“Domino Beach”

1:32pm, pacific standard time, Oakland International Airport, Oakland, California, USA, Thursday afternoon, October 20, 2022. I got another five minute short story from the vending machine at the airport. This one is called “Domino Beach” by Marie Ivantechenko. I like the fact the first time I got a story from the vending machine it was from a highly regarded author, O. Henry. This time I got one from a student. The story was runner up in Short Edition’s Long Story Short Award, 2020. I grabbed a cup of coffee and a danish before sitting down. It was a very pleasurable experience and a good read. This is my second to last time traveling through Oakland. After next week I will be in Palm Desert, California. I don’t know if I will miss air travel and crowded airports, but I will miss the routine I created.

Invigorated by the process

5:20pm, pacific standard time, pool at the apartment complex, Chandler, Arizona, USA, Tuesday evening, August 2, 2022. I spent a couple of hours today working on the piece I resurrected back in June. Working on it is different than anything I have done the past 20+ years of writing. In those instances I was alone in the act of creation; trying to use my skills, my imagination, my tenacity and anything else I could muster to make something out of nothing. This piece feels separate from me, almost like a gift. It exists as a wonderful story on its own. My purpose is not to birth it out of alchemy but rather, to spend time making it as beautiful as possible. Subsequently, I am invigorated by the process and excited to see the finished product.

Story resolve

7:22pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Thursday night, July 28, 2022. Spent the morning working on a piece that vexed me for over a decade. The same piece I was working on a month ago but, set aside because it drove me crazy. There is a lot of existential angst surrounding the work but, in the end I came back, not because I envision myself a great writer but, because I want to see the story resolve.

Article

8:17pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Friday night, July 15, 2022. Worked on the article I mentioned a week (or so) ago. Have some good ideas and the direction is taking shape. I would like to finish it before I begin working full-time again.

Writing work

4:00pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Wednesday afternoon, June 8, 2022. The entire day was filled working on the manuscript, with the largest bulk of time establishing consistent timelines as the story unfolds. You would think it not very hard but, surprisingly, it is. The other task I need to address is fleshing out dialogue for the chapters; I want to be “showing” rather than telling. I must say though, the story is good and the structure is sound. I will be patient and consistent as I fine tune it to perfection.

Eleven years later

5:31pm, pacific standard time, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, USA, Tuesday evening, June 7, 2022. This afternoon I read the manuscript of a novel I stopped working on eleven years ago. Perusing it brought back memories; who I was when I wrote it, what I hoped to accomplish when it was finished and, ultimately, what I failed to achieve when I stopped working on it. That novel was, by far, the most time and effort I had put into any piece of work, before or since. Ultimately, I gave up when I moved to California before my 40th birthday. It has been left unfinished all this time. For years, I avoided revisiting it, simply because I was convinced all I would feel was disappointment. However, that was not the case. This afternoon, reading it again, I felt two distinct emotions; first, pride, for having written something so good and two, excitement about finishing it. I am happy to say I have found my new project; I am going to clean up that piece and finally give it the ending it deserves.

Like any new habit

5:41am, Pacific Standard Time, at my computer, in the apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Tuesday morning, May 3, 2022. Today marks the of beginning a new task; I will glean posts from the last year and a half and compile them for publication. This is a very exciting endeavor for me; it allows a more focused frame for my writing and provides the opportunity to develop a new creative outlet. Now all I need is the motivation to get started. Like any new habit, I will begin slow and gradually increase effort. After my morning walk and workout, but before coffee and reading, I will turn on my computer and select one post a day. That volume will indubitably increase but, for now, consistency is the key.

3 Thoughts

5:42pm, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Wednesday evening, April 6, 2022. Three thoughts: 1. Since I started scheduling posts, (as opposed to ripping them off any time I felt like it), my writing habits have changed. In the past, an idea was worked anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour then published immediately. The results were spotty and often pretty shallow. Now, since a post is already lined up for publication in the morning, I no longer race to finish something just to get it out there. I start with a thought early in the day, flesh it out by afternoon, then put the final touches on it at night. It has only been a week but, it makes my writing more reflective. 2. I am going to change the tag line of the blog again. The “ongoing quest…” vibe isn’t working for me. I don’t want to go back to the Arizona/California angle. I am thinking international. Is it presumption to call it “The All-American Man”? That is declarative. I consider myself quiet and subdued, that is a different energy all together. I will change it and see how I feel next week. 3. Question: Should I stop publishing everyday? Maybe go to weekdays? Weekends? Two or three times a week? I am conflicted. On one hand I feel publishing everyday makes me a better writer. On the other hand, it seems a little much to put something out everyday. I have made a decision; I am going to stick with everyday for now. Let’s be honest, I don’t have a huge audience, most people don’t care either way, and this is more a personal writing exercise than a valuable piece of literature. I hope you get pleasure reading but, I will keep being self-indulgent if it is all the same to you.

Waves of the collective ocean

4:47pm, at a trampoline park, Orange County, California, Saturday afternoon, April 2, 2022. The human soul is prone to sink by default; constantly threatening to drown in defeat, suffocating under embarrassment and flailing through uncontrollable loss. We are fated to a life of learning how to existentially swim as it were. That is, develop our own personal technique to rise above this un-chosen destiny. It is the only way to achieve anything that approaches true happiness. Of course, peace is not found through aggressive defiance. Constantly fighting negative experience simply burns a person out. No, true happiness is found when we accept our circumstance without giving in to it; floating along on the waves, being one with the collective ocean, available to the rare times tranquility finds us and gives us respite. After all, perpetual joy can’t be found and human suffering is never eradicated, but the few times we do accomplish such things are worth the effort life asks of us.

I want your opinion!

5:41am, apartment in Chandler, Arizona, Thursday morning, March 31, 2022. I have been fiddling with the headline for this blog the last couple of days. Today I changed it to “an ongoing quest to overcome stress and live the best life possible.” That is the fifth iteration of the change. It might stick for a while. (What about “eradicate stress?”) Last Friday, I scheduled a post for Saturday morning instead of publishing it on the spot. The reason being I had been writing around this time (5:30am) and wanted to remain consistent. But I wonder if it matters? Does anyone care if they get a post at a specific time? Does consistency make you more likely to read? The other issue I am contemplating is having the time, date and place stamp at the beginning of each post. Personally, I like knowing the circumstances when something was written, but it comes with a price. The punch of the first line, which is really the only hook for someone to read, it compromised. Also, it is confusing on a post that is scheduled to publish later. I am working on solutions but, figured I would ask for your thoughts. Do you have any suggestions, comments, feelings (about these topics or others)? Anything you would like to see more of? Less of? I want your opinion! It means a lot that you take the time to subscribe, read, like and and share the content of this site. If I can make your experience more enjoyable please feel free to let me know. Thank you, Mike