My story got published.

I gone and done got my self published like a boss.  

It's funny to compare the first draft of this story to the published version.  I can only self-edit so much before I decide something is finished.  At least, I'm only motivated to self-edit so much.  Until now, most everything I've written has ended up in the metaphorical waste basket.  I was fortunate enough to have input from a few gracious writers, who are better looking and more accomplished than myself, that pushed me to make the story better.  Being good readers, they offered suggestions and encouragement that eventually worked the story to it's present form.  Maybe it could stand one more solid rewrite, I don't know.  As it is, it is published.  And that's exciting enough for the moment.

I love the process of writing fiction, though I find it emotionally exhausting.  An idea for a story might come easily enough, but meaning is much more elusive; always dancing in flickering shadows, peripheral thoughts, and lazy imagination.  Then there is the editing, the editing, the editing to make it better,  make it longer, make it shorter, make it pop, make it more subtle, make it right.  Although the effectiveness might be questionable, I'm happy that this story was able to say what I wanted it to.  

Thanks Matt, John, Courtney, and the whole Paper Darts crew!  

My story is here.

Swing State

I've always liked Matt Pond's voice.  There is something about his reedy baritone that designates a strong sadness; the voice of a survivor that must go on living after the explosion, the wreck, after losing the thing that mattered most.  I wonder if the artist whose career stems from heartbreak and loss would trade their creative production, fame, and fortune to have their heart put back together as if it were never broken.

I suppose that, with each release, Matt Pond PA sounds more redundant and tired.  This has less to do with the subject matter than it does with the execution.  The newest Matt Pond PA album, doesn't explore any new musical territory than any previous album.

This does give the band a comfortable lived-in feeling; timeless pop music with sing-along words.  But you'd have to be a dedicated fan to really put up with them for more than two or three albums.  

Still, redundancy notwithstanding, there is always one or two gems on every new release.