The Way the Story Ended
The Way The Story Ended was written during March and April of 1992. It was typed up and revised in September of 2011. It was accepted for publication at All Things That Matter Press along with Out of Control and Uncontrollable Urges in 2012. It is now in print and available to purchase in February of 2013. Anyway, the source of The Way The Story Ended comes from several places.
The first bit of inspiration came at age 13; I called up my local paper and asked for a job. “Delivering?” the receptionist asked. “No, writing,” I said. She transferred me to the editor, Lance Constein,. I spoke briefly to Lance, explaining that I was just thirteen years old, but that I was interested in journalism. He asked me to come down to the offices of The Daily Globe in Shelby, Ohio, and bring some of my writing. Excitedly, I walked downtown the next day and into the newspaper office for the first time. Lance was impressed enough by my writing to give me a sort of unofficial unpaid internship. I got my reporter’s notepad and was introduced to Lynne Smelser. Lynne was to guide me in my first writing assignment, which she seemed happy to do at the time.
I spent approximately a year with The Globe before I was unofficially let go. Lance Constein had left his post to join the Peace Corps, which I thought was awesome. It made me want to join, but as I found out, you have to be at least 18 years old to join. I had four more years before I could even apply and then they still preferred college graduates. Anyway, Lance sent articles back that were published The Globe about his adventures in Africa. In addition, he even sent me a couple of private letters as well.
The new editor didn’t want to be responsible for having a teen tag along, so he asked Lynne to let me go. I’d written just three articles at the time, but I was thankful for the experience and for my first publications. I was hoping to return to the newspaper once I’d graduated, but that didn’t work out. I applied a couple of times, but never got my foot back in that door.
The other influence comes from my role in A Bull In A China Shop. My high school was putting on performance of the old fashioned murder mystery the fall of 1992 and I had wanted to the lead role of sexy reporter Jane. Instead, I ended up being cast as the flighty old lady Birdie. My friend Page had gotten the part instead and she was wonderful in it.
So Paige Lynn is a combination of me, Lynne Smelser and Page from High School. Mike was the name of an actual photographer at the paper. The name Jack Noland also comes from school. I had a crush on a boy named Ryan Noland, but somehow that got mixed up with football player Nolan Jack.
The TV show Remington Steele and Stephanie Zimbalt’s role in the 1990 movie Caroline also influenced me. At least the climatic scene at the top of the building did anyway.
carilynn27 