Welcome to 1,000 Characters!

This is a project about exploration, into writing and into characters. The goal is to create one thousand characters, and learn more about all of them. Most days (at least twenty per month) there should be a new story snippet to keep the words flowing. Do not fret that everything (or at least most things) are short, as that is the intention.

1,000 Characters is a practice for better storytelling, improved fiction. The focus is diving into characters, looking curiously and deeply into their hopes, dreams, desires. Exploring new characters, their stories, the places they live and work, becomes a journey of fun. This process of discovery should, in many cases, lead to longer stories, possibly even a novel. Dare it be said: maybe novels.

A total of 99 works of fiction featuring 31 different Characters!

Featured Story

Published: Sep 29, 2020

Betting Man

Michael liked to play the stock market. He bought and sold stocks like they were baseball cards, snapping up a hot item and flushing out old news. He consistently lost money, because he was often behind the trend. A moment or two in the current economy of instant trades and pre-written news was more than enough to mean all your bets would lose. But he traded everyday for the rush of the gamble, and it was far more accepted than going to the casino.

Recently he started looking at the forex market because it was faster and cheaper. The highs and lows were everyday by the hour. He could win (or lose) money faster. What was this addiction? He always thought he would win but he never did. Perhaps if he could find his way to that understanding, then he could quit. But Michael only saw the chance for winning, and winning big. He watched the chart plot the course of the trade and he was gaining money: $10, 20, 40. He blinked and it was back to a $10 gain briefly before going negative. At -$87 he closed it out and poured himself a bourbon, no rocks.

Recent Stories

Published: Jun 19, 2023

Jonesy

featuring: Harold White

Trash tumbled down the parkway, carried by the wind. Trees swayed, the crescendo of rustling leaves drowning out the sounds of the street at the end of the block. Harold watched from ...

Published: Jan 25, 2022

Email is Popular

featuring: Kroft Rodgers

I thought about writing this story last week. The plan was to type some words and see what I thought of them. Instead researched the top searched words on Google. I learned ...

Published: Jan 24, 2022

Shoveled Snow

featuring: Kroft Rodgers

I shoveled the snow this morning. It was a great workout, which is about the only reason I do it. I come into the house, covered in the white stuff below the ...

Published: Jan 23, 2022

Let's Talk

featuring: Kroft Rodgers

I just took up writing again, after many years of typing out computer code. I like sitting on my ass, getting old, wasting away. Whoever said we should all live to be ...

Published: Jan 22, 2022

Virus Blues

featuring: Kroft Rodgers

My son has Covid. Nothing more than a cold, thankfully. I'm writing this down for the future, which future or what future I do not know. Soon viruses will have to spread ...

Characters