Barbara V Evers

© Barbara V. Evers, All rights reserved. I wrote a short story in my high school Composition class and, a few years later, submitted it to a literary journal at Clemson University.  It became my first publication and won an Honorable Mention.  For many years, this story represented my full publication history.  I wrote during those non-publication years, just nothing polished enough to publish. On Facebook, it's Throwback Thursday (#TBT), so I thought I'd take a different slant on that idea and share this story.  In the spirit of #TBT, I have made no changes.  It appears as it did in print many years ago.  Also, I never gave the story a title, so any suggestions in the comments below this post are welcome. ____________________________________________________ "Stupid. Dumb."  Joey kicked the box at the garage wall.  "They were my puppies."  With the back of his hand, he brushed at his eyes, then landed a savage kick to the side o...

© Barbara V. Evers, All rights reserved. During our writers' critique group last night, the subject of getting stuck on a storyline came up several times.  One member brought the beginning of a new novel, provoking a member to ask why we keep seeing new books instead of continuation of the works brought in previously.  The writer's answer?  She knew where the story must go but didn't know how to get there. This problem can freeze a writer or artist into inaction (just like the sign in the photo with this post); however, this admission prompted a helpful discussion on what we do when this happens to us.  Below are the suggestions our group provided. Ask what if questions.   What if this happened or this or this?  Keep typing your what if questions and answers until you find the next part of your story. Skip to a part you can write.  Write it and come back later to fill in the gap. Start off your day with the idea that you will edit the l...