Hey! Check out my first-ever time travel story. Originally published in the late 90s. Now up for free on my fiction website!
When you go, do me a favor and tell me what you think. I’d love some thoughts — and especially suggestions. Comments always help.
Today’s Friday Fun is less fun and more inspiring. This is an older video about an ordinary guy who decided to make a bigger-than-average difference in a very real crisis.
He tells the story best himself. Just watch it. You won’t be asking for your quarter-of-an-hour back.
See? I told you.
Now go do something awesome.
Alert readers will remember “Yogurt Extreme” from last Friday’s post.
Here’s the problem with Yogurt Extreme. The shop’s name writes a check the product just can’t cash. Short of putting razor blades in the product, you’re just not going to get extreme results out of that shopping experience.
Which brings us to the subject of promises. As freelance writers, it’s important to keep our promises. Depending on what kind of writing we do, we’ll make and keep different kinds of promises — but they’re always there, spoken or unspoken.
In Fiction, your early action makes promises to the reader about what will happen next. If you bring up a plot thread, you need to tie it off if you want a satisfying ending — or describe circumstances under which it will be intentionally and interestingly unresolved.
In Marketing Copy, your promises center around telling the truth in as attractive a way as possible. Tepid copy breaks your promise to your client. Making unrealistic claims breaks your promise to the reader.
In Nonfiction, you make a promise to do solid research and report only facts. Veering off into opinion, or “cherry-picking” data to suit your expectations breaks that promise.
Promises to Your Client can involve working to deadlines, honestly reporting your hours and handling editorial requests professionally.
As freelancers, we’re only as good as our reputations. Keeping promises we make is key to keeping that reputation spotless.
So I was at the mall this morning, and passed a shop called “Yogurt Extreme.”
Yogurt. Extreme.
At first, I thought this nonsensical. How, exactly, is a food Terry Pratchett describes as “cheese that’s not trying hard enough” extreme? Don’t most people eat frozen yogurt because it lacks any kind of dietary extremity?
But then I got to thinking.
Yogurt does contain colonies of live cultures. It’s a living organism. Maybe it’s a living, thinking organism. Maybe it’s upset about the treatment its received from us. Maybe it’s a hive intelligence.
Your mission, and I hope some of you choose to accept it, is to write a brief premise — or a whole story — about extreme yogurt.
I’m eager to see what you come up with. Winner gets published on this very page, and as a guest on my new fiction blog.
Speaking of my new fiction blog, I’ve posted a new story you can enjoy over the holiday.
Hey all,
Friday fun today is a little shameless self-promotion.
is my new fiction blog. I have two stories up right now, and plan to post a short story a week. Please check it out — and let me know what you think.
I’m interested in feedback about the structure and appearance, strengths and weaknesses in the stories — anything at all.
Thanks and have fun.
Warning
My fiction can be intense — cussing, violence, drug use, sexual situations. Stephen King, Joe Lansdale and Josh Bazell are inspirations. If you’re a youth who knows me from karate, check with your parents before clicking that link. If you’re a client — or potential client — rest assured that I won’t insert any of that into your ad copy.