I am a procrastinator. Worse than that. I am also a project-starter. Have you seen The Ref? You know the part where Spacey's character is berating his wife for starting all kinds of projects and classes that she never finishes? That's me. Lisa Simpson being told she's going to end up as a bookstore manager? That's me, too. I have at least fifteen books that I have started (novels, not poetry books, for those that are aware that I write poetry) laying around on either laptops, usb drives, notebooks, blogs...
I decided to do something about it. I decided to get advice from the best. So I started using the Twitter account I set up years ago. Circa 2008. I think I had tweeted maybe 20 or 30 times but found it lackluster because no one RT me, no one starred my posts, and I think I had maybe 5 followers; what was the point? Ah, yes, I am a birdwalker as well. So, the point is, I re-joined Twitter, which basically meant I requested a password reset, and I followed every author, journalist, blogger, and photographer I could find. I found this helpful because the people I follow tend to tweet articles relating to writing, how to better your writing, what writers are writing about writing.
Apparently, I've been going about this the wrong way. I get an idea in my head, and I try to put it down on paper in the most coherent way possible, but it doesn't get lost in translation. No. It gets stuck, mangled, decapitated, and emerges hopeless. I usually get a couple of chapters in, then forget where I am going with the story. Chuck Wendig, who I believe I followed because someone else I followed suggested I follow him, has a blog, Terrible Minds on which he has a specific posting: 25 Things You Should Do Before Starting Your Next Novel.
According to Wendig, I should have the ending figured out. Well, that makes sense. So I tried it. I got about two pages into the last chapter of one of my books, and my train of thought collided with an 18-wheeler carrying fuel and exploded.
Okay, on to something else. Short stories. Chuck Wendig (whose name is so close to Wendigo I keep having to backspace the "o" I constantly put at the end of his name) is not the only one who recommends writing short stories. Ray Bradbury has some great advice for writers as well. He actually gives a cocktail of stuff to read on a daily basis to keep your creative juices flowing. But he also recommends writing a short story per week for a whole year. That sounds like a challenge, Mr. Bradbury. One I fully intend to take on, along with your reading gumbo.
So, this is my first entry in what will (hopefully, but unlikely) be 365 days of what I read with maybe some input on how I felt about what I read, but at least you'll get 52 entries of short stories. Wish me luck, as with 3 boys and a full-time job, this seems daunting to say the least.
Footnote: Reaching for the phoenix galaxy. Why on earth did I choose that mouthful for the title of this blog? Because Reach for the Sky or Shoot for the Stars was too cliché and probably already taken. Also, they have recently discovered the Phoenix Galaxy. That's a nice little...tidbit of knowledge.
Footnote 2: For those who are wondering why someone so obsessed with spelling and grammar that she has a book called Comma Sutra on her bookshelf would go under the handle "SpydurPoet." Well, I was in high school, "spiderpoet" was already taken on the social forum I posted my poetry on, and I used it so often I had it tattooed on my left shoulder blade when I was 17. So, yeah. Make sure your thoroughly think things out before you get inked, kids.
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