Grandfather Bob, the Stories to Come

My grandfather, Bob Mullins, a man who broke the mold himself.

Of the many family members I've included, with artistic license of course, in my work I've never explored my grandfather, Bob Mullins.  That's about to change.  I'm currently working on a story called "The Favor" which has a character based closely on him in the works now.  I cannot understand how I've went for more , than 20 years writing every day of my life and not found myself writing about this man.  The story of his life, the things he done, both good and bad, are the stuff of fiction.  Perhaps only believable through storytelling.

Left an orphan at a young age, he lived from house to house in his town, relying on the kindness of the clannish population to give him a bed and a meal in exchange for back-breaking chores through the day.  This developed a certain character within him that people still mention to me today when they find out he was my grandfather, though he's been dead nearly three decades.

Looking forward to diving into this well of information and select few memories I have.  The challenge: carving away at sentiment and presenting the story as it might be told by a longtime friend or town folk who hold to memories and tell them over and again.  It's time for me to join this storyteller's group.  I hope what I come up will be as interesting to you as it seems to be with nearly everyone I meet in my small town.

A sample?   Sure.  You see here he's wearing a deputy sheriff's uniform.  He did work at this for a time, his primary concern during this time (though he never drank his entire life) was to confiscate beer and liquor from those he pulled over and take it home, this coming after an agreement to let the boys off with a warning.  I still can't figure what he did with the booze, but I'm sure he figured something out.  We're talking about a guy who use to trade cars because one had more gas in it than the other.

At long last I may have put my father away as a primary subject, having now made peace with him, now gone just over two years, a man who once said after reading a recent story of mine: "McCoy Lee, you've killed me over a hundred times in your stories!"

Before I sign off, I think this Fictionaut discussion started by flash writer Meg Pokrass is an important one:

 http://www.fictionaut.com/forums/general/threads/1903

Please have a look and add any thoughts on the current trends at this reading and writing community that has done so much for readers, writers, editors and agents over the past several years.