Friday, April 27, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Editor Introduction
Introduction
The pieces of writing that follow this introduction are a collection of short stories that have not been previously published. Most of them, prior to making this book, were not even typed up. They were scattered about my bedroom, written down on little bits of scrap paper. They did not even have titles. I had to title them for this book, and for some of them I was rather reluctant about it. They come to you, the reader, in a form that is barely finished and are not deserving of titles. If you enjoy them, good; if you do not enjoy them then know that I, the author, have a hard time being satisfied with my work and are often reworking them.
I am a modest writer with modest talents. I like to think that some of my material is good, but I say, without modesty, that most of it is pretty awful. I have only chosen five stories, of varying length, for this collection. They are not my best, but are my most complete. The stories that I consider to be my best work do not actually have endings and it would be silly to include them. I would like to include them, but I just did not have the time to finish them properly before this book was set to be printed.
For example, my favorite story, of my own, is a little tale about a high school marching band. The story takes place in one evening during a high school football game. It follows two main characters, a senior member of the band and his mother, who is the president of the band-parent organization. There is plenty of room to incorporate the story into this collection but I just cannot figure out how to end it. I want it to have a big bang of an ending, which is something I am not good at, but as of now it sort of ends without any major incident. Even though most of the stories included are not technically finished, I do not want to include this particular story unfinished because I feel that when it is done it will be something very good. It could quite possibly end up being the best thing I have written. So I don’t want to print it prematurely.
But the selections, to get on with what is included, are not pulled together by a common theme, nor do they seek to enlighten the reader (though the last selection does have a message). They are simply stories written for entertainment value and, except for the last one, have no hidden motives. They were fun to write and are fun to read, hopefully. This is not a book for young readers because some of the content is adult oriented. Even though the first piece of writing, Mr. Fig, has every appearance of a children’s story (the main characters are two young boys and a pig that may or may not be able to speak), it is not. While the story is very PG, if rated, the ending would surely confuse a child.
The second selection, The Broken Sword of Hope, is something I wrote many years ago as a child, which can be seen in the writing. I tried to update it to make it seem like I wrote it recently, but I’m pretty sure I failed. It is a fantasy because at the time I wrote it I was heavily into knights and stories about quests. I was reading a lot of Le Morte D’Arthur and The Lord of the Rings when I was young. My own rendition of the quest is a parody. I always thought the knight errant was a bit silly and that is expressed in my story. It could be a lot better, and it is a pity I did not have more time to clean it up.
The two stories that follow The Broken Sword are the reason no child should read this book. The content is very adult. The first one, The Quick Step, is silly and obscene, and should not be read if you just ate. Some people might consider this story juvenile, and, well, it is. The story that follows, Wendy, is not silly or juvenile, but should still be kept out of the reach of children because it includes a rather graphic sex scene. It is a short piece about a failing marriage and how desperate the wife is to get pregnant.
The last story included, Sunday School, is the best of the selected stories. The writing is better, the story is better, and it even seeks to express a message with a personal point of view (though I do not come right out and say it). It is the shortest piece in this selection of writings, but it is the one I worked the most on. Also, it is the only one that I really put my own personal feelings into. It’s the only one that holds real meaning for me, so it is probably the one that readers will be able to connect with, or relate to. Because it is the best, I had played with the idea of making it the first story, but because I want to end on a high note, it is the last.
I hope you like this book despite the sloppy structure that makes up most of the stories. There is no use beating around the bush, these stories were more or less thrown together at last minute. But, regardless, I enjoyed writing them and I am pretty sure you will enjoy reading them. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I say that you will not be bored. So read on and enjoy.
The pieces of writing that follow this introduction are a collection of short stories that have not been previously published. Most of them, prior to making this book, were not even typed up. They were scattered about my bedroom, written down on little bits of scrap paper. They did not even have titles. I had to title them for this book, and for some of them I was rather reluctant about it. They come to you, the reader, in a form that is barely finished and are not deserving of titles. If you enjoy them, good; if you do not enjoy them then know that I, the author, have a hard time being satisfied with my work and are often reworking them.
I am a modest writer with modest talents. I like to think that some of my material is good, but I say, without modesty, that most of it is pretty awful. I have only chosen five stories, of varying length, for this collection. They are not my best, but are my most complete. The stories that I consider to be my best work do not actually have endings and it would be silly to include them. I would like to include them, but I just did not have the time to finish them properly before this book was set to be printed.
For example, my favorite story, of my own, is a little tale about a high school marching band. The story takes place in one evening during a high school football game. It follows two main characters, a senior member of the band and his mother, who is the president of the band-parent organization. There is plenty of room to incorporate the story into this collection but I just cannot figure out how to end it. I want it to have a big bang of an ending, which is something I am not good at, but as of now it sort of ends without any major incident. Even though most of the stories included are not technically finished, I do not want to include this particular story unfinished because I feel that when it is done it will be something very good. It could quite possibly end up being the best thing I have written. So I don’t want to print it prematurely.
But the selections, to get on with what is included, are not pulled together by a common theme, nor do they seek to enlighten the reader (though the last selection does have a message). They are simply stories written for entertainment value and, except for the last one, have no hidden motives. They were fun to write and are fun to read, hopefully. This is not a book for young readers because some of the content is adult oriented. Even though the first piece of writing, Mr. Fig, has every appearance of a children’s story (the main characters are two young boys and a pig that may or may not be able to speak), it is not. While the story is very PG, if rated, the ending would surely confuse a child.
The second selection, The Broken Sword of Hope, is something I wrote many years ago as a child, which can be seen in the writing. I tried to update it to make it seem like I wrote it recently, but I’m pretty sure I failed. It is a fantasy because at the time I wrote it I was heavily into knights and stories about quests. I was reading a lot of Le Morte D’Arthur and The Lord of the Rings when I was young. My own rendition of the quest is a parody. I always thought the knight errant was a bit silly and that is expressed in my story. It could be a lot better, and it is a pity I did not have more time to clean it up.
The two stories that follow The Broken Sword are the reason no child should read this book. The content is very adult. The first one, The Quick Step, is silly and obscene, and should not be read if you just ate. Some people might consider this story juvenile, and, well, it is. The story that follows, Wendy, is not silly or juvenile, but should still be kept out of the reach of children because it includes a rather graphic sex scene. It is a short piece about a failing marriage and how desperate the wife is to get pregnant.
The last story included, Sunday School, is the best of the selected stories. The writing is better, the story is better, and it even seeks to express a message with a personal point of view (though I do not come right out and say it). It is the shortest piece in this selection of writings, but it is the one I worked the most on. Also, it is the only one that I really put my own personal feelings into. It’s the only one that holds real meaning for me, so it is probably the one that readers will be able to connect with, or relate to. Because it is the best, I had played with the idea of making it the first story, but because I want to end on a high note, it is the last.
I hope you like this book despite the sloppy structure that makes up most of the stories. There is no use beating around the bush, these stories were more or less thrown together at last minute. But, regardless, I enjoyed writing them and I am pretty sure you will enjoy reading them. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I say that you will not be bored. So read on and enjoy.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Photo Gallery
Bonnaroo 2004
My Photo Gallery is Called Picture from Bonnaroo 2004. Bonnaroo is a music festival I attended in the summer of '04. It was a good time and these are pictures from that weekend.
My Photo Gallery is Called Picture from Bonnaroo 2004. Bonnaroo is a music festival I attended in the summer of '04. It was a good time and these are pictures from that weekend.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
