Worthing Flash

SUPERMARKET GROUCH By Linda S. Gunther As I make my way through the automatic doors, I spot the contraption which usually holds the red plastic tote baskets provided to carry my less than ten groceries from shelf to checkout. But today there are no small tote baskets available. I don’t want a humungous metal cart to bump and grind with other shoppers. I want to rush down those narrow aisles filled with screaming babies and slow octogenarians taking their sweet time to examine the cereal box choices and condiments. I want to be lithe, fairy-like, free with my small plastic tote, and get the hell out of Dodge. But damn it, no totes anywhere to be seen. I fly out the middle exit door, the only door to escape the mega supermarket. I dart across the parking lot almost tripping over a stray shopping cart placed close to the driver’s side of my SUV. A mega sized gray flatbed truck speeds by me, tires screeching. Arriving at my car, I p...

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...

  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 ...

By Linda S. Gunther The green liquid in the inverted, cone-shaped glass appeared translucent against the burnt orange sunset. I sat, looking out at the Pacific Ocean, on a wood bench at the picnic table on my stone patio at the edge of the bluff. It was a hot summer afternoon. The crimson-colored cherry at the bottom of the glass had been marinated for three days in Calvados, a tasty French brandy. One part Apple Pucker schnapps was then shaken with three parts ice-cold top shelf vodka and poured lovingly over the loaded plump cherry. The resulting concoction sat atop my picnic table. It was like Christmas in July. I examined the glass from various angles; first, my chin on my hands, elbows on the table. Then, my face even with the glass. I bent down below the edge of the table and looked up, my head tilted to one side, the buzz and blur of an airplane in the distance crossed through the emerald-colored liquid. Eyes over the glass, I gazed down at the hypnotic mixture of...

It’s Friday and time for my weekly WRITE-BYTES blog…concrete tips for developing writers. This week’s topic: HOW TO FINISH YOUR BOOK. Recommend you read this one even if you haven’t started writing your book!✍🏼 Go to my website www.lindasgunther.com OR just read the whole blog post below. (for your convenience). April 28, 2023 - #33 – HOW TO FINISH YOUR BOOK I’ve attended a few webinars on this topic and one that stuck with me was a presentation from Brooke Warner, author, publisher and writing coach. Her first point of emphasis was related to the writer’s mindset, and how you, the writer can often see your first draft (of a chapter or short story) as a piece of crap. Yet, when you pick it up five days later and read it again, you may actually be impressed with what you wrote. And then there’s the fact that some writing days are good and other days may turn out to be duds. If the latter happens, just let it go. But save it anyway and write something fresh. Another point Brooke ma...

WRITE-BYTES BLOG …a resource for writers April 21, 2023 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week: HAPPY OR PHILOSOPHICAL ENDING TO YOUR BOOK? To read this blog, go to my author website: www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s blog byte. Each week is a new blog post and all previous blog posts appear on website. ————————————————- For your convenience this week’s ✍🏼 blog post appears just below. HAPPY OR PHILOSOPHICAL ENDING TO YOUR BOOK? What is the best approach for ending a memoir or novel? This is a universal question most authors struggle with, usually during the middle of the first draft and most definitely when about two-thirds through the story. For me, once I turn the corner to the final third, there’s a little bird sitting on my shoulder and tweeting in my ear: “Okay, brilliant author, so how ya gonna end this thing?” Go away, I think and roll my eyes. Let me just see where my characters take me. But that birdie doesn’t leave m...

by Linda S. Gunther “Take me with you. I’ll die here without you.” “You will live . Get healthy.” “I really wanted to see Iceland.”   “Not in winter you don’t. And your chemo every week.” He kisses her forehead, her damp blonde bangs on his lips.  “I’ll be living in a hut on a glacier.” “Six weeks is forever. You’ll have medical there?” “One doctor for the ten of us.” He holds her close, let’s her go, and stares down at his feet. His silence saddens her. “How about a small hotel in Reykjavik?” he whispers. She smiles. “I’ll need to learn to spell that.” Linda S. Gunther is the author of six romantic suspense novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness , Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, Dream Beach . and most recently published in 2021, Death Is A Great Disguiser . Her short stories and essays have been published in several literary journals across the globe.    

WRITE-BYTES Blog March 10, 2023 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week -  LEAD CHARACTER LIKEABILITY To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!     Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines. 

The topic this week - PUBLISHING SHORT STORIES or POETRY in LITERARY JOURNALS To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!     Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.  

WRITE-BYTES Blog February 17, 2023 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week - DIALOGUE WITHOUT GETTING WATER-LOGGED To read this blog, go to my author website: www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte. Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​ Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on.   Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.  

By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week: USING PSYCHOLOGICAL ARCHETYPES For CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT  To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!     Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines. 

WRITE-BYTES Blog January 20, 2023 The topic this week: BACKSTORY: THE WRITER’S DILEMMA To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!   Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.      

By Linda S. Gunther When you ask your husband to send you a test email on your cell phone to make sure your email is working and you receive the email and you open it which you assume will say “TEST” and instead it says “I LOVE YOU” and your heart melts and you feel guilty because you were in a sour mood and wham it hits you that after all these years the guy still loves you and the very next evening when you’re sitting in a restaurant having dinner and the nice couple at the adjacent table starts chatting and asks you what you do for a living and you confess that you’re a writer which is hard for you to even believe but it’s the truth and your husband tells the couple that he doesn’t read books in fact almost never but he’s read many of your stories and he tells them that they are really good actually great and you feel warm and fuzzy almost in disbelief to hear him utter those words to people he does not know as he’s quite shy especially with strangers and then three da...

January 13, 2023 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week: WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WRITE A BOOK To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           And please share with others who might have an interest. Write on!   Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.  

WRITE-BYTES Blog January 6, 2023 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week: ON VACATION I NEVER WORK ON MY BIG WRITING PROJECT To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!     Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines. 

WRITE-BYTES Blog December 23, 2022 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week:  WRITING and REPETITION To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!     Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.          

The topic this week:  FREE WRITE and WRITING PROMPTS To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!     Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.  

December 9, 2022 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week: ZOOM IN and WEAVE THE DETAILS To read this blog, go to my author website: www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s December 9th byte. Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​ Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!   Linda S. Gunther has written five novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, and Dream Beach. She grew up in New York City, received a Master’s Degree in Psychology, an MBA and studied theatre at Oxford University with the British American Drama Academy. Linda’s passion for travel and continuous learning fuels her fire to create vivid fictional characters and unforgettable story lines.    

December 2,  2022 By Linda S. Gunther The topic this week:  THE WRITER’S PATH To read this blog, go to my author website:  www.lindasgunther.com Click on Write-Bytes at top of screen and enjoy this week’s December 2nd byte.  Each week is a new blog post. All previous posts also appear for your convenience!​           Please feel free to share with others who might have an interest. Write on!   Linda S. Gunther is the author of six suspense novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness , Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, Dream Beach and Death Is A Great Disguiser . Her essays and short stories have been featured in a variety of literary publications. www.lindasgunther.com          

Rose Petals on Seacliff Pier By Linda S. Gunther It’s late afternoon here at the beach on the Seacliff pier. Fallen red rose petals are wrinkled, edges frayed, darkened, likely stomped on by couples in love, mothers pushing squeaky baby strollers, children running wildly to catch the seagulls, dogs on leashes savoring the fresh air, fishermen eager to snag the best spot possible, zig-zagging skateboarders trying out new tricks. All those feet and wheels trod on these red rose petals strewn for several feet down the knotted, weathered wooden slats of the long pier. I think about whether there were tears of joy or sorrow shed here today. Was it a wedding or memorial service that took place? The rose petals left behind look the same no matter the event. Images trail across my mind. A grieving widow. A beaming bride. A flower girl. An old man who lost his wife, the love of his life. I’ve been to numerous events on this pier over the years. This place, also the home o...