You may remember Shaun McKinley, last week's "character," whose trip to the dentist went very south for his hygienist. Shaun is a gifted writer, and when he asked me if I'd like an MTO of my own...well, I was overjoyed. You can read his AMAZING story HERE, then come back and scroll down for what's …
Tag: Fiction
MTO Jenna
Road Rage The plan: Leave work early, pick up Charlie from the groomer, and make it to the Dojang in time for taekwondo class. Simple, right? Wrong. First, the groomer wasn't finished with Charlie. Would Jenna like to wait while they dried Charlie a little better? "Hate to send you off with a wet dog." …
MTO Heather Stahley
Appalachian Apprehension Heather's feet were killing her. Sixteen miles yesterday, tracking to do twenty today. When she and her fiance decided to thru-hike the Appalachian trail, it was all so romantic. She envisioned them holding hands on an exciting and energetic ramble through the wild and untouched woodlands, refreshed by the aroma of azaleas and …
MTO Diane Decaprio
Dream On 2 AM. Mom hustled five-year-old Diane awake for her roller skating competition. Normally, Diane was a bear on those mornings, but today she was relieved. Waking released her from the nightmare. Sort of. On the long car ride, Diane tried to review her routine, but each time she imagined roller skating, the clearer …
Announcing Made-to-Order Horror Stories
I'd like to bring YOU into my writing journey. And I enjoy a challenge. Here's the deal: you send me a fact about your life. Any fact-- good, bad, or indifferent. I'll take that piece of information and turn it into a horror vignette. Each Wednesday, I'll publish one MTO Horror. If you send a …
My Latest Horror: A Repurposed Church Sermon
I had heard the sermon on at least two occassions. My pastor came from a large (and I mean large, < Brady Bunch) family. So many I can't recall the number. Enough that, were they chickens, you'd not know who was who when you ate one. This is my daughter's formula, by the way, for …
Continue reading My Latest Horror: A Repurposed Church Sermon
Post from the Past: a Mystery
Howdy friends. Or shall I say, friend? I have a mystery one of you can help me solve. In order for me to explain this mystery, I'll be revealing some author-underbelly. Specifically, as it relates to blogging. See, we bloggers have a dashboard, and like a car's, it tells us all sorts of things. I …
Divine Dissatisfaction, Blessed Unrest
Artists, that's what we sign up for. And I thought it was just cynical-me. Nope. Add divinely distracted and blessedly unrested to the list of writer traits that includes extreme introversion, militant self-discipline, infinite grit, and owning a cat. Here's how unrest plays out. I think: I should see Friend X. Then I think: I …
Bad Words & Kool-Aid
There are the usual suspects: just, very, so, well, really, like, that, then. And the reflectives: felt, saw, heard, etc. that insert space between the reader and character. Also and of course (thank you, Mr. King) adverbs- any and all. Especially after dialogue tags like said (which should also be used sparingly). She said sorrowfully. …
Write to help yourself make sense of things.
My therapist says feelings aren't wrong. Actions can be, but not feelings. My therapist allows me to email her. Yes, I'm very lucky to have her, and no. You can't have her name. I'm a little possessive of her time. Writing my thoughts is good for me, she says. I agree. And it's not just …
Continue reading Write to help yourself make sense of things.
KL Griffiths 