RE: Laugh It Off

Hello @restcity
You are such a good writer. You place us in the scene. You let us know the characters, and make us care about them. You offer details that a less skilled writer would leave out. Because you are such a good writer I am taking the bold step of recommending something to you.

You show talent in the stories, but in some cases, these lack classic story structure. I went through the trouble of finding a diagram of a classic story arc. You see that illustrated below in box 1. You will note please the sharp rise to climax, and then dramatic fall to resolution. Then there is a modified story arc that I find many writing sites recommend. There is again a sharp rise to a climax and a dramatic fall, though less far, to resolution. This is in box 2. Finally, there is an arc that I think represents your fine story today. The arc is more like a gentle curve.

You do have within the main plot a subplot about the bicycle. However, it is the main plot line--the relationship between father and son--that drives the story. The arc for that story sort of meanders along until we realize at the end that father and son are getting along well.

Here is a helpful article article that explains the mechanics of a classic story arc.

_{Arc in first box derived from Wikimedia Commons. Public domain, creator: SinjoroFoster}
I hope you don't mind the comment and suggestion for writing I offer here. Some years ago I attended a writer's workshop and this is the kind of advice we would give each other.

Continue writing. You have a talent for it.