Parables & Other Freebies

So the joke is told like this:

“How many lightbulbs does it take to change a psychologist?
One. But he has to get the darn thing to go on.”

Parables are a bit like that. There is a light bulb in each of them.

Parables distinguish themselves from short stories because they are unabashedly written to make a point. The light that comes on illuminates something fundamental about human nature, often with emergent awareness for the reader. Parables don’t pretend to be realistic, but the awareness can be surreal. Most parables touch on spirituality, the sort of spirituality that never makes its way into formal theology or doctrine.

Watch this page, from time to time another parable will appear.

Perils of Writing (pdf)

The 140 Character Novel

10 years ago the idea of a 140 character novel meant only Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Now, we have tweets.

“Starstruck. With pierced shoulder and broken bone, he reaches down to pick up a stone that fell from the sky. Held in hand, still it burns.”