  Short Stories
This week: Bump in the Night Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
Read on to find out how you can win a Short Stories merit badge AND a 10k awardicon! |
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"From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night,
good Lord, deliver us!" ~ Welsh Prayer
Last Thursday I got home after a hard 13-hour day at work and flopped into my favorite chair to watch some TV. I planned to unwind with some brainless television, take a hot bath, go to bed early, get a good night's sleep (with the help of Tylenol PM), and wake rested the following morning for what was the last of a four-day stretch, so at 9:15 p.m. I battened down the hatches and went upstairs to my bedroom. I turned on the ceiling fan, switched on the reading lamp, walked into the bathroom to draw a bath ... and that's when I saw it: my closet door was open and the light was on.
I was home alone (my children are grown and my husband works out of state), and I knew I hadn't left the closet open or the light on. In fact, I knew I hadn't even been in the closet that morning before going to work because I'd washed all my scrubs the night before and they were downstairs in the laundry basket waiting to be folded. Instantly my mind flashed to a news broadcast I'd seen several years earlier in which a married couple discovered that a man had been living in their attic for months, accessing it via the trap door in the ceiling of the master bedroom's walk-in closet ... just like the one in my closet. I looked at it. It didn't appear to be askew. I looked behind every door and opened every closet in the house. I even looked under the beds. Nothing. I called my twenty-year-old son (he'd slept over on the couch the night before) to ask if he'd been in my room. "No, why? What's going on?"
I was a little freaked out. I mean, I've been known to watch crime shows like Sins & Secrets, Fatal Encounters, Motives & Murders, Killer Kids, and I Survived, so I know people are capable of crazy things when they're desperate. Couple that with the fact that there has been a rash of home invasions in the general vicinity and you've got the perfect storm for an imagination run amok. No one ever thinks they'll be the victim of a violent crime, but I believe that if I am the victim of a violent crime I know how to survive it (or at least put up one helluva fight).
I locked my bedroom door, moved the nightlight from the bathroom to the wall at the foot of my bed, and slept with a knife on the nightstand ... just in case. Needless to say I didn't get the great night's sleep I'd been hoping for and went to work the next day more exhausted than ever. When I told my husband about the ordeal he said, "So basically by leaving the light on you made it easier for the guy to see you and the knife. You'd have been better off sleeping in the dark with a rock under your pillow."
Men!
That evening my son called. "Mom," he said, "I just remembered that I did go in your closet this morning to borrow a movie (we keep all our DVDs on a shelf in our closet). You don't mind, do you?"
Does your character's mind play tricks on him? What sends him off the deep end? Is he cool, calm, and collected, or does his imagination get the better of him? Answer these questions by writing a story of 1000 words or less (word count must be included at the bottom of the piece) and email it to me. I will read/review each one and my favorite will receive a Short Stories merit badge + a 10k awardicon. Stories must be newly written for this contest, and please keep the rating 18+ or below. Deadline is June 6, and winning entry will be featured in the June 20 Short Stories Newsletter. Good luck!
Thank you for reading.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. Please remember to do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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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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The following is in response to "Short Stories Newsletter (May 16, 2012)" :
Doug Rainbow  says, "Your suggestions are wonderful not only for writing but for living. A long time ago I realized that writing made me see things through a new perspectivee -- a new set of eyes. Your suggestions give those new eyes something new to see." Thank you, Doug! 
barijess says, "How do I submit a short story?" Just respond to this newsletter by placing your story's item ID in the box at the bottom of this newsletter. Just make sure it's rated 18+ or below. 
Mia - craving colour  says, "Hi Shannon. The title of your piece caught my eye. Love your objection to staring at a blank screen. I'm with you. Studies have shown that movement goes a long way to get the creative juices flowing. Get out somewhere you haven't been before and the effect multiplies. Inspirational. Thank you." Thank YOU! I'm glad you liked it. 
pinkbarbie says, "I think that trying to fit in a new experience, no matter how small it is, gives us ideas. I totally agree with the content of the letter. Thank you." Thanks! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. 
johnsings says, "Dear Shannon, your suggestions for writer's block are superlative. Seeing your list alone spurred immediate ideas. Writing fiction requires study. Your characters are believeable only when your readers connect with someone or something they have experienced or dreamed about experiencing. They become real as: Uncle Bob, Sam from next door, the Parish Priest, the prosecutor in the news, or the stranger in line at the ATM whose face is hiding a mystery. We need to get out and discover our next great character. Thanks for the tips." Thank you for your kind words, John. I'm glad you found the newsletter helpful and inspiring. I expect to see a story from you soon. 
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Short Stories: May 23, 2012 Issue [#5051]
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