tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post8500535928237096650..comments2024-01-12T11:26:35.176-05:00Comments on Working Stiffs: Thank you, short story writerWorking Stiffshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270595837074553752noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-85695823586452527752007-11-27T10:51:00.000-05:002007-11-27T10:51:00.000-05:00I agree, Cathy. I don't look anything like my moth...I agree, Cathy. I don't look anything like my mother did at 50. When I see pictures of her at my age, I can't believe how old she looked. It's just like those t-shirts: 50 is the new 30.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-77860830069008863932007-11-27T10:34:00.000-05:002007-11-27T10:34:00.000-05:00Ah, just as youth has changed--I've seen kids who ...Ah, just as youth has changed--I've seen kids who are thirteen who look like they're twenty-one--so has that deadly term, "elderly." We don't get old as young as we used to. So a man in his prime at sixty would be considered middle-aged, with elderly way down the line.<BR/><BR/>No one under 50 is allowed to comment on this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-58386943739802986962007-11-27T10:25:00.000-05:002007-11-27T10:25:00.000-05:00I don't know about ketchup bottles, Gina, but I ha...I don't know about ketchup bottles, Gina, but I have read backs and sides of cereal boxes in desperation! And I must confess--like Joyce, I too have been kept awake reading til the end. Just can't remember the last time it happened. Also, I figure if I stayed out of my plush, ultra comfortable livingroom lounge chair I'd stay awake longer--maybe I should move to the straight-backed wooden chair when reading. And, Brenda, I agree--I think writing short fiction is terribly hard, but what's this about "good brain exercise for the elderly"?! Exactly whom were you referring to...hmmmmm! ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-85396419783687804762007-11-27T09:03:00.000-05:002007-11-27T09:03:00.000-05:00Mike, I have the opposite problem. I can't go to s...Mike, I have the opposite problem. I can't go to sleep until I've finished the damn book. Maybe I should try short stories.<BR/><BR/>I keep telling myself I should try writing one,too.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-43667582406417328692007-11-27T08:32:00.000-05:002007-11-27T08:32:00.000-05:00Mike -I'm a short story buff, too, but my taste le...Mike -<BR/>I'm a short story buff, too, but my taste leans more toward Alfred Hitchcock than The New Yorker -- I want a plot and characters, not just pretentious writing. I haven't reached the big 60 yet, but I keep on getting closer. I haven't noticed many mind changes -- that might be in part because I have ADD, so I've always been a space cadet (mind like a steel sieve). I still read anything that's available, including the ingredients in ketchup if there's nothing else available.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-6948957205077846482007-11-27T07:51:00.000-05:002007-11-27T07:51:00.000-05:00Great post Mike. I tried to write a short story t...Great post Mike. I tried to write a short story this summer and failed miserably because it requires an economy with words that I have not mastered, or even grasped yet. They are fun to read because you have to fill in some of the gaps yourself. ....a good brain exercise for the elderly! Sorry, couldn't resist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-61063721634904384262007-11-27T07:02:00.000-05:002007-11-27T07:02:00.000-05:00I have to admit I've gotten much, much more picky ...I have to admit I've gotten much, much more picky about fiction as I grow older. In high school, I would read ANYTHING! Now, when I'm browsing, I got through 10 or so before I pick up one, and only one in 10 of those do I end up finishing.<BR/><BR/>They say two prime indicators of aging are close-up vision and short-term memory, and meditation has been demonstrated to improve both. That's what I'm counting on!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-5486574726454637992007-11-27T06:55:00.000-05:002007-11-27T06:55:00.000-05:00As someone who WRITES short stories, let me say TH...As someone who WRITES short stories, let me say THANK YOU! <BR/><BR/>Oh, I love to write (and still love to read) novels, but my appreciation for the short story is growing. As a writer, you can experiment with a new voice or technique. Sometimes it works, sometimes not (as evidenced by the Dennis Lehane story you mention). And you haven't invested a year or more to find out which it is.<BR/><BR/>And as a reader, I love to keep copies of Ellery Queen or Alfred Hitchcock stashed in my car or in my purse. If I'm stuck waiting somewhere, I can pull it out and might actually finish an entire story.Annettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02755947919433555176noreply@blogger.com