Nick Thiwerspoon
Author, editor, blogger
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Wilde Oats
My Blog
Wilde Oats
Short
Stories
| Writing
short stories is hard. You have to convey character and plot,
and
engage your readers' hearts, all in the space of a few thousand words.
You have to explain enough about your characters to make the
reader care, but you have so few words, so little time to do it.
And then, during the story, you have to twist your reader's heart,
make them think, so that as they put the book down (or
close their laptop) they'll go away changed, just a little. I dunno whether I do that, but that's what I'm trying for. |
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It's
Time A man remembers an old lover, who broke his heart |
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Zack (Illustrated by Zaza) Zack was Gabe's best friend at school, the man he loved, and hasn't spoken to since that dreadful night ten years ago. So why's he sitting next to Gabe at the reunion, making nice? |
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Josh
(Illustrated by Zaza) Thomas remembers the only man he ever loved. |
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Johnny A short story in homage to J G Hayes, author of Map of the Harbor Islands Best friends? Or lovers? |
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The One A ficlet |
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Fathers A long short story, inspired by some single dads I know. |
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An Ozzie
Christmas Tale In the southern hemisphere, Christmas comes at midsummer. But being alone at Christmas is just as sad as it is in winter. |
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The
Wolf In a world where petty theft is a hanging offense, redemption can take many forms. |
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Lawnmower Boy There's something about summer afternoons .... A story I wrote to encourage a friend to give his real life experiences of being a lawnmower boy. I'm still waiting! |
| Sarie Marais Alone on a high mountain pass in a snow storm, a stranger takes pity on a lost mountain climber. |
| Holding Hands Might-have-beens and could-have-beens, on a beach in Cape Town. |
