RAS #419 – The Lights on Mount Charleston

On Ron’s Amazing Stories this time Sylvia Shults is back with her very first ghost encounter and a tale she calls, Who’s In The Barn. Also, we have two incredible adventures from Nevada. One is a Bob Lazar type UFO tale and the other is about a haunted chair. Finally, we look at the history of Rice Krispies.

Featured Story – The Lights on Mount Charleston

This is a story sent in by Charlie White from Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a UFO story that bears an uncanny resemblance to the craft that Bob Lazar spoke about in the film documentary, Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers. You have to hear this one …it is amazing!

Program Note: Sylvia Shults is a Librarian, Author, and Ghost Hunter. She has spent a lifetime in the pursuit of the weird and strange. Her non-fiction works include Ghost of the Illinois River, Fractured Spirits, 44 Years in Darkness, Hunting Demons, The Spirits of Christmas, and her latest release Fractured Souls. All of her books are available on Amazon and you can find out more at her WordPress Home Page.

Ron’s Amazing Stories Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories and Gladdy’s Goodies – Good Treats for your dog to eat.

Ron’s Amazing Stories is produced and hosted by Ronald Hood:
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Writing A Short Story

As an editor, I don’t get to write many stories, but I sure love to read them. I have taken quite a few creative writing courses over the years and one word can sum up how to write a short story: RELAX.

First Step – Make an outline

One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is to sit at the computer and try to write a tale from beginning to end. Rather than spend hours staring at the computer screen, humbled in frustration, make a simple quick outline. They’re easy to understand and you can even find templates for your word processor to help you organize your thoughts. Write out the plot and use that as a basis to make up the rest. It may be helpful to write out some of the more complicated scenes

Second Step – Develop your characters

Who is your main character? Knowing a name and that she has blond wavy hair is not as important as fears, wants, and desires. Remember that the life you breathe into a character will not only carry the story, it also lets your readers know that you have a stake in what you have written.
Listen to your character – Often times they will come alive in your mind and tell you who and where they want to go. Yes, I know it sounds silly, but give it a try. It actually works.

Third Step – Set the scene

Use enough detail in the introduction of your story so they know where they are. You want your reader to feel the environment and see it in their mind’s eye. While there may not be space for this in every short story, you still need to give them something. Maybe as simple as, Betty looked around her bedroom.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you creating your scene.

Walk yourself through the scene. Be your character as they walk through it. What do they say, think, feel, and do?
Know where things are. You want the area to be consistent so that your readers will know where they are at all times.

Step Four – Write the Story

This is the hard part, right? Not if you have done the things above. All you have to do fill in is what happens. Here are some simple tips to get the story flowing.

If the story has a principal narrator, that character can start off by walking through the setting. They can relate everything to the reader in a kind of nonchalant, casual way.
Write the parts of the story that you know. If you can’t begin the story, why not start in the middle?
Get into some action quickly. Studies have shown that the attention span of the average audience is limited. They want quick action at the beginning. It is the most important thing if you want to keep your reader interested.
Let the words flow as you write an early draft of a story. Type your heart out. Don’t go back and edit. Type what comes to mind and then read it. You may be surprised how much you like it.

I hope you enjoyed this little Ron’s Amazing Stories seminar. I plan to do more of these in the future. Also, if you ever need help with a story I am there to answer questions. If you are ready for a complete review I can do that as well. Head to http://editright4u.com.

This Week’s Podcast: On the podcast this week we have another edition of Ghost Stories with Sylvia. This time we talk about her very first encounter with the paranormal. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Sunday Night at 8:00 PM (PST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

RAS #418 – Bigfoot Week

It is Bigfoot week on Ron’s Amazing Stories. Why call it bigfoot week? It is because we have three listener stories that are all about the big guy. We also have a classic story from The Shadow that has a gorilla as the main character and we top it off with a look at one of the greatest moments in baseball history.

Featured Story – The House Of Horrors

Our featured story comes from the classic radio series The Shadow. The show went on the air in August of 1930 and kept going for 24 years! Our story is about a plot to entrap the souls of young women, but the Shadow will have none of that. The recording isn’t great, but I loved the story so much that had to share it with you. It is called, for some inexplicable reason, The House Of Horrors, and it first aired on February 14, 1938.

Sponsored by: This podcast is brought to you by Audible. You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories

Crazy Sentences!

As an editor, I have run across some crazy sentences written by authors. Sometimes they were intentional, but other times not so much. Here is a few favorites mine that made me smile just a bit.

John wood always remember and wood treasure these memories.

Aside from using the noun “wood” instead of the auxiliary verb “would” this sentence had a lot of remembering and not a whole lot of structure. It was also the opening of a short story. I convinced the author to drop it in favor of something that made sense.

This next sentence is actually grammatically correct. It came from a joke by the famous Groucho Marx. I simply love it.

One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I’ll never know.

I hate run-on sentences. People get lazy and forget that someone might have to read them one day. Here is one from a book I worked on a few years ago.

We got to the cabin and we unpacked our things and we built a campfire and we made dinner and we slept under the stars for the first time and the next morning we felt like we never had before.

What can you say about that sentence? It clearly makes use of the word “and”. If you are wondering if this one was the worst I have seen? Nope, but it does make my point. Write cleanly and clearly.

This last sentence is one that uses the word “read” and “read”. While there is actually nothing wrong with it I did convince the author to revise it.

The next morning John read in the newspaper about the man who had to read the article to the judge.

Crazy stuff, not bad …but still… What did he change the sentence to?

The next morning the newspapers told the whole story. John was happy that he didn’t have to read the article to the judge.

Of course, I have many more examples of this and maybe someday I will share them with you. Let me know if you liked this.

-Ron

This Week’s Podcast: On the show this week we have The Shadow in a story called House Of Horrors. It is a classic radio story. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

RAS #417 – The Red Room

This is Ron’s Amazing Stories, where we begin a new year. My radio producer told me that my show was too short! So, I added more stuff. On the show this week we have a haunted limousine, a strange follower, and I take a turn and tell a story that happened to me! We also have an H.G. Wells classic that is NOT science fiction called The Red Room. Hard to believe but it’s true. Speaking of true we have a Washington edition of Johnny Is It True. So, relax and enjoy the show.

Program Note: Here is the link to the pictures for Ron’s story The Miracle Tree.

Featured Story – The Red Room

Our featured story this week comes from the pen of H.G. Wells. It is a tale that he was inspired to write after reading selected works by H.P. Lovecraft. It is a ghost story written by a man of science and It will compel you to listen. It is called The Red Room and was published by Harper & Brothers in 1898 in the book Thirty Strange Stories by H.G. Wells.

Sponsored by: This podcast is brought to you by Audible. You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories