Cole Matthews

And here we go! https://gayauthors.org/story/cole-matthews/tales-from-bingham-lake/1

PT Prompt #234 You have three near-misses on the way to work. What happened, and how were they avoided? *** Laura heard the tinkle of her phone beckoning to her, but when she reached over, the device slipped from her grasp. She lunged, as much as the seatbelt would let her, and almost caught it. In the background, Morgan Wallen sang about how it couldn’t be the last night. As the brakes squealed, her blood pressure surged. Laura Naugen was already late for work. This

These are the prompt tales I'm collecting. What will they become? Who will read? It doesn't matter because they are mine.

Gonna have to try this.

If you know me at all, you know I love a good mystery story. Dame Agatha Christie, Jonathan Kellerman, Joseph Hansen, Martha Grimes, Earl Derr Biggers, Dashiell Hammett, Robert Parker, Minette Walters, Joe Lansdale, Wilkie Collins, and many many more all come to mind. There is something intriguing about a whodunit or even a whydonit. They are also such fantastic period pieces, where you journey to another place and live in a different time. You can read about Dave Brandstetter in the 1970s in California when a gay detective was a novelty, or about the 1930s with Miss Marple solving village murder cases between the wars in England and between cups of tea. Mysteries are somewhat formulaic, but within those formula there is room for characters to bloom and eras to be lived. Let's try our hand at our mystery set in another time and another place. #231 - You find the dead body of a complete stranger in a trunk in an attic. Make it interesting. When did this happen? Where in the world? What relationship do you have with it. No need to solve this mystery. Just set it up and see what happens. #232 - You are digging through an old file when you come upon some pictures. In what media are these pictures? What are they wearing? What about these images worry you? Again, we aren't figuring out what happened. We are building a mystery. Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/ Good luck.

With effective writing, our characters should always try to show, and not tell, the reader how they are feeling. Verbal expressions are the simplest and most direct way, like stuttering or announcing things. But, there are certain actions and reactions in the body, which are even more efficient at conveying a character's feelings. I've decided to give you a couple of opposite feelings to work with. Here are physical clues for you to use portraying your character's state of being. Feel free to add more, but use these to get your scene started. #227 - Conflicted - Rubbing or pulling at an ear, looking downward, and a sinking feeling in the gut #228 - Confident - Stretching, a strong handshake, and easy breathing Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Getting "caught in the act" is the most common translation of this Latin phrase. It involves a person being very naughty and someone 'walking in on them.' I'm proposing these prompts because sometimes our characters can get just too nice. Our protagonist can be too "pro" and our antagonist too "mean". Sometimes having our main character suffer a character flaw, or two, can lend more authenticity to a story. Let's stretch our wings and try something a bit nasty. #223 - You are in a bar, and someone buys you a shot, which becomes two, and then a drink follows. Before you know it, you are drunk and slurring, pawing at the other person. What happens next? Make it racy, or, just plain awkward. #224 - You are at your best friend's wedding out in the country, with no one around. There is a groomsman that looks so familiar, but you can't quite place him. Suddenly, it dawns on you. He was your biggest crush in high school, and now he's eying you across the dance floor. What happens next? Why didn't you recognize him and what is it that reminds you? Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Ahhhh! The plot is thickening. The characters have developed perfectly. You have balanced your pace so there is riveting action, informative scene setting, and a richness to your tableau. Everything seems to be going so well, and yet, your beta reader drops a bomb on you. "It's just falling flat." What are you supposed to do? Where do you turn? How can you enrich and round out your characters? How about a little emotional rescue? Let's try filling in the back story of your characters with some rueful or painful memories. Let's get the juices flowing with some stirring, poignant history. #219 - What do you think about that always brings you to tears? Make this personal. Dig deep and give us a story about a time when you couldn't help but cry. #220 - There is something nagging at you. What is worrying you? Interrupting your sleep? Making you crazy. Let's hear about a concern that you just can't let go. Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Points of view are so important in stories. As writers, we have to pretend to be someone else, feel what they feel, and ache with their longings. As an exercise, let's pretend to be something not alive. You can fill the object with whatever you feel or think. The object will become a character, a witness, and your sounding board. #215 - You are a porch swing. You must describe the events that unfold around you, but only during times of great emotion. That's when you awaken. #216 - You are a potato chip bag alongside a city street. You tumble and blow from place to place. What do you see? Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Comedy in a story can elevate an interesting tale into one you can't put down. There are several types of humor, but perhaps one of my favorites is the sarcastic retort. Nothing can fuel a character like some witty, and biting, humor. Let's try some examples with a, well, not first line, but first exchange with two main characters. Have fun with it. #209 - "This is the last time I'm going to trust you with being the lookout." "What's my next job? Poison taster?" #210 - "Why is there blood over here?" "Uhhh, I, um, tripped and cut myself." "On the ceiling?" Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Ahhh! The lovely idea of an island filled with magic, mystery, and love. In the depths of winter, let's take a journey to a place with tropical drinks, grass huts, and warm breezes. #203 - Use the following words in a story. Daiquiri, husk, oar, coati, sanguine, furtive, umbrella, and turkey. #204 - You get up early in the morning. The sun is just starting to ease upwards with brilliant rays bathing the palm trees and bougainvillea's growing against the seawall. As you make your way down to the ocean, you see something on the beach, waves gently lapping at it. As you near, you realize it's not a bunch of sea grape or driftwood. It's a body. The body of a young man in a white suit, and his chest is stained with red. What happened? Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Here is my submission for #193 Tom As he sat at a far table, the middle-aged man lifted the corner of the bread. Underneath the slice of rye bread was the sticky white mayo, a wilting leaf of iceberg lettuce, a slice of bologna, one piece of salami, and American cheese. It was the same combo he made every day, five days a week, fifty weeks a year. The annoying lilt of laughter interrupted his attention. Three women were sitting together at a table in the middle of the room. They were commenting on some other coworker’s choice of sweater. Their jocularity grated on Tom’s nerves. He carefully placed the corner of the bread back down on the sandwich and picked it up. He took a measured bite, chewed slowly, and fingered his bottle of water. Nearby, a container of canned fruit sat forlornly next to his insulated lunch pail. The sad smile of a peach slice greeted him. The door opened, and two men came into the break room. Behind them a pair of women followed, one his boss and the other another coworker. They were chatting excitedly, a pair of matching fast food bags in hand. The room was filling with people having lively conversation. Tom felt himself shrink a bit more, taking another, slightly smaller bite of his sandwich. “Tom, wanna join us?” one of the men asked, plopping a container and a can of soda on a nearby table. Tom barely looked up, certainly not at the man asking him a question. He shook his head, unscrewed his water, and laid the cap on the tabletop. “I’m having a little quiet time,” he muttered. “Suit yourself,” the man said, and he straddled the chair and began talking with his cohorts. Tom felt the usual burn of shame along his neckline. There was the tickle of hollowness in his gut, and it was expanding rapidly. The ache of loneliness, even amongst others, creeped across his chest, filling the hollow sense with even more emptiness. A bubble filled his insides, and pressed upon his heart, compressing it, making it pound harder trying to get blood to his brain, to no avail. The sting of a salty tear prickled the corner of his eye. He took another bite of his sandwich, and chewed. The others no longer could see him, a lone man, sitting alone, at a table, by himself.

"Bits and pieces put together, to present a semblance of a whole" - Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN I've always been intrigued by the ideas suggested in this quotation. It suggests, quite correctly, that art and artifice are simply representations, and parts of a story. Narratives necessarily pick and choose the elements they want to reveal in order to make a coherent story. The artist decides what things are presented to a consumer of their art and what things to leave out. For example, there isn't much reason to give a detailed description for every time a character uses the bathroom or watches a social media post UNLESS it drives the story. Repeated trips to the toilet could be used to show a character is sick or has a kind of quirky attribute. Sometimes these details can be useful in storytelling. So, we are going to try some very mundane ideas, and with it create a tale using very ordinary parts of life. #193 - Your character is eating a meal in a lunch room all alone. It's the same thing he eats almost everyday. Why does he do so and what does it mean? #194 - Your character is reading his horoscope and it says, "Be as direct as you can and see what happens." What happens next? Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

I've never been a writer who enjoyed using much description. I never thought the color of the carpet, the shadows on the flocked wallpaper or the nuances of a woman's dress did much to drive a story. At least, that's what I used to think. Lately I've been reading more gothic short stories where the effect of the light on objects, the influence of color on mood, and the idea of space shapes impressions of the scene. As a result, I've been trying to use a bit more description in my writing. It's quite powerful when done judiciously, and so I'm going to give you a couple of practice rounds telling us in two different ways. Keep in mind, description can be quite objective, and even more interestingly, it can be very subjective. Try using both ideas, with a simple explanation of what you see and how it makes you feel. #185 - Go to a window. Write about five things you see outside. #186 - Describe your favorite athlete. Look at a picture or a video, and really tell the reader what you see, and how it makes you feel. Remember, try first using simple facts, then turn them into an experience. Have fun!!! Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

Thank you! What a lovely treat!

Have you ever started digging through an old box and found something you had forgotten about? Is there a scrap of paper with a name of an old lover, and it makes you sigh? The memories start flooding back into you as you rifle through ticket stubs and T-shirts at the bottom of your closet. Things are so good at prompting our personal histories, and so let these prompts give your characters some thoughts about events from their past. Let the remembrances flow!!!! Prompt #181 - After Thanksgiving, you are putting the cornucopia filled with wax fruit, the big turkey wall hanging, and the orange and brown candles into your attic space. Since it's the day after the holiday, it's time to put up Christmas decorations. You grab the tree, a couple of boxes of ornaments, and a bag with the front door wreath. Way behind these is another box. It's covered in dust. You drag it to the opening, and take it downstairs. After a good vacuuming, you take out some table decorations of your grandmother's and a couple of ceramic lighted Christmas houses you forgot about. As you peer into the box, you see something wedged in the corner, with just an edge peeking out. After you grasp it and pull, you find a folded and stained photograph. On the back of this photograph, it has the name "Mary." Tell us the story of this photograph, which conjures up a flood of memories. Prompt #182 - You got a flat tire, and when you were pulling out the spare, you see a glint of gold. Picking it up, you see an earring. You recognize it. Who did it belong to and what does it mean to you? Have fun remembering! Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here: https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/

I like the subtle interplay between empathy and neediness that suggests the necessary bonding to make the whole. These two men become much more as a sprouting pair than they do as guardian and subject. There is a kind of elasticity to the balance they are experiencing, and need to perfect. That is the story in my humble opinion. How do they achieve harmony and resonance with their differences and needs. Great job Myr!

At first I thought it was so dark, but you conjured up such defiance and bravery and guts until the darkness became hope. Great job!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Al is certainly more than just a curmudgeon. He's a special kind of character. I appreciate the comment!

Now, I love the phrase, 'flung the wig off the choir leader' so much and have never heard it before. Very awesome and picturesque phrase. That's the exact sentiment I was hoping to capture. Thank you for the wonderful comments. Greatly appreciated!!!!!!

That's not demented. That's just one of many possibilities!!! However, we do know that Todd's body was found and identified, so ostensibly his head was still there. See, I got where your mind was going!!! Thanks for the awesome comments!!

Thank you for the wonderful comment. I'm glad you liked it!!!

Thank you! I’m glad it worked. Al is a character who certainly surprises. I appreciate the kind words!

I couldn't help it with the season of dread. I love fall and especially Halloween, so this is a bit of a pander to that sentiment. Thank for the comments!!!

As do I! Thanks!