Put Yourself in My Shoes
By Raymond Carver, first published in The Iowa Review
A man experiencing writers' block finds inspiration on a spontaneous trip to the home of near-strangers.
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Plot Summary
On Christmas Eve, Myers and his wife, Mrs. Myers (also known as Paula), decide to pay the Morgan family a surprise visit. It makes sense, Paula thinks, because they received a Christmas card from the Morgans telling them to stop by sometime during the holidays. When Myers exits the car at the Morgan house, he is immediately attacked by their dog, Buzzy. Either the Morgan family has never met the Myers family, or, if they have met, they don't know each other well. Edgar and Hilda Morgan invite Meyers and Paula inside. In the home, Meyers notices that things look mostly the same from when he and Paula lived there. When they're all seated, Edgar tells inappropriate stories to inspire Myers, who is a writer with writers' block. Edgar encourages Myers to think from the perspective of different people in the stories he tells. Myers doesn't take the unwelcome advice well and tries to leave their home, but Hilda encourages them to stay, and cites her curiosity about what the Myers would be like when they finally met. Edgar continues to tell stories and becomes exasperated and infuriated when Myers laughs at him. Finally, Paula and Myers leave, and Myers realizes that he has just conjured up inspiration for a new story.