Screenwriting, Short Fiction, Nonfiction
Screenplays
Now and then I rediscover the brutally honest art of spec screenwriting. Award credits include Quarterfinalist for the 2009 Nicholl Fellowships.
The Other Oregon
A writer from the city gets a new start as an FBI informant investigating a militia movement in rural Oregon, but to finish the job he'll have to betray his estranged friend who shares a grim secret from their past. Crime noir drama/thriller, 103 pages.
— Finalist, 3rd Screenplay Search Screenwriting Competition, 2010
— Finalist, Santa Fe Writers Project Screenplay Awards, 2010
—Top 30 Semifinalist, Movie Script Contest, 2010
— Semifinalist, Gimme Credit International Screenplay Competition, 2010
— Quarterfinalist, Champion Screenwriting Competition, 2010
— Quarterfinalist, Creative World Awards, 2010
False Flags
An American GI deserts in the cold forests of Belgium during WWII and tries to find his way back to his lover, fulfilling the promise he'd made to her, but a surprise German attack will force him to team up with a deserter from the enemy side. War drama/thriller, 114 pages.
— Quarterfinalist, Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, 2009
— Quarterfinalist, Creative World Awards, 2009
Trickle Down
A former homeless man hits the streets to find a friend gone missing and discovers a powerful condo developer is covering up a tragic crime. Crime noir drama, 94 pages.
— Top 15% of entries, 2009 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
Debts
A reformed ex-con, Jamie Roagan, seeks vengeance for a murderous double-cross and his dark past chases him faster than he can run and fight and hope. Caught in the middle of a crime-world coup, Roagan chooses to accept the help of his old flame Langley, a would-be DEA agent. Yet Langley will prove the worst choice of all. Crime noir drama/thriller, 110 pages.
— Semifinalist, Fade In Awards, 2008
— Semifinalist, Chesterfield Writer's Film Project, 2002
— Semifinalist, Writer's Network Screenplay Competition, 2002
Short Fiction
My work appeared in 3AM Magazine, the Paumanok Review, and Elimae among others online and in print when I wrote as "Stephen F. Anderson." I’ve also placed in a few contests, including the Writer's Digest competition. Most of the following are available in Underheroes: Stories.
"Asphalt Jornalero"
Underground Voices, April 2009
A homeless man tries to find out what killed his day laborer friend or he's sure to take the rap.
"She’s Got No Reverse"
Finalist, Swink Magazine 2005 Editors’ Award for Emerging Writers.
"Caving"
The Paumanok Review, 2004
Honorable Mention, 2001 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition
The right girl can make even gloomy Gordy Holman get a life.
"Charity"
Fiction Warehouse, 2004
Husband stands up to wife’s bigotry, risking all for strangers.
"The Thing With Chick Is”
3AM Magazine, 2002
Third Place, Willamette Writers’ 2001 Kay Snow Award
Feisty old Chick Simon risks arrest rather than admit defeat.
"Bald Wig"
12-Gauge Review, 2003
Only humble barfly Karl can prevent another’s violent mental breakdown.
"Writers' Guidelines"
The Freedonian, 2001
A brief stab at humor — a spoof of obscure literary magazines and one eccentric editor. Stab? More like a slap with a wet noodle.
"A Cheap Con"
Elimae, 2000
Less experimental fiction than a character sketch for a comic novel that, well, let's just say I lost deep in a drawer somewhere.
Nonfiction
I'm not exactly looking to write about myself, but I couldn't resist a couple shots at it.
"TriMet Summer," Citadel of the Spirit: Oregon's Sesquicentennial Anthology, Nestucca Spit Press, 2008.
Portland's rad bus system and the Oregon Bottle Bill help fuel teen adventures on the river and in the big city. Things were a little different in Oregon circa 1980. Or, were they?
"Team Boracay: 200 Miles South of Manila"
Exquisite Corpse, 2002
I played in the Philippine national beach soccer championship and somehow survived.
Underheroes: Stories
In Underheroes, various underdogs and antiheroes grapple with life’s beasts. They come of age, grow up and grow old, often showing that outsider spirit and go-it-alone mindset of the once ignored Pacific Northwest. A few sense something like hope, if they play it right. A couple aren’t so lucky.
I wrote most of these eight fiction shorts and two essays in the early 2000s (writing as "Stephen F. Anderson"). They were published in Exquisite Corpse, Elimae and 3AM Magazine among others (all listed here on this web page) and in a print anthology for Oregon’s sesquicentennial, Citadel of the Spirit. Some of the stories placed in literary contests, including the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Two appear here for the first time.
Consider Underheroes a loose DIY compilation. In that spirit, I'm offering it as a free download. You can download Underheroes in ePub (Nook, iBooks, most others), Mobi (Kindle), and PDF formats.