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Category: Writing

If you’re not into any kind of writing, then this is highly likely to not be the blog for you.

Ya think???

How and Why Does Writing Speak to Us?

The written word is something that we have in common with the ancient Egyptians, with people on the other side of the planet, and with celebrities who we will never meet.

Fiction writing, in particular, bridges gaps in the world, and through time. Have you ever read something written by an author who is long dead?

Whether it’s Jane Eyre or The Art of War, we can hear the author’s voice as we read (and yes, I am well aware that The Art of War isn’t fiction. I’m kind of tired, okay?).

But I digress.

Independent Writers Do It All

When we do it well, and we do it right, the indie author wears many hats. Researcher. Editor. Planner. Marketer. Cover artist (or at least hirer of the cover artist). Bookkeeper. Advertiser. Tax Preparer.

Indy writing is a small business. So, like it or not, you’ve got to know these things, or be able to hire someone who does.

Past, Present, and Future Authoring

One of the best things about authoring is the concept of eternity. Now, I don’t honestly expect anything I write to end up being studied in college or becoming movie fodder. But it is still  there, and it can be there forever if you can (and are willing to) preserve it.

This is why I encourage publishing, by the way, even if you never make a dime.

Eternity.

Self-Review – Message in an Odd BottleShort Stories, Road, My Aliens, Last Patient, interview, Surprises, Props, shipwrecked, child, Killing Us Softly, Ditte, Band, three minutes, Longest Night Watch, Nothing Good Ever Happens, Complications, Your Call, Darkness into Light, canaries, gentrification, Cynthia, True Believer, Short Stories, Wilder Bloom, Dish, Mitalisque, kitten, Last Try, Minnesota Wish, Dominick and Angela, Alix, Alix’s Apocalypse, A Chance Encounter in Time, A Crime in Time, A Show for the Galaxy, Alien Justice, And the Band Played the Apocalypse, Babel 2.0, Side Pages, Frozen Assets, Julie's Dollar, Mandy Goes to Aspen, Martin's Choice, Mike’s Grades, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, Sarah’s Invention, Small Acts of Defiance, The Future Has No Foundation, Unexpected Help, You Will Drink Your Coffee and Like It, Unreliable, East Side of the Universe, Eros vs Thanatos, Dust Between Our Stars, A Show for the Galaxy, A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults, A School for Scavengers, Frozen Assets, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, 1960s Temporal Crimes, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, Walls Came Tumbling Down Again, The End, Will's Dog, Building Trust, Message in an Odd Bottle, The New Kid, What's an Animal, A Touch of Gray Hair, Guilty of Imperfection, Jared's World Turned Upside Down, Caring for Carole, Nuremberg Redux, Art Has All Sorts of Effects, When Russia Invaded Texas, Failure, Tumble in a Tomb, Beauty is Only Earth Deep, Peddler, Escape Violinist, Shimmering Wasteland, Cave Canem and Cave, Skating, Uninformed, Stellar Stowaway, dinosaurs, fragments, none of this is real, buzz, quartz, water, verity, quarrel, rivalry, breakout,

Self-Review – Message in an Odd Bottle

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on March 4, 2025

Let’s Look at Message in an Odd Bottle

One of the inevitable facts about aging is that things just start to break. Lots of folks get tinnitus, and I believe I’m one of them. Mine sounds like singing or chanting, and so I wondered if it was a kind of message in an odd bottle, I guess you could say.

I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2024. The only prompt was the weird stuff I hear these days.

Background

As a preliminary for the third trilogy in the Obolonk universe, I wanted to have a premise which I could use. Possibly having tinnitus gave me a great pretext. It would be a message across the light years.

And then, once I started writing Amy Blaustein, her voice was clear enough that it all started to fall into place.

Plot for Message in an Odd Bottle

American President Amy Blaustein has always had incredible hearing. As in, off the charts amazing. But when she starts to hear odd, faint chanting, it doesn’t make any sense to her.

When she hears the same chanting on the radio, she’s intrigued, particularly when a message comes through, asking her to send an email to, of all people, the hottest country star on the planet, Travis McHugh.

A meeting with McHugh turns into the development of a team who can hear the message. But what is it really about?

Characters

The characters are Amy Blaustein, the President of the United States; Clay Vincent, her Chief of Staff; Lana Giovanna, who is in charge of Amy’s schedule; Laverne Matthews, the chef; and Vice President Bryce Delaney.

There are also Vladislav Mikhailov, the President of Russia; Speaker of the House Robert Melville; driver Trey Boland; country star Travis McHugh; audiologist Dr. Kim Park; and others.

I visualize McHugh as being a little like Keith Urban.

Oh, and Stan the dog.

Memorable Quotes {Amy and her VP look to Appease the Head of the Russians}

“I asked Lola—dammit, Lana!—and Clay to find something legal that Mikhailov likes. We’ll say it’s a birthday present, sing if we have to, and call it a day. We’ll be super apologetic if necessary. You get the idea.”

“Wow, you’re like a noncustodial parent who forgets their kid’s birthday.” Bryce shook his head.

“I’ll have you know I have never forgotten Stan’s birthday.”

“That’s because an angry Stan is a dangerous Stan, with sharp teeth and claws. But an angry seven year old will stick you with their therapy bill. And an angry fourteen year old will cut you using words and strategically executed eyerolls.”

“Thank you for those visuals, Mr. Father of the Year, Twenty Eighty-Three Washington State Edition.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to help. I refuse to believe I was brought on to do nothing more than balance the ticket in eighty.”

“I ask you for advice all the time.” Wait, do I?

“Not like you do with Clayton,” said Bryce.

“I just know him longer. That’s all. But definitely call me out on stuff like this as you see it, okay? I won’t necessarily know you’re unhappy if you don’t tell me.”

“Not unhappy, per se. Just color me bored and very willing to help out. I just feel a little underutilized, is all.”

“Gotcha. So, do you have any thoughts on Mikhailov? Assuming Clay and Lana don’t come through. What would you do?”

“What do you mean, Amy?”

“I mean Father of the Year stuff for this hypothetical pissed off child with a forgotten birthday.”

“Who just so happens to be the leader of the Russians,” Bryce said.

“Yes, who just so happens to be the Russian president. How do you make peace with him?”

“I dunno. Think Mikhailov would want a pony?”

Rating for Message in an Odd Bottle

The story has a K+ rating. Nothing bad happens, but there is some foul language.

Takeaways for Message in an Odd Bottle

I really like this story as an entrée into the third trilogy. For, what kind of message could it possibly be, beyond a distress call?

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out some of my other articles about my shorter works.

Since this story happens within this century, it dovetails well with the first Obolonk trilogy. And then, it should be able to easily segue right into the third trilogy.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

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Self-Review – Aenor the WantedWill's Dog, secretarial pool, Aenor the Wanted, Vive André, Saddle Up, Bank Teller, Camp, Courier to the Soviets, Mina's Mission, Handle, Great Cleanup, Never, Cave Canem and Cave, My Life, Field Gleaner, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, hermit,

Self-Review – Aenor the Wanted

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 27, 2025

Let’s Look at Aenor the Wanted

A good nine hundred to twelve hundred years ago or so, some of the most extraordinary technology in the world was mechanisms used for grinding wheat. In Aenor the Wanted, her father owns such a device.

I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2021. The one-word prompt was: mill.

Background

The early medieval period in particular is just so unknown to us. Records are sparse, and particularly the records of anyone who wasn’t a landowner. And women and girls? Forget about it, unless they were queens or princesses.

So, I wanted a situation to come up (which may very well have happened in real life) where a woman would become the owner of some valuable property. And make no mistake—Aenor is probably only about twelve years old or so.

After all, she’s not expected to live past her thirty-fifth birthday. And she’ll only make it that far if she’s very lucky. Still, she’s gotten past the biggest hurdle—surviving past her ninth year of life.

Plot for Aenor the Wanted

When a fever kills her brothers, the miller’s daughter, Aenor, becomes his sole heir.

Being wealthy means any man in the village wishes to court her. The blacksmith, the butcher, and the tailor all try to woo her. But then the lord’s youngest son sends a troubadour as his emissary to see if he can win the not necessarily fair, but certainly rich, Aenor.

Yet Aenor’s truest wish is to take the family wealth and use it to afford an instructor, so she can finally learn how to read. But that may be something that even the kindest husband would find frivolous.

Aenor and the Other Characters

The characters are Aenor, the daughter of the miller, and Wolfram, the lord’s troubadour. Her father is William. Three of her suitors are John Butcher, James Smith, and Michael Tailor.

There’s also Sir Richard the lord’s youngest son, and two cooks from the castle, Kate and Sally. Just like everyone else, their surname is just their profession.

Memorable Quotes

The butcher presented a literal fatted calf. “The bread and the meat go together, you see.” He looked her up and down. “Just like you and I will.”

I felt a chill scrabble up my back. He is loathsome. Perhaps the blacksmith will be better. I turned to face him.

The blacksmith was as old as my father. “My gift to you is this.” He presented me with an ornate wrought iron bar, crossed with a second such bar.

“What am I looking at?”

“A fence if you wish. Or the framework for a home. The fire will always be hot, and I will always have work.”

I nodded. Between the two of them, he is better. But is he the best? “Those are good qualities.”

“He is old,” the butcher sniped. “You will never hunger with me. And a fire will be unnecessary. I will—” he apprised me again, “keep you warm in other ways.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wolfram standing near the edge of a stream. He gazed at me briefly and then, I felt, he made as if he wasn’t watching.

“John Butcher,” I said, “If my father will not speak up for me, then I will speak up for myself. I do not wish to hear any more talk of bedroom activities. If you persist, then I shall refuse you.”

“Aenor!” My father was shocked. “You cannot say such things.”

“Papa,” I looked at him squarely in the eye, “If our circumstances were different, you would be insulted on my behalf. And you would have been doing everything in your power to vouchsafe my chastity.”

Rating for Aenor the Wanted

The story has a K rating. Nothing truly nasty happens, and even the ‘villain’ is well on his way to a better life by the end of the story.

Takeaways

I think this one turned out all right. But the ending is a bit too pat. Everyone gets something, and that’s quite simply not the way real life works. Particularly not life in medieval times.

And her name? It’s the same as that of Eleanor of Acquitaine’s mother. Eleanor quite literally was just ‘the other Aenor’.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

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Self-Review – The Ides of the Secretarial PoolWill's Dog, secretarial pool, Aenor the Wanted, Vive André, Saddle Up, Bank Teller, Camp, Courier to the Soviets, Mina's Mission, Handle, Great Cleanup, Never, Cave Canem and Cave, My Life, Field Gleaner, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, hermit,

Self-Review – The Ides of the Secretarial Pool

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 25, 2025

Let’s Take a Look at The Ides of the Secretarial Pool

I really love the concept of The Ides of the Secretarial Pool, which is essentially a retelling of Julius Caesar, but with a midcentury twist.

I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2021.The single word prompt was: ambitious. And that got me thinking about, well, read on and find out.

Background

When I was practicing law in the 1980s, the secretarial pool was still very much alive and kicking. Far as I can recall, every clerical worker would start off there. And then the more ambitious among them would either be promoted to an executive secretary position or leave.

Many administrative assistants would end up staying in the secretarial pool for nearly all if not all of their careers. And when first word processors and then personal computers arrived on the scene, an employee’s only real choice was to embrace the change.

Or she (these were nearly always women) could leave, either voluntarily or not so voluntarily. Sometimes, this was due to starting a family.

Plot

In the 1970s (one character mentions President Carter), a group of secretaries try to bring down another woman who they just plain don’t like.

This story is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, taking place in a 1970s business office, with a catty group of clerical workers. Killing Joan’s reputation takes the place of killing Caesar.

Characters in The Ides of the Secretarial Pool

The characters are Joan Chambers, the Julius Caesar character, and Bree, the Brutus character. Cassie is the Cassius character, whereas Kate is the Casca character. Amelia doesn’t really have an analogue in the original play, and stands in for all the other conspirators.

Plus there’s the mailroom attendant, Richard Davis, and the women’s boss, Mrs. Watson. Other executive types include Mr. Morgan, Mr. Wesley, and Mr. Benedict.

But only Wesley gets any real ‘screen time’. And yes, this is absolutely an era when the clerical staff would be called by their first names, and bosses by their surnames.

In addition, it’s also a time when women really did call each other ‘girls’. That’s probably because so many men did the same.

After all, I witnessed all of this as late as 1986.

Memorable Quotes {the Characters are in the Company Cafeteria; Joan has Just Gotten Up}

“…. Damn, where’s she going?” Amelia nodded in Joan’s general direction.

“Off to suck up, I guess. Anything to get out of the typing pool. Makes me sick, girls.” Cassie frowned.

“I seem to recall that a few years ago, you also did just about anything to get out of the typing pool. You’re lucky Amelia and I took you under our wings.”

“Don’t spoil my fun, Kate. You’re almost as old as Joan.” Cassie’s tone took on an edge of menace.

“Cassie!” Amelia turned to Kate. “It was different back then. I mean, we liked Cassie. But Joan? Not a chance.”

“She needs someone to teach her a lesson.” Cassie narrowed her eyes. “But what?”

Rating

The story has a K+ rating. While there is no bad language or real violence, the conspirators are extremely nasty and they have no problem trying to ruin Joan’s life, just for kicks.

And the truth is, this one is nowhere near as farfetched as a lot of the other stories I have written, such as The New Kid. After all, sending the class stoner to meet aliens is kinda silly. But this story, eh, not so much.

Takeaways for The Ides of the Secretarial Pool

I really like how this one turned out, although I will be the first to admit that the idea of a dugout came from a recent re-viewing of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

It’s got a kind of Mad Men vibe going on. The conspirators are jealous of Joan’s confidence and college education. As a result, they have qualms whatsoever about trying to knock Joan down as many notches as possible.

Whether she deserves it…or not.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Leave a Comment
Self-Review – Martin’s ChoiceShort Stories, Road, My Aliens, Last Patient, interview, Surprises, Props, shipwrecked, child, Killing Us Softly, Ditte, Band, three minutes, Longest Night Watch, Nothing Good Ever Happens, Complications, Your Call, Darkness into Light, canaries, gentrification, Cynthia, True Believer, Short Stories, Wilder Bloom, Dish, Mitalisque, kitten, Last Try, Minnesota Wish, Dominick and Angela, Alix, Alix’s Apocalypse, A Chance Encounter in Time, A Crime in Time, A Show for the Galaxy, Alien Justice, And the Band Played the Apocalypse, Babel 2.0, Side Pages, Frozen Assets, Julie's Dollar, Mandy Goes to Aspen, Martin's Choice, Mike’s Grades, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, Sarah’s Invention, Small Acts of Defiance, The Future Has No Foundation, Unexpected Help, You Will Drink Your Coffee and Like It, Unreliable, East Side of the Universe, Eros vs Thanatos, Dust Between Our Stars, A Show for the Galaxy, A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults, A School for Scavengers, Frozen Assets, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, 1960s Temporal Crimes, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, Walls Came Tumbling Down Again, The End, Will's Dog, Building Trust, Message in an Odd Bottle, The New Kid, What's an Animal, A Touch of Gray Hair, Guilty of Imperfection, Jared's World Turned Upside Down, Caring for Carole, Nuremberg Redux, Art Has All Sorts of Effects, When Russia Invaded Texas, Failure, Tumble in a Tomb, Beauty is Only Earth Deep, Peddler, Escape Violinist, Shimmering Wasteland, Cave Canem and Cave, Skating, Uninformed, Stellar Stowaway, dinosaurs, fragments, none of this is real, buzz, quartz, water, verity, quarrel, rivalry, breakout,

Self-Review – Martin’s Choice

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 20, 2025

A Look at Martin’s Choice

During college, I was in a sorority. In fact, I served as the president of my chapter in 1981. And while hazing never went as far as it does in Martin’s Choice, there was definitely some going on.

But in this story, a kegger spiked with nasty hazing goes very wrong, very quickly.

I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2021. But I didn’t finish it until the fourth quarter of 2024.

Background

Hazing is a very real problem in the fraternity/sorority (Greek) community. People have died, and some of that is due to the peer pressure/power imbalance inherent in a system with a rigid hierarchy. Plus, the pledges want very much to join and be accepted.

Some of the worst hazing happens when members leverage their positions and throw in malice to boot.

The prompt was just one word: keg.

The Plot of Martin’s Choice

During a fraternity keg party, true colors come out. The fraternity’s president, Ron, wants … something. But it’s clear that Ron won’t stop until he’s forced to.

A pledge named Dennis suffers the consequences of frat president Ron’s reckless power trip. Martin’s choice is to speak up and be ostracized or stay quiet and watch what is starting to uncomfortably resemble an attempt at manslaughter.

Characters

The characters are Martin, Jules, Ron, and Dennis. There are some other fraternity members and there are a few police officers.

Memorable Quotes from Martin’s Choice

Eddie dropped the other side of the keg and shoved his way to the exit. One of his shoves connected with Stan, who lost his grip on Martin’s arm.

Martin turned to Al. “Either you let go of me, or you call nine one-one. Got it?”

The pledges and other fraternity brothers started to run for the exits. Phil looked back once.

Stan had been open-mouthed, but he snapped out of it. “Ron, they’re gonna get the cops in here.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ron’s left eye twitched. “We gotta hide this.”

“Not a chance.” Jules grabbed Ron by the collar as the wail of sirens started to fill the air.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Rating

The story has a T+ rating. There is nasty language, and several truly horrible results come from nasty choices on a lot of people’s parts.

Takeaways from Martin’s Choice

This was a nasty, difficult story, and it’s no wonder that I took a few years to finish it. Even now, I look at it and can see what an incredibly dark place it comes from. Nearly no one comes out of it well. Martin kind of does. And even then, ‘well’ is really just a relative term.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Leave a Comment
Self-Review – Unexpected HelpShort Stories, Road, My Aliens, Last Patient, interview, Surprises, Props, shipwrecked, child, Killing Us Softly, Ditte, Band, three minutes, Longest Night Watch, Nothing Good Ever Happens, Complications, Your Call, Darkness into Light, canaries, gentrification, Cynthia, True Believer, Short Stories, Wilder Bloom, Dish, Mitalisque, kitten, Last Try, Minnesota Wish, Dominick and Angela, Alix, Alix’s Apocalypse, A Chance Encounter in Time, A Crime in Time, A Show for the Galaxy, Alien Justice, And the Band Played the Apocalypse, Babel 2.0, Side Pages, Frozen Assets, Julie's Dollar, Mandy Goes to Aspen, Martin's Choice, Mike’s Grades, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, Sarah’s Invention, Small Acts of Defiance, The Future Has No Foundation, Unexpected Help, You Will Drink Your Coffee and Like It, Unreliable, East Side of the Universe, Eros vs Thanatos, Dust Between Our Stars, A Show for the Galaxy, A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults, A School for Scavengers, Frozen Assets, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, 1960s Temporal Crimes, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, Walls Came Tumbling Down Again, The End, Will's Dog, Building Trust, Message in an Odd Bottle, The New Kid, What's an Animal, A Touch of Gray Hair, Guilty of Imperfection, Jared's World Turned Upside Down, Caring for Carole, Nuremberg Redux, Art Has All Sorts of Effects, When Russia Invaded Texas, Failure, Tumble in a Tomb, Beauty is Only Earth Deep, Peddler, Escape Violinist, Shimmering Wasteland, Cave Canem and Cave, Skating, Uninformed, Stellar Stowaway, dinosaurs, fragments, none of this is real, buzz, quartz, water, verity, quarrel, rivalry, breakout,

Self-Review – Unexpected Help

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 18, 2025

A Look at a Short Story, Unexpected Help

I really love World War II prison escape films. So, with Unexpected Help, I tried my hand at writing one. But this time, the time would be in the future and the captors wouldn’t be human.

I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2021. The original prompt was the word edge.

Background

The whole concept of escaping from an alien prison must have weighed on my mind a lot in 2021.

I wrote several stories with that as the premise, including not just this one, but also Stellar Stowaway, Breakout… and Then What?, Nuremberg Redux, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, and Escape from the Alien Mines all follow a somewhat similar plot.

Plot

A good ten thousand humans are taken prisoner on an alien world. When one of them, Rebecca Morrissey, is being tortured, she’s injected with something or other. The substance allows her to hear a certain alien’s thoughts.

And the first thing the alien Chadaricha tells her is that there is an underground, and they are trying to get her out.

But it’ll take a while.

Characters

The characters are POV character Rebecca Lee Morrissey, the only human in the story. The aliens are Chadaricha and Lodavinta. There are other aliens, but I don’t name them.

While these could be the Ziranqui, who have become a kind of catchall bad guy species in my writing, I’m happier for them not to be. After all, why can’t there be more than one villain species out there?

Unexpected Help with Memorable Quotes

Old World War II escape movies were my only frame of reference. Yet they were woefully inadequate when it came to trying to get out of a prison on an alien world. I couldn’t blend in with the natives. Not unless I somehow miraculously got taller, grayer, and added two fingers to each hand.

It was, perhaps, a few days later. The only way to even have a prayer of determining that time had elapsed was to count meals. But they were all over the place. If I had to judge time between meals by hunger, then time was elastic. But that explanation made a lot less sense than a more obvious one—that there were no rules as to when to feed me.

But ever since the aide had injected me, I had been given more. It wasn’t much more. Clearly, my benefactor or benefactors were trying to cover their tracks and making it so they could lean on plausible deniability if they needed to. Or maybe they had a lot of us to try to feed. Or they didn’t have much to give.

In the dark—for the room was never bright enough to read or do more than make out the barest minimum of shapes—I accepted whatever they gave me.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Rating

The story has a T+/M rating.

There are scenes of torture and violence. I am not kidding.

Takeaways for Unexpected Help

I think this one turned out better than some of the other alien prison escape stories I’ve written. There are characters and consequences, and it’s tough to tell how it’ll all work out in the end.

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Self-Review — Building TrustShort Stories, Road, My Aliens, Last Patient, interview, Surprises, Props, shipwrecked, child, Killing Us Softly, Ditte, Band, three minutes, Longest Night Watch, Nothing Good Ever Happens, Complications, Your Call, Darkness into Light, canaries, gentrification, Cynthia, True Believer, Short Stories, Wilder Bloom, Dish, Mitalisque, kitten, Last Try, Minnesota Wish, Dominick and Angela, Alix, Alix’s Apocalypse, A Chance Encounter in Time, A Crime in Time, A Show for the Galaxy, Alien Justice, And the Band Played the Apocalypse, Babel 2.0, Side Pages, Frozen Assets, Julie's Dollar, Mandy Goes to Aspen, Martin's Choice, Mike’s Grades, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, Sarah’s Invention, Small Acts of Defiance, The Future Has No Foundation, Unexpected Help, You Will Drink Your Coffee and Like It, Unreliable, East Side of the Universe, Eros vs Thanatos, Dust Between Our Stars, A Show for the Galaxy, A Fairy Tale for Skeptical Adults, A School for Scavengers, Frozen Assets, Out of the Work Camp Frying Pan, 1960s Temporal Crimes, Lizzie Borden is Vital to the Timeline, Walls Came Tumbling Down Again, The End, Will's Dog, Building Trust, Message in an Odd Bottle, The New Kid, What's an Animal, A Touch of Gray Hair, Guilty of Imperfection, Jared's World Turned Upside Down, Caring for Carole, Nuremberg Redux, Art Has All Sorts of Effects, When Russia Invaded Texas, Failure, Tumble in a Tomb, Beauty is Only Earth Deep, Peddler, Escape Violinist, Shimmering Wasteland, Cave Canem and Cave, Skating, Uninformed, Stellar Stowaway, dinosaurs, fragments, none of this is real, buzz, quartz, water, verity, quarrel, rivalry, breakout,

Self-Review — Building Trust

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 13, 2025

Let’s Look at Building Trust, a Short Story

This is another short story that I started up during a year when I was writing every day. The original prompt for Building Trust was the word fire.

I wrote two sections and then ran out of gas. But it is a good thing I left it. This means that I started this story during the third quarter of 2021.

But I finally finished it during the fourth quarter of 2024.

Background

Like a lot of young girls, I was into horses when I was a tween. I took plenty of riding lessons and went to a horse camp when I was eleven. I’ve also been to places like Belmont race track and the track at New Orleans, which is apparently called the Fair Grounds.

I don’t think I had written a story about working with horses before, not even for the Real Hub of the Universe trilogy. So, it was a great, untried source for a plot.

Also, leaving it for a good three years meant I could remake it into something very new. I have no idea what I was originally planning, and probably didn’t have much of a plan at all.

Plot

Bethany has been running Shortman Stables for a while and the stables are going under financially. So, she takes a chance and buys an untamable filly named Running Wildfire.

To keep the stable going, she’ll lead trail rides or accept fees for her stud, Dark Materials to do his thing. She sells foals out of Rose Tattoo, Marylou Cha-Cha, and Basket Case. Plus, she has a track and sulkies that others can rent.

Er, did I mention that these are Standardbred horses? They’re the kind who pull a sulky (a small cart resembling a chariot) for racing.

Bethany works with Running Wildfire and slowly gets her accustomed to people again. Along the way, she learns the filly was abused.

As she gains the filly’s trust, Bethany hires a driver, Tanya. But Tanya comes with baggage of her own, and has a lot in common with Running Wildfire.

When Tanya’s ex-husband finds out where she lives, and wants his son back, things get dicey, and just when Running Wildfire is starting to show some real promise.

Characters

The human characters are Bethany Shortman (the POV character) and her brother Sean. We also see Sean’s wife Libby and their two kids, Sarah and Brian.

Bethany hires Tanya Matthewson-Wilson to be a driver, and there’s Tanya’s son Marcus and her ex-husband Troy. There are also Dave Derricko (a TV reporter) and an intern who’s working the camera for him named Tracy. Lots of T names there. Sorry!

There’s also Henry Williams (yes, Bethany calls him Hank), who owns horses in Houston, and Andy the postmaster and Ralph the sheriff. Plus there’s a groom named Ken.

Horse characters are Running Wildfire (AKA Cherry or Cherry Bomb), Dark Materials (Matty), Rose Tattoo (Rosie), Basket Case (Casey), Marylou Cha-Cha, and Smoky, a mule. I mention another dozen or so horses but never name them.

At Henry Williams’s farm, there’s Running Total, who is Running Wildfire’s dam (mother). And there are also the other fillies in the Oak Grove Open Trot race.

Building Trust with Memorable Quotes

{She} was … seventy-three to one. But she wasn’t the longest shot. … [N]umbers always change at a race, particularly as late bettors get their wagers in. Running Wildfire was elevated to fifty-eight to one for a while there, and then came back down to earth, ending up at sixty-seven to one when the betting windows closed.

With my bet for our gal to win, I could end up with a payout of a few hundred bucks. Or just be out a twenty. Either way, I was happy.

“And, they’re off! Motormouth Mabel starts off hugging the rail with jackrabbit Dancing Poodle hot on her heels. Cataclysm and Alison Wonder Girl are battling for third. Then rounding out the field it’s Pretty Portia; Trial of the Century; Running Wildfire; All or Nothing; Katy Bar the Door; Irish Colleen; Galloping Grace; Ravenswood, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia; Too Short a Season; Antagonist; Out of Joint; Sweet Sioux; and Book ‘em Danielle bringing up the rear.”

The middle of the pack wasn’t the greatest place for my gal to be. But it wasn’t horrible, either. The last four horses were far enough back that the chances of them catching up and passing the first three was virtually zero.

“Rounding the turn, Irish Colleen starts making her move as Dancing Poodle starts to tire. Cataclysm has pulled up to Motormouth Mabel and they’re duking it out. Alison Wonder Girl has faded. Trial of the Century is coming around and looking for an opening. Running Wildfire is on the outside, making a move and looking to stave off Irish Colleen. Ravenswood and Katy Bar the Door are still in contention as the others fade.”

I crossed my fingers and gritted my teeth. The top seven was respectable for a first outing. Don’t get greedy, Bethany.

Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Rating for Building Trust

The story has a T rating. I describe some violence to the horses but it is never actually ‘on camera’ and there are threats to Bethany and Tanya.

Sean is knocked out, and Troy gets hit with a tranquilizer dart in a rather, ahem, sensitive area.

Plus, I mention domestic violence although I do not get into the specifics.

Takeaways

I really like how this one turned out. It was definitely promising, and the stuff I wrote in 2024 changed it from just a horse story to a tale of female empowerment, for both species.

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Writing Fiction About Generation AlphaGenerations, Thoughts on Multigenerational Fiction Writing, Writing Fiction About the Greatest Generation, Writing Fiction About the Silent Generation, Writing Fiction About Early Boomers, Writing Fiction About Generation Jones, Writing Fiction About Generation X, Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation, Writing Fiction About Generation Z, Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha,

Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 6, 2025

Generation Alpha (2013 – 2028 or so)

As of the initial writing of this blog post, they haven’t hit any of major age-related touchstones such as turning 18 yet! So, we can’t really cover many pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about Generation Alpha.

However, we can cover the entire time frame, as far as we know it.

Considering the Entire Time Frame When Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

This time frame starts off with the aftermaths of the Egyptian revolution of 2011, Arab Spring, and NASA ending the space shuttle program.

The Covid-19 pandemic, the first term of President Donald Trump, and the Russia-Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war dominate the middle of this period. Plus, there’s the rise of artificial intelligence.

The very end of this period hasn’t happened yet. All we can really do is speculate.

Given that President Trump is supposed to only be able to serve one more term, the 2028 presidential elections will be a major event. Will Kamala Harris return? Will JD Vance run for the country’s highest office? How about someone else? We shall see.

Naming Your Characters When Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

In America, the Social Security Administration keeps track of births and what people name their children. Given that this time frame is not yet over, some of these numbers may change. The SSA only has full records up to the end of 2024.

For this (so far) twelve-year time span, there are only ten unique boys’ names for all five slots. As you can imagine, there are several repetitions. Noah holds the top spot from 2013 to 2016 inclusive. Then he’s bumped by Liam, who keeps the gold medal for the rest of the time frame.

In second place, Jacob shows up in 2013 only. Then it’s Liam from 2014 to 2016 inclusive. Otherwise, this spot is taken by Noah. Essentially, except for Jacob in 2013, the #1 and #2 slots are the Noah and Liam Show.

For third place, the field is only slightly more open, with Liam taking the bronze medal in 2013 and then handing it off to Mason for 2014 and 2015. He then hands it to William for 2016 to 2018 inclusive. And Oliver takes it away for the rest of the time period.

When it comes to fourth place, there’s some more variety, with six unique names. William (2019) and Theodore (2024) only show up once. Mason holds this spot in 2013 and 2016, Jacob in 2014 and 2015.

James is in fourth for 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023. And Elijah holds fourth in 2020 and 2021.

For fifth place, Logan (2017) and Oliver (2018) only show up once. William holds this spot 2013 – 2015 inclusive and 2020. James is in fifth place in 2016, 2021, and 2024. Elijah holds this slot in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

Naming Your Girl Characters When Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

For this (so-far) twelve-year span, there are only eight unique girls’ names for the top five slots. Ava, Emma, Olivia, and Sophia account for almost 3/4 of the list.

For the top spot, Sophia shows up in 2013 only. Then it’s Emma from 2014 to 2018 inclusive, and then Olivia for the rest of the time frame.

In second place, it’s just Emma (2013 and 2019 – 2024 inclusive) and Olivia (2014 – 2018 inclusive).

There are five unique names for third place. Olivia (2013) and Amelia (2024) each only show up once. Sophia takes the bronze in 2014 and 2015, then Ava from 2016 to 2020 inclusive, and then Amelia from 2021 to 2023 inclusive.

There are also five unique names for fourth, although one is different from third place. Ava only shows up in 2015. Isabella is in fourth place in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018. Then Sophia in 2016 and 2019, and Charlotte in 2020 and 2024.

Amelia is in fourth place in 2021 – 2023 inclusive.

For fifth place, there are only four unique names. Ava takes fifth place in 2013, 2014, and 2021. Then Isabella in 2015, 2016, and 2019. Sophia takes fifth in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023. And finally, squeaking in just under the wire, Mia takes 2024.

What’s Next for Generation Alpha?

For the most part, writing fiction about Generation Alpha means writing science fiction. Certainly, you will have to speculate about the future. In general, extrapolating current events to their logical conclusions can be a good way of going about this.

When I’m Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

So, here are my characters from Generation Alpha.

There’s no one I specifically name. However, Glenn Storey from The Duck in the Seat Cushion is of the right age.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

As of the initial writing of this blog post, the oldest members of Generation Alpha are only thirteen years old.

Writing fiction about Generation Alpha should cover some of the tween milestones many kids go through, such as confirmation and bar/bat mitzvahs. Also, there are kids with older siblings and friends who may be attending quinceañeras.

And, unless your Generation Alpha characters are the youngest members of the British royal family, their issues, incidents, and problems are more likely to be compact and personal. As in, being affected by parental divorce versus saving the world.

Of course, you can write a ‘chosen one’ story with tweens. But that’s been done a lot lately. What would you like to write that’s different?

Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then be sure to check out my thoughts on multigenerational fiction writing and the other blog posts in this series:

• The Greatest Generation
† The Silent Generation
• Early Boomers
† Generation Jones
• Generation X
† Millennials AKA Generation Y
• Generation Z AKA Zoomers
† Generation Alpha

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Writing Fiction About Generation ZGenerations, Thoughts on Multigenerational Fiction Writing, Writing Fiction About the Greatest Generation, Writing Fiction About the Silent Generation, Writing Fiction About Early Boomers, Writing Fiction About Generation Jones, Writing Fiction About Generation X, Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation, Writing Fiction About Generation Z, Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha,

Writing Fiction About Generation Z

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on February 4, 2025

A Look at Writing Fiction About Generation Z or iGen (1997 – 2012)

Of course, as of the initial writing of this blog post, Gen Z had not yet hit 35. And a lot of them hadn’t hit their quarter-century mark, either. And 65? Forget about it! So, unless you’re writing about the future, writing fiction about Generation Z means writing about their youth.

My characters Minka Lopez, Dez Hunter, Nell Murphy, and Kitty Kowalski, all from Mettle are all members of iGen.

So, let’s look at some pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about Generation Z.

Generation Z Turns 18 (2015 – 2030)

This time frame starts off with NASA’s Dawn probe orbiting dwarf planet (asteroid) Ceres. The World Health Organization declares the eradication of rubella in the Americas. Also, SpaceX lands an uncrewed Falcon 9 rocket.

The Covid-19 epidemic and the first term of President Donald Trump dominate the middle of this period.

As of the initial writing of this blog post, this time period has not yet ended. However, the period from 2020 to 2024 gave us a world where misinformation is everywhere, and there are significant political divides in the United States.

Considering this generation and the end of this time frame can mean extrapolating what’s already happened. Or you can instead try turning it on its head.

Generation Z Turns 25 (2022 – 2037)

This time frame starts off with billions of people being vaccinated against Covid-19. Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Platinum Jubilee (70 years on the throne, a record for British monarchs), and Elon Musk buys Twitter.

Since most of the middle and all of the end of this period hasn’t happened yet, we can only speculate about it. The second election of Republican Donald Trump in 2024 means he’s supposed to be president until 2028.

And, so far, the pace of change has been hectic. There, that’s a nice word for it.

Naming Your Characters When Writing Fiction About Generation Z

In the US, the Social Security Administration keeps records of births and what people name their kids. In most slots, there are a lot of variations.

For girls, Emily dominates the top spot from 1997 to 2007 inclusive. Then Emma shows up in 2008 only. Isabella takes the top spot in 2009 and 2010, and Sophia usurps her for the last two years, 2011 and 2012.

In the second slot, Jessica only shows up in 1997. Then it’s Hannah from 1998 to 2000 inclusive. Madison takes over for 2001 and 2002. Emma then holds this spot from 2003 to 2006 inclusive, 2009, and 2012. Sophia only shows up in 2010. Otherwise, it’s Isabella.

For the third spot, there are nine separate names for this sixteen-year cohort. The following names only show up once: Ashley (1997), Samantha (1998), Alexis (1999), Emily (2008), Olivia (200), and Isabella (2012).

Madison holds the third spot in 2000, and from 2003 – 2006 inclusive. Hannah comes in third in 2001 and 2002. And Emma holds the slot in 2007, 2010, and 2011.

For the fourth slot, again, there are nine separate names. These names only show up once: Emma (2002), Hannah (2003), Abigail (2005), Isabella (2006), Ava (2007), and Sophia (2009). Sarah holds the spot from 1997 to 1999 inclusive.

Ashley is in fourth place in 2000 and 2001. Otherwise, it’s Olivia.

For the fifth slot, there are eight unique names. These names only appear once: Ashley (1998), Samantha (1999), Sarah (2000), and Madison (2007). Hannah holds this spot in 1997 and 2004. Alexis is in fifth in 2001 and 2002; Olivia in 2003 and 2005.

Otherwise, it’s Ava, a fairly dominant name for the fifth place spot.

Naming Your Boy Characters When Writing Fiction About Generation Z

The top slot belongs to Michael in 1997 and 1998. But then he’s run over by Jacob, who holds it for the rest of the time period. The only times Jacob is in second are when Michael is in first. Michael’s in second place from 1999 – 2008 inclusive.

Then Ethan gets the silver medal in 2009 and 2010, ceding to Mason for 2011 and 2012.

Matthews gets the bronze from 1997 to 2001 inclusive. Then Joshua from 2002 to 2006 inclusive. And then Ethan in 2007, 2008, and 2012. Michael holds this spot in 2009 and 2010. William only shows up in 2011.

There are seven unique names in the fourth slot. These only have one appearance: Christopher (1997), Ethan (2006), Alexander (2009), and Noah (2012). Joshua holds this spot from 1998 to 2001 inclusive, and 2007 and 2008.

Matthew holds the fourth slot from 2002 to 2005 inclusive. And Jayden shows up in 2010 and 2011.

For the fifth slot, there are nine unique names. These only show up once: Joshua (1997), Nicholas (1999), Andrew (2003), Matthew (2006), and Noah (2011). Christopher holds this spot in 1998, 2000, and 2001. Then it’s Ethan in 2002, 2004, and 2005.

Daniel takes over this slot in 2007 and 2008. William is in fifth place in 2009, 2011, and 2012.

When I’m Writing Fiction About Generation Z

So, here are my characters from Generation Z.

In Mettle, it’s characters Dez Hunter, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, and Kitty Kowalski.

There may be some in The Duck in the Seat Cushion, too.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About Generation Z

Gen Z was raised on the internet. So writing fiction about Generation Z should include computers, tablets, and smartphones. Therefore, if you wish to show iconoclasts or Luddites, or maybe a post-Apocalyptic world, then Zoomers probably wouldn’t have any of that.

And, as character Kitty Kowalski is like in Mettle, when the power goes out and they might not survive, forget her parents. She barely thinks of them at all. This insufferable spoiled brat misses her phone.

Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then please be sure to check out my thoughts on multigenerational fiction writing and the other blog posts in this series:

• The Greatest Generation
† The Silent Generation
• Early Boomers
† Generation Jones
• Generation X
† Millennials AKA Generation Y
• Generation Z AKA Zoomers
† Generation Alpha

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Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on January 30, 2025

The Millennial Generation or Generation Y (1981 – 1996)

Authors who believe that writing fiction about the Millennial Generation means only telling tales of youth are going to be in for quite a surprise. As of the initial writing of this blog post, the oldest millennials had turned 33.

And now, let’s look at some pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about the Millenial Generation.

The Millennial Generation Turns 18 (1999 – 2014)

This time frame starts off with the euro being established as a currency, and Bill Clinton being acquitted of impeachment charges. IT professionals fret over the potential for a Y2K bug.

The events surrounding 9/11 dominate the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, Boko Harum militants kill approximately 300 people in Nigeria, and the British comedy group Monty Python calls it quits. Plus, the shooting of Michael Brown triggers riots in Ferguson, Missouri.

Millennials Turn 25 (2006 – 2021)

This time frame starts off with NASA launching the first interplanetary space probe to Pluto (New Horizons), and the Human Genome Project publishing its final chromosome sequence.  Plus, there’s the execution of Saddam Hussein.

The West African Ebola epidemic dominates the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, Donald Trump’s supporters riot and violently attack the US Capitol building, and the container ship Ever Given runs aground in the Suez Canal and disrupts global trade for days. Derek Chauvin is convicted in the murder of George Floyd.

The Millennial Generation Turns 35 (2016 – 2031)

This time frame starts off with David Bowie dying of liver cancer. The gorilla Harambe is shot and killed due to an incident involving a child. Also, the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908.

The two impeachments of President Donald Trump and the 2020 election with the subsequent coup attempt on January 6, 2021 dominate the middle of this period.

As of the initial writing of this blog post, this time period has not yet ended.

However, the period from 2021 to 2024 saw the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, continuing issues with Covid-19 and its many variants, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Naming Your Characters When Writing Fiction About the

Millennial Generation

The US Social Security Administration keeps track of births and what parents name their kids.

This time frame shows more consistency for boy names than for girl names. In fact, in 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1989, all of the top five boys’ names were identical. Whereas for girls, the only two years like that are 1986 and 1987.

Just like in the previous generation, Michael was the top name for every single one of this cohort’s sixteen years. Christopher was in second place for every year but the last two, when Matthew took the silver medal.

When Matthew wasn’t in second, that name was in third. In 1995, because Christopher wasn’t in second place, that name was in third. And in the final year, Jacob was the third-most popular name for boys.

The fourth slot shows more variances in terms of names, but the positioning is still fairly consistent. Jason takes this spot in 1981 and 1982. The only year David’s in fourth is 1983. Jacob is in fourth only in 1995, with Christopher in this spot only in 1996.

Otherwise, it’s Joshua all the way.

David fills the fifth spot more often than the other four names on the list for this period, in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1989. Joshua fills this spot in 1983, 1995, and 1996. Daniel comes in fifth in 1985 and 1990. Then Andrew in 1988, 1991, and 1992.

The other two years, 1993 and 1994, belong to Tyler.

Naming Your Girl Characters When Writing Fiction About the

Millennial Generation

This time frame is mainly the story of Jessica and Ashley and, to a lesser extent, Brittany and Jennifer.

Jennifer takes the top spot from 1981 – 1984, inclusive. Then Jessica takes over from 1985 – 1990 inclusive, and 1993 – 1995 inclusive. Ashley reigns in 1991 and 1992, while Emily squeaks into the top slot for just one year, 1996.

The silver medal has considerably fewer variants. Jessica holds this spot from 1981 – 1984 inclusive, and in 1991, 1992, and 1996. Otherwise, this spot belongs to Ashley.

For the third spot, Amanda rules from 1981 to 1983 inclusive, and 1986 to 1988 inclusive, plus 1992. Ashley holds this spot in 1984 and 1996. Jennifer is in third place only in 1985. Brittany holds this spot from 1989 to 1991 inclusive. Sarah only shows up here in 1993.

Then it’s Emily in 1994 and 1995.

For the fourth slot, it’s Sarah in 1981, 1982, 1988, and 1996. Ashley only shows up in 1983. Amanda holds this spot in 1984, 1985, and 1989 to 1991 inclusive. Jennifer holds down this part of the fort in 1986 and 1987. Brittany only shows up in 1992. Otherwise, it’s Samantha.

And for the fifth spot, Melissa holds it in 1981 and 1982. But she’s only keeping the seat warm for Sarah, who holds this position in 1983 to 1987 inclusive, 1989, 1992, 1994, and 1995. Jennifer only shows up in 1988; Emily only in 1993. Otherwise, it’s Samantha.

When I’m Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation

Right now, I don’t seem to have any characters from the Millennial Generation. However, it’s possible that there are some from The Duck in the Seat Cushion but I don’t have the birthdates on file yet.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation

With the youngest millennials already 28 years old, any present-day plans for writing fiction about the Millennial Generation should not be centered on high school life. Or even undergraduate life.

So, consider the young adult experience, as millennials navigate marriage, parenthood, and trying to purchase a home.

Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then be sure to check out the other blog posts in this series:

Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then be sure to check out my thoughts on multigenerational fiction writing and the other blog posts in this series:

• The Greatest Generation
† The Silent Generation
• Early Boomers
† Generation Jones
• Generation X
† Millennials AKA Generation Y
• Generation Z AKA Zoomers
† Generation Alpha

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Writing Fiction About Generation XGenerations, Thoughts on Multigenerational Fiction Writing, Writing Fiction About the Greatest Generation, Writing Fiction About the Silent Generation, Writing Fiction About Early Boomers, Writing Fiction About Generation Jones, Writing Fiction About Generation X, Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation, Writing Fiction About Generation Z, Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha,

Writing Fiction About Generation X

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on January 28, 2025

Generation X (1965 – 1980)

Sometimes the forgotten generation, Gen X is the ‘baby bust’, so the cohort is small. Writing fiction about Generation X should take into account that they tend to not dominate wider groups, because they just plain don’t have the numbers.

My character Dr. Mei-Lin Quan of Mettle is a member of Gen X.

And now, let’s look at some pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about Generation X. Of course, no one in Generation X has turned 65 by the time of the initial writing of this blog post.

Generation X Turns 18 (1983 – 1998)

This time frame starts off with the final episode of M*A*S*H, the invention of the 3D printer, and the first commercial mobile cellular telephone call.

The breakup of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Germany dominate the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, Andrew Wakefield publishes his since-debunked study claiming a link between vaccines and autism.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami retracts a fatwa against Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie that was in force since 1989, and the US House of Representatives forwards articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.

Generation X Turns 25 (1990 – 2005)

This time frame starts off with Germany reunifying, ARPANET being decommissioned, and South Africa releasing Nelson Mandela from prison.

The events surrounding 9/11 dominate the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, dwarf planet Eris is discovered, there’s the launch of YouTube, and Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans.

Generation X Turns 35 (2000 – 2015)

This time frame starts off with the final printing of an original Peanuts comic the day after the death of Charles Schulz, and two Al-Qaeda suicide bombers attacking the USS Cole. Plus, the hanging chads election debacle which leads to the Bush v. Gore case going before the US Supreme Court.

The development of smartphones and the launching of familiar social media juggernauts like Tumblr and X (Twitter) dominate the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, gunmen from Al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch attack the Paris headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Greece suffers a government debt crisis, and there’s the founding of OpenAI.

Naming Your Gen X Characters

In the US, the Social Security Administration keeps track of births and what people name their kids.

Boy names are remarkably consistent. Michael is #1 every year! And there are only six other names that show up at all in the other four slots during this sixteen-year time frame.

John is #2 in 1965. David is in this spot from 1966 to 1969, inclusive. Then it’s James for 1970 and 1971. Jason shows up for 1974 to 1978, inclusive. Otherwise, it’s Christopher in the second spot.

For the third spot, it’s David in 1965, 1970, and 1971. Then James in 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1972. We only see John once, in 1968. Jason shows up in 1973, 1979, and 1980. Otherwise, it’s Christopher in this spot.

Then for the fourth slot, only three names show up for the sixteen-year time period. James is #4 in 1965, 1968, 1973, and 1975. John is in this spot in 1966, 1967, and 1969 – 1971, inclusive. All other years belong to David.

For the fifth spot, it’s Robert from 1965 – 1971, inclusive. Then John once, in 1972. David takes this spot in 1973 and 1975. For all other years, it’s James.

Names for Gen X Girls

More consistency… and some inconsistency, too. Lisa sits in the top spot from 1965 to 1969, inclusive. Then she’s overthrown by Jennifer, who holds the top spot for every other year.

In the second spot, Mary shows up in 1965 only. Then Kimberly in 1966 and 1967. Then Michelle in 1968, 1969, 1971, and 1972. Lisa shows up in 1970 only. Amy goes on a run from 1973 to 1976, inclusive. Then Melissa from 1977 – 1979 inclusive. Amanda’s just in 1980.

For the third spot, this sixteen-year period had an incredible eleven unique names. These seven show up once: Karen (1965), Mary (1966), Jennifer (1969), Heather (1975), Melissa (1976), Amy (1977), and Amanda (1979).

Kimberly (1968 and 1970), Lisa (1971 and 1972), and Jessica (1978 and 1980), were all in this spot twice. Michelle is the #3 name four times, in 1967, 1973, 1974, and 1976.

For the fourth slot, there are eight unique names. Mary (1967), Jennifer (1968), and Amy (1978) all show up once. Michelle (1966 and 1970), Heather (1974 and 1976), Melissa (1975 and 1980), and Jessica (1977 and 1979) all show up twice. Otherwise, it’s Kimberly.

The fifth spot also has eight unique names. Karen (1966), Lisa (1973), and Sarah (1980) all show up once. Susan (1965 and 1967), Melissa (1968 and 1969), and Heather (1977 and 1978) show up three times. Angela shows up three times, from 1974 to 1976, inclusive.

And Amy shows up four times, from 1970 to 1972 inclusive, and 1979.

When I’m Writing Fiction About Generation X

So, here are my characters from the Generation X cohort.

In Mettle, it’s characters Noah Braverman, Craig Firenze, Jeannie Scutter Firenze, and Elise Jeffries. Plus, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan and Olga Nicolaev.

And in The Duck in the Seat Cushion, it’s main character MJ Tanner’s younger half-brother Will. There are also her ill-fated twins, Levi and Chloe. Plus, there are Sid’s children Lenny and Wendy.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About Generation X

When writing fiction about Generation X, keep in mind that it’s a small cohort. Many of its members were latchkey children when they were younger (mothers would work and not be home when they returned home from school).

These two experiences, combined, can make the members of the redheaded stepchild of the generations a rather sarcastic bunch. It was, and still is, a major survival mechanism for them.

Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then please be sure to check out my thoughts on multigenerational fiction writing and the other blog posts in this series:

• The Greatest Generation
† The Silent Generation
• Early Boomers
† Generation Jones
• Generation X
† Millennials AKA Generation Y
• Generation Z AKA Zoomers
† Generation Alpha

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