So, a man in Florida basically tried to kill his father with a Christmas Tree.
Yes, one of these:
Watch out, Santa! I am a deadly weapon! It’s the tree stand, really. Or maybe just one of the pointy branches.
At first, in some weird way, I was kind of impressed, because seriously, how ironic and anti-Christmas is death by Christmas tree?
Like, if I wrote that in a book some reviewer would say, “Jones’ quirky writing style sometime stretches the boundaries of the imagination.”
But it really happened! In Florida! In 2008!
And I was also kind of impressed because he tried to throw the tree at his dad, which made me think: Wow. Superman Strong. Florida men are so strong!
I know this because I am married to one.
But I was unimpressed because let’s face it:
It’s never cool to try to kill your father unless your father is…
Luke, Do not throw the tree at me. I am your father.
EDITED TO ADD: SORRY! SORRY! IT IS NEVER COOL TO KILL DARTH VADER.
VOLDEMORT? HE’S OKAY. RIGHT? DOES HE HAVE KIDS? Ugh. I hope not.
Anyway, it turns out that the tree was not a normal-sized Christmas tree that touches the ceiling.
It was a mini tree. A MINI CHRISTMAS TREE!
I am not so deadly or am I?
Blech. No longer cool at all. That’s almost as exciting as throwing a wreath at him. Except I like the rainbow on the tree. Sadly, this happened before rainbow trees.
Here’s the thing: Using details like, “A man tried to kill his father with a Christmas tree” makes your writing so much better.
Choosing the right details can make or break your story but using no details? That’s a great way to make a bad story.
“A man tried to kill his father” tells us nothing.
“A man tried to kill his father with a Christmas tree” tells us a bit more.
“An enraged Florida man tried to kill his father when he threw a mini Christmas tree directly at him” is even better, right? I mean, it’s absurd, but amazing.
What do details do?
Details ground the reader in a scene or reality.
Details can show mood.
Details can show character.
Details make it juicy.
Make your stories juicy! And make your life juicy, too! Don’t make it go-to-jail juicy, but find the details in the everyday. Explore the tiny bit of your room, your dwelling, your food, your self. What shows your mood, your character? What grounds you? It’s all good. Share it with the world.
COOL MYSTERY I WROTE
NEW BOOK ALERT!
My little novella (It’s spare. It’s sad) is out and it’s just $1,99. It is a book of my heart and I am so worried about it, honestly.
There’s a bit more about it here.
LET’S HANG OUT!
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One of our newest LOVING THE STRANGE podcasts is about the strange and adorably weird things people say?
And one of our newest DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN PEOPLE episode is about fear setting and how being swallowed by a whale is bad ass.
And Carrie has new books out! Yay!
You can order now! It’s an adult mystery/thriller that takes place in Bar Harbor, Maine. Read an excerpt here!
It’s my book! It came out June 1! Boo-yah! Another one comes out July 1.
And that one is called THOSE WHO SURVIVED, which is the first book in the the DUDE GOODFEATHER series. I hope you’ll read it, like it, and buy it!
