Unfamiliar Place - Luke Sawczak - Prose


"That’s when I knew: if you can still love a person when their breath smells like hamburgers, they’re going to be your friend forever."
~ from "Hamburger Breath"

Jump to my Longer Works


In high school, I took a Writer's Craft class taught by P. Vriend, and it was the best thing that happened to my writing. He knew a lot about the philosophy of expression, and using different forms. I learned to write short stories (a challenge since I love big sweeping storylines). These ten short stories, which I selected out of the many I wrote in that class, are arranged in no particular order.

PDF Document     Word Document     What a Piece of Work is a Cat
PDF Document     Word Document     Except Salsa
PDF Document     Word Document     Did You Call It?
PDF Document     Word Document     Lions
PDF Document     Word Document     “You’re Becoming a Man!”
PDF Document     Word Document     Into Which He Placed a Button
PDF Document     Word Document     Hamburger Breath
PDF Document     Word Document     To Flower Somewhere Else
PDF Document     Word Document     Fishing for Elephants
PDF Document     Word Document     There Used to Be a Boy


I also write longer works; I always have one on the go, and have finished three or four depending on how you count it. I've been writing since I was seven, but I only started to take it seriously in 2006. Here are a few you can check out, in part or in full.

Divinities on Amazon.com. This was my first actual novel, and even though it's not up to my current standard, I still feel proud whenever I open it and read a page. You could buy it, or you could always read a preview.

pdf   The Seventh Day. This is probably my favourite of my finished works. It's a 60-page account of the life of the Apostle Paul, written in very poetic prose. It was a lot of fun to write, and I always love reading a fascinating biblical story. I have a number of missionary relatives who enjoy it, too. :)

pdf   Invincible. A play in four acts. It's a tragedy, but I did aim to include some comedy. I like the dialogue and story, but I recognize its many faults; I intend to try another play next.

pdf   Glimmering Cape Series. This is not an example of my best work! It's just for fun. I hope you laugh as much as I do when you read it. From the deranged mind of a seven-year-old with a penchant for writing.

Rachel of the Fields. I finished this in January 2010, and am currently editing it to be publihsed. I tried to write it far from my comfort zone: it's a first-person story from a teenage girl's perspective, raised in a fairly normal home that suddenly plunges into dysfunction. Here's a short excerpt, chosen almost at random:

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          The days were getting warmer.
          The nights were getting warmer.
          I sneaked out one night and found, on the street, a payphone, like, the kind that take quarters.
          Dial-dial-dial. Dial-dial-dial. Dial-dial-dial-dial.
          I waited, dying of tension... who would pick up at home? Oh, Lord, what if they can track payphones? Oh no, do I even WANT TO TALK TO MY FAMILY? No—no—too late—it rang—
          “This is a long-distance call... please dial one or zero before the number and try again.”
          And then I breathed out...
          So do I call or not? How could I decide?
          I breathed out... then I prayed... I prayed,... God, don’t make me so f---ing stupid that I dial.
          Dial-dial-dial-dial-dial-dial-dial-dial-dial-dial-dial
          wait-wait-wait
          breathe-breathe-breathe

          “YEAAAAH? What the hell you want? The hell you calling in the middle of the night for?”
          wait-wait-wait
          breathe-breathe-breathe

          “Hello? If you don’t answer I’m going back to sleep,” the voice answered.
          “OAF? OPHELIA IS THAT YOU?” I exploded into the phone, getting spit all over it.
          “Yeah? huh?”
          “It’s Rachel, I’m here... Ophelia, you’re home? You’re home? Where are you?”
          “You called home, stupid, so I’m guessing I’m home.” (Ophelia was being pissy.)
          “Oaf, you don’t want to even know what kind of a world I’m in... heaven only knows...”
          “Rachel, just take a cold shower—”
          “NO! Listen! Is mum there? Is Frankie there?”
          (Long pause.)
          wait-wait-wait
          breathe-breathe-breathe


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When writing it I tried to be more colloquial. I won't hesitate to say that I really enjoyed writing it. If you think you'd enjoy reading it, we can probably arrange something.

As usual, if you've got anything to ask me about my writing,  contact me .


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©2009 Luke Sawczak.Date: 2010-09-07 .