Last week Linda was tagged as part of a chain of authors called THE NEXT BIG THING. Now, all of us at 5Writers are joining the chain, providing some insight into our current projects—in my case a project I’d set aside and intend to restart.
Once we’re done, we are passing on some info about other writers whose work we dig. We hope you’ll enjoy discovering our tagged writers and they’ll share their thoughts, too.
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So, here’s what Darlene has on the horizon.
What is the working title of your project?
The story that I’d put away about a year ago and has been nagging me the past few weeks is called Shuckey’s Bull.
What genre does your project fall under?
Literary Fiction with touches of humor. This is a short story. As I continue writing, it may develop into a novella. This is the dilemma I’ve been struggling with. So in the meantime, I’ve been writing flash fiction. Yes, I’m all over the map!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your project?
Unemployed, Shuckey steals his wife’s “vacation” savings to buy a bucking bull in a get rich quick scheme, thus leading to the break-up of his already shaky marriage.
Will you self-publish or be represented by an agency?
Neither. I’ll submit to literary journals.
If you found yourself in an elevator with a movie director you admire and had the chance to pitch your project to them, what would you say?
Hey! I’ve got a story that’s a load of bull.
Where did the idea come from for the story?
An acquaintance I knew from a barn where I’d kept my horse years ago actually considered investing in a rodeo bull. As far as I know, she never went through with it.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’m totally clueless! I’ll leave that up to Ron Howard!
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Since I’m resurrecting the project, I’m still working on the first draft. I have a few ideas where the story is going.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
That’s a tough one. I understand why comparison is necessary, as it gives the reader a foundation on which to judge whether or not they’ll like the story, but I’m not fond of comparing one writer’s work to another’s. There is so much of our own individuality in our stories, and though the tone or genre or theme might be similar to another work, each is unique. I can tell you writers I enjoy and who have influenced me as a writer and a person: Lauren Groff, Pinckney Benedict, George Singleton, Clyde Edgerton, Lorrie Moore, Elizabeth Strout, Cathy Smith Bowers and many others.
What else about your story might pique the reader’s interest?
You got your romance. You got your bull. A bit of Native American lore and mysticism. Lots of booze, burgers, dust and tumbling rodeo clowns. Mix it all up with snarkey dialogue and my 8 seconds on Mr. Twister the bull are up.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Check out what these fellow writers are up to:
Maria Lagalante Schulz will simply crack you up. She writes with wit and warmth about her wacky family, her life and food, food and more food. She’s written a memoir titled Eat Everything: Tales from a Hungry Life–A Memoir with Recipes that she’s shopping around.
http://talesfromahungrylife.wordpress.com/
Daniel Romo is a poet and flash fiction writer, the author of When Kerosene’s Involved (Black Coffee Press, 2013) and Romancing Gravity (Pecan Grove Press, 2013). His poetry and photography can be found in The Los Angeles Review, Gargoyle, MiPOesias, Yemassee, Word Riot, and elsewhere.
http://www.danielromo.net/index.html
Lisa Soland’s latest play “The Sniper’s Nest,” premiered at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, TN, followed by a successful reading in New York. Her plays Waiting, Cabo San Lucas, Truth Be Told, The Man in the Gray Suit & Other Plays and The Name Game are published by Samuel French Inc. Her work can also be found in anthologies published by Samuel French, Smith & Kraus, Applause Books and Dramatic Publishing.
http://www.lisasoland.com/
