Sue Spitulnik

Author

Sue Spitulnik

I am a retired grandmother that grew up in western New York State, left for 25 years, and am now back in the area. I happily live with my husband and two cats. I am pro-military, writing, food, family, and quilting. I am con-exercise, insulting commercials, and lack of common sense. I have met some great friends through this website.

Beer as a Food

Ya know that old adage? “Don’t fret when your child moves out. They always come home again.” After a breakup, my son returned for a few weeks. We told him he wasn’t intruding, but he would come home from work, grab a beer, and escape to the patio to talk on his cell and pace.

Upon his departure, we noticed the grass between the fence and patio was a lush dark green. We asked if he could explain. With the look of a guilty child, he replied, “That’s where I peed.”

My husband mumbled, “Beer is a complete food.”

Written in response to Charli Mills March 12, 2024, promo at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about leaving a leak. What (or who) is leaking? How can you use the leak to create tension? Expand the idea of leaks. Go where the prompt leads!

03/18/2024 1

The AI Invasion

The new writing group member was fearful. “I think AI is going to ruin the writing industry. All you have to do is tell the program your characters, location, and plot, and the thing writes the story for you.”

The response from a tech person. “That’s a half-truth. What it actually does is take “tokens” of information from what already exists and creates a piece. Thus, it could be plagiarizing, and it only understands facts; it can’t add voice or emotion.”

“Well, I’m never going to use it.”

“Do you use Grammerly?”

“Yeah.”

“Hate to tell you. That’s AI.”

Written in response to Charli Mills February 27, 2024, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about artificial intelligence. Use any genre. What is unfolding or has the situation existed for a while? Who shows up, AI or a figure of imagination? Go where the prompt leads!

03/04/2024 4

Saturday Night at the BSide

The dinner hour show at our favorite bar is a single blues guitarist. Gordon picks, sings, and adds his own harmonica. A few songs into the set, Rick joins him, adding a bongo or some raindrops. What a difference. The main event band leader comes in the door as we talk about him. To the stage Joe goes with his harmonica. A support. A comrade. The sound takes another step up and onward. Live music fills my soul and eases pain from negative emotional events. I’m in a cosmic bowl of soup that emanates life, dreams, reality, and friendships.

Written in response to Charli Mills February 20, 2024, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a cosmic egg soup. Is it something new on the menu or the deep horizon? Who is making the soup and why? Who will it feed and how will it change the story? Be inventive, imaginative, or playfully serious. Go where the prompt leads!

02/26/2024 1

Growing Pains

The ten-year-old girl got off the school bus with tears in her eyes. She went to her mother in the house, “My friend Toby has been mean to me lately. And he’s started swearing a lot. Why would he do that?”

“Isn’t he the oldest of his siblings, and their father left them?”

“Yeah. So.”

“I would guess that’s a mask of bravado because he hasn’t figured out how to be ‘the man of the house’ and still be a kid. He’s trying to be tough.”

“Oh, I guess I understand, but I liked him better before he changed.”

Written in response to Charli Mills February 13, 2024, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about an intolerable mask. Who is wearing the mask and why? What is so intolerable about the mask? Is there empathy for the one behind the mask? Go where the prompt leads!

02/19/2024 0

Reconnecting With My Tribe – memoir

I spent twenty years away from my place of birth. Seven years as a military wife and thirteen more working among active duty military, veterans, and their families. I returned home to reconnect with family and friends, and instead of feeling a part of the group, I felt like an interloper trying to wheedle my way in. It was work.

Fifteen years later, I attended a veterans writing group on a research mission. Within minutes, I felt I was back among my tribe. I was an immediate integral part. The military brotherhood is a bonded group stronger than family.

Note; I’m sorry I couldn’t include “and Sisterhood” due to word count restriction.

Written in response to Charli Mills February 6, 2024, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about something lost now found. Is it an object or person who is lost? How are they lost? What happens when what was lost is found? Go where the prompt leads!

02/12/2024 7

Culture Shock

When he arrived, the eleven-year-old visitor stared at his new surroundings with trepidation and awe. Being raised in the New York City projects, he had only seen pictures of a modern log house surrounded by grass, fields, and a pond with a zip line. He never dreamed he would get to stay in such a place until he learned about the Fresh Air program.

The first two days of his visit he barely spoke because he was overwhelmed by the differences, but by the end of the two weeks, he was “family” being invited to return the following year.

Written in response to Charli Mills January 23, 2024, prompt at Carrot Ranch Literary: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a fish out of water. What is the source of the tension? The characters, the action, the setting? Or, is it literally a story about fish, real or metaphorical? Go where the prompt leads!

01/29/2024 3