Sydney Avey

Dynamic Woman — Changing Times

365 Short Stories (Quirky)–Week Seventeen

Apr 29, 2013 | 365 short stories, Writing life | 0 comments

© Elisabeth Perotin | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Quirky stories employ peculiar literary devices that can delight or annoy. Really quirky stories do both. They move the reader from “Wha’…?” to “Oh. Oh!” Some of this week’s selections are quirky.

 Week Seventeen 

“The Messenger Who Did Not Become a Hero”, by Douglas Watson, One Story Issue Number 177

The rhythm of a fairly tale told in a voice that is at once respectful and mocking compelled me to read the author interview to see if I was missing something. Watson writes in a style that is at once good humored and cruel. He claims his story is not philosophical, but the message—life is beautiful…and meaningless, is nihilistic.

“My Chivalric Fiasco”, Tenth of December, by George Saunders

A fun story to read aloud to the designated driver on a long stretch of boring highway, Kyle is Falstafflike in his Attempt to Do The Right Thing when he is Under The Influence. 

 

  • “At Phil & Joanna’s”,Pulse, by Julian Barnes

Barnes intersperses four separate conversations between a couple and their friends amongst other unrelated stories. With no attribution (he said, she said) it’s not terribly difficult to puzzle out who is in on the exchange, and who said what, but you’ll need a rubber neck to follow the train of thought. Spending time with Phil and Joanna makes me yearn for the days when conversation was an art.

  •  “The Door”, by E.B. White, 50 Great Short Stories

(It) is all so confusing (like “Who Moved My Cheese”, but before) and the rules keep changing (fast!) and just when we think we get it, we don’t. So much is behind the door, if(in fact)there is a door.

“…my heart has followed all my days something I cannot name, I am tired of jumping and I do not know which way to go…”

  • “Magic Words”, by Jill McCorkle, The Best American Short Stories 2009

Danger is a dense forest of opportunity. A dark magic lies in how few words it takes to ignite a dangerous situation. Say to your teenager, “what’s wrong with you!” and she’ll show the world. Ask “what’s wrong?” and you may get an opportunity to help make it right.

  • “Saturdays He Drove the Ford Pickup”, by David Brendan Hopes, Ruminate, Issue 27

Something in our nature recognizes good and is prone to tear it apart. The soil is ready in a neighbor’s heart when a friend plants a seed that something evil lurks under the beauty that confronts her daily.

  • “Gardeners’ World”, Pulse, by Julian Barnes

Digging in the dirt yields a bounty of themes for stories. Here’s another tale about a benign hobby gone wrong. Our amateur gardener tests the soil and teases his wife that there is no actual soil in the soil. By the end of the story, his new passion is depleted as well.

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Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

Crafting a Novel Around a Real Person: An Interview with Sydney Avey – WRITE NOW!

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