Flash Fiction and Short Stories

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a drink in a glass with green leaf

My hiatus from blogging is now at an end, thank goodness, and I’m dabbling in different types of writing–including flash fiction.

Since November, when my life got a little crazy for a while, I completed a novel and sent it off to a number of agents and publishers. It’s receiving good reviews but not good enough to convince a publisher to buy. Yet.

I’ve begun a new novel, have returned to writing short stories, and am having a lot of fun creating flash fiction. I’ll be submitting some of the shorter pieces to publishers and sharing others here on my blog.

Here’s the first installment of flash fiction. I used a prompt for this piece, which included writing for a total of 10 minutes: 2 minutes each for:

  • A mint
  • A flower
  • A pair of shoes
  • A calendar
  • A phone

Tea Party

The tea tasted awful–like the spearmint leaf floating on top had been soaked in motor oil before being brewed–acrid and brown rather than perky and green.

Perhaps Lorna had allowed the plant to flower, sucking from the herb most of its tingly flavor and imbuing it, instead, with a tang reminiscent of a pair of shoes worn without socks in the middle of summer.

I pulled up the calendar app in my phone and entered a note: Do NOT revisit Lorna’s house for refreshments.

5 Reasons Why I Hate Halloween

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Why I Hate Halloween

Call me a killjoy, everyone else does. But first, listen to the reasons why I hate Halloween:

Why I Hate Halloween: Reason #1

Candy. I’m not a fan.

Especially once I saw the little crispy rice thingies in the Nestles crunch bar moving. Talk about disgusting. I’ll bet a cheapskate had some leftover candy the previous Halloween and “forgot” to look at the expiration date.

Reason #2

The dark. It scares me.

Probably because of the creepy-crawlies that populate the night, like the ones my brothers told me about when we were kids. The snake that lives under the bed and wraps itself around your arms and legs if you let them hang off the mattress. The gnome who lives in the crawlspace and comes out after you go to sleep. Unless you make sure the case your parents’ 78 records are in is sitting right on top of the hatch to the crawlspace.

Reason #3

Costumes. They never come with good shoes.

The one and only costume I ever enjoyed was the princess dress in … second grade, I think. It came accessorized with a genuine tiara and glass shoes! Okay, so the diamonds were really rhinestones, and the glass heels were really made of clear plastic. Seriously, though, I’ve never found another costume like that one. Never.

Reason #4

Trick-or-treating. Refer to Reason #2.

If this foolish activity were conducted at dawn instead of dusk (I’m a morning person), I might have a completely different take on Halloween. But it doesn’t. Because I don’t do the candy-begging thing, I stay home when Michael takes the grandkids around. This year, my sidekick for the past ten Halloweens (a big black cat named Murphy) is doing his thing in heaven, so I’ll be working solo answering the ringing doorbell. It’s tough to read a good book when you’re interrupted every four-and-a-half minutes by squealing goblins.

Final Reason Why I Hate Halloween

Black. Orange.

I don’t care what anyone else says, these two colors simply do NOT go together.

RIP, Murph

4 Medicare Tips: What to Know Before Enrolling

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Medicare tips

The longer I work in the insurance industry (and the older I get), the more I receive requests for Medicare tips. I’ve written dozens of courses on the topic and regularly teach insurance courses on the subject. Therefore, I’m happy to offer my list of SOME of the must-know information you should have before enrolling in Medicare.

Tip #1: You’re Not Automatically Eligible or Enrolled

A person must earn a minimum amount of wages to be eligible for Medicare (and all Social Security Benefits). In addition, the wages earned have been paid in a job/occupation for which payroll taxes were paid under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). The time period for full Social Security benefit eligibility is 10 years of full-time employment. This is also referred to as 40 credits by the Social Security Administration. (Click here to learn more about earning SS credits.)

The only people who are automatically enrolled in Medicare–meaning they don’t need to sign themselves up personally–are individuals who have already applied for Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits because they:

  • Have been receiving retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board for at least 4 months before they turn age 65
  • Are not yet age 65 and have been receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for 24 months
  • Are not yet age 65 and have been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
  • Have been diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)–regardless of age–and all the following conditions apply:
    • The person’s kidneys no longer work
    • The person needs regular dialysis or have had a kidney transplant
    • Eligibility for Social Security has been established by one of the following:
      • The required credits have been earned under Social Security, the Railroad Retirement Board, or as a government employee
      • The individual is already receiving, or is eligible for, Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits
      • The individual is a dependent child or spouse of a person who meets one of the previous requirements

If you don’t meet the criteria above, you need to enroll yourself. You can do that online at SSA.gov, in person at a Social Security office, or by telephone. The quickest way to enroll is online–after creating that online account with Social Security.

Tip #2: You Can Only Enroll at Certain Times of the Year

This is probably one of the most important Medicare tips you’ll receive: The best time to enroll in Medicare is during Initial Enrollment Period, which revolves around each person’s 65th birthday. It begins 3 months before the birthday month and ends three months after it. For instance, if your birth is August 4, your initial enrollment period begins on May 1 and ends on November 30.

If you enroll during your initial enrollment period, you will NOT pay a late enrollment penalty. However, if you do NOT enroll during your initial enrollment period, you MAY pay a late enrollment penalty when you do enroll.

The annual Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. Anyone can enroll in Medicare during this time. In addition, those already enrolled in Medicare can change plans during this time. New coverage, as well as any changes, become effective on January 1.

The annual General Enrollment Period runs from January 1 to March 31 each year. Anyone can enroll in Medicare during this period. However, coverage begins on July 1 and enrollment may be subject to a late enrollment penalty.

Click here for more information about initial, open, and general enrollment periods. Several Special Enrollment Periods are available for people who lose existing insurance coverage (such as employer- or group-sponsored health insurance) or who move.

Tip #3: Coverage Isn’t Free

Many people mistakenly believe that because they contributed to the Medicare program through their payroll taxes (FICA), they won’t have to pay a premium for their coverage. Here’s the financial part of my Medicare tips: the scoop about the premiums charged for the various coverage parts:

Medicare Part A/Hospital Insurance: Those who are fully eligible for Social Security benefits (i.e., they have 40 credits) do NOT pay a premium for Part A. Those who are only partially eligible or not eligible at all, may enroll in Medicare and pay a premium. Here’s the monthly premium breakdown:

  • 40 credits = $0
  • 30 to 39 credits = $278
  • 0 to 29 credits = $$506

Medicare Part B/Medical Insurance: Unless they are eligible for Extra Help or also have Medicaid and are eligible for a premium assistance plan, everyone pays a premium for Part B. This applies even if they are also enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C). In 2022, the monthly premium is $170.10. In 2023, the monthly premium will be $164.90.

Medicare Part D/Prescription Drug Coverage: Everyone pays a premium for Part D–unless they are eligible for Extra Help or also have Medicaid and are eligible for a premium assistance plan. The cost for each plan varies, because each plan is sold by a private insurer. Each plan and its premiums are subject to CMS/Medicare rules and state insurance regulations.

Medicare Part C/Medicare Advantage Plans: Like Part D plans, Part C plans are issued by private insurance companies and each plan’s premiums are different. They are also subject to CMS/Medicare rules and state insurance regulations.

Tip #4: Make Sure You Talk to a Trusted Agent

Medicare’s website, medicare.gov, contains the majority of information anyone needs to learn about Medicare eligibility, enrollment, coverages, and how everyone works. Admittedly, not everyone is a computer whiz or equipped with the patience to read through Medicare’s website. That’s why talking to a trusted, professional agent is essential.

Federal law has established guidelines for the sales and marketing of all Medicare plans, and for how people can engage in sales and marketing activities. Click here to review Medicare’s marketing rules and the rules that apply for meeting with an agent.

If any agent, or anyone claiming to be an agent, fails to comply with these rules, find yourself a new agent. And report the person taking advantage of you!

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I’ll be happy to provide you with more Medicare tips, answer questions, and/or provide you with additional resources. You can reach out to me here.

Creating Conflict and Strong Characters

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create conflict and strong characters

Every writer struggles with creating conflict and strong characters–stories and protagonists our readers can identify with and root for. In fiction, perfection is boring and Trouble is king.

What Conflict and Strong Characters are All About

Newbie writers are always told to ensure their stories contain conflict. But what is conflict and how does one create it?

According to the dictionary, conflict is incompatibility. It’s disagreement or disharmony. The best explanation I’ve heard about how to write conflict is contained in Lawrence Block’s Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.

… you have to be your lead character’s best friend and worst enemy all at the same time. You need to send your hero on a walk through the woods. Then you have a bear chase him. You let him climb a tree. You chop the tree down. The bear chases him into the river. He grabs onto a log. It turns out to be an alligator. He grabs a floating stick and uses it to jam the beast’s jaws open. You give the bear a canoe and teach it how to paddle–

Block also says, “Fiction is just one damned thing after another” and, boy, does he have that right.

Who wants to read about a perfect character living a perfect life without the imperfection of interference? Not me. First of all, it’s not realistic. Second of all, although it’s what we say we want, I suspect living a perfect life is one of those things my mother was referring to when she said Be careful what you ask for.

What makes a book or story interesting is how characters navigate trouble, solve their problems, cope in the midst of chaos, stay cool under pressure, and smile with gritted teeth through the biggest failures of their lives. The aftermath of the trouble, problems, chaos, stress, and challenges is what really matters: how they changed and shaped the character.

What Conflict and Strong Characters Looks Like

Conflict wears many faces: Danger. Disturbance. Grief. Misfortune. Suffering. Heartache. Torment. Battles. Contests. Clashes.

Transport a city girl wearing a silk suit and four-inch heels to a dirt road in a rural setting. Immediate conflict. Then let the thunder and lightning begin…

Make the heroine an insurance adjuster and the hero the head of a stolen car ring. Instant conflict. Especially when the hero’s occupation is revealed right after they first make love.

Let’s say your main character just made partner at his architectural firm and beat out his competition because he’s a family man. Three weeks later his wife files for divorce and leaves town with their children. Talk about conflict.

Not only do the preceding examples contain conflict, they raise questions. Lots of questions. Unanswered questions create tension and suspense–which compounds the conflict.

To escalate matters, you can toss in a ticking time bomb–that deadline each protagonist faces before the excrement hits the fan. You can reveal that secret, the one that represents the protagonist’s biggest fear, the one the character must face before the ticking time bomb explodes. My personal favorite involves dialogue: the words that can’t be unsaid or the unsaid words that should have been spoken.

Character flaws are also a good tool to use. Doesn’t matter if characters are unaware of their flaws or if they know full well what flaws they have and simply can’t help themselves from messing up. Over and over again. The reader wonders: Will the character ever figure things out? If so, how? When?

Unanswered questions equal tension and suspense. Postpone giving answers. Or only provide partial answers. Or ask more questions before answering previous questions. Layer the tension and suspense with conflict, and you’re on the right track.

What Enhances Conflict and Strong Characters

Perspective

People come in all shapes and sizes, and with an endless variety of opinions. What good, from the perspective of conflict, is a character who keeps her opinions to herself? You guessed it: none.

But toss in a character with strong opinions, one who doesn’t hesitate to share them. Often. And loudly. No matter where she is.

Instant conflict.

This character doesn’t have to be the protagonist. In fact, this character has the potential to cause endless trouble and chaos if she isn’t the protagonist.

The Underdog

A power imbalance creates instant conflict. There’s little in life that’s more satisfying than the longshot beating the favorite in a competition. Davey and Goliath. Jack and the Beanstalk. Underdog and Simon Bar Sinister.

The Deep, Dark Secret

We all have secrets, past actions or words we fear will reflect poorly on us when the old spotlight shines down. Infidelity, embezzlement, and assault can have serious repercussions if they’re uncovered. But then again, so can undisclosed pregnancies, thoughtless comments, and poor decision-making.

What makes secrets such a great element of a good story is that we can use them in a variety of ways. Readers can know a secret the protagonist doesn’t know. Protagonists can know secrets that, if revealed, will result in death–either physically or emotionally. Multiple characters can share a secret, one that simply can’t be exposed without dire consequences.

The most important thing about using secrets is to reveal them at the worst possible time.

Choices

One final tool that helps create conflict and strong characters is giving the protagonist two options–one just as bad as the other. What a terrific way to force the protagonist to grow and develop. Option A is lousy. Option B downright sucks. Which forces the protagonist to dream up Option C.

For example, the protagonist receives a call from his brother, who just crashed his car into a tree. The protagonist arrives at the scene and realizes his brother is intoxicated. If the brother is arrested for another DUI, he’ll go to jail, so he begs the protagonist to tell the police he was driving. Clearly, neither option is ideal. Which option will the protagonist choose? Or will you, the director of the scene, be clever enough to come up with another option … one that startles your readers after drawing the tension out unbearably?

Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas about creating conflict and strong characters.