(Photo by David Wyngard)
If you blinked recently, you’ll have missed the staggering fact that we are already almost at the end of the first month in 2022. Time really is a cruel mistress. Almost a 12th of the year gone already, and I am still trying to wrap my head around the goals I would like to accomplish by the end of 2022. After the leap of faith that I took last year in starting this project, the determination in growing this blog to be the biggest and best it can possibly be still burns brighter than ever. Alongside Dave Says, I have some other goals and aspirations of my own that I would like to share a bit about with you all so that I can manifest them into existence (or so that if I achieve absolutely none of these things you can all hold me accountable).
I suppose it isn’t much of a secret that I enjoy reading. Admittedly I haven’t been reading anywhere near as much as I would like to, despite having multiple books staked on top of each other, desperate for me to wipe the dust that has started to settle on them. Something I have thought about for a long time is how cool it would be for me to have my very own book on the shelves. Something with my name and my personality stamped all over it that I can show to my kids one day. I have begun the long process of crafting a collection of short stories that I hope one day can be published. I dabbled in crafting short stories throughout college and university, with my final year project at university being a collection and analysis of some creative writing I did centred around cancel culture and identity construction/destruction online. I thoroughly enjoyed writing these stories and I met some really cool people on my course that only fuelled my desire to write bigger and better. I picked up a lot of tips from these incredibly talented people, as I always felt that whilst I was quite good at description and character introductions and intentions, my structure and pacing always let me down in terms of delivering that hard hitting moment, or that euphoric and cathartic release of emotion. Recognising these weaknesses and an emphasis on trying to better myself on these flaws will only make me a better writer, which will need to happen fast if I am to put myself up to such a monumental task in releasing a collection of work.
My collection of stories I am currently thinking would revolve around the displacement for many around the ages of early twenties when it seems that so many people are in vastly different situations, which is heightened especially with the prominence of social media. I would like to use these stories to remind people that you don’t need to compare yourself to other people, that your journey through this confusing world is yours and yours alone, so do what makes you happy and what makes sense for you. The stories would range from explorations with anxiety and pressure, to more relaxed stories about the simplicities of chilling out and shutting off from the outside world. I am hoping to write around 10 stories varying in lengths. A collection of short stories that I picked up a while ago that has been very inspirational in not only the style but content that I strive for is George Saunders and his wonderful ‘Tenth of December’. I picked this up as part of my previously mentioned final year project at university as it fitted with my theme perfectly and allowed me to look at how short stories are beautifully crafted. I suppose my goal is to produce some work that either can help people rationalise their situations or help them shut off for even just a few hours.
I am still in the process of deciding the names and premises of each short story, with a few that I am happy with under my belt so far. On top of this, I need to whittle down a long list of names that are in contention for the name of the entire collection. Something that truly encapsules the confusion as well as the beauty of being in your late teens/early twenties, and how it can shape you as a person. If I can get even close to having a complete collection and a reasonable idea on how to get it published, I would be more than happy with that come the end of 2022.
Comments