Short, simple, and thoughtful. That’s the core of Bellingham author Jim Schmotzer’s first book, “Crash Course: 101 Stories in 101 Words or Less.” Sharing an extensive list of stories Schmotzer has written over the years, the book is designed to be a thought-provoking and interesting read.
The specific number of words found its origin in an annual fiction contest held by a local publication. “In the early 2000s, they ran an annual fiction contest. So I submitted, and I had to write a story [that was] 101 words or less,” says Schmotzer.
Later, while on vacation on the East Coast, he got a call from the publication, announcing his victory, sort of. “They said, ‘Well, actually, your story was our second favorite, but the one that we liked the best had too many words, so we had to disqualify it,’ so I won by default,” says Schmotzer.
Still, the victory was a solid accomplishment, and he continued writing for and placing in the contests going forward. Over time, he built up a backlog of stories.
Themes and Messages
In his book, Schmotzer explores several themes, including death and loss. He feels that understanding death is an important part of coming to understand the joys of life, and he hopes his writing will encourage people to consider the subject. His friendly demeanor and attitude might lead some readers to be surprised by the darker themes.
“A number of readers have said, ‘This is a lot darker than I anticipated, I didn’t know you had these kinds of thoughts,’” says Schmotzer.
But Schmotzer hopes his readers will take a positive message away. He particularly wants to think about connecting with the people we’ve lost and finding joy and connection with people who may not be actively part of our lives any longer, such as his own parents.
“I didn’t know what it was gonna be like to be connected to them after they died till they died, and now I’m learning,” says Schmotzer. “There’s some really good things about that.”
When Schmotzer went looking to publish his book, he found Village Books Assisted Self Publishing Program to be excellent partners. “They were amazing, I would never say it was difficult, there was nothing that was negative,” says Schmotzer..
The book contains stories inspired by Schmotzer’s real-life experiences, stories inspired by the lives of others, stories he created to explore topics he hasn’t experienced, and more.
“I believe everybody’s life would make a great book or movie with the right person to tell it,” says Schmotzer. “Because I think everyone’s life has so much more to it than we’re aware of.”
“Crash Course: 101 Stories in 101 Words or Less” can be found at Village Books and Paper Dreams in Bellingham and Lynden, other indie bookstores, and numerous online sources. More information can be found on socials @jimschotzer and his website.
Bellingham, jimschmotzer.com
Photograph by Connie Schmotzer
