Ever wonder where a writer starts when tackling a new story? Well, below are the stories behind the stories!
From now on, when something new gets published, I'll be updating my blog with this type of information. Check it out at www.cbcalsing.blogspot.com.
- "Behind the Yellow Wallpaper" This was really a response to the famous short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," where, when read with a modern feminist point of view, generally leads to the conclusion that the mother in the story is suffering from postpartum depression. I wondered, though, if there was actually something in the room, in the wallpaper, that was causing the protagonist's insanity.
- "Genesis 6.5" This was written for a theme release as well. A local literary magazine called Magazine existed for a short time, and the initial release theme was "merge." I thought what would happen if Adam and Eve merged again into one being?
- "Gran's Prophecy" This story had been meant for Magazine's second edition, but I don' t think it ever made it to submissions. That theme was "Roots," and I wrote this in homage to great British comic writing. A man grows a flower from behind his ear, and his own upbringing -- his roots, as it were -- are explored.
- "Mars-side" I wrote this specifically for the call for submissions on found on Duotrope. I've been working, on and off, on some science fiction set in our own solar system, and this story is set many years after those other stories.
- "Turtles" There used to really be a guy in my neighborhood who would pass out fliers to the houses, bars, etc. The flyers were covered in lists of the different kinds of meat one could buy from him. Being in the South, the offerings sometimes included interesting meats, like turtle and raccoon. i wondered how one would get the turtles -- live or dressed, as it were -- and that led me to the idea of what would happen if there was a kid that really liked turtles finding out that some live turtles were going to be used for food. What would he do about it?
