Tales with a twist in the tail
I am not an organised writer. I don’t sit down for a set number of hours
each day. I don’t keep carefully
documented notes of ideas or potential projects. You are more likely to find a screwed up
napkin covered in scrawl on my desk (i.e. wherever I happened to drop it) than
carefully written cue cards or Post-It notes.
So, how do I write? I write entirely as and when ideas hit. As long as it’s physically possible, of
course! I wrote the majority of my
story, Round Trip, on the bus on the way to see my parents. My scrawl was barely legible by the end of
the journey but I was pleased to rescue a – decent? I hope so! – story in the
end. I wrote ‘Shelving My Worries’ in a
deserted waiting room while I waited for a nerve-wracking meeting. I’ve written on a bench in churchyard on a
freezing cold day with nothing but a cup of coffee to keep me warm – because
that was the last place I was when I got a great idea and I wanted to try and
draw more details out. It worked.
All of this means that I am not a good
plotter. I do not write with an ending
or conclusion in mind. Though my
heartfelt thanks go out to those who have praised my stories and the twists in
them, I confess I am a fraud. Those
endings and twists are often as unexpected to me as they are to the
reader.
There is a satisfaction in that,
however. Reaching the final few hundred
words and the story opening up before you is incredibly rewarding. You have guided your characters, followed their
whims, seen them through the good times and bad – they have rewarded you with
something wholly unexpected.
Of course, I may find this a major
stumbling block if I ever write a novel.
I’m aware of this. I’m aware that
if I want to be a ‘proper writer’, I probably need to shape up. Thankfully, the novella I’m working on is based
on a short story, so the ending has already played out. (Sorry – I never published it so its secrets
are mine and mine alone!) But I admit, I
am scared. If I abandon my disorderly
chaos for a more structured style, I feel the stories will lose their mysteries. That, although I may still be able to write
tales with a twist in the tail, their endings will no longer serve as a
delightful and unexpected reward for me, even if I can still deliver something
surprising to the reader.
In truth, I am selfish. I want to be the first reader to ‘get’ the
twist. Until I can rid myself of that
greedy desire, I suspect I will never be the plotter I’m supposed to be!
Book Blurb from Double-take Tales by Donna Brown
Three
dark, sardonic short stories that will have you expecting the unexpected:
In "Poison," a psychologically abused wife discovers that her husband's nut allergy may be the solution to all her problems.
In "Round Trip," a five pound note passes through desperate hands, greedy hands and tired hands before coming full circle…accompanied by a big surprise.
In "Ç'est La Vie," the police bungle a murder investigation under the watchful eye of someone uncomfortably close to the killing.
In "Poison," a psychologically abused wife discovers that her husband's nut allergy may be the solution to all her problems.
In "Round Trip," a five pound note passes through desperate hands, greedy hands and tired hands before coming full circle…accompanied by a big surprise.
In "Ç'est La Vie," the police bungle a murder investigation under the watchful eye of someone uncomfortably close to the killing.
To get your copy of Double-take Tales click on the following link:
Thanks so much for posting this!
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