Twin Studies

Stacey Richter

story of reuniting with twin sister for twin studies

happens every four years

meets up with sister, the story tells of the narrator's "normal" life and then describes spending time with her sister as they meet, giving the reader a glimpse of their relationship

every so often the story is interrupted with tid bits from the studies: questions/answers, conversations with researchers, postings/ information flyers

complains that the researchers only ask surface questions, ones with definite answers opposed to those of feelings toward eachother, "terrifying intimacy" or the absence of

clues to the mystery of identity, as if data could ever tell us why we feel the way we feel

Recommendations

Using this as a place to keep track of my recommendations...

Rats Eat Cats (S. Richter)

Twin Study: Stories (Richter)

Willful Creatures (Aimee Bender)

Dubliners (James Joyce)

Story of an Hour

The Wig (Nathan Englander)

A Hunger Artist

The Metamorphosis (Kafka)

A Rose for Emily (Faulkner)

Chrysanthemums (J Steinbeck)

Stacey Richter

Lots of short stories posted on her site:

http://www.staceyrichter.com/index.php?p=stories

The Beauty Treatment

In attempt to further incorporate the short story genre into my final project, I have been reading stories that are character driven with very detailed descriptions.

My Date With Satan, by Stacey Richter

The Beauty Treatment:

This story begins by describing "the Bitch," who takes a razor and slashes the side of the narrators face without a why.

The characters are definitely well-off. The narrator specifically refers to her "J Crew blouse" and shares with us: "Meanwhile, the Bitch slides into her Mercedes 450SL, lime green if you can believe that — the A-1 primo daddy-lac of all time..."

The narrator sits in the nurses office panicked as she waits for her mother to arrive. Once she does, she calls her plastic surgeon to fix up her daughter's cheek. Her mother then tells her she is transferring to an all girls school. The narrator, upset, admits, "if this mother was trying to usher me away from the prying eyes of young, male, pre-med students, i knew it was all over for me. i knew my looks were shot."

Through the text, the narrator is continually questioned the Bitch's motives and the Bitch is reveals as the narrator's best friend. The narrator tells the reader the Bitch will never admit to it because she will look crazy, so she'll probably just lie.

To make herself feel better, the narrator shops, "I had suffered and every available style of Swatch would bring relief."

The narrator claimed she was no longer afraid of anything after the incident. The incident no longer bothered her, she got used to everyone asking her about it. She would even make up lies in response to their questions.

The narrator then finally tells us why the Bitch stabbed her, which was because the Bitch started hating the narrator one day out of the blue, after a six year friendship, because the narrator wanted to buy sheet music to a Brandy song. The Bitch hated brandy and wanted to be a "homegirl."

The narrator describes their relationship: it seemed as though it was positive until the Bitch's dog died, her father was never home, and her mother was preoccupied by her schizophrenic brother. The Bitch started acting more homegirl but never made an attempt to go to the "south side" and hang out with homegirls. Instead, she kept her friends and acted as though hanging out with them was doing them a favor. The narrator claims the Bitch was annoying but she never considered dumping her, overlooking her flaws.

Later, the narrator ends up attending one of the Bitch's shrink sessions. Being very judgmental to refers to her outfit as white trash and talks as though she is better than her, strictly based on looks and materialistic qualities. After avoiding looking at the scar for some time, the Bitch eventually looks up and tried to control her facial expressions, but she fails. The narrator can tell by the look on her best friend's face how awful she, herself, looks because of the scar. They both cry. "I began to feel practically like she was my friend again, us having had a simultaneous cry. I did not want that."

She then tells her readers that she is a girl going to college who will become a lawyer, have two cars, clothes and a drawer full of jewels, maybe an average, dorky husband. "No magic, no wonder, no fairy tales."

"wonder, no fairy tales.

"My plan was to walk out of there with a light, crisp sense of forgiveness, but help me. I sat in a sea of beige and looked at the Bitch in her clogs, fat, miserable, and afraid, and I knew: if I really forgave her, something vast and infinite would open up inside me, some place wide and blue, and I couldn't enter such a place. It would be like some kind of health spa — where you go in naked, without any things. God, would I ever be lost in a place like that.

So I said, Oh Katie, that's okay, babe! No problema! I forgive you! with a hint of fake innocence in my voice — a little dose of manufactured niceness. She turned white again and the Shrink started urging me to get in touch with my feelings but you know, I had my finger right on them."

The story ends with the narrator looking herself in the mirror and continues to call the Bitch by Katie. "I looked almost pretty."

read online here:

http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/r/richter-satan.html

Descriptions in this story were mostly materialistic and focused on physical appearance, large emphasis on clothing and looks

personalities were described through actions, the narrator's personality was apparent through her voice and what kind of details she cared to share with her reader

she refers to her friend as the bitch throughout the entire story, won't admit she obviously has a name, dehumanizes her friend, changes how the reader thinks of her

hybrid notes

series of posts vs collection of short stories- one short story?

collection with common threads

length, reader with common knowledge and experience to add

characters, character study, description of a character story in itself

missed connections: almost always past tense

establish relationships, describe people, places, details from lives, glimpses of lives for other viewers

represent people and spaces and activities, virtually capturing these things

how they are received through means of craigslist

relationship between writer and reader: anonymity, still able to communicate and preserve this anonymity

authenticity: real vs spam

how authors present themselves:

ideally, how they want to be seen/remembered

looking for something, where does that lead you

used as a scapegoat, avoid confrontation

Notes from a writer's blog

I jotted some notes down while reading Adam Gnade's blog for inspiration- characters and advice:

your people should be real people big tits, big hair--- say it pay attention to people's hands and write what they do. explain how they smelled: disgust, comfort, turn you on. characters darkest depths. know your characters before you write them. even if they're fiction its important that you've drank with them, slept with them, fought with them, know them until you've forgotten that they are not real. when you're in public, watch people, take secret notes, build a landscape of observations. sometimes the smallest things are most important. loyal, honest

Replies

These cut outs are from the citypaper's I love you I hate you section.

The first one was published and the following week a reply appeared.

I really like the idea of a conversation going on between people in the form of personal ads.

Notice the contrast of grammar used between the two writers.

Strictly Platonic

I love you, I hate you

I can't help but think this is the same voice as Shiny Wig

Stay Away Already!

I say to myself what the fuck is going on...I know that you are of some importance but damn why the fuck do you keep coming in my area fucking with me! Can you leave me the fuck alone already! I am really getting tired of trying to figure out what the fuck you do all day! I love it when you stay away but when you are around it really makes me sick! I hate the fact that you and I are on opposite sides right now! Can you do me a favor and just stay away already! Plus, you smell horrible and your clothes are always dirty! Do us all a favor and take care of yourself better!

Ingrid Burrington

Kind of irrelevant, but I love this!

THE LONELINESS MAP by Ingrid Burrington

Using loneliness as her subject, Ingrid Burrington studies Craigslist Missed Connections of New York City. Marking possible connections between two people with a pin, the artist creates a map.

Strictly platonic

Through my recent exploration of Missed Connections, I've started picking up on a few formulas that are often followed...

Plaid shirt and tattoos, KOP mall, Macy's- Sunday - w4m - 24 (King of Prussia Mall- Macy's)

Hi. I've never posted one of these, and hadn't planned on it, but you were too cute and I am too curious.

It was Sunday afternoon, I was working at the MAC counter in the Macy's at King of Prussia mall. You were walking towards the crosswalk, and we locked eyes for a long moment before I looked down. I was hoping you'd come up and say hi, but I'm sure I didn't look approachable.

You were wearing a plaid shirt, had longish hair, and I'm pretty sure I caught glimpses of some script on your chest.

I wonder if you'll see this. That would be rad.

This example focuses on a specific encounter (or "connection" if you will).

The author started with a descriptive title and included: the who, the what, & the where.

In the post, she wrote what happened with more detail- getting more specific with the when and the where.

She also revealed who she was in the situation, described a connection, and further again described the man that the post is for. With hope, she ended with "I wonder if you'll see this.."

Red Head at a Newtown Gym - m4m - 29 (newtown/Yardley)

You in the locker room....6ft red head hot body like 22 or 23, you also swim sometimes. You were coming out of the steam room around 5:45 pm. Probably you wont see this but hey giving it a try....you have the entire packaged

This example explains who the post is for with no hint nor description of the author. It also lacks a moment of a specific connection between two people.

The author's title started with a description of the who and the where.

In the post, he wrote a specific where, a description of the who, and a when.

He ended with a hopeless remark followed by a compliment.

Valentines Day - m4w (Better Off )

well, this was the second year we did not celebrate Valentine's Day together, I have to admit....it was alot easier. Thank you for your continued participation in the mutual silent treatment, its really working.

This post is very general but was obviously written toward a specific person that the author knows or at one point did. There is no hint as to who the author could be; he is completely anonymous. In place of Location, the author provided "Better Off."

Craigslist's Missed Connection

Introduction

Personal ads are generally meant to spawn some type of relationship whether it be romance, friendship, casual or sometimes sexual. These ads are almost always anonymous. They started in newspapers, now also appear online

Since newspaper ad prices were based on lines of text, abbreviations were generated and have carried on (W:white, F:females, T:transgender...)

Examples: Craigslist- strictly platonic, casual encounters, missed connections

City Paper- "I love you, I hate you"

City Paper: I love you, I hate you

Jan.27-Feb.2 2011 #1339

Shiny Wig

I stood behind you when I was about to get off the train and I looked at your wig from behind! I said to myself, what is wrong with some women, are we all that lazy not to do our hair anymore? What the fuck! Then it looked like the woman had a whole bunch of greasy lube or some other substance in her hair! Then she ran her fingers through it and looked and smelled her fingers. I thought to myself how nasty I thought you were. It didn't make any sense. I know when you got home and took the wig off you were all sweaty and shit! I think that it is fucking disgusting! I hope that I don't see you again or moreless stand behind you!

This writing is informal and I notice switches audiences. The writer begins with "you," switches to "her," and ends with "you."