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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > Literary Merit > The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees
The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76713] Thu, 09 April 2020 04:09 Go to next message
Teddy is currently offline  Teddy

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http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/geron-kees/shorts/the-t hief-of-small-things.html

What a great story! I think that usually we authors tend to present stories for the readers that are told from the point of view of the person who has the secrets he is trying to hold close rather than from the POV of the other person and love interest. In that sense this story is, I think, very unique. And of course presented in the way only Geron can. It's a great piece of work and a delight to read.



“There's no grays, only white that's got grubby. I'm surprised you don't know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is.” - Terry Pratchett
Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76717 is a reply to message #76713] Fri, 10 April 2020 20:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Geron Kees is currently offline  Geron Kees

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"Teddy wrote on Thu, 09 April 2020 04:09"
http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/geron-kees/shorts/the-t hief-of-small-things.html

What a great story! I think that usually we authors tend to present stories for the readers that are told from the point of view of the person who has the secrets he is trying to hold close rather than from the POV of the other person and love interest. In that sense this story is, I think, very unique. And of course presented in the way only Geron can. It's a great piece of work and a delight to read.


-- What a nice comment! The best thing about writing your own stories, as you've also found out, is that there are no real rules. Telling a story is purely the author's choice, and how he or she tells it doesn't matter so long as the story soundly connects with the reader. The better it connects, the better it will be judged as being told.

We are all storytellers of a sort. We all have imaginations, we all daydream, we all are fascinated by the what ifs that life has to offer; and we each have a desire to understand, if just a little, what life is like for other people. It's why we love to share stories among ourselves. We have a chance to connect, even if just briefly, with other lives.

It is, at least, what makes offering stories so pleasant for me! 

Thank you for the kind words.


Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76718 is a reply to message #76717] Sat, 11 April 2020 07:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Talo Segura is currently offline  Talo Segura

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"Geron Kees wrote on Fri, 10 April 2020 22:33"
We are all storytellers of a sort...


--
This is very true, everyone can tell a story and everyone has a story to tell, there are no rules. But... There are I think, story tellers and authors, you could use other labels, the point is that there is a difference between telling a story, good, bad, or okay, and writing a book. The difference is the author brings some organisation and framework to their writing and follows some rules which make for a good reading experience. More of a difference, is that the author does not simply tell a story, but they create a picture, evoke emotion, and transport the reader. They craft their words, utilising the language like the brush strokes of an artist on a canvas. It is not simply a story, as it is not simply a picture. Everyone can draw, but not everyone is an artist. Everyone can make sounds with a musical instrument, everyone can write (mostly)!
Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76719 is a reply to message #76718] Sun, 12 April 2020 19:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Geron Kees is currently offline  Geron Kees

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"Talo Segura wrote on Sat, 11 April 2020 07:28"

"Geron Kees wrote on Fri, 10 April 2020 22:33"
We are all storytellers of a sort...



--
This is very true, everyone can tell a story and everyone has a story to tell, there are no rules. But... There are I think, story tellers and authors, you could use other labels, the point is that there is a difference between telling a story, good, bad, or okay, and writing a book. The difference is the author brings some organisation and framework to their writing and follows some rules which make for a good reading experience. More of a difference, is that the author does not simply tell a story, but they create a picture, evoke emotion, and transport the reader. They craft their words, utilising the language like the brush strokes of an artist on a canvas. It is not simply a story, as it is not simply a picture. Everyone can draw, but not everyone is an artist. Everyone can make sounds with a musical instrument, everyone can write (mostly)!

--
I'll agree with that, for the most part. There is a difference between telling a story and writing a book, but also between writing a book and writing a GOOD book. There are any number of the first form out there, sitting on shelves and not much in demand. The latter, the GOOD book, requires imagination as well as mechanical writing and organizational skills, and the ability to tell the story in a way that readers will enjoy participating in. I've seen more than my share of not very well-written books, and too many well-written books where the tale is poorly told. So just being labeled as an 'author' is not enough. If a writer is not also a born storyteller as well as good enough with words to paint the story in a way the reader can visualize and be involved in, he or she may as well be doing something else for a living.

I may be saying the same thing you are, but in a different way. I just want to point out that writing is indeed an art, but one that suffers if the writer is not also a storyteller at heart.





Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76720 is a reply to message #76719] Sun, 12 April 2020 21:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

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I think the answer is that many a good tale is spoiled by atrocious writing technique, but that excellence of writing technique cannot create a good tale from rubbish.

I would rather have a good tale badly written than a well written poor tale



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
icon7.gif Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76722 is a reply to message #76720] Mon, 13 April 2020 04:16 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Geron Kees is currently offline  Geron Kees

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"timmy wrote on Sun, 12 April 2020 21:21"
I think the answer is that many a good tale is spoiled by atrocious writing technique, but that excellence of writing technique cannot create a good tale from rubbish.

I would rather have a good tale badly written than a well written poor tale

--
I thought I said that, more or less. You just said it with a lot fewer words! Nod

[Updated on: Mon, 13 April 2020 04:19]

Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76723 is a reply to message #76722] Mon, 13 April 2020 06:27 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

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"Geron Kees wrote on Mon, 13 April 2020 05:16"

"timmy wrote on Sun, 12 April 2020 21:21"
I think the answer is that many a good tale is spoiled by atrocious writing technique, but that excellence of writing technique cannot create a good tale from rubbish.

I would rather have a good tale badly written than a well written poor tale

--
I thought I said that, more or less. You just said it with a lot fewer words! Nod

--
I was distilling! 😂

There are always exceptions.  "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt has a good underlying plot, and won a Pullitzer prize, but it suffers from turgid prose and inflated writing, together with long J K Rowling like excursions into nothingness which ruin the story. I read it because it was recommended, and soldiered on, manfully.

My own "Chris and Nigel" has not got any real plot. There is a story meander, not an arc. It has a start of sorts, and one I am not proud of, and cannot find its way to an end. Yet people identify with the characters and the predicaments they create for themselves and thus it receives more praise than brickbats. I am not fishing for compliments here, I know the work well enough to see its faults. It's a fireside tale, not literature, a weekly serial that lost its way, but lasted long enough for folk to enjoy.

I won't mention tales here that are badly (technically) written ripping yarns lest the authors think I criticise them. We have a goodly number and that because this is a place that thrives on them. Nor will I flatter those who write well technically and also achieve a compelling tale.

The famous "Lord Dismiss Us" by Michael Campbell was a book I found amazing in 1968 when I found it it he public library, but was turgid and overblown prose with an appalling plot when I re-found it in around 2000. The difference was the reader. In 1968 I found 'someone like me' to read about. In 2000 I had found many.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76726 is a reply to message #76723] Mon, 13 April 2020 12:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Talo Segura is currently offline  Talo Segura

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I think we are saying practically the same thing and there is a subjective element to appreciation, which is also something that may change over time. I don't see the harm in a little criticism (done with the best possible taste... lol) rather than comments restricted to praise and observations about the story, characters and plot. Which leads me nicely to those stories. Timmy mentioned one he wrote, that are character based, with or without any construction. Those kinds of stories also have their place and can be very enjoyable. I wonder a little about the mammoth character stories that become an endless series of books. Not because they don't have their following, but the barrier created for new readers, rather like any very long book. I find it daunting to embark on an unknown author and book that has three or four thousand words. Whereas a short novel I'd pick up and read with no problem. 

There are good, bad, and simply okay, books and stories in every genre of every type and the nice, interesting, addition is being able to discuss them here. I read and take note of what members say and don't in any way presume my own ideas are right and everyone else is wrong. No it's the sharing of opinions that adds to the reading experience. As well as when the authors themselves talk about what they wrote.

Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76736 is a reply to message #76713] Wed, 15 April 2020 19:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
luvtwinks is currently offline  luvtwinks

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"Teddy wrote on Thu, 09 April 2020 04:09"
http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/geron-kees/shorts/the-t hief-of-small-things.html

What a great story!


--
Agreed! I also liked how the author added a hint of the supernatural to the story. It's sort of his trademark. I kind of figured out who the "ghost" was early on but it was fun to see how it all played out. Another fine tale from Mr. Kees.

As a side note, I would love to see the author continue his "A Charmed Life" series. Smile
Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76741 is a reply to message #76736] Thu, 16 April 2020 21:45 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Geron Kees is currently offline  Geron Kees

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"luvtwinks wrote on Wed, 15 April 2020 19:20"

"Teddy wrote on Thu, 09 April 2020 04:09"
http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/geron-kees/shorts/the-t hief-of-small-things.html

What a great story!




--
Agreed! I also liked how the author added a hint of the supernatural to the story. It's sort of his trademark. I kind of figured out who the "ghost" was early on but it was fun to see how it all played out. Another fine tale from Mr. Kees.

As a side note, I would love to see the author continue his "A Charmed Life" series. Smile

--I do like a little bit of wonder in the stories I write. Be it supernatural or superscience, or just plain old magic. Things like that add some spice to life. And reality really is what you make it. The more you appreicate the little mysteries of the world around you, the more they tend to give back in the way of fun.

I'd like to revisit Jesse and Marty, too. They are a long way from being done with their adventures. Just one of several projects I need to make time to do.

But it's nice to know they'd be welcomed!

[Updated on: Thu, 16 April 2020 21:47]

Re: The Thief of Small Things by Geron Kees  [message #76759 is a reply to message #76736] Tue, 21 April 2020 22:13 Go to previous message
Teddy is currently offline  Teddy

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"luvtwinks wrote on Wed, 15 April 2020 12:20"

"Teddy wrote on Thu, 09 April 2020 04:09"
http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/geron-kees/shorts/the-t hief-of-small-things.html

What a great story!



--
Agreed! I also liked how the author added a hint of the supernatural to the story. 

--
I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention...? 😮



“There's no grays, only white that's got grubby. I'm surprised you don't know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is.” - Terry Pratchett
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