Hi there, my name is Len Gill I am a 68 year old retired male. No having a little spare time on my hands, I thought I would have a go at writing short stories. (not sure how many words is deemed as a short story). But possibly something in the region of 3,000 to 500 words. I'm thinking of something that would take something about half hour to read.
I have never written anything in my life, so it's just an experiment. I feel I must point out that I have no 'A' level or GCSE English literature grades at all, but I do feel I have a vivid imagination. My biggest fear is punctuation. I have written one short story that I would like critiqued by someone to see if this could be a hobby for me. I do not fear criticism as I have nothing to lose.
Regards Len Gill
I've had a look, Len, and made some suggestions.
For someone who has never written anything before, this is a complicated little story, and I like it. You know it needs work, so I've highlighted some of the things you could look at.
Short stories can be any length from 100 words to 8000 or more. I think you've chosen a length you're happy with, and it's one that is often asked for in competitions.
Do you like to read short stories? Read as many as you can, and keep an eye on the punctuation used. One exercise you could try is to write out a paragraph from a story you've read, without putting any punctuation in it. Put the magazine or book to one side, and see if you can put the marks back. Then consult the original, and see how well you did. Work out why they were used, and what difference they make to the reading of the paragraph.
Enjoy what you write - thinking up plots as complex as this one is really good for the brain! - and read: that's the best lesson anyone can give themselves.
Good luck,
Lorraine
Now, what he SHOULD have said is "Aw, the Daily Mail hack was on a cocktail of acid and crack when he interviewed me."
"Move over Lee Child."
In 2013, the Daily Mail quoted [Lee Child] saying that he writes while high on marijuana, and that he has smoked cannabis five nights a week for 44 years. However, in a phone interview in November 2013, he clarified his comments to the Irish Examiner, saying he's never written while high. "Yeah, that's true," Child told The Post-Standard. "I mean, people say to me, 'There was that story in the newspaper,' and I say, "No, that's The Daily Mail.' In Britain, that's not a newspaper, you know, that's a scandal sheet where they make stuff up. It's not very reliable. And certainly I don't deny smoking the occasional joint, but I don't work when I'm stoned because you don't get much done that way." - wikipedia
"I don't work when I'm stoned because you don't get much done that way."
Tell THAT to Coleridge, Carroll, Burroughs, and Thompson!
"Lee Child, don't bogart that joint!!"