Too Young to Be That Old

          In my previous post, Doris Plaster talked about the 50 word stories that were her submissions to the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  I decided to try my hand at one of these.  My story comes in at 80 words.  Not bad for wordy me--it's not all that easy to do.

Too Young To Be That Old


          When I went to visit my friend Steve, I was greeted by a line of elderly people in wheelchairs watching to see who was getting a visitor.  It was sad to see.  Sadder still was that Steve at only age 57 was confined to a bed, nearly blind, having lost both legs to diabetes.  I didn't recognize him.  He looked as old as the people who had greeted me.   Saddest of all was that the following year Steve was dead.


         On September 12th my special guest will be Damyanti from Daily (w)rite.   Like Doris, Damyanti compiled her A to Z stories into a book which is now available.  Please be sure to check out my guest post on Damyanti's blog.


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Doris Plaster: An A to Z Success Story

        Today I am honored to have Doris Plaster as my guest.  Her story is a great testimonial for the possibilities of creative inspiration added to participation in Blogging from A to Z.  Here is Doris in her own words.

The story behind the 50-word stories

A 50-word story? How in the world can someone write a story with such few words? I pondered as one day I came across a portfolio with interesting quick stories. They were beautifully crafted, made perfect sense and left me with an “Oh” expression by the end of each story.

When Lee announced the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, I looked at it as an interesting opportunity to establish some discipline related to writing. It’d also be a great opportunity to explore other blogs.

But I don’t have time to write daily! I thought, with disappointment. I live a busy life, holding a full time job as Director of Social Services in a 135-bed nursing home. Additionally, I have a home and family to take care of.

Yet I am not a person to easily give up.

As if a magic answer, the idea of writing 50-word stories flickered in my mind. In actuality, it would become a double challenge: writing something daily and mastering 50-word pieces. I chose elderly and healthcare as my preferred themes for the stories due to that being my area of expertise--and my passion.

I had a plan. I signed up!

The story behind the “Home Sweet Nursing Home” book.

The A to Z project was the most fun writing activity since I began blogging a year ago. The effort of assembling the vignettes, based on real experiences, containing dialogue, characters, and a story line was definitely an amazing challenge. I was so thrilled when I began receiving numerous comments with interesting discussions, and definitely, valuable feedback. My excitement was even more heightened as I noticed an increased number of readers, and quite a few compliments expressed. By the end of the challenge, about five of my readers suggested I publish the stories, given that they were so unique and well-written.

I was greatly surprised! I had no intention to publish a book anytime soon. And surely not when I signed up for the A to Z Challenge.

I gave it some thought, mentioning it to my husband, who was very supportive of my readers’ idea. After several days of debating, I finally made the decision.

I will get the A to Z stories published!

Another challenge began. Small steps toward the world of publication were being made. I was nervous and excited at the same time.

Getting my stories published was a rewarding decision, I thought. Especially when I touched and smelled my first book. Home Sweet Nursing Home was released a couple of months ago, and is available through Amazon.

Since it’s a small book, it was a fairly decent journey to publication. I learned some experience that may help in the future should I decide to publish another book.

Home Sweet Nursing Home seems to have the appreciation of many people that have had the change to read it. I’ve received encouraging comments from friends, colleagues, and workers from the healthcare field. I have received an invitation to write and speak at a local healthcare association. I received an email from the Alzheimer’s Association, Missouri Chapter, asking where they could buy my book, as they wanted to give it to their support group facilitators. I’ve been invited to guest post on other blogs, as well. Last week, I was interviewed by a local writer wanting to know how I was inspired to write my book.

Sometimes a simple idea can develop into a successful project. Your heart and passion must be in it. Motivation, dedication and commitment are equally important.

The link to my book on Amazon is:

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Sweet-Nursing-Collection-healthcare/dp/1461118611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313322297&sr=8-1

I am thankful for all the blogger friends who joined my blog during the A to Z Challenge, and for the marvelous friends who encouraged me to publish the stories.

Thank you, Lee, for having me as your guest. You have certainly been a great blogger friend and leader. I appreciate your and Stephen T. McCarthy’s support. You guys are awesome!

        Thank you, Doris, for your wonderful and inspiring story.  I encourage readers to support Doris's efforts.  Her success is your success.  Please share this post with others.  Who knows?  Perhaps you or someone you know will be the next one with a similar story to tell.

        Visit Doris's blog at Hold My Hand: A social worker's blog.

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Keeping It Short

          Before I started blogging I wasn't familiar with flash fiction, drabbles, or other forms of very short fiction.  I had seen a few short, short stories that were a sentence or two long, but I thought they were more like jokes or novelties than any serious writing form.  I had seen the mini stories like those in Reader's Digest but I didn't think of those as a form of story-telling.

            When I heard the term short story I tended to think in terms of ten or twenty pages.   That's more my style since I tend to yammer on and on sometimes.  I'm not content with stating things simply.  I like descriptions, lengthy dialog, and prolific pondering.  When it comes to putting things down on paper (or on the computer screen) I probably talk too much.

           I guess I should probably learn the art of reticence.  I need to learn how to KISS (Keep it short and simple).

            How are you with keeping it short and simple?   What do you do to keep from being overly wordy?  Or do you prefer a certain element of wordiness?   Is there a particular form of short writing that you particularly like?



            During the A to Z Challenge Doris Plaster of "Hold my hand"  A social worker's blog presented us with wonderfully crafted stories told in 50 words.  She has now compiled these into Home Sweet Nursing Home, a book available from Amazon.   Doris will be my special guest this Wednesday August 31.




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What's Happening Today and Tomorrow

         If you've not yet heard the exciting news, there are at least two books (that I know of so far) that have been inspired by the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge of 2011.   The authors of these books will be my guests here on Tossing It Out in weeks to come.  I hope you will join us here when they visit.  But even more I hope you will support these authors by buying their books.  Maybe you too will become inspired!

A to Z Stories of Life and Death

         

        The blogger who we know as Damyanti of Daily (w)rite has released her collection of stories that were inspired by the A to Z Challenge.   Published as an ebook, A to Z Stories of Life and Death is now available for a very affordable $1.99 at Smashwords.  The book is also available on Kindle.  I encourage all of you to support Damyanti in her ebook publishing experiment and subscribe to her blog so you can follow her progress.   Much of our success--yours and mine--is dependent on the success of authors like Damyanti.  Please spread the word and get this wonderful collection of stories into the hands of readers everywhere.

 Damyanti is scheduled to be my guest on Wednesday September 14.

Home Sweet Nursing Home

       Doris Plaster is the blogger whose blog is "Hold My Hand" A social worker's blog.  If you are not familiar with Doris I encourage you to check out her blog and become a follower.  She writes heartwarming and relevant stories based on her actual experiences as a social worker.  I also encourage you to purchase a copy of her book Home Sweet Nursing Home which is a collection of stories from her participation in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge of 2011.

 I have a guest post from Doris scheduled for Wednesday August 31.

Remember--You May Be Next!
      If you can, try to support your fellow authors.   Many of us have books out there for sale now or will have them available soon.  If you're looking for a gift for the person who likes to read, make sure you consider the books by your blogging friends first.  


        Also, you can fill some blog space by letting your readers know about upcoming releases or the books that are already out there.  I probably don't have to tell any of you this, but I thought I'd remind you.  When we don't have the advertising dollars of the big publishing companies we have to rely on each other.


        It's kind of cool when someone you know achieves some level of success, especially when you've had a hand in helping them get where they are.   We are like a family; we are a community.  I want to see all of us attain success in our writing endeavors.  You can start by ordering the books that I've featured in today's post.   You will be sharing in all of our success!


       Has anyone read either of these books yet?  Has anyone else put together something resulting from the A to Z Challenge?   Or do you know anyone else who has?    






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