WIP Wednesday: The Inferential Power of Hint Fiction

Yes, I was one of those who received my pre-order of this:

...before the official release date. I shared a story, Joe R. Lansdale's "The Return" with students and had them riff on it during a quick, three-minute writing session. My favorite (I haven't edited a word, but I want to):

They buried him deep again. The morning before we buried that old man six feet deep and covered him good. But last night, we found his open coffin with no one in it. The town was quiet. No one told their children. Our arrogant sheriff said it was rain that washed him up, but it was hardly a storm.

I love the last line, especially the well placed use of the word arrogant. Sometimes, I feel like the students are "getting it". (I reprinted that little snippet with permission, of course.)

The other magic I've found in the pages of Hint Fiction is how each tiny story encourages inference.

From the Kansas State Reading Standards:

1.4.5 - uses information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions.

This is hint fiction--it's all inferences and unsaid conclusions. Many of the stories, even in the life & death section, are quite funny.

Nice work, authors. Nice work, Mr. Robert Swartwood. Thank you for helping me reach my students.

In WIP news, I'm looking over edits for Loathsome, Dark and Deep. If you haven't checked out the novel's web site, here it is. I smell a contest coming...

Oh, and buy a copy of Hint Fiction, okay?