Writer’s Block
I love dachshunds. Especially this one. I just spent nearly four hours writing;
two of them were productive. The rest of the time I was chasing my
tail.
“Manatee Gardens” on LgbtSr.org
OUTER VOICES INNER LIVES, edited my Mark McNease and Stephen Dolainski, is a captivating anthology of short stories by LGBT writers over fifty. My story “Manatee Gardens” is included in this collection and appears today in lgbtSr.org.
Many thanks to Mark for the good work he does for our community as well as his continuing support of my work. For those interested in first-rate mysteries and short fiction, please check out Mark’s Amazon page.
Bethany Pope Reviews AMONG ANIMALS
Many thanks to Bethany Pope for this thoughtful and compelling review of AMONG ANIMALS in the Sabotage Review. AMONG ANIMALS is an anthology of stories published by Ashland Creek Press, a company devoted to protecting wildlife and increasing ecological awareness. My story “Greyhound,” part of this collection, is featured in this review.
Author Q&A at LgbtSr.org
Once again, I am indebted to editor Mark McNease for publishing this author Q&A on lgbtSr.org. In this post we discuss the origins of some of the stories in SURVIVAL SKILLS, and we take a look at the writing process, the necessity of writing, and the importance of staying on course despite discourage.
When Whales Breach
My nephew recently visited Hawaii and sent me this glorious photo. It’s the perfect accompaniment to my story “Breach.”
“And then, off to the right, an enormous whale surged out of sea, all the way, the ocean pouring off its body, its great fins and belly white against the blue sky. In the instant that it hung in their world, this magnificent, improbable beast, Amy threw her arms up and whooped, as they all did—they could not help themselves, as if whatever ecstasy that sent this creature out of sea had rushed into them, and when the whale fell back, in a tremendous splash, they felt in their own bodies the sound of its weight.
…It must have felt wonderful, that instant of dominion, that pause between the rising and the falling. There was no other way to account for the effort.”
The Writer’s High
I have finished writing another short story. The world is not waiting for this story, I do not anticipate payment (certainly nothing commensurate with the effort), and readership will likely be modest, assuming I find a publisher. Still, I am elated.
Why? If not for payment or acclaim, why do we write? What sustains us? What accounts for the gratification?
It is not hope. When we are fully engaged in our writing, what time is there for hope? What use is hope?
Nor is it pride. While we may be pleased with our stamina and resolve, we know that our talent will always fall short of our vision, and we accept this. We write anyway.
Spiritual leaders teach us that pleasure dependent on nothing is the only pleasure that lasts. I think our writerly thrill comes from this mysterious, inviolable place, beyond the reach of fame and fortune and everything else that comes and goes. This is the answer to our effort, this very private bliss. For as long as we live, for as long as we write, we have access to it.
I once attended an excellent reading by a famous author. Afterward, someone in the audience asked this woman if she had a blog. The author said no, explaining that she had made a promise to herself to never write anything for free. You have to admire that kind of integrity, but I wonder: How can she resist?
A Walk in the Park
My thanks to the editors at Digital Papercut for publishing my work. In “A Walk in the Park” a woman with some devastating secrets finds herself in a perilous spot.
Jean Ryan 