Yes, it's that time again. The time when a whole host of writers take the same story germ and do as they please. Last time, Dave White & Bryon Quertermous recruited fourteen folks in all to take part. This edition, heretofore known as "Going Twice", almost doubled in size.
Who's in? See the post directly below. The story germ? An item found, taken or involved in a police auction. The word count? 3000 words. Or at least, that's what it was for those who followed directions and didn't blow right past it...
I've no doubt many people chose a more direct approach to the idea. Me? I chose a different tack, which you can read here.
I originally wrote a huge long piece explaining how I got the idea for the story, but instead, I'll say this: Some of the characters are real, others are not. And although the main character fascinates me enough that I don't think the story's fully done by a long shot, I'm really more of a Dave Tarras fan...
I love this. Great story, Sarah.
Posted by: gwenda | June 15, 2005 at 10:19 AM
Great job. Sometimes the indirect approach works best.
Posted by: Bill Crider | June 15, 2005 at 10:29 AM
That's really cool.
Posted by: John Rickards | June 15, 2005 at 11:50 AM
Stunning. Elegant. Why the hell did you have to do this for our anthology and expose us for the hacks we are?
Posted by: Bryon | June 15, 2005 at 12:36 PM
I'm embarrassed that I neglected the 3000 word limit. I somehow missed that part.
Great job putting all this together, Bryon & Dave.
Posted by: David J. Montgomery | June 15, 2005 at 01:15 PM
Wow. What a wonderful story. Brilliant, timelines, characters, emotion. Nice work.
Posted by: Dave White | June 15, 2005 at 03:29 PM
As I already told you via email, Sarah, this is wonderful. Your story worries are nothing - the characters make up for all that.
Very nice.
Posted by: Guyot | June 15, 2005 at 03:38 PM
Magnificent!
Posted by: Cornelia Read | June 15, 2005 at 04:16 PM
sarah they are right. you are elegance personified.
and also congratulations on not having TB.
Posted by: christin | June 15, 2005 at 04:32 PM
Very nice story. Who knew klezmer was so hardboiled?
Posted by: Graham | June 15, 2005 at 05:18 PM
Thanks, all. And Graham, Brandwein's one of the most hardboiled characters I've ever read about. I mean, Murder Inc.'s favorite musician? Can't get much more hardboiled than that.
Posted by: Sarah | June 15, 2005 at 05:26 PM
Wow. Great story, Sarah.
Posted by: JDRhoades | June 15, 2005 at 06:05 PM
Appropriately, the story resonates. Well done, Sarah.
Posted by: Gerald So | June 15, 2005 at 06:49 PM
Great stuff, Sarah... and all involved... (I'm about a third of the way through the list... excuse me... the anthology.
Posted by: Otis Twelve | June 15, 2005 at 10:43 PM
What an intriguing character Brandwein is. I'd love to read the full account of how you came up with the story. Great stuff, Sarah.
Posted by: Emily | June 16, 2005 at 08:33 AM
Even with my nigh-on-nonexistent knowledge of the klezmer scene, Brandwein works in this context.
Posted by: Megan | June 17, 2005 at 05:04 PM
One only has to read this blog to witness Sarah's masterful 'wordsmithing'-so your very real talent does not come as a surprise-but CONGRATS! You're terrific and please let's get that novel going, okay???
Posted by: Elaine Flinn | June 20, 2005 at 03:27 PM