Jack Cavanaugh's WORD FORGE

Flash Fiction

 

The

Missing

Piece

Weary of life and living, my world no longer made sense.
A friend noticed. He handed me a gray cardboard box.

I lifted the lid.
    “There must be a thousand puzzle pieces in here!”
    “Trust me, it’ll help.”

I shoved the box back at him.
    “I don’t have time for games.”
    “Life is no game. Call me when you’re ready.”
    “You mean, when I’m finished.”
    “I mean, when you’re ready.”

I dumped the pieces on the dining room table. A montage of images began to appear— Protestors thrusting guns at heaven. Trembling towers on fire. Swollen-bellied children, food for flies. A yellow-taped crime scene. An infant’s funeral.

Compared to these, my troubles paled. Was I to feel better for this?

I called my friend.
    “This isn’t helping.”
    “Do you see where grace fits in?”
    “Grace? There’s no grace in this puzzle!”
    “You’re not ready. Call me when you’re ready.”

Weeks passed. A dozen times I moved to clear the table. Something wouldn’t let me. The puzzle took shape, piece by disturbing piece.

And then, it made sense. I phoned my friend.
    “I understand!”
    “It’s complete?”
    “There’s one piece missing.”
    “I’ll be right over.”

Together we pondered the turmoil of the images.
In the center of the puzzle was a cross-shaped hole.

My friend said,
    “It’s the only way to make sense of this world.”
    “The missing piece…do you have it?”

With outstretched hand, he offered me the cross.

Writing Long Fiction

The Allure of Plus-size Novels

 

You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.
                                                                                  —C. S. Lewis

My sentiments as well, only substitute coffee for tea.

Lewis and I aren’t alone. Whole herds of bookstore browsing readers are attracted to the width of a book’s spine, the larger the better. Apparently there’s still a place in this skinny-obsessed world for plus-size books.

As a writer, I prefer writing long fiction. I tend to think in stories 120,000 words long (approximately 480 pages) in a time when publishers are wanting books of 90,000 words. My American Family Portrait Series comprises nine hefty volumes, or 1,230,600 words. My Songs in the Night trilogy totals 334,500 words, or approximately 1,340 pages. Like I said, I like long stories.

So what are some of the things I've learned about writing long fiction?

iPad - Why All the Fuss?

I'll admit it, the iPad is impressive. This is both its strength and its weakness.

The machine was designed to impress. I don't know a single person who has seen a demonstration of the iPad who has not said, "Wow!" But it doesn’t last, and once the novelty wears off the iPad is little more than a precocious two-year-old tugging at your pant leg, jumping up and down shouting, "Look at me! Look at me! Look what I can do!"

But then, this is exactly what the iPad was designed to do.

Compare this to the e-book. Like it's paper counterpart, the e-book is at its best when it becomes invisible, when you’re not aware you’re reading words on a screen and turning pages, when you’re not even aware you’re holding a device in your hands.

This is what an e-book is designed to do.

While the iPad is busy calling attention to itself, the e-book subtly interfaces with another device of truly remarkable computing power — the human brain.

This is where the iPad is quickly outclassed. It's paltry A4 processor operating at 1GHz (1,000 MHz) cannot begin to compare to the human brain that is estimated to operate at the equivalent of a 168,000 MHz computer chip, processing 100 million instructions per second.

Plug that baby into an internalized, multidimensional surround-screen with — not just sight and sound, but — five sensory inputs and an emotional generator, run a bit of author code (words) and like magic you’re instantly transported to a different world. It’s an experience like no other. You’re not just watching something on a screen, you’re actually living it.

Talk about WOW! This is the reading experience.

True, while you’re in those other worlds you can't check your e-mail. Chalk one up for iPad.





Creating WOW Fiction

When Michael Hyatt speaks, authors listen.

At least this author does.

After all, Hyatt is the Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the United States. Impressive.

Earlier this week Hyatt tweeted a link to a blog he wrote, “Creating Wow Product Experiences.” (Read it here.) Since I’m always looking for ways to craft better stories, I wondered if his list could be adapted to writing fiction.

The Life of a Novelist: A True Story

It was one of those perfect moments. I was living every novelist’s dream.

There we were, sitting at a table in a restaurant in Nova Scotia overlooking Halifax harbor. Just me and my publisher. We were attending a conference for Canadian booksellers. I had delivered the keynote speech earlier that afternoon. It went well. So did the book signing that followed. I was feeling good.

Little did I know that things were about to get…

Suddenly, The Earth Began to Shake

Legendary film producer Samuel Goldwyn said, “Open with an earthquake and build from there.”

Good advice given our culture’s insatiable appetite for action. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” might have resonated with Charles Dickens’ readers, but it wouldn’t work today.

So, being a student of storytelling, I’ve collected novel openings from more modern bestsellers. Here are some of my favorites—

Of Pottery and Characters

Have you read a novel written by someone you know?

It’s fun. And a little spooky.

As you read, you catch glimpses of the author — mannerisms, habits, preferences,  figures of speech— wedged into the lines of text. My sister-in-law insists that when she reads one of my novels, she hears my voice reading it to her.

It's as though a piece of the author's spirit dwells inside every one of his books.

Thoughts of a Citizen of Multiple Realities

Non-fiction writers keep their feet firmly planted in this present reality. Novelists, on the other hand, are citizens of multiple realities.

Think about it. How can a novelist entice a reader to leave this present reality and enter the fictional world of his story if he’s never been there himself?

But it comes at a price.

Two Pats on the Back and A Swift Kick in the Pants

Surprise!

…the key element of humor.

You lead your reader down a familiar path. Just when they think they know where you’re going… you pull the rug out from beneath them. Works for slapstick, works for word play, and everything in between — two pats on the back, and a swift kick in the pants.

That’s where clichés come in. Remember yesterday when I told you to save all the clichés your overzealous editor ripped from your manuscript? This is where you put them back in, this time with a twist. They’re great fodder for humor.

Why?

Whoever Said Life Was to Be Taken Seriously?

Have you started your collection of humor?

Yesterday I suggested you get a file folder, and write “Makes Me Laugh” on the tab.
   Whenever you read something funny, make a copy of it and toss it into the folder.
      Whenever you hear something funny, jot it down and toss it into the folder.

Here’s why—

1. You’ll begin to realize that your funny bone is susceptible to a particular kind of humor, this is your humor style.

2. The authors of these tidbits are going to become your mentors. They’re going to teach you how to hone your humor skills.

I once watched a documentary of the M*A*S*H television show. One of the younger writers was asked about her experience. She said the best piece of advice she’d ever received came from one a veteran writer. He said to her: “You don’t have a right to laugh until you know why you’re laughing.”

Read through your collection of humor. Do you know why you’re laughing? Once you do, you’re on the road to harnessing the power of humor.

In your quest to find your funny side, what do you look for?