Robert J Samples wrote:
It has just occurred to me that the reason most of you are reluctant to attempt to write a story is you don’t have a suitable idea to begin with. The source of ideas is always a hangup for story tellers.
Therefore, I am going to furnish an idea for you to use and write your version of a good story.
There are ‘no holds barred’ you can take my idea and run with it. While you are free to go and do anything you like, please make the length at least most of a full page, single spaced.
Here is the idea: An individual (you can decide who, what, where) was in the mountains and came across an old Colt pistol that had been placed in the forks of a tree and had been there so long, the tree had grown completely around this pistol. Now your challenge is to flesh it out.
How, When and any other circumstances of how this firearm managed to be placed there in the first place. Now, do not use fantasy, be reasonably realistic in your story.
For instance, the tree did not write to Samuel Colt and order a pistol.
I will be the sole judge of your effort.
There’s no monetary prize, but just the warm recognition that you have done a good job, and by having explored the possibilities that you can write stories once you have a subject.
So, in the future you will be able to post your own efforts. I have found the biggest problems are the story ideas. Once I have a suitable idea, I can spin a page or two of a story to ‘flesh out’ that story. I suspect you can do the same, and as you get involved, it will become easier and easier. Just Sayin…RJS
It has just occurred to me that the reason most of... (
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I recall being about 11 or 12 and was poking around the woods harvesting mushrooms. I had gone into an area I had never explored before. We had a fairly big place, probably in excess of 1200 acres, mostly forests. I spotted a "chicken of the woods" mushroom and headed over to see if it was still good to harvest. Unfortunately it was not. I cut off a small piece to save some spores to spread around when I noticed a weird shape sticking out of the tree beside it. walking over to examine it closer I realized it was just what was left of an old fence post. Kind of funny this far into the woods because nothing else looked like it had been fenced in. looking around I spotted a small clearing about 20 yards away that looked like it had a ring of mushrooms in it. I walked over and sure enough it was a nice little bunch of shrooms ready to pick. after harvesting them I decided to smoke the cigarette I had lifted off my mom. I lit it up , had a couple of puffs and leaned back into the nearest tree. Fear immediately entered my mind as I felt something like a gun barrel against my neck. I froze and waited for whoever it was to say something. When I realized that no one was there I turned around to face a gun barrel sticking out of this tree! Well damn! this thing had to have been there a long time to be that imbedded in a tree. I gathered up my mushrooms and headed back to the house, leaving a few markers so I could find my way back to the tree.
About a month went by before I had enough free time to go back and fin out what that barrel was attached to, if anything. I brought along a hatchet, my pocket knife and a hammer and chisel. It didn't take me long to find the tree but it took me three trips back to be able to dig the whole thing out. it turned out to be an old pistol, I guess being buried in the tree kind of kept it intact. Over the next 15 years I carefully refurbished the old weapon. It turned out to be an early Colt made around the turn of the century. The grip had the initials USG decoratively carved on one side and something undecipherable on the other side. It fires ok but not very accurately or maybe that's just me. Often wondered what the initials meant.