Short Stories: August 26, 2020 Issue [#10331]
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 This week: Tell Me A Story
  Edited by: NaNoNette Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Hello writers and readers of short stories, I am NaNoNette Author Icon and I will be your guest editor for this issue.


Word from our sponsor



Letter from the editor

Tell Me A Story


         Written short stories came from stories that were told around camp fires, in homes, and to audiences who wanted to hear the latest gossip of the world told in stories. At some point, most cultures started writing their stories down to preserve them.

         The German brothers Grimm never wrote a single story that they came up with. All of the so-called Grimm's Fairy Tales are tales as old as the spoken word told to children to teach them how to deal with the world. Many of the subjects in those stories feel crude or scary to modern parents. A friend of mine once asked, "Why is always the number three or the number 100 in fairy tales?"
         Because those numbers are important. Three is an easy number to comprehend. Children have that many fingers on a hand, and then some extra. This means those tales were teaching very basic counting skills. The three goats gruff. The three bears. The three pigs and the big bad wolf. It's always three.
         At the same time, those fairy tales were also scary and told of great peril to children. If you really think about it, those were the same stories we tell children now, just in other words.
         The big bad wolf is the older version of the newer slogan "Stranger Danger." Don't follow a stranger to where he wants to take you or he might end up hurting you.

         Before these stories were written down, they were told to children. Parents and caretakers of children often come up with their own stories to tell their children. I remember a time when my mother and I lived with other people. These other people were young adults in their early twenties. I was the first "child" person they came in contact with that was not a younger sibling. They took turns telling me stories at night to help me go to sleep.
         On the day that it was my mother's turn to tell me a story, she said, "I don't really know how to tell stories." I said she should just tell me anything at all that came to her mind. That whole time was about 40 years ago, so I don't remember the whole story she told me. But hers is the only story that I remember tidbits of. It involved smart monkeys that threw coconuts off palm trees to eat the coconut's insides.

         Even when you think you story is no good, you never know who will remember it the longest. Give it a try and force yourself to write a short story that you would want to tell someone.


Editor's Picks

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#2228309 by Not Available.

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#2230073 by Not Available.

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The vessel Open in new Window. (ASR)
Genie, Nancy, and Boo the bear during Katrina's night
#2229578 by WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 Author IconMail Icon

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#2177724 by Not Available.

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#2166864 by Not Available.

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Le Duc de Montblanc Open in new Window. (18+)
a duke attends a fateful royal ball… a 2019 Quill Honorable Mention Winner
#2185257 by Jim Hall Author IconMail Icon

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Knock Knock Open in new Window. (13+)
A night at a virtual reality hotel takes a crazy turn.
#2200119 by ദƖυҽყҽʐ 🤍 Author IconMail Icon

 
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Dog, tires, and a crime Open in new Window. (E)
Entry for Daily Flash Fiction Challenge about a car racing off from a pet store.
#1752360 by Wordsmitty ✍️ Author IconMail Icon

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What a Character! : Official WDC Contest Open in new Window. (E)
Create a memorable character using the given prompt for huge prizes!
#1679316 by Writing.Com Support Author IconMail Icon

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The Writer's Cramp Open in new Window. (13+)
Write the best poem or story in 24 hours or less and win 10K GPS!
#333655 by Sophurky Author IconMail Icon

 
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Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Ask & Answer

Replies to my last Short Stories newsletter: "Songs Tell StoriesOpen in new Window.

dragonwoman Author Icon wrote: I wrote a story called "Beach Baby" based on the lyrics of a song by the Beach Boys.

brom21 Author Icon wrote: The songs that stuck in your head seem to be ones with quirky, brief chorus's. Remember that song Who Let the Dogs Out? I know people who had that bouncing around in their noggins for weeks. Then there is the Blue song. lol.

s Author Icon wrote: Songs that tell a story? I wrote a column on that a couple of years ago:
https://www.weekendnotes.com/songs-that-tell-a-story/
Enjoy!


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