Eneh Akpan Writes: Short story

Showing posts with label Short story. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

IntShoWriMo 2016 Badge

Welcome to IntShoWriMo 2016!

The badge is all yours for the taking.

This is my 5th year of taking a shot at writing 30 stories in 30 days. I hope to make the best of it and I believe you'll put your back to make it work out fine on your end.

Once again, welcome to IntShoWriMo 2016.

Thank you.

Akpan

Friday, May 2, 2014

IntShoWriMo On My Mind

The month of April holds a special spot in my heart and it’s besides the fact it’s the month dedicated to my pet genre—National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) 2014 ended officially on 00:00 hrs on 30th April, 2014.

One reason is I was born on a Good Friday in the month of April several hundred years ago. Then the internet became second home to me about five years ago when I joined an online writing community on April 7th. And then again, Maya Angelou, who happens to be my favorite mentor/poet, was born on 4^th of April.

And now you know why April gatto be the greatest month of the year.

The month of June is just around the corner. And just as April is known as the Poetry Month, June has become at least, for me, the Short Story Month otherwise called IntShoWriMo.

IntShoWriMo is short for International Shorts Writing Month—formerly, NaShoWriMo; I was forced to change the name the previous year because a couple of sites around the internet have used it. Although, these sites are no longer operating, I think safe is well, safer than sorry.

The challenge is about writing 30 shorts in every form—short shorts, flash fiction, and the longer short stories—in 30 days to be written on/before midnight June 30th. I’ve written over 90,000 words since 2012—the year of inception. I’m not striving for more words than I did last year in 2014. Nope, that’s not in the plan. But I do hope to have my 30 stories down pat before 00:00 hrs on 30th of June.

Just in case you were wondering, this is an official invitation to take part in this great and exciting adventure. I’ll be speaking more on this soon.

Keep your pens bleeding!

Akpan

Friday, September 20, 2013

2 Paybacks of a Fine-Tuned Setting

Getting to Know You (short story collection)

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The geographical location and moment in historical time where and when the events of a story unravels is its setting. In a short work of fiction, this element of story may be disregarded but not in the longer form of short fiction or the novel.

Exquisite, fine-tuned settings that take the reader by the hand into the landscape in glittering details and this woven into a vista of background history of the people might very well be the platform that launches a story from obscurity to fame.

1. Originality:

This may not be as apparent in a really short story as it might be in the long form of the short story or in the plot of a novel. But it might very well be the breather the writer needs to create a unique universe; a place where his characters can readily adapt and become living, breathing people. Real people. A well-developed setting can achieve such a feat.

2. Plausibility:

A setting that shows depth and distance becomes its own peculiar world possessing its own set of rules, which govern the events, and the citizens of that unique state. If you create a sleeping beauty-ish universe then you have to make it palpable how an entire kingdom can stay in a coma defying every known medical code and then rouse itself several years later as easily as a child coming off a midday nap awakens.

Developing the setting for your story is like pulling weeds in your lawn, trimming the plants in your garden, repainting the porch to create a sharper contrast of your entire house. Every curve is placed in proper perspective and every outline is well defined.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Friday, September 13, 2013

The Most Important Thing

Story is the most important thing.

It is so much more important than plot, than characterization, than setting. Story is king.

It's to the writer's credit to focus on story, the expression of story, and the exploration and discipline of story. To coin a phrase.

English: penulis = writer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Every other writing technique comes after not before and ought to be tested under the lens of this solitary literary code.

The writer steps way out of line when he turns the strobe light on other people's weak points to downtalk these individuals with his art. And his craft won't thank him for it.

There's nothing remotely off tangent when a story tackles moral issues or attempts to set certain societal values knocked off the pedestal back on its feet. I know you agree with me thus far. You'll also agree that story is not a whip for lashing out at people.

When you craft story, your duty is to get the reader swooped off his/her feet and shoved into your fictional world; help them get lost and forget everything about this terrestrial plane at least, for the length of the story. It's a confrontation as you try to make them reckon with your characters and their peculiar dilemma. This is pure art. It's beautiful when you invoke the muses for a worthy cause.

Things get pretty ugly if a writer collects words in a sling and flings, the full weight of bitterness propelling the projectile.

It's always best to focus on story. Delete every scene forged by malicious intent; get rid of characters that are apparently, twisted repros of real life persons and just tell the damn story.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

IntShoWriMo 2013: DAY 4

Courtesy: guardian.co.tt

Today’s Prompt:

A drunk man sits next to you in a bar, thinks you’re his buddy and starts confessing “the truth.” Write about what the truth is.

Courtesy: CreativeWritingPrompts.Com

Link for Day 4: DAY 4: Duncan’s Story Word Count: 2,085

A lawyer is on his way home after visiting with a client whose engaged in a dispute with local authorities in regards to his property. He spots a bar at the intersection and decides to cool off some of the day’s heat.

He’s not in there fifteen minutes and this drunk called Duncan tramps in and makes his acquaintance confusing him for his friend Dick. (Later, on his way out, the lawyer discovers he bears some semblance to Dick.)

Duncan’s been up to no good and reveals this to the lawyer who he believes is his friend Dick. He peed on a vehicle parked at the extreme right of the joint’s parking lot. The vehicle in question happens to be the lawyer’s whose real name is Sam.

But wait, the story is far from over.

Sam plays along pretending he’s indeed Dick and all the while hoping the drunk called Duncan would confess to a crime that attracts tougher penalty than peeing on a private vehicle would.

No truth serum beats alcohol. Ask at your local joint.

And Duncan tells Sam… ah… read the damn story for yourself.

Read the full story here, DAY 4: Duncan’s Story

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Monday, June 3, 2013

IntShoWriMo 2013: DAY 3

Today’s Prompt:

After your workout at the gym, you open your locker to find a note with the word “HELP!” scribbled on it.

Courtesy: Writing.Com

Link for Day 3: DAY 3: Paper Chase Word Count: 2,232

Idara is the protagonist of this short story. The protagonist’s (whose name Idara interprets as joy) nature is in conflict with his name. Well, not really. Joy is a kind of obsession with the positive, sunny side of life. And Idara’s situation is eh… a little complicated.

Let me explain. When a guy finds a note in his locker and he’s the only one with the keys. The lock on the other hand, is intact. He’s bound to freak even if the note looks harmless.

After checking with a friend and the local law about any serial killer on the loose who might be out to implicate an unsuspecting gym enthusiast, Idara decides to keep the piece of paper. One night, on a return trip from the barber’s, Idara unlocks the mystery of the note in a pitch-dark alley where he helps a dying teen by giving him a second shot at life.

Idara discovers the note possesses superpowers to find and help people at the point of death; it has a life of its own, levitates and can guide its custodian (as its possessor is called) to the next port of call; it slows the aging process of its custodian; it’s of alien origin and cannot be destroyed…

Nevertheless, there is a price or as the alien emissaries tell Idara… consequences.

Read the full story here, DAY 3: Paper Chase

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Stephen King's 'Greatest' Achievement

With Tabitha (wife) & Owen (son)
Photo: loc.gov

Stephen King has sort of become a staple wherever the horror genre is discussed. It's almost impossible to not think of King when the terror-inducing genre crosses your mind. Whether you are a fan of the genre, of the writer or a torrid critic of either the form of writing or the writer. And a reviewer said, "Stephen King polarizes writers."

His name, craft and career are yet to fossilize in a stint that spans nearly five decades. From the 70s when he was known as the Prince of Horror right into the 21st century, the King of Horror has pretty much maintained up in the game that seems to be constantly undergoing organic mutation at the turn of each decade.

Stephen King who once said of himself, "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries" has thrown in a good measure of his genius in development of the genre for which he is widely celebrated. And his works have had immeasurable influence on hundreds of writers including yours truly repping the ministry of fear in Nigeria.

I think I'll go out on a limb and say Stephen King seems to have achieved a feat possibly, no other writer has aspired to or come close to accomplishing; he converted members of his family into a fear factory.

Tabitha King

King met his wife in the late 1960s at the University of Maine where he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper. Tabitha is quoted as saying jokingly, "He married me for my typewriter." Tabitha published her first novel, Small World at age 32; a fantasy about a mad scientist and his evil device. Stephen King was on his eighth published novel and seven years into his writing career at the time. The nonfiction book Danse Macabre had just been released.

Tabitha King has gone on to release over eight novels and two nonfiction books so far. Wikipedia lists her genres as horror, science fiction and fantasy. Seen any connection with the style of the Master?

With Joe Hill (son)
Photo: nerdsburgh.com

Joe Hill

Joe Hill, Stephen King's first son decided he wanted to succeed on his own merits rather than as Stephen King's son. Even though, online speculations about his link to Stephen King abounded since 2005, it was not until 2007 that Joe Hill acknowledged his kinship with the Horror meister. And only after he achieved considerable success on his own.

His first book, 20th Century Ghosts, a collection of 14 short stories was published in 2005 and won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection including a British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story for Best New Horror. His first novel, Heart-Shaped Box (published February, 2007) reached #8 on the New York Times bestseller list. Hill had gone on to collaborate with his dad on at least one project.

Joe Hill writes horror, dark fantasy and science fiction. Second convert towing the same line with the master.

Owen King

Owen King is the last of King's children and even he has chosen to follow his father's obsession. His first book, We're All In This Together: (A Novella and Short Stories) was published in 2005. Since then, he has published another collection Who Can Save Us Now? he has published a debut novel, Double Feature (2013). He co-wrote a screenplay with his brother Joe Hill titled Fade Away.

Owen King has had several of his stories published in anthologies and magazines and won several awards. Although, several of his stories feature what might be termed horror as one interviewer said, "Owen King's approach is more literary, and any terror contained in his stories is wholly inspired by real life." (Does that mean more gore or less gore?) His stories focus on broken families or strange relationships and edge on redemption and forgiveness.

It's an amazing story, yes? The influence, and I might add positive inspiration a man can execute over the life and career of his family. With the Kings writing is indeed a family business. You think you ought to go and do likewise?

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

3 Lovecraftian Character Archetypes

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents."

Lovecraft,

The Call of Cthulhu

The Cthulhu Mythos connoisseur created a little clutter of characters in his lifetime which became constant features in much of his fiction. A casual reading of Lovecraft's works would inform the mind of the recurrence of three character archetypes the master of horror employed as his protagonists. At least, it's what I believe, you might harbor a different opinion. It's allowed.

Photo: david-j-west.blogspot.com

1. The Explorer

Probably, the most consistent character in Lovecraft's tales, this character usually sets off on a quest for the unknown driven by a whiff of information. A character who exhibits an investigative disposition and is fully aware and understands the consequences of such hideous adventure but decides to go ahead anyway.

The profile of this fictional character is summed up by the words of a peculiar Lovecraftian character who appears in the story, The Lurking Fear. In the story, this personality declares,

"I am a connoisseur in horrors."

Such characters take it as their responsibility to explore the unknown, to find the source of the terror and if possible, destroy it. There is a pervading sense of obligation to things of the macabre. The primary inclination of these fictional people is best explained by the words of another Lovecraft character;

"Burning curiosity began to displace all other feelings and I enlarged my investigations as best I could."

Lovecraft,

In the Walls of Eryx

"It is for this latter reason that I urge, with all the force of my being, final abandonment of all the attempts at unearthing those fragments of unknown, primordial masonry which my expedition set out to investigate. Assuming that I was sane and awake, my experience on that night was such as has befallen no man before. It was, moreover, a frightful confirmation of all I had sought to dismiss as myth and dream."

Lovecraft,

The Shadow Out of Time

2. The Victim

There is a prototype of this character portrayed in the Lovecraft story, Pickman's Model where the protagonist comes in contact with an artist bearing the titular name and his painting. Pickman is in the process of painting a monster that the main character misinterprets as the artist's imagination until he discovers the awful truth.

The Victims are secondary hosts who experience horror only through their association with a primary host who has made contact with some sort of paranormal activity.

"No, I don't know what's become of Pickman, and I don't like to guess. You might have surmised I had some inside information when I dropped him — and that's why I don't want to think where he's gone. Let the police find what they can — it won't be much, judging from the fact that they don't know yet of the old North End place he hired under the name of Peters."

Lovecraft,

Pickman's Model

Another example is one of Lovecraft's most famous works, The Call of Cthulhu. A character comes in contact with the papers of his great-uncle. Said papers seem to be possessed by the spirit which haunted a young artist and ultimately led to his death. It also led to the death of the main character's great-uncle and has likely rearranged the psyche of this character by the time the story turns for home. The displaced wanderer/traveler who finds haunted lodging also comes under this point.

"That was the document I read, and now I have placed it in the tin box beside the bas-relief and the papers of Professor Angell. With it shall go this record of mine - this test of my own sanity, wherein is pieced together that which I hope may never be pieced together again. I have looked upon all that the universe has to hold of horror, and even the skies of spring and the flowers of summer must ever afterward be poison to me. But I do not think my life will be long."

Lovecraft,

The Call of Cthulhu

3. The Inventor

"He no longer treated me so much like a friend as like an implement in his skilled and greedy fingers. I found him possessed of unexpected traits - little examples of baseness and cruelty, apparent even to the hardened Simes, which disturbed me in a most unusual manner. Often he would display extraordinary cruelty to live specimens in his laboratory, for he was constantly carrying on various hidden projects in glandular and muscular transplantation on guinea-pigs and rabbits."

Lovecraft,

The Disinterment

Lovecraftian tales like The Disinterment portray characters who are desperate inventors. The mad scientist persona is another popular feature in Lovecraft's tales. These inventors include alchemists and as a matter of fact, there's a Lovecraft work that goes by that name.
These set of Lovecraftian characters are usually involved in inventions bordering on insanity. These would stop at nothing to achieve their goals and often, perform experiments to alter natural processes like death.

Lovecraft's fictional people could possibly be classified under broader terms. This is just a personal shot at understanding the works of a master of the craft.
Hope you were inspired.

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan