C. Lee McKenzie

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

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A Salute To The Short Story & Words for Wednesday!

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What is my favorite short story?

While it was a hard choice, The Lottery won with A Rose For Emily a very close second. I suppose they both fall in “the best” short story category for me because they both employ one of my favorite strategies-a dawning sense of horror. Instead of clubbing you over the head with brutality, Shirley Jackson leads you like a lamb to the slaughter.

She sets the scene in the village with a description of a sunny June day-flowers, children, and their families gathering in the town square. There’s an anticipation of what’s to come, a celebration-a tradition the people inherited from so long again that the “box”- a central piece of the ceremony-was terribly shabby. The townsfolk couldn’t be folksier: Bobby Martin, Harry Jones, and Dickie Delacroix, Mr. Summers, “a round-faced, jovial man…” They all have a chance to win, and that’s what electrifies the entire village.

In about three thousand words, the fundamental irony and the subtle use of symbol create a story that you’ll never forget.

If you like short stories, you’ll find The Lottery a gripping one. If you’re thinking about writing them, then take a look at this help-filled book by Shannon Lawerence.


There’s never been a better time to get into short stories!
$3.99 for e-book | $13.99 for paperback
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Blurb: Whether you’re looking to add short stories to your repertoire as a solo pursuit or in addition to novel writing, The Business of Short Stories covers every aspect from writing to marketing. Learn the dynamics of short story writing, where to focus your editing efforts, how and where to submit, how to handle acceptances and rejections, what to do with reprints, and how to market yourself and your stories online and in person. The information in The Business of Short Stories has been distilled from over a decade of short story publishing experience so you don’t have to learn the hard way. You’ll find information on submission formatting, cover letters, querying a collection, sending proposals to writing events, how to create a website, SEO, social media, and so much more. This is an invaluable resource for short story writers.

Shannon Lawrence has made a career of short stories, with over a decade of experience and more than fifty short stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, she’s released three horror short story collections with a mix of new and previously published stories. Her true-crime podcast Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem is going into its third season. 


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Here’s Words For Wednesday, Week Two!

I’m providing the prompts for this long-lived meme for February’s WORDS FOR WEDNESDAY. All the prompts will have something to do with LOVE, so I hope this will get and keep you into the spirit of St. Valentine’s month and that you’ll leave your story in a comment. If you don’t want to play, enjoy what others leave. It’s fun no matter how you play.

Here’s what Elephant’s Child writes to explain the meme: “Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music, or an image.  What we do with those prompts is up to us:  a short story, prose, a song, or a poem… We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.”

Choose either column one or column two, or if you’re really into this, write something using the words from both columns. Ready. Set. Write!

GiftYesterday
SurpriseLovely
StubbornSprinkled
LaughterFebruary
GenerousHusband
FlowersMarriage

Quote of the Week: “Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.” Ray Bradbury

Comments

  2. Hi, Cheryl-Lee!

    The first short story that pops into my head as a favorite is Thomas Wolfe’s “The Far and the Near.” The story resonates with me, because I have had similar painful experiences several times in my life. Your choice of The Lottery and your description of it as utilizing the plot device “a dawning sense of horror,” very much appeals to me. I appreciate a slow burn with a big payoff.

    Yessum, I became familiar with Shannon Lawrence several years ago. I’m sure her book will be helpful to many in the writing community. I’m going to search for her Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem podcast.

    Thank you very much for visiting Shady’s Place today. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!

  3. Congrats to Shannon!

    I recently used The Lottery as a quick read, in my high school book club.
    One of the learners was so overcome by the surprise ending, that she burst into tears… oh dear, a good or bad thing?
    Anyway, it did generate lots of interesting discussion amongst the learners.

  4. The Lottery is a haunting short story! I have found myself more fond of short stories. I’ve enjoyed a couple of George Saunders collections, as well as Alistair MacLeod’s collection, “Island” that’s set in the Canadian maritime providences.

  9. Thank you for featuring me today! The Lottery is absolutely on my top short stories list. I still remember reading it for the first time and that very sense of dawning horror you spoke of. So well done. I need to look up the second story, but if it’s comparable to The Lottery I know I’ll love it.

  11. Sweetness and love really aren’t my thing, but I’ll do what I can with the words and have my story on my blog on Friday 11th.

  12. “Please tell again what happened from the moment your husband sat down in his chair yesterday.” Inspector Flowers noted ’14 February, poison’ and looked up to the woman in the sprinkled dress, who now repeated almost verbatim.

    ‘What a lovely surprise!’ he had exclaimed, thanking her for the generous present and uncorking the bottle labelled ‘GIFT!
    She had wanted to warn him, but stubborn as he was, he drank the contents down.
    “What a tragic end to your marriage,” the inspector muttered as he left. “Your husband obviously didn’t speak German.”
    Thoughtfully, he got into his car. The laughter behind him he did not hear.

  13. HOW DOES COURTSHIP LAST by Granny Annie
    It seems like only YESTERDAY that I waited at the airport terminal for him to exit the plane. We had both been filled with LAUGHTER as we embraced. Together we collected his luggage. He opened his suitcase and pulled out a crinkled brown bag that was somewhat damp. “This is for you” he said and I reluctantly took this strange GIFT, opening it to discover a small LOVELY bouquet of roses. The FLOWERS were carefully packed and looking as fresh as the moment he cut them for me in California..

    Our courtship included lots of GENEROUS presents. He showered me with poetry books by Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and other favorites. He would SURPRISE me with several pieces of precious jewelry. The first FEBRUARY on Valentine’s Day after we met, he sent me a huge bouquet of roses to my work. It was a thrill to display them on my desk for people to admire and inquire…and envy:) He SPRINKLED me with gifts just the way women always hope a man will do. I would insist that he should stop being so generous, but he was STUBBORN and I was glad.
    While he was giving me those gifts and entertaining me with laughter and excitement, he was preparing a lifetime of gifts by listening. After our MARRIAGE the glittery gifts faded away to be replaced with a new type of gift. My HUSBAND heard and remembered my wishes and made my every dream come true.

    (This is a true story.)

  14. I’m tempted by Shannon’s book. But I’m sorry to say I absolutely hate The Lottery. Hate. Jackson was a masterful writer. (Did you see the bio of her on PBS not too long ago?) But I do not at all like her work. (It’s a taste thing. The dawning horror that you appreciate is what I avoid.)

  16. Congratulations to Shannon. Short stories can be precious gems.
    I am heading out the door shortly and will be back to read and marvel at this week’s take on your prompts later this afternoon.

    Sarah was tired of husbanding her (admittedly limited) store of patience. However, this year filthy February was going to lead seamlessly into marvelous March.
    If only she had listened to Aunt Mabel all those years ago. ‘You are not cut out for marriage’ she had said. ‘You are stubborn and don’t understand the meaning of compromise. You will regret this’. And she had.
    Never mind yesterday’s regrets. She was planning for her future now. A blooming lovely future. She burst into laughter as those thoughts crossed her mind. Blooming lovely indeed. Ralph was going to get a surprise gift. They had never celebrated Valentine’s Day but this year was the exception. She had the bunch of flowers in front of her now. Roses, lilies, all the scented plants he loved, picked from their garden. She picked up the spray bottle and misted them generously. He would not be able to resist plunging his face deep into them and inhaling deeply. His deep breaths would be the end of him. The finely crushed peanuts added to the water and sprinkled generously across those perfect flowers would do the trick. Anaphylatic shock should take him out quickly.
    All she had left to do was arrange a suitably anonymous delivery of her totally anonymous flowers to his office and wait.

  18. Hi Lee and EC - the first set …

    He was stubborn, would he be generous enough to bring flowers, gifts had never been his forte.What’s that laughter all about – the kids appear to be in hysterics … she has to find out what’s going on upstairs … a delicious rose scent poured out … inside there were roses for Africa – loads of them … the bath had been run, rose petals were spread over its surface … her husband awaited her with a glass of champagne – ready to help her into the bath … the kids turned on the tape deck where their music was playing. A glorious Valentine’s Day … ‘Love Me Tender’ … yes I will do … and the family danced and sang - until the kids went to bed … when who knows!!

    Thanks Lee and EC - have a blessed weekend.

    PS congratulations to Shannon with her new book on saluting short stories, with ideas to help write them … cheers Hilary