  Short Stories
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help the Writing.com short story author hone their craft and improve their skills. Along with that I would like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the short story author. Write to me if you have an idea you would like presented.
This week's Short Story Editor
Leger~
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The Symbol of Air
The symbol of air can be divided into two parts: Breath and Wind. Breathing air symbolizes life. Rapid breathing can show high level of emotion, whether it is fear or excitement. It signals an internal change. Breathing is the rhythm of the spirit. The latin word spirare means to breathe, a root in the words aspire, inspire and spirit. Breath shows life and activity in a character, a visible sign of spiritual energy. It can also create music. Air can become fire - blowing on an ember makes it burn brighter.
The second part of air is wind. Wind can be a messenger, a sign in the clouds or approaching storms. Unanswered prayers travel on breezes and a whirlwind is thought to be the vehicle of the devil. Swirling debris in the air is referred to as a dust devil. Gentle, murmuring breezes cool emotions and calm the thoughtful spirit. Warm breezes are harbingers of spring, rebirth and change. In the opposite, howling winds and storms also bring change in a more violent manner. It shows an abrupt change, anger or violence. An eagle soaring in the air is a classic symbol of freedom.
When writing or editing your story, think about the images you'd like to project within your plot and the emotions of your characters. Would using air as a symbol strengthen your image? What other symbols of air could be used? Send in your answers below  . Next month I'll cover the symbol of earth. Write on!
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I've chosen a few stories you might enjoy reading.
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Excerpt: The air smells of spiced rum and pumpkin bread; a late autumn wind carries it with browned leaves from high atop the distant hills through the thoroughfare onward to the terraced houses and across town. The elderly woman cracks the burnt sugar on her crème brûlée.
Excerpt: Carson Pruitt sat in a padded folding chair in a small typical funeral parlor. He didn't know what to say or what to do. He didn't want to say or do anything. He was devastated and felt as though the walls were closing in all around him. Carson knew that this day would come.
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Excerpt: On the roof of the skyscraper housing the offices of the multinational resource-access corporation, Amplified Evolutionary Oil (AmEvOil), Dresden Schwarzinneres stood squinting at the chopper, watching it descend out of the dead-brown Houston sky. The strong downdraft created by its whirling blades whipped his thinning red hair back from his high forehead, and sent his red power tie fluttering like a warning flag.
Excerpt: Martha stood upright and said out loud, "Okay, out with it! In the name of the people of Nora's Creek, I ask you to reveal yourselves." She waited a second or two; then, she added, "I'll find out if someone can help you."
Martha felt a stirring among the trees' branches, but she espied no ghosts. She could have turned back and gone home, but she knew to be patient with ghosts. Also, she hated to see things get half-done.
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#1470197 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: Stress begot distraction, distraction begot mistakes, and one simple mistake by Doc Sheehan could well beget death. No one demanded that he be perfect, of course—no reasonable person would expect such a thing.
They merely required that he make no mistakes.
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Excerpt: Tom finished his coffee, got up from the breakfast table and set his cup in the sink. Out the window he could see the side yard where clumps of tall jonquils nodded their “good mornings” in the breezy sunshine. "This year’s jonquils sure are pretty."
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Excerpt: His eyes bore into her soul asking every question that ever existed. The honesty of his expression vibrated across the crowded room and begged to be acted upon. She knew from the way that he looked at her, with those stormy blue eyes, that he was capable of great feeling.
Excerpt: A storm was breaking. Angry clouds were rolling in from the north and flashes of intermittent lighting scattered across the sky. A sharp drop in temperature had most people cowering indoors with their windows shut and firmly locked against the coming deluge. Trees whipped around sending tiny broken bits of branches flying. Manicured lawns were covered in leaves stripped from the tree-lined drive, while pots on porches turned over and rolled, spilling dirt and plants.
Excerpt: Prior to the showers, it had been months since the last rainfall. Wyoming was known for its dry seasons, but even his hardy crop of sugar beets was struggling. Even the irrigation ditches had dried up. That was before. Now his beets were drowning and he could do nothing but watch.
Excerpt: On a summer's day, he was standing on the front stoep. Looking to the north with a view onto the eucalyptus plantation, which was on the other side of the spruit, about four hundred meters away.
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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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This month's question: What other symbols of air could be used in writing?
Last month's question: What other elements of water can we use in our writing?
A thinker never sleeps  replied: In one novel I wrote, water kept popping up as a theme, unintentionally. Washing dishes, beaches, lakes, waterfalls. For some reason I kept writing it in as up as a reflection of the main character's emotion. But it seemed to work okay!
Good newsletter.
DRSmith  wrote: Another terrific example, that in so few words, you've said a bundle. For me, such literal technique fans the embers of personal preference toward themed classicists like Hemmingway, Poe, O'Henry, Faulkner, Steinbeck, et al... all masters at manipulating symbolism that can perhaps breathe immortal life into one's story, it's characters, and theme. As for "water" in my "THE MAGIC OF MOSES" [13+], I used rain drops; the main character caught mesmerized by a gentle summer rain spattering a tavern window: "...my Grandpa used to say that people are like a race of raindrops— millions of colorless souls created in the heavens and born by chance upon a window pane of life..." For those interested, among several others I'd found in WDC, I'd recommend "Hogs n Hens" [13+] and "The Price of Loyalty" [18+] as superbly written examples of story telling vis a vis symbolism and theme... classicists in their own rights.
LJPC - the tortoise commented: Good progression from the last newsletter. Will there be two more to complete the set, perhaps? -- Laura
Yes, this month's air and earth will be covered. 
Winnie Kay  noted: Hi Leger.
In September's NL for Authors, Fyndorian had a similar question/challenge concerning descriptive writing and the subject of water. The attached ID was my answer.  winnie "Invalid Item"
Send in your reply to this month's question and I'll post it in my next edition.
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Short Stories: December 23, 2009 Issue [#3458]
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