Excerpt
AUTHOR’S NOTE

I can not remember how many times I have put down a book or short story and asked
myself, “Where did the author get the idea for that story?” When I began putting a number of my own narratives together for a collection I discovered one answer to that question. Most of my stories were somehow involved with entries in my journal.
I never thought much about short story composition until I began writing them. I found
myself drawn to the traditional story form with a beginning, middle, and end. I preferred using the traditional first person or omniscient point of view, deliberately staying away from the sometimes confusing present tense.
For years the experiences of life and much of my thinking was recorded in a journal. I usually write in my journal the events of each day; the episodes, thoughts, and experiences that are an important part of my life. I also comment on people I meet and current writing projects. The origin of these stories is in that journal.
Short stories are direct and to the point, and there is little time for the writer to hide his real self in a lot of words. Thus, short stories often reflect our most sincere emotions. We live in a time when sincere sentiments, the thoughts and emotions which touch our hearts, are often put aside and not to be acknowledged. Some consider showing emotion as a sign of weakness. In my youth, showing emotion was definitely not macho. As I remember, being macho was important in those days.
This collection of stories attempts to acknowledge that we were given emotions which can be used to grow, change and enrich our daily living. The people represent real people with simple aspirations. The narratives are not meant to be maudlin, but some of them could be considered “tear jerkers.” Each tale simply involves basic sensitivities that color and enhance the quality of our lives. I designed them to touch our heartstrings.
I began each story with all, or sometimes just a part of the journal entry that inspired it. The stories cover a long range of topics, and take place in both past and present years. Some of the narratives describe the dreams and fears of youth; some tell about the loneliness of the aged and grieved. They concern universal emotions common to all men and women, emotions which play on our individual heartstrings.
Thus, the time frame of most short stories is usually concise and there is not much room for exposition. In spite of this restriction, there is often a wealth of unspoken emotion hidden in the before and after time span of short fiction. To me, that is one intriguing part of a short story.
It has been said the short story is not a mini novel and should not be thought of as such. Nor should it be considered the account of a casual incident. A short story takes a single set of circumstances containing a unique effect which is explored in detail. All incidents in these stories work toward the exposition of this one effect.
They concern the different passions–the sadness and joy and the need to love and receive love that flourishes within each of us.
The brevity of short fiction fits comfortably into our busy, hectic life style. I know it fits very well into mine. It is a paradox that readers have less time and less patience for longer works. Though our world is large and diverse it is sometimes better described in the individual personality revealed in a short story than in the extended crowded and busy scenes described in longer written works.
They concern emotions all of us experience.