Well well well! After all this time, I have returned with a new short story. But before I get into that, I thought I might, you know, blog a little bit.
2020 has been a tough year for all of us. It feels like it is constantly inventing new ways to step on our collective necks. But I don’t want you to get mad at a year. A year can’t do anything. It’s just time. Everything about it came from somewhere, and most of what is so bad about it wouldn’t be quite so fucking bad if it could be mitigated by the people whose job it is to do so.
If you are in the United States, I urge you to exercise your right to vote this November and try to get a group of Flawed But Competent Adults into a position of authority over your country, and then maybe future years won’t be as bad as they could be. I know it does not begin and end with voting, and people much better than me are finding lots and lots of better ways to contribute but voting is the absolute least you could do to make a better world. (And don’t start with me pedants – the “least you could do” isn’t nothing, because if you do nothing you aren’t doing anything to help.) From there it is up to all people to ensure the momentum continues and we demand better of the people in charge of our countries, no matter what side of the aisle they sit. We need to tear down the structures in place and build a better world. (I say that as an outsider to American politics – I’m Canadian – but as one of the 7 billion people whose lives are largely defined by what goes on in the U.S.A.)
I have been trying to measure my constant choking rage at the news (they’re killing the fucking mail now??!) by continuing to pursue my goal of writing. And while I have put some very good, in my opinion, pieces on this blog, I still want to show the world what I can do with a longer work. I have been writing fewer short works as I have spent more time working away at my longer piece.
Working on a novel-length work is a little more stressful and less satisfying at times than parceling out numerous 3000-word pieces. I don’t get to feel satisfaction at completion. I don’t get to hear feedback right away (I rarely do anyway.) And when it finally is done, I fear, I am exposing myself to a little more criticism or worse, apathy. But despite constantly questioning my work and its place in the world on Twitter, I think it is important to grow and build toward something of this magnitude.
So with all this time spent on one project, the short pieces have been slow in coming this summer. That won’t change, but every few weeks I still get some inspiration and need to change gears. Hopefully over the rest of the year you will see a few more short fics from me.
While we are on the topic of doing our best in 2020, the work may also slow down because I am working on changing my own life as I try to find a house to buy with the woman I love where we can start the next part of our journey together. This has taken some of what I usually consider to be my “writing time” but it’s a fair trade. I do miss my little slice of time but I will have it back soon enough.
Without further ado, please enjoy my new story “Cat Fisher.” It’s a story about a high school football player taking revenge on his rival, but not quite going as he planned.
Please feel free to leave a comment, send me an e-mail or follow me on Twitter (where I temper my constant nervous breakdowns with the occasional brazen insistence that I am, in fact, a very good writer.)
Above all, be kind. Thanks.
-Liam