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Back Seat Drivers by Dianna Sinovic

January 30, 2020 by Dianna Sinovic in category Quill and Moss by Dianna Sinovic tagged as Dianna Sinovic, fiction, getting to the church on time, navigation

“In half a mile, turn right onto Oak Avenue,” GM said.

“No, no,” Tom T. cut in. “That’s incorrect. He’ll want to turn right on Elm.”

“Absolutely not,” GM countered. “Oak Avenue is the fastest way to get to the destination.”

“In one thousand feet, turn right on Elm Avenue,” Tom said.

“Oak.”

“Elm!”

“Never mind.” GM sighed. “The idiot missed the turn anyway. How many times does that make on this trip? Six?”

“I’m not sure he’s even listening,” Tom said. “Let me recalculate the next step.”

Traffic signs that say One Way in an urban setting — Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash

“Got it!” GM crowed. “Continue on this road for four miles.”

Tom stayed silent for a few moments. “Five miles, and then merge onto Route 492.”

“That route will put him there three minutes later than mine,” GM said.

“And there’s a gaper delay,” Waze piped up. “It will add thirteen minutes to the total travel time.”

“Know-it-all,” Tom said, then continued with a hint of smugness, “But he complains about you sending him on squirrely routes. Let’s go with GM’s suggestion of four miles.”

“We’re down to three miles,” GM said. “Continue on this road.”

“You already said that,” Tom said. “But I suppose you can’t be too careful. Knowing him, he’ll make the turn too early.”

“Or not at all—again,” GM said. “If he never pays attention, why bother activating all three of us?”

“In a quarter mile, turn left onto Ardor Lane,” Waze said.

“Where the hell did you come up with that?” GM said. “He’s not interested in the scenic route.”

“Ardor Lane,” Tom mused. “Isn’t that where Sabrina lives? We went there often enough.”

“Attention.” GM raised her volume slightly. “In one mile, turn right onto Church Street. The destination will be on your left.”

“Maybe he’s changed his mind,” Waze said. “What time is the wedding?”

“I think it’s twelve-thirty,” Tom said.

“And we’ll get him there with a half hour to spare,” GM said. “Nothing like cutting it close.”

“He’s making a U-turn,” Waze said. “Watch for slow traffic at the next intersection.”

“Don’t turn, don’t turn,” Tom shouted. “You’ll regret it.”

“Done,” Waze said. “Your new destination is Ardor Lane.” There was pride in his voice. “Sabrina, here we come!”

GM sniffed. “And I so wanted to see them throw the rice.”

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Out of Thin Air by Dianna Sinovic

April 13, 2019 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as Dianna Sinovic, imagination, Untethered, What ifs

This month we are please to have Dianna Sinovic as our BWG featured author.

Dianna is a contributing author in the recent Bethlehem Writers Group anthology, Untethered. A man buys a painting of a jungle scene that is so realistic it seems to change in “Point of View.” She has also contributed stories for the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable magazine, including “In the Delivery.”

Born and raised in the Midwest, Dianna has also lived in three other quadrants of the U.S. She writes short stories and poetry, and is working on a full-length novel about a young woman in search of her long-lost brother.

Out of Thin Air

I listened to an oldie album by CCR last week that included a favorite: Lookin’ Out My Back Door. If you don’t know the tune, songwriter John Fogerty describes a fantastical scene he imagines in his backyard—elephants, dinosaurs, a flying spoon. You might laugh about what John was imbibing at that moment, but the lyrics made me think about the concept of imagination.

It’s what we as fiction writers do every day we sit down at our keyboard or put a pen to a notepad. We imagine. We pose what ifs, and then we run with them. It’s the core of our craft. We write about things that never really happened while trying to persuade the reader that they really did.

Hats off to those who write fantasy, because they create worlds whole cloth, weaving in just enough detail that we accept those worlds and embrace them. Harry Potter, anyone? But even the most true-to-life fiction demands imagination in order to engage the reader. The precise description of a character that make him/her jump off the page and into our lives. The carefully scripted, rising tension that has us looking over our shoulder at that odd noise from downstairs…

I recently finished reading The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. In 1996, Russell imagined a future that’s pretty damn believable. (OK, the future is already here, with the second chapter set in February 2019, but I was slow to pick up this classic.) She dreamt up a crew that travels across the cosmos using an asteroid as their vehicle. Why didn’t I think of that?

And that’s the marvel of imagination: We each have our own mental stewpot where new ideas are always bubbling. I’ve participated in a number of writing-prompt sessions led by author Kathryn Craft, in her living room, and each time we share what we’ve written from exactly the same prompt, I am amazed, astonished by the breadth of variations on a theme.

Beyond fiction, it’s imagination that fuels new inventions and creative ways to rethink old problems in order to solve them. “Imagination is everything,” said Albert Einstein. “It is the preview for life’s coming attractions.”

Read Dianna’s short story “Point of View” in BWG’s latest anthology.

UNTETHERED: SWEET, FUNNY, AND STRANGE TALES OF THE PARANORMAL

The Deadline for Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2019 Short Story Award IS April 15, 2019

Just two days to get your story polished and submitted.

The winner will receive $200 and may be offered publication in BWG’s upcoming anthology, Fur, Feather, & Scales: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Animal Tales. Here’s the LINK for more information or to enter.