Worthing Flash

WRITE-BYTES this week’s blog for developing writers. So Much fun to write this blog! Go to www.lindasgunther.com or read this belo for your convenience. June 23, 2023 - #41 – Deep Dive on Writing Internal Conflict For a great story, both internal and external conflict are desirable, and without one or the other the writing can feel one-dimensional or flat for the reader. External conflict is all about threats coming from outside the character and affecting her/him. Internal conflict comes from inside the character’s own mind. S/he struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs. Crafting a character who is experiencing internal conflict can be an adventure for a writer. You’re sitting there at your laptop and thinking about your protagonist, debating with yourself what traits, characteristics, quirks and internal thoughts might trigger internal conflict. It must be something the reader can relate to, perceive as believable and cause them to sympathize with the character, an...

I was deeply saddened when I heard that Tom had died of a heart attack, even though it was 15 years since I ended our relationship. My regrets and guilt had never gone away and it was not helped by the fact that I knew I had taken the only possible decision; to have gone on what have brought disaster and by the fact that Tom was a kind decent man who deserved better. We had sat together by chance at a meal out with friends but at that stage we hardly knew each other; by the end of the meal when he asked if he could see me home we both knew where it was going. There had already been those subtle looks and questions asked and not asked. I was surprised and shocked at myself; even with my ex and more recently a failed relationship we had gone on at least three dates before we slipped into bed together. When we got back to my flat we went through the motions and had a couple of glasses of wine, almost so we could blame the alcohol later, before getting into bed. I had had a bad time; a n...

WRITE-BYTE SERIES June 16, 2023 - #40 – TOPIC: Receiving Feedback on Your Writing You can go to my website to read this blog at: www.lindasgunther.com OR, for your convenience, find the whole blog post below. RECEIVING FEEDBACK ON YOUR WRITING If your house had a non-functioning furnace and you had no heat in the middle of winter, would you call a gardener to give you an assessment of the problem? No! Probably not a safe gamble. I believe the same principle applies to requesting feedback on your writing. You want to target people who would add value, be honest, authentic, and specific in terms of what works and what could use more explanation, description or maybe emotional tension. Your writing colleagues and those who are likely in your target audience would be ideal contenders for providing you with trustworthy feedback. So, if you’re a romantic suspense author, finding readers who enjoy that specific genre is important. And if you write memoir, feedback from people who love ...

Eric Twitten was enjoying a drink at The Lamb in Durrington. He was in the habit of taking his cross-breed dog, Ragamuffin, with him. Ragamuffin usually occupied the space in front of the fire and the landlord was minded to ban him from the pub. “ Now look here,” he said to Eric. Then he noticed Ragamuffin looking at him as if he were a tasty morsel he might have for his tea. He changed the subject. “ Hey, what has your dog got there?” Eric looked. Ragamuffin had picked up a boot from somewhere and was guarding it with two paws while taking the occasional nibble. “ Anybody missing a boot?” Eric asked. None of the regulars were missing a boot. “ He must have picked it up on the way here,” Eric concluded. Ragamuffin took the boot back home in his mouth as if it were a new-born puppy. “ You are not bringing that filthy old boot in my clean kitchen,” was Peggy's verdict. The boot had to remain outside until Eric had washed and dried it. Ragamuffin greeted it ...

“ The immorality of God!” shouts Hobbes. “Why isn’t anyone talking about this?” he demands to know with a condescending tone toward his passive audience who scurry past him like scared mice into the church. Hobbes’s current mission is to protest the existence of the Judeo-Christian deity outside the doors of a local church in the heart of the “Bible Belt.” With that said, however, it would be highly inaccurate to call him an “atheist” for he is deeply religious. He’s not doubting the existence of God per se but the goodness of an all-powerful being. Eventually, the police are called to maintain the city ordinance of “keeping the peace.” Hobbes marches right up to the Jackson peace officer and demands to be heard: “Fear is our greatest weapon against disorder and chaos. You should know that better than anyone! We must fear an absolute Sovereign and abide by a social contract. These Christians,” he lectures, “no longer fear or dread God as they should. They only talk about the love o...

It’s Not That Hard Now form a line. Now you know the line’s rules. Now move to the right line. Now you are all in a line on the right. Now move to the correct line. Now Tim, move over to the left line. Now all friends of Tim’s line up behind Tim. Now Al, are you really a friend of Tim? Now Al, move over to the other line where your friends are. Now Betty Jean, what are you doing? Now we don’t need another line Betty Jean, Now Tim, why does everyone want to be in your line? Now Betty Jean, why do you insist on having your own line. Now does anyone want to be in Betty Jean’s line. Now Betty Jean turns around and looks behind to see no one else in her line. Now Tim, where are you going. Now Betty Jean see what you started. Now Tim, why did you move. Now Tim, you might like her, but you should ask her out on your own time. Now Tim, why are you holding Betty Jean’s hand? Now Betty Jean, why are you making that face and saying oohh? Now Harry, what is it? Now ...

  WRITE-BYTES #38 (ENJOY!) The whole byte for this week appears below for your convenience. To see all prior BYTES published, go to www.lindasgunther.com June 2, 2023 SELF-PUBLISHING YOUR BOOK Some years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a one-day workshop at a local college. The course was titled: Self-Publishing Your Book. Over 40 people showed up in the classroom where we had an energizing, interactive and hopefully content-rich experience. It was during the “hey day” for self-publishing. Amazon had a wing of business called CreateSpace, an amazing resource for authors ready to take the leap into getting their book self-published and “up” on Amazon. The consultants and tech people at CreateSpace were stellar in terms of their professionalism and quality of service. They guided me through the journey which was a bit tricky. There were lots of moving parts involved and always a support phone number to call. Did it cost $$$? Sure, but about $1,000 or thereabouts. Not ...