Stories That Shape Us
By: Melissa-Jane Nguyen
Tags: Writing, Creativity, Fiction, Short Story, Writing Tips

Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash

Hello!

We’re back baby!

Back with our bellies full of lollies (aka candy) and sugary drinks, zombie-like in a Halloween hangover of sorts.

The end of October/early November period can be a weird one. This time of year hurtles forward and before we know it, it’s another year done and dusted.

For some of us, the conclusion of another year paves the way for self-reflection and gives us an opportunity to look back on what was or could’ve been, others might reset some of those larger life goals like saving money and focusing on health — or finishing that damn novel!

But this time of year also reminds us of childhood memories spent with family and friends: hot summer days eating ice-blocks and finding some sort of water reprieve, whether it be a sprinkler or pool, to cool down; the adults rushing around at the shops to buy last minute presents for under the tree; being looked after by relatives when little; hanging out with friends as a teenager and counting down the end of school term.

A favourite pastime, which wasn’t necessarily an intended tradition, was the storytelling that occurred at family get-togethers.

Hearing what life was like before we existed and learning about all the different family characters, working out how we were related to all these extras we didn’t see all the time. Family stories shared that were fit for a drama or comedy series. Learning just the snippets of what our great grandparents were like, what life was like from another place, another era.

Time off school and work to spend with loved ones was welcomed, the Christmas presents always appreciated. But what was loved most, and most definitely taken for granted, was the chance to sit down and hear those family stories.

Those moments around the table, hearing the adults and older kids sharing memories as if plucking special postcard moments from the recesses of their mind.

And now, parents ourselves, wondering if we have what it takes to pass down those stories to our children, whilst living out new memories in real time.

How will you preserve and celebrate those precious moments that shaped you? How will you highlight the important ones from now to retell in years to come?

If you find yourself sitting around feeling bored at a function and reaching for your phone, try asking someone nearby a question. A question that will get them thinking. A question that just might spark a conversation.

One that might prompt them to tell you a story that has shaped them.

Author Spotlight

Meet Nakia Cook, our featured writer for November.

Nakia is an up and coming indie author who has been honing her craft since 2012 when she participated in her first National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). She lives with her husband of eighteen years, and five children whom she homeschools full-time. Through her writing, she hopes to introduce further the rich heritage of the African Diaspora and the Muslim world to the epic and urban fantasy markets. Her work has appeared in Flash Fiction Magazine.

Three things shared from our fellow creative:

1. I’m an American, but I’ve lived in Canada for the last eighteen years.

2. I discovered I had a passion for writing in the fifth grade when we were made to write in a daily journal. The teacher read one of my entries aloud, and I’ve been penning stories ever since.

3. When I lived in the Pilbara in Western Australia with my ex, we stopped over in a little hotel while taking a road trip. I turned on the shower in the communal washroom and had a strange feeling I was being watched. I looked up and, to my horror, discovered the entire ceiling was covered in toads! They were even clinging to the shower curtain. I slowly backed out of there and returned to my room. I left the water running and ended up using a different washroom on the upper floor.

Check out Nakia’s latest story Maladaptive, which places readers as flies on the wall to a tense conversation between a middle-aged couple, with an unexpected turn at the end.

Check Out Some of the Latest Stories

Hubot by Kaustubh R Erande — Kaustubh lives in Bentonville, Arkansas with his wonderful wife and 18-month-old daughter. Hubot is an intriguing speculative fiction piece exploring themes of belonging, identity, and how humans interact with technology.

Time Slip by Dayle Fogarty — Dayle is a co-curator of SBR, living in Lake Macquarie, NSW with her partner and two-year-old. Time Slip was inspired by an introduction (by her sister Melissa) into the phenomenon of time slips and she reckoned it would be a truly scary thing to experience.

Can’t Let Go by Nakia Cook—A captivating short story with a subtle spotlight on the lived experience of mental health.

The Damned Food Court by Nakia Cook — A somewhat sinister and clever twist on a common conundrum couples might face in a food court.

Book Review

‘Daughter of Smoke and Bone’ by Laini Taylor

This was one of those books where the back cover — though accurate in its premise of DOSAB — did not portray (in my mind anyway) the overall main point of the story. That’s not to say it isn’t good or that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. Because I did! I was just expecting something other than where the story led, which is also a good thing.

We have the main character, Karou, a quirky and quick-witted art student in Prague living a double life. One where she hangs out with her best friend and has relationship dramas; the other, helping her odd (in many forms) and rather secretive chimaera father-like figure, Wishmonger Brimstone, by collecting teeth for wishes.

Sounds strange, right?

Well the mystery of it all is what kept me eagerly going back night after night, wanting to know more, and with each new discovery of what on earth was going on I found myself hooked. Read More.

What’s On

Word for Word National Non-Fiction Festival | 20–22 November, 2020.

Wollongong Writers Festival | 27–29 Nov 2020

Feminist Writers Festival | 14 Nov 2020

NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month | 1–30 Nov 2020

Writing Resources

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) — SCBWI is a nonprofit and professional organization specifically for individuals who write and illustrate for children and young adults. Their mission is to support the creation and availability of quality children’s books in every region of the world.

Kickstart Your Novel — A grassroots, simple to access, concise guide to the tools that award-winning author Julie Proudfoot finds the most useful for getting first drafts on the page.

Save The Cat! Writes a Novel — The first novel-writing guide from the best-selling Save the Cat! story-structure series, which reveals the 15 essential plot points needed to make any novel a success.

Where Else Can You Find SBR?

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