Evolving
I started writing as a little kid, poetry for the most part. Later on, in middle school, I was sent/accepted into the Chicago Public School's Gifted Writing program. There, with the guidance of two teachers, Ms. Jane Funk and Mr. Pollack, I learned how to write, poems, short stories, and essays. No matter what else critics might have to say, I'm confident in my writing.
Over the years, I wrote poetry, uneven love anthems and odes which I kept to myself, giving only glimpses to women that were love interests. My notebooks were filled with rhymes, haiku, etc. Then about eleven years ago, I wrote my first complete short story, 'A Night at Lucky's.' Sounds familiar, right? The original version was something I was proud of then, and I added short stories to my repertoire.
Fast forward a few years to when my wife Traci told me to quit hiding, to clean all of my writings out of the computer and my notebooks, and to do something with this passion. I gathered up poems, essays, and short stories, and cobbled together my first book 'The Colors of my Mind.' The book was separated into chapters based on what I perceive are the colors of human emotion. Fascinating and intriguing, but I was a rookie, with no editor, no team, and no idea of what the hell I was doing.
With every effort since, I've grown, and the progress is evident. 'View from the Sidelines' was my second book, a poetry collection of which I'm proud. My only regret is that I rushed it. It would have been better to keep it in the vault to use with the poems and pictures which made up 'Perceptions of Beauty,' a picture/poem collection which became my fourth book. No worries, because I learned from the experience. Right now, in my vault, there are over two hundred poems/pictures which will one day be shopped to a publisher as 'The Love Project.' A good friend and mentor, Dennis Doty, suggested I aim for about three hundred. Acknowledged.
'Touching Myself' is an erotic short story collection, my third book. I found out I'm pretty good at writing erotica. Fans of that book still ask if there will be a sequel, or will I write another one? Well, I wrote three connected short stories in an anthology called 'Unbound' and being me, I outlined seven more stories featuring those same characters. 'Tonight We Begin' will be a full-length erotic novel. I also have another erotic novel half-finished in my vault. Yeah, it's a pretty big vault.
'Watching for Potholes' and 'Sippin' Life at Lucky's Bar and Grill' were both short story collections. Now, I know I should have shopped both collections to publishers, or sent the stories out on an individual basis to magazines. Lesson learned, which brings me to what's happening now.
In the last six months, I've written seven or eight short stories, 'Aileen's Notebook,' 'The Chrome Dream,' etc. I quietly edited them, and put them in the ever expanding vault, because short stories aren't at the top of my list; novels are.
I started writing a short story 'Fighting Mr. Jones' which refused to stay a short story, creeping up to 20,000 words, novella territory. Vault. Then, my wife asked me about 'Eleven Fifty-Nine,' a novel which has been in the vault for two years. I told her my plans, and she asked if I had thought about writing a sequel. No I hadn't, but the characters of the book kept whispering more of their story to me. 'Singing to Butterflies' is a prequel/companion to 'Eleven Fifty-Nine' and I both outlined and "pantsed" this one. The first draft is at 15,000 words and I'm not halfway through. The rhythm and flow are present, but the other things in my life (job!) are hindering my progress. I send chapters to my readers every week, and I'm not rushing.
Evolution. I once wrote only poetry, then short stories and essays. Now? I'm writing for magazines, my blogs, and I'm writing novels. Oh, plus a memoir of my 2017 travels titled 'My Suitcase is Always Packed.' Don't ever stay in one place because it's comfortable. Use the wings given by God to fly to new places and spaces. That's evolution and ascension, worthy goals for anyone. Six books on my resume looks good, but those were just practice...
