Congratulations to our Short Story Contest Winner, Kim Severson, for a year of free lessons in the Character Entertainment Creative Writing Class!

Thank you to everyone who submitted stories, and I look forward to seeing you all in class.

And now, here is Kim’s winning story about seeing through the eyes of childlike faith.

 

Eyes

by Kim Severson

 

“How much longer?”

“Not long, Billy-boy.”

Billy’s innocent brown eyes met Grandpa’s.  “Will it be fun, Grandpa?”

“Oh, yes, Billy,” Grandpa answered with a gentle smile.  “It will be well worth the wait.”

A thoughtful silence passed between the old man and his grandson.  Billy took a deep breath.  “Have you ever been there before, Grandpa?”

“No — can’t say that I have.  But I’ve heard about it, Billy.  It’s a great place.”

“Tell me one more time,” whispered Billy to his grandfather.  “Tell me about it one more time.”

Grandpa sighed a little and rubbed twice at the corner of his right eye.  “Well, Billy — ”

“How are my two handsome young men?”

“Top o’ th’ mornin’, my Dear,” answered Grandpa.

Grandma!  Billy smiled.  “Did you remember to bring it, Grandma?”

“I sure did, Billy-boy!”  Grandma and Grandpa exchanged a knowing glance.  “How could I forget a request from my favorite grandson!”

“You mean, your only grandson.”

“You got that right, ‘Pardner’,” smiled Grandpa, reaching out a hand to ruffle Billy’s curly brown mop.

Billy looked into Grandpa’s eyes — he loved Grandpa’s eyes.  They were warm and kind and dark like chocolate.  Billy even loved the little bird feet at the corners of Grandpa’s eyes, and the way that his eyes sparkled with mischief — or darted back and forth with a really great idea.

Billy smiled.  He always knew when Grandpa planned to surprise him.  It was as if Grandpa’s brain had told his voice a special secret.  But the eyes — Grandpa’s eyes — always gave him away.  Every single time.

Grandpa’s eyes looked different today, and Billy wasn’t quite sure why.  Grandpa’s eyes didn’t sparkle like they usually did.  They didn’t seem quite as bright.  Not quite as clear.  Grandpa’s brow was wrinkled, too — but not in the usual way.  Billy was pretty smart, and he could tell the difference between happy wrinkles and other wrinkles.  And Grandpa’s brow definitely had other wrinkles today.

Grandma bent down and planted a satiny kiss on Grandpa’s shiny head.  Grandma’s eyes looked different, too.  Usually, Grandma’s eyes danced like two ballerinas dressed in cornflower blue.  But not today.  Today, dark circles ringed Grandma’s eyes, as if she had stayed up way past her bedtime.  And Billy wondered to himself if Grandma was catching the summer sniffles.  Her nose looked just a little bit red.

As Grandma and Grandpa talked their “Grandma-and-Grandpa” talk, Billy sighed.  Today was supposed to be a special day.  A happy day.  Billy had heard about days like this all of his life — from Grandpa, from Grandma, from Mom and Dad.  And he had always imagined silly smiles and laughter on days like today.  But it wasn’t turning out that way — not at all.

Billy sighed again.  Through the door and down the hallway, he detected the sound of a muffled scuffle.  He couldn’t make out the words, but he had heard that sound a millions times before today.  Billy didn’t roll his eyes very often — he got in big trouble for things like that.  But today, with Grandma and Grandpa momentarily distracted, Billy let one loose:  a great big huge eye roll.  A second later, Mom appeared, looming in the doorway (Billy marveled that such a short person could appear so big).  She turned slightly, raised her eyebrows, snapped her fingers, and pointed to an invisible spot next to her.  Sullenly, a pair of disheveled twins materialized at her side — obviously very, very wet, and presumably very, very sticky.  Billy remembered that Uncle Bob had taught the girls how to shake pop cans last month.

On other days, Billy would have laughed and laughed.  Billy almost never got in trouble.  The twins almost never got out of trouble.  Back in December, Mom or Dad would have doled out discipline masking a chuckle.  That happened less and less over the last few months.  And Billy was now sure that it certainly wouldn’t happen today.

Not today.

On other days, Mom would not have noticed the lady in blue as she made her visit.  She wouldn’t even have looked up, dealing with two soaked girls.  The lady would have greeted Billy and Grandpa cheerfully and gone about her business.  But not today.  Today, Mom watched every move as the lady charted and checked, charted and checked.

Billy sighed.  “Grandpa,” he whispered, “I thought that today would be a happy day.  How come we aren’t happy?”

Grandpa gazed into Billy’s eyes with an intensity that Billy didn’t expect.  “Billy,” Grandpa started…

Suddenly, a rasping cough shattered the air.  Grandpa squeezed Billy’s hand.  Billy shifted uncomfortably.

Within seconds, a middle-aged man in a white coat flew into the room, flanked by a battalion of crisp nurses.

“I’m right here, Son.”

Billy felt his heart begin to race.  Was this the trip that everyone had talked about?  Ever since the doctor’s report?

There’s Grandma, pulling out Grandpa’s Bible -

“There’s not enough time, Dear — ”

Was that Mom, choking back a whimper? –

Dad, what should I do? –

And then…

“He’s right here, Billy.  Right here, in the room.”

“Do you see him, Grandpa?”

“I always see Him, Billy — with the eyes of faith.”  Grandpa shifted forward.

“Oh, Grandpa!  I see Him, too!  He’s standing right by your chair, Grandpa, and He’s smiling.”

Billy’s eyes began to mist and glaze.

“And look, Grandpa — He brought angels with Him!  Great big, beautiful angels!  See the angels, Grandpa?”

Billy coughed again.

“No, Billy, I can’t see the angels.  But tell me about them…”

“Oh, they’re so big, Grandpa!” Billy whispered weakly.  “They’re so beautiful!  Look at all the light, Grandpa!  Do you see the light?…”

Grandpa’s voice cracked, and a tear fell from his chocolate brown eyes.  “Not yet, Billy-boy.  Not yet.  But next time we’re together…I’ll see it then.”

 

So … you’ve always wanted to write stories but never knew how to start?

You’ve wondered if there are secrets to great writing and wished you could learn them?

You love books and movies? 

Good news! You can learn the basics for writing powerful fiction!

Make writing a part of your life and have fun doing it!

Led by Randall Allen Dunn, writer/web host of Character Entertainment! 

• Learn how to make Creative Writing a part of your life, and develop it to a level that satisfies your personal goals!
• Participate in Writing Exercises and study fun examples of storytelling in movies and literature!
• Complete 1 hour of Weekly Writing Time outside of class!
• Complete simple Monthly Writing Assignments, designed to fit your busy schedule and help you make writing a regular habit!
• Receive positive and useful feedback on your Monthly Writing!

“The best thing about the CWC classes is how inspired I felt to write after each one.  Randall is a genuinely encouraging and approachable instructor, which makes the course well worth it.  I felt comfortable asking him any question, and he was always willing and ready to answer all of them.  The class agenda and set-up generated comments from other individuals in the class which resulted in healthy discussions, which was also really nice. “

Nazli Mohyuddin, CESSC Winner 2010

 

CHOOSE YOUR CLASSES!

Open to adults and teens, 14 & up!

 

Character Entertainment

CREATIVE WRITING CLASS

Meets 1^st & 3^rd Thursdays

7:30pm-9:30pm

Sept. 6^th, 2012 – May 16^th, 2013

Lesson Schedule:

September:

Getting Started Writing;

4 Components of a Story

October:

Creating Characters Pt. 1

November:

Creating Characters Pt. 2

December:

Show, Don’t Tell

January:

Suspense & Pacing

February:

Research

March:

Poetry/Descriptive Imagery

April:

Self-Editing;

Market Analysis

May:

Writing Humor

 

NEW!

Character Entertainment

ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING CLASS:

GENRE STUDIES

Meets 1^st & 3^rd Wednesdays

7:30pm-9:30pm

Sept. 5^th, 2012 – May 15^th, 2013

Lesson Schedule:

September:

Action-Adventure

October:

Horror

November:

Science Fiction

December:

Fantasy

January:

Romance

February:

Mystery/Suspense

March:

Historical

April:

Children’s/Young Adult

May:

Combined Genres

             

$30.00 per class, by cash or check.

You can also enter the

Character Entertainment Short Story Contest

for a chance to win a full year of FREE LESSONS for either course!

All stories must be submitted by AUGUST 10^th!

 

Interested? Call Randall Allen Dunn at 630-621-8493

or email: randall@characterent.com

See you there!

(PLEASE NOTE: Clicking the email address above will launch your computer’s default email program such as Outlook. If you use a webmail system such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc, please copy and paste or manually type in the email adress.)

 

January Highlights: WONDER WOMAN MONTH!

August’s Monthly Feature on “Searching for Bobby Fischer” reminded us that our lost dreams can poison our children, if we pressure them to achieve the greatness we had once hoped to achieve, instead of letting them grow up to become their own person, at their own pace.

A blog on “Searching for Bobby Fischer” encouraged us to give ourselves more credit for our efforts and achievement, instead of beating ourselves down when we fail to achieve perfection.

A Wrinkle in Timecontinued this lesson, reminding us that no one is perfect, and even our flaws can be valuable, reminding ourselves and others that we’re still human.

First Bloodwarned us against judging a book by its cover, especially when it comes to our first impressions of a stranger.

And David Morrell’s reflections on his Rambo character, in Rambo and Me, advised us that polarized views and rising tensions can result in a combative situation in which both parties villainize their opponent, and never find peace.

A fan from Onlinedegree.net forwarded a fun blog about 10 TV Characters That Helped Save Their Shows, and we announced the 2010 Character Entertainment Short Story Contest winner, Kim Powers, with her short thriller about two girls who are threatened by a gang of Hell’s Angels.

And Abby started Kindergarten this month, shortly after deciding that she was too big now to endure any Time-Outs.

Have a great day!

-RAD

Congratulations to our Short Story Contest Winner, Kim Powers, for a year of free lessons in the Character Entertainment Creative Writing Class!

Thank you to everyone who submitted stories, and I look forward to seeing you all in class.

And now, here is Kim’s winning thriller about a strangely compassionate warning from the Hell’s Angels.

Encounter With The Hell’s Angels

by Kim Powers
Oakland, California, 1968

It was either a switchblade or a machete that he sharpened purposefully, with careful strokes, back and forth to the tune of “Riders On The Storm”. All the while he was glaring at me, Lily, even salivating as though I were to be the main course at their pagan gathering.  I sat frozen, no need for restraints.  I could not move, back against the wall, knees pulled in close to my chest, hands fastened around my ankles.  My thoughts wandered, ‘How had I ended up in Oakland, California, in the very den of the Hell’s Angels?’

The year before, I was in the safety of the northern suburbs of Chicago, playing in my wooded haven.  I would never have imagined that soon I would be running through the streets of Oakland and Berkley, Ca. as I had run innocently through my oak savannah near Lake Michigan.

My friend Susie, standing pensively beside me, was my tour guide to the San Francisco Bay area.  She had just turned 14 years old.  I was six months her junior. She was the youngest of five. Next in line was her twenty-year old brother, Tom. Her dad worked in the shipyards, twelve hours a day; it was as though her mom was a single parent.

The rhythmic sharpening came to an abrupt end.  Startled out of my contemplation, I observed the bearded brute arise, leaving the “camp“ he and a few others had made on the floor to roll “cigarettes”.  Encroaching upon us, he passed close enough to skim my nose, then grabbed Susie’s ever-faithful ponytail, bringing her abruptly to attention. He then pulled out his sharpened weapon and easily sliced several strands of her hair. I was close enough to hear her heart pounding and hyperventilated breathing indicating the onset of an asthma attack. He released her, allowing her to breathe normally.

The other “campers” watched as the man with the knife assailed us. They stood and came closer, revealing their height and girth. Overweight yet muscular, they sported handlebar mustaches. I had never met men like that. My dad was muscular because of his carpentry work but he was lean and clean-shaven. A sweet-smelling cloud of smoke followed them, contradicted by the stench of strong drink and sweat. In the far corner of the room three other men played poker and seemed uninterested in our plight. Apparently, abuse, bullying, and teasing were common in their ranks.

Panic took over. No longer frozen, I began to scream and cry hysterically. I had thought that we were there by invitation. Susie said that her brother was a member of a motorcycle club as evidenced by the insignia on his leather jacket. The motorcycle that he rode, he had chopped himself. Susie and I observed him working on it from her bedroom window where we usually hung out right after school. Why were they turning on a member’s sister and friend?

My thoughts and hysteria were interrupted by a loud, “Shut Up!” This just worsened matters and I could not stop crying. Suddenly, a heavy, callused hand, imbedded with what I thought was red paint, slapped across my mouth. I writhed with fear, though thankfully not pain.

Susie had recovered and we both sprang into action, biting, scratching and making kicks count. Thankfully, I had many a tussle and scrimmage with my brother and neighbor boys along with horseback riding and climbing trees. I was strong, agile, and fast. Susie was strong from walking and biking the steep Oakland hills all her life. Plus, it helped that these guys were probably stoned.

We managed to slip from their grasp and bolted past the poker table to an open back door. We flew down the back stairs, three flights to the alley bellow. Susie was starting to wheeze. I grabbed her hand as we jumped into some neighboring bushes. There we sat still and silent except for the racing of our hearts and her short, fast breaths.  “Stay here, don’t move,” I said. “‘I’ll go and get your inhaler.” She strained with a whisper of a voice, “Why did my brother tell me we could come over here? What is he mixed up in?” I told her, “I don’t understand either. I’ll be back, stay still.”

I ran like lightning, thinking Susie’s life depended on it. At the same time, I wished that she had brought her inhaler. I mused, ‘What we thought would be a Saturday afternoon of signing on as groupies to a new clique had turned into a heart-wrenching encounter.’

Arriving at Susie’s house, I pounded on their door. Out of breath and parched, I needed her mom’s help. At other times of mischief we tried to handle things ourselves. This was too serious, I reasoned.

Instead of a greeting from her mom it was her brother, Tom, who answered the door. I commanded, “I need to talk to your mother!” Tom’s response was, “Sorry, Lily, she’s at the store.” I continued, “Tom, Susie and I got into awful trouble today. We went to the address you gave her for the Hell’s Angels. I can’t say more right now, Susie is on the brink of an asthma attack, I came to get her inhaler!” Tom reacted with a jump and told me to run into her room, that the puffer should be on her nightstand. In a moment I had it. He threw on his leather jacket and handed me a helmet. “What’s this for?” I inquired. Tom ordered, “ Just put it on, get on the back of the chopper and show me where you left Susie!”

At my direction, we were back at the location where Susie sat breathing quick and shallow. Tom and I ran to her side, and I gave her the inhaler. With a puff and a deep breath, she jumped to her feet. Then she laid into Tom. “ What’s the idea giving me the address to a place with a bunch of crazies waiting for us?” Tom responded, “ Waiting is the key word. Let me explain over a snack.”

He left his bike parked on the street across from his “Club” and led us down the hill to a diner. We followed reluctantly. He encouraged us to go in with him and have a seat. He bought sandwiches and chocolate milk for us. This kind act endeared him to us; we let down our guard, drank the milk and gobbled the sandwiches. It was as though the executioner had granted us clemency and this was a lavish “return to life” feast.

Tom began, “Susie and Lily, for weeks you have followed me around, asking for rides on my motorcycle, then recently to visit Hell’s Angel’s headquarters. You have nagged me to go where my friends and I spend our free time. Little sisters, I know what transpired today was frightening, but that’s the way we planned it. This is a rough neighborhood and I’ll admit our group is no sewing circle, and I’m afraid for you to be here.”

Susie sprang out of her seat and shouted, “What? Seriously, what kind of a brother sets up something like this?” I added, “Yeah! They toyed with us, slapped me in the mouth to get me to ‘shut up,’ yanked Susie by her hair and cut off part of her ponytail! Show him, Susie!” I instructed. Susie showed off her choppy new ‘do. Then she chimed in, “Look, Bro, these are not good guys you’re hanging with. I think they’re troublemakers.”

Tom instructed, “ Don’t worry about me, I’m an adult. But you’re just little girls. [That was something Susie and I did not like to hear, neither did we believe it.] I’m sorry if you were hurt at all, but please know it was because I do care about you that I conspired with the guys about your visit. They agreed to put a scare into you.” In unison Susie and I said, sarcastically, “Thanks a lot.”  Tom continued the admonition, “Never do I want to hear that either of you have gone to this part of Oakland again.  Please consider this a brother’s plea of love: Stay away from the Hell’s Angels!”

Epilogue:
Many years later at an oceanfront resort in Southern California, I shared this story with a woman I met at dinner. She too lived in the Bay area in the late 1960s and ’70’s. She had her own stories of encountering the Hell’s Angels. Her words to me were sobering: “You were a fortunate young lady that you were able to walk away, while others did not.”

Surely, Heaven’s angels were watching me.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow Month focused on the popular series that changed the face of comics in the 1970′s! The Monthly Feature showed how we can miss seeing some problems in our own neighborhood while we’re tackling bigger issues in our nation and world. But without addressing the needs of people close to home, our family and friends can start to wonder if we’re really helping at all.

Similarly, the first Weekly Blog demonstrated that if we pursue a noble cause but refuse to listen to wise advice, we can end up doing more harm than good, all the while seeing ourselves as a persecuted martyr. Keeping wise friends around us, and remembering what we know to be true, can help us also avoid being deceived by others, as in “A Kind of Loving, a Way of Death”.

Hurts from the past – especially those suffered from prejudice – can give us a biased view of people and events, as learned through the reverse-racism discussed in “Beware My Power!”

Finally, we discussed the importance of teaching our kids about choices that matter, rather than worrying about the styles they follow, in “Snowbirds Don’t Fly”. And in the story’s conclusion, “They Say It’ll Kill Me, But They Won’t Say When”, we saw the need for pursuing true freedom instead of the so-called “freedom” to do whatever “feels” right.

Remember, August 10th is the deadline for submitting your short story to the Character Entertainment Short Story Contest, for the chance to win a full year of FREE LESSONS in a Character Entertainment Creative Writing Class!

Have a great day!

-RAD

 

June spotlighted “The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader” film, in a Monthly Feature that reminded us to accept the person we have already become, rather than wishing we were someone else. In a Weekly Blog, we were also encouraged to expect to grow and change, pursue a better destiny for ourselves than the one we had followed in the past.

“How to Train Your Dragon” advised us that the people we presume to be our enemies could become our friends, or even our allies, when we recognize that they’re not so different from us inside. And “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers assured us on Father’s Day that the efforts we make for our family are worthwhile, while the cover of that song by Steven Curtis Chapman urged us to be willing to step out of our comfort zones in order to bless the ones we love.

We also announced the new Creative Writing Classes starting in Fall 2011, including the new Advanced Creative Writing Class: Genre Studies, and the Short Story Contest for a chance to win an entire course of lessons for FREE!

We also enjoyed more fun from Abby, now 5 years old: opposing hibernation, wishing me a Happy Father’s Day, and playing with her new weapon!

Have a great day!

-RAD

Submit as many stories as you wish, 500-1500 words in length, in any genre: action-adventure, comedy, children’s, drama, fantasy, horror, romance, science fiction, western, etc.

Your story must demonstrate a biblical virtue, such as honesty, compassion, courage, mercy, humility, or self-sacrifice, and must not include profanity, graphic sex or violence.

(For an example, click here to read last year’s winning story!)

All stories must be submitted by August 10^th! 

The Grand Prize winner will have their story posted on the Character Entertainment website and will receive a full year of FREE LESSONS in their choice of the Character Entertainment Creative Writing Class or the Advanced Creative Writing Class: Genre Studies, both meeting in Elgin, Illinois.

Send your submissions to: 

randall@characterent.com

See you there!

(PLEASE NOTE: Clicking the email address above will launch your computer’s default email program such as Outlook. If you use a webmail system such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc, please copy and paste or manually type in the email adress.)

Please include your entire story within the body of the email, as attachments will not be read. Also, please do not include artwork, colored backgrounds or fancy fonts. Type your story in a clear, legible font. 

The winning story will be posted on August 25^th here in the “What’s New?” segment with the winning author’s name. 

Good luck! 

- RAD

So … you’ve always wanted to write stories but never knew how to start?

You’ve wondered if there are secrets to great writing and wished you could learn them?

You love books and movies? 

Good news! You can learn the basics for writing powerful fiction!

Make writing a part of your life and have fun doing it!

Led by Randall Allen Dunn, writer/web host of Character Entertainment! 

• Learn how to make Creative Writing a part of your life, and develop it to a level that satisfies your personal goals!
• Participate in Writing Exercises and study fun examples of storytelling in movies and literature!
• Complete 1 hour of Weekly Writing Time outside of class!
• Complete simple Monthly Writing Assignments, designed to fit your busy schedule and help you make writing a regular habit!
• Receive positive and useful feedback on your Monthly Writing!

“The best thing about the CWC classes is how inspired I felt to write after each one.  Randall is a genuinely encouraging and approachable instructor, which makes the course well worth it.  I felt comfortable asking him any question, and he was always willing and ready to answer all of them.  The class agenda and set-up generated comments from other individuals in the class which resulted in healthy discussions, which was also really nice. “

Nazli Mohyuddin, CESSC Winner 2010

 

“Randall Dunn leads a class that is one part fun, one part group discussion, and several parts introspective advice and wisdom from an accomplished writer who loves his craft.”

John Adams

 

CHOOSE YOUR CLASSES!

Open to adults and teens, 14 & up!

 

Character Entertainment

CREATIVE WRITING CLASS

Meets 1^st & 3^rd Wednesdays

7:30pm-9:30pm

Sept. 7^th, 2011 – May 16^th, 2012

Lesson Schedule:

September:       Getting Started Writing; 4 Components of a Story

October:           Creating Characters Pt. 1

November:       Creating Characters Pt. 2

December:        Show, Don’t Tell

January:            Suspense & Pacing

February:          Research

March:             Poetry/Descriptive Imagery

April:                Self-Editing; Market Analysis

May:                Writing Humor

 

NEW!

Character Entertainment

ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING CLASS:

GENRE STUDIES

Meets 1^st & 3^rd Thursdays

7:30pm-9:30pm

Sept. 1^st, 2011 – May 17^th, 2012

Lesson Schedule:

September:       Action-Adventure

October:           Horror

November:       Science Fiction

December:        Fantasy

January:            Romance

February:          Mystery/Suspense

March:             Historical

April:                Children’s/Young Adult

May:                Combined Genres

             

$28.00 per class, by cash or check.

You can also enter the

Character Entertainment Short Story Contest

for a chance to win a full year of FREE LESSONS for either course!

All stories must be submitted by AUGUST 10^th!

 

Interested? Call Randall Allen Dunn at 630-621-8493

or email: randall@characterent.com

See you there!

(PLEASE NOTE: Clicking the email address above will launch your computer’s default email program such as Outlook. If you use a webmail system such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc, please copy and paste or manually type in the email adress.)

 

January Highlights!