Chuck Heintzelman's Blog, page 4
September 6, 2011
Back at it
(image © jjpacres)
Well, after a 2 month break from writing I'm back at it. It feels great to get new words down again. I should have a new short story about in the next couple of days. It's shaping up to be a bit of a weird one [image error]
On another front, I've updated an old story, Mad Goldilocks, and emailed it to those who signed up for the Free Short Story list on the right. Sorry, I haven't sent anything out for a while. Now, that summer's basically over, the kids are back in school, the...
August 27, 2011
What's going on here?
Well, my site's been hacked.
I'm re-installing everything. So things may look ugly for a while.
To the person who called me up and reported this (sorry, but I cannot recall your name) thank you very much! I don't know how long the site was redirecting to weird pages. I appreciate the heads up.
June 10, 2011
Challenge Story 10 – Trunk of Caramel
(Image © surlygirl)
This is story #10 of my 50 Story Challenge.
Reading Time 7-11 minutes (about 2,600 words)
Jeremy works as the night manager at a motel. An ideal job for a college student. But one evening when a creepy guest with strange trunk checks in, Jeremy's life is changed forever.
* * * *
Trunk of Caramel
Copyright © 2011 Chuck Heintzelman
I will never forget the events that evening last spring.
I worked the night shift at the Stars Motel. It's just outside Warner's Crest and...
June 9, 2011
Writing Without Support
Whenever I read a book and see a dedication that says something like "to my wife or husband, whose support saw me through the dark times creating this novel" in my brain the green monster of envy rears its ugly head. I used to think "that lucky son-of-a-gun. How nice would that be?"
In this article, I outline my steps to write without support from your spouse. Even if you are lucky enough to have a husband or wife who "gets" what you're trying to do, I encourage you to read this essay...
May 11, 2011
Challenge Story 9 – Wizard Lottery
(Image © Algol | Dreamstime.com)
This is story #9 of my 50 Story Challenge. Yeah, I'm a bit behind, but April was a cRazy month.
Reading Time 15 to 22 minutes (about 5,400 words)
Every 100 years the kingdom has a lottery to determine who will be the new wizard. When a simple farm boy wins the lottery and becomes the kingdom's new wizard, he tries to fix deceptions perpetrated by the previous wizard. But will he succeed when the previous, dark wizard is in his head, controlling all of his...
May 10, 2011
National Short Story Month – Fluffified
To celebrate National Short Story Month I'm posting a few short stories by other authors. Enjoy
Fluffified
Copyright © 2011 Samantha Warren
It started out like any other Easter Sunday—waking up late, drinking stale coffee because she was too cheap to throw yesterday's pot away, lounging on the couch as she surfed Facebook for a couple hours, wishing everyone happy Easter, making a small lunch for herself and her six cats, then heading outside to take a stroll in the bright spring sun.
She...
May 9, 2011
National Short Story Month – Steve Kendrick's Disease
To celebrate National Short Story Month I'm posting a few short stories by other authors. Enjoy.
Steve Kendrick's Disease
Copyright © 2009 Ed Robertson
We went to Greenvale for the same reason anyone goes anywhere: to steal all the good stuff while everyone was offplanet. When Petey objected on the grounds a place everyone was being evacuated from was the last place we should be going, Captain Briggs reminded him the ship wasn't just a clever name, and that shut Petey up and the rest of us...
May 6, 2011
National Short Story Month – Doctor Fleischer
To celebrate National Short Story Month I'm posting a few short stories by other authors. Enjoy.
Doctor Fleischer
Copyright © 2011 Alain Gomez
Dr. Agatha Fleischer admired her plush new office with satisfaction. Her employers had been generous, no question there. This further confirmed in her mind that she had made the right decision to leave her previous position to work for them.
In addition to an office any major C.E.O. would envy, she also had the use of a state of the art laboratory. ...
May 5, 2011
National Short Story Month – Ghost Plane
To celebrate National Short Story Month I'm posting a few short stories by other authors. Enjoy.
Ghost Plane
Copyright © 2011 Suzanne Tyrpak
She preferred the airport at night after all the passengers had gone. Preferred the quiet.
Out here on the high plateau wind swept away the jet fuel and brought the pungent scent of sage. A tumbleweed, spindly and skeletal, cart-wheeled across the tarmac. Miles away in town lights twinkled against a backdrop of the moonlit Rocky Mountains.
Carrying her...
May 4, 2011
National Short Story Month – The Buried House
To celebrate National Short Story Month I'm posting a few short stories by other authors. Enjoy.
The Buried House
Copyright © 2011 Jim Bronyar
I heard it was a blizzard like no other we'd ever seen. I also heard it was because the house was built on an old coal dump and was never really sturdy to begin with. Someone else once told me it was a combination of the two. Either way, in the field behind my house, there is a house in the ground.
No, not underground… IN THE GROUND.
Strange, I...
