Friday, March 23, 2012

And The Winner Is...

     I heard some chatter about NPR's Three Minute Fiction Contest and decided to check it out.  Basically this is a challenge from NPR's "All Things Considered" to its listeners to submit a piece of original fiction which can be read in three minutes or less. The word count is limited to 600 or less.  This is the eighth round of this contest.  The deadline for this one is midnight Eastern Time on March 25 (Sunday).
     I considered it, briefly, but not seriously.  I told Ross about it and he said I should give it a try.
     I humbly replied, "Who me?  Gollly, I couldn't do that.  Why I am merely a blogger,  a recorder of feelings and events not a writer of fiction."
     Ross reminded me that I am the author of two children's books.  And then I had to remind him that distribution of those two books was limited to a handful of people, mainly our five grandchildren.
     "Besides I feel that I don't know enough about anything?  I mean I've never been to the desert like Chris Westerberg the winner of round 7." (Little Housein)
     "For example," I told him, "as soon as I saw the mandatory beginning sentence my imagination started to work and I immediately had the start of a story in mind.  But when I got to the part where the protagonist has to take a certain action, I had no specific knowledge of what the details of the of that particular action should be."
     "So, google it." he said.
     "It just wouldn't translate the same way as actually having first hand knowledge and experience," I said.
     "You never had a conversation with a cat before and you wrote a story about that." he said.
     "Okay, now this conversation is starting to sound as ridiculous as a talking cat," I said.
     He continued to point out, though, that there are a lot of famous authors who, for example, never actually had to sew a dress using window drapes.
     Now he was starting to make me think that maybe I could do this.  I have the rest of the night, all day tomorrow and Sunday.  Maybe, he was right.  Maybe I should give it a try.
     But then, he said this: "It's not like you expect to win, right?"  You're doing it for the experience, right?"
     Ahh, Ross, after all of these years, it's like ye hardly know me.

     "Oh my gosh. I won?  How could that be? Why I am merely a blogger,  a recorder of feelings and events not a writer of fiction. What you want me to come into the studio to read my piece?  Let me check my schedule.  How about that.  I am free that day.  I would be delighted."

For my mom, Petronella Marion Pugliese Ciafarone, who was born on March 23, 1923 and would have been 89 years old today, I need to say that I miss her very much.  

I have created a page for Anna's Diary.  It can be found under the Tab titled Anna's Diary.
I have posted all of the entries to date there, starting with January 1, 1929.


Here is today's entry from Anna's diary:
Sat. March 23 1929
Home all morning.  Met Edythe at Broad to see Fay Bainter in "Jealousy". Very depressing but superbly acted by both characters.  Home. Jean went to Peg's.  Baby in bed.  All alone very depressed.

7 comments:

  1. I hope you do win, I would love to read your story!

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  2. Thanks.
    Something you should do, for sure.  

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  3. Another thing we have in common.   Happy birthday to your father.
    I am trying to write that piece.  I probably should have given myself more time. 

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  4. I am trying it.  Harder than I thought it would be.  Or maybe I should say as hard as I thought it would be.
    Yes, perhaps that is why Anna keeps so busy.  To avoid being lonely.

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  5. Gads!  You and Ross make me think maybe I could write fiction!  Go for it.  Try it out!  What the heck.

    On Anna's diary - So finally she implies that she is lonely --

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  6. "What? You want me to come into the studio and read my piece?  Let me check with my agent..."     I loved this piece!

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  7. Today is my father's birthday!  Oh, I know you must miss your momma!

    I think you should go for it! Write the fiction piece! I think you'll win!

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