Sydney Avey
Dynamic Woman — Changing Times
365 short stories (how to pick)–Week Eight
You can’t pick just one!
How to pick a good story eluded me this week, so I chose from favorite writers, funky collections, fiction assignments and a special issue of the Atlantic.
- “Martin’s Letter to Nan”, by Elizabeth Berg, Ordinary Life, Stories
Nan tries to connect and Martin runs for his cave. I read this to my caveman until he cried, “stop, stop, it’s too painful!”
- “Order and Flux in Northampton”, by David Foster Wallace, Love is Strange, Stories of Postmodern Romance 1993
Love is an infection. This story inspires me to pen the ultimate unending sentence upon poor Indi Gestion, whose vulgar ambition erupts from a molten core of self-loathing, volcanoes through his esophagus, and erupts in fiery spittle upon a damaged package dropped at his door by the brown-shorted UPS delivery person. I shall call it “Disorder and Acid Reflux in South Armpit” (which is located at the shoulder of a road near the intersection of Head and Neck Streets). I could write forever. So could Wallace.
- “Bitter Love”, by Lynne McFall, Love is Strange, Stories of Postmodern Romance 1993
A popular song says there are 50 ways to leave your lover, but this poor child didn’t let go until she lost an eye. Love hurts.
- “Soldier’s Joy”, by Tobias Wolff, NarrativeMagazine.com
Wolff gives us a picture of what happens when a soldier experiences the intensity of war and then comes home to deal with common life.
…the beauty of that life, the faith so deep that in time you were not separate men anymore, but part of each other.
- “Sold”, by Wendell Berry, The Atlantic Fiction 2011
A lovely generational story about the struggle to get established in a life that passes quickly, told love and acceptance.
- “The Five-Forty-Eight”, by John Cheever, 1954
I read this masterful story to prepare for a workshop at the Desert Nights, Rising Stars conference on the Arizona State University Campus in Tempe Feb 22-24. This story is like a scoop of Talenti gelato—with each bite the flavor intensifies, building to a satisfying conclusion.
- “Proof”, by Timothy Zahn, 2004
Had the privilege of analyzing this Sci Fi story with the author. He uses parallel points of view to keep the reader intrigued.
Five Disciplines of Reading
1. Pick a theme for the week.
2. Choose your seven titles before starting the week’s reading or choose tomorrow’s title after today’s reading.
3. Blog or journal a brief response each day: an inspirational thought, a delicious phrase or a well executed writing technique.
4. If you read in the morning, you can take something from the story with you throughout the day—a light heart, an appreciation for nature, an intention to show mercy.
5. If you read in the evening, a theme in the story may connect with a happening in your day and inform your dreams.
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