Last week, Friday to be exact, I received confirmation that one of my short stories was accepted for publication. When the editor asked for a biography and photograph, I was at a loss as to what I should write. Back in the early 90’s, I published four poems in small press and won first place in two short story contests. My poems were experimentation of what was real in my life at the time, three spiritual and one feminist. Publication of my short stories was not part of the prize, first place certificates were. Did these credit count as part of a writer’s Curriculum Vitae? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of my publications do count, unless they are in some non-respectable magazine or in a medium that will publish anything. Winning first place in two short story contests is an important part of my history as well.
While I enjoyed writing poetry from the time I was preteen into my early thirties, my true love is short stories. I love to let my imagination go wild! I want to pull the reader into whatever that story is, to play with words to paint an image that will entertain the reader. I taking what I know and applying “what if.” For example: I went a different route to the grocery store today-
What if I ran into a threatening stranger?
What if I saw someone along side of the road who needed help?
What if I saw a crime in progress?
What is Santa Claus jumped out and said “Boo!”?
The possibilities in creating my stories are endless. But, my most important task is to sit down and write every day.
© 2007 Susan Littlefield
