodded to him, he nodded to me and he walked away. I ended the conversation with my friend and thought about the last time I had talked to Norm. It was the previous Christmas and he given me some McDonald’s gift certificates in hopes that my boys would enjoy going there. I thanked him and promised we’d use them soon. I later tried to thank him again and tell him that we enjoyed our meal, but as Norm was very much a reclusive sort I never had that opportunity.
So I thought about Norm and his hermit ways and his long beard and baseball cap and windbreaker. I wondered what drove him. I wondered if he had a family or close friends and what he did on the holidays. It was unlikely I’d ever know, as Norm certainly wasn’t one for conversation.
I suddenly felt a little spark of inspiration and grabbed onto it for all it was worth. I started writing about Norm almost immediately. It became the story of a young single mother and her interactions with an elderly man in her neighborhood. It was an interesting exercise in that it was written first-person from the young woman’s point-of-view. I hadn’t yet written from the female perspective at that point in my writing career. I finished the story just a couple days later. I sent it to a couple friends, who told me they really enjoyed it (kudos are very nice to get).
A couple days after that I was flipping through the local paper when I saw something that made my jaw drop. The real-life Norm had passed away, in fact on the day after I finished my story. Sadly, it was only through his obituary that I learned about his life. He worked until retirement as a computer operator and left behind one brother. The obituary also said that he loved children (that much I knew).
The clean up began weeks later. When someone passes away, they generally leave a lot of possessions behind, and it’s up to the family to sort through everything. I've been there (as most of us have) and know that it can be a laborious, emotional process. The clean up was on a much larger scale in Norm’s case. He left behind the duplex he lived in, another house on the corner and a two-car garage. It was even bigger job than I had imagined, as Norm was apparently something of a hoarder. The garage alone was packed quite literally floor-to-ceiling.
Several months passed and while out on a walk I struck up a conversation with an older gentleman. He was standing outside one of Norm’s houses and had just gotten done conferring with some laborers. The man was, of course, Norm’s younger brother. We talked for a good long time about Norm, his life and his passing. He sorely missed his older brother and loved spending what little time he could with him. He acknowledged that Norm was very much a hermit and suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but that didn’t diminish their brotherly love. We ended our conversation and bid each other well.
I was glad to have finally gotten to know the real Norm somewhat, even though it was after his passing. I hope my story stands as a proper tribute to his spirit.
“Norm” is one of the fourteen stories that I’ve included in my new book, “Advent: A Short Story Collection”, now available on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Short-Story-Collection-ebook/dp/B008K12Q3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342404759&sr=8-1&keywords=advent+jim+moens
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick peek “behind the scenes”. You’ll see more “Story Behind the Story” blog posts soon.
I had gotten home from work one evening and took a call from a friend. Given that it was an especially pleasant late summer/ early fall day, I opted to walk around outside as we talked. I saw my neighbor Norm (not his real name, just the one I assigned him for the story), an elderly man who lived a few doors down from me. I nodded to him, he nodded to me and he walked away. I ended the conversation with my friend and thought about the last time I had talked to Norm. It was the previous Christmas and he given me some McDonald’s gift certificates in hopes that my boys would enjoy going there. I thanked him and promised we’d use them soon. I later tried to thank him again and tell him that we enjoyed our meal, but as Norm was very much a reclusive sort I never had that opportunity.
So I thought about Norm and his hermit ways and his long beard and baseball cap and windbreaker. I wondered what drove him. I wondered if he had a family or close friends and what he did on the holidays. It was unlikely I’d ever know, as Norm certainly wasn’t one for conversation.
I suddenly felt a little spark of inspiration and grabbed onto it for all it was worth. I started writing about Norm almost immediately. It became the story of a young single mother and her interactions with an elderly man in her neighborhood. It was an interesting exercise in that it was written first-person from the young woman’s point-of-view. I hadn’t yet written from the female perspective at that point in my writing career. I finished the story just a couple days later. I sent it to a couple friends, who told me they really enjoyed it (kudos are very nice to get).
A couple days after that I was flipping through the local paper when I saw something that made my jaw drop. The real-life Norm had passed away, in fact on the day after I finished my story. Sadly, it was only through his obituary that I learned about his life. He worked until retirement as a computer operator and left behind one brother. The obituary also said that he loved children (that much I knew).
The clean up began weeks later. When someone passes away, they generally leave a lot of possessions behind, and it’s up to the family to sort through everything. I've been there (as most of us have) and know that it can be a laborious, emotional process. The clean up was on a much larger scale in Norm’s case. He left behind the duplex he lived in, another house on the corner and a two-car garage. It was even bigger job than I had imagined, as Norm was apparently something of a hoarder. The garage alone was packed quite literally floor-to-ceiling.
Several months passed and while out on a walk I struck up a conversation with an older gentleman. He was standing outside one of Norm’s houses and had just gotten done conferring with some laborers. The man was, of course, Norm’s younger brother. We talked for a good long time about Norm, his life and his passing. He sorely missed his older brother and loved spending what little time he could with him. He acknowledged that Norm was very much a hermit and suffered from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but that didn’t diminish their brotherly love. We ended our conversation and bid each other well.
I was glad to have finally gotten to know the real Norm somewhat, even though it was after his passing. I hope my story stands as a proper tribute to his spirit.
“Norm” is one of the fourteen stories that I’ve included in my new book, “Advent: A Short Story Collection”, now available on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Short-Story-Collection-ebook/dp/B008K12Q3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342404759&sr=8-1&keywords=advent+jim+moens
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick peek “behind the scenes”. You’ll see more “Story Behind the Story” blog posts soon.
Monday, July 23, 2012
The Story Behind the Story: Grandma
Not far from where I live, there’s a fire station. Next to it there’s a couple small houses and then a small strip mall with a Subway, a barber and a fitness center. A rather pleasant slice of middle America.
One day I was driving by and caught sight of an elderly woman sitting outside her brown brick house next to the fire station. She was seated on a bright teal metal chair, watching the world go by. I wondered what she was thinking. I wondered what was on her mind as she watched the world zoom on by.
I thought I might write a story about her. I first imagined her as something of a mentor to a younger person, with her hard-earned wisdom informing the outcome of the story. I set the idea aside for a few days and let it grow. I soon came up with the story of a young couple in a burgeoning romance. They would frequently visit the woman’s Grandmother, who would readily provide warm apple pie, ice cream and gentle advice.
I started writing and realized about halfway through that I didn’t have an ending. I had some idea the course the relationship might take, but I somehow knew that wasn’t the compelling ending I needed. I generally like to at least have an ending in mind but I forged ahead anyway. I got to what I knew would be the final scene and let my instincts take over. I more or less stumbled into what was one of my better endings. Those who have read the story know what I mean (no, I’m not giving it away here). In any case, I’d like to think that the real-life Grandma would enjoy her story.
“Grandma” is one of the fourteen stories that I’ve included in my new book, “Advent: A Short Story Collection”, now available on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Short-Story-Collection-ebook/dp/B008K12Q3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342404759&sr=8-1&keywords=advent+jim+moens
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick peek “behind the scenes”. You’ll see more “Story Behind the Story” blog posts very soon.
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Story Behind the Story: Emil
The Midwest Writing Center is based in Davenport, Iowa... a mere stone’s throw from where I live. I mean that almost literally. I can look out my back door and see the Bucktown Center for the Arts, where they are headquartered.
I’ve done some volunteer work for them over the years, participated in the occasional reading and my son was even lucky enough to attend their conference this past June. My favorite event of theirs is the annual Iron Pen contest. Everyone who signs up gets a writing prompt at the given time (generally 5pm on a Friday) with the goal to submit a completed short story, poem or non-fiction piece within twenty-four hours. It’s a good challenge and a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Better yet... this year my son Peter entered too, in the youth division.
The appointed time came and our prompt arrived. It was the same for both of us... “A bridge will be written”. Okay, then. I didn’t know if this was a random slop of words or some obscure literary reference. I did know that I had no clue what I would do with this prompt.
Peter, for his part, started right in on a fantasy story. I sat and thought, letting the phrase tumble around my mind.
“A bridge will be written”
Should write about an architect, struggling with designing a new bridge? What sort of metaphor might work? I thought that bridges weren’t just over a river or a highway. Bridges were... oh yeah, music. That might work. I did a little research and found the following definition...
A unique passage that comes between and connects two distinct sections of a song; a musical “segue.” A bridge will often build anticipation for an upcoming chorus.
So a musical bridge was the way to go. I knew I would want to reference the musical bridge explicitly as well as incorporate a bridge as a metaphor in some way.
It was finally time to use the most powerful weapon in my writer’s arsenal... thinking. Generally what I do when I come up with a promising idea is to let it gestate for a little bit. I might come up with an overarching idea, perhaps a few scenes or characters and then let my brain help me fill in some of the blanks.
The story’s opening scene came to me fairly quickly, along with a good sense of the main characters. I started writing in earnest... I wasn’t 100% certain where I was going, but given the contest’s deadline, I needed to get going. Fortunately the first scene pretty easily led to the second, the second to the third... it was akin to knocking down a line of dominoes.
Peter and I both got our stories submitted before the deadline. We found out just days later that we won awards in our respective age groups and were invited to an awards ceremony/ reading that was to take place on his birthday. Fantastic.
“Emil” is one of the fourteen stories that I’ve included in my new book, “Advent: A Short Story Collection”, now available on Amazon.com.
Should you want to learn more about The Midwest Writing Center, click here...
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick peek “behind the scenes”. You’ll see more “Story Behind the Story” blog posts very soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)