The two pieces of advice that I end up giving everyone is (1) you have to make time to consistently write and (2) you should be reading other books if you want to write a book of your own. Since I’ve had so many life changes over the past five years doing both without feeling distracted has been difficult, but I think I managed pretty well. Instead of writing every day, which was my habit, I’d write a few days a week or simply write in class with my students. I realized how important it was to tell people that you may not be able to write every day, but there are people who write every weekend, every night after their children are in bed, an hour every morning before they go to work. Writing, in this sense, is a discipline.
I promised myself that this summer that I would write every day. I would make the time to follow my own advice, so as a result, expect to see more writing here, and in other venues. I’m working on several projects, including writing some short prose pieces and co-editing Bop, Strut, & Dance: A Post-Blues Form for New Generations with Afaa M. Weaver.
After a difficult spring, I am dusting myself off and using the laptop for more than short runs. Like resolutions, promises don’t mean much unless we follow through on them. In the meantime, I will be posting short entries here more regularly.
If there’s a short story that you like, please share it as a comment below. I’ve been reading The Collected Short Stories of Lydia Davis and rereading Points of View edited by James Moffett and Kenneth R. McElheny.
