Scribble

I’m passionate about books; I love to read them, and – one day soon – I would love to write them. I read like a ravished squirrel foraging food in an endless forest. My challenge is to be more discerning when endless material is available: books, websites, social media, news feeds, headlines. Infinite choices lead to information bloat – stories of good things, bad things, all things: success-related, fear-related, sensational, news-worthy, trashy, gossipy, and the like. I’d like to change that – to add, not subtract from the literary world.

I want to create fiction that inspires readers. I love to write laugh-out-loud accounts on a stress-filled day. I aspire to pen novels for entertainment. Be they children’s fables, fairytale legends, love-triangled sagas, unscrupulous relations, stories that readers gobble up – I want to write it. In street slang, I want to be book crack. So don’t put me down, turn my page, dive into my literary ocean, and get lost in my adventure.

When selecting a book on my iPad, a virtual bidding war begins where writers vie for my attention. Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Henry Miller, Mary Shelley, and Jane Austin flash their paddles at me à la Christies. I am their Van Gogh painting, and they are my ultra-rich collectors.

“Me, me, me and Carrie, Cujo and It– we want you!” yells Stephen.

“NO, me,” admonishes Ray placing the Illustrated Man in my face.

“Forget you both; she wants ME; my story is salacious!” challenges Henry.

“Please, she wants horror, mystery, intrigue.” Shelley flashes me a cover of Frankenstein.

“She wants Mr. Darcy, you ignorant fools!” Jane finalizes with raised eyebrows and a smug smile.

No, fantasy, sci-fi, fiction, horror, and Victorian romance novels can wait. Instead, it’s biographies that fangirl me by the hundreds — in my virtual library, the biography aisle runs forever to the ends of the Earth.

The truth is I enjoy success stories. They teach me valuable lessons:

• Begin at any age, remember Colonel Sanders. He began Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) at age sixty-five with a chicken recipe. He opened his first restaurant in 1952. He later closed it to start franchising his restaurant chain. By 90, he amassed 10M dollars.
• Reach for the stars; consider Oprah. This Mississippi beauty started her news anchor career at nineteen in Nashville. Later she became a renowned Chicago talk show host and ran a nationally syndicated show for 25 years. She built a media empire and became the first black multi-billionaire in North America.
• Ambition fuels productivity, think David Bowie. Thank you, Mr. Snow, for your help. Yes, coke was his friend, but his ambition drove his creativity and his productivity. The singer-songwriter’s discography is mind-boggling. Totals include 128 singles, four soundtracks, 12 box sets, 27 studio albums, 21 live albums, 46 compilations, and ten extended plays. I describe his music career only. He acted in his 13 films and made cameos on numerous TV shows.

These accounts fill me with hope and wonder:

• Frank Sinatra still is the man. His affiliation with the mob made him the edgy man we admire today. His torch songs, meant for Ava Gardner, continue to be all-time classics.
• Jim Morrison lives in our hearts. He graduated from UCLA film school, and his songs carry us to unknown places. The Lizard King’s offbeat style of poetry led to a successful songwriting career.
• Elton John’s philanthropy is inspiring. He withdrew from the Royal Academy of Music at age 17 to begin his epic music career. Elton’s AIDS Foundation supplies necessary funding to partner programs. Their focus is on HIV/AIDS research, educating the public about prevention, and helping communities by providing essential resources.

Sometimes it’s biography. Sometimes it’s memoir:

• Augusten Burroughs, I adore you. His offbeat brand of familial humor is crazy funny. One novel became a screenplay and then made into a movie, Running with Scissors.
• Lena Dunham is my superhero. She is both a fantastic writer and a daring actor. Judd Apatow discovered her form of literary genius and produced her show, GIRLS, for HBO.
• Sarah Silverman’s tasteless humor is colorful. Her songs are funny, think Portlandia, while her racy style of humor is honesty meets debauchery.
• Margret Cho is my all-time favorite comedian. This racy, socially conscious boundary-pushing comedian writes thought-provoking content. Please put her on the almighty hundred-dollar bill, for goddess’s sake. Writer, comedian, a woman with razor-sharp wit, her directness goes THERE – that uncomfortable place that people find taboo. Love, love, love eternal.

As a reader …

• Sometimes I watch these figures from the aisles seeing their lives unfold. Reading their story is akin to painfully watching a beautifully raw moving performance.
• Sometimes I am there in the room as they spill their guts. Witnessing their truth is authentic, all the while encouraging.
• Sometimes I am a sister cheering them in the audience. Support comes in all shapes and sizes – and shows up at the most unexpected moments.
• Sometimes I’d love to walk in their shoes. Oh, how great it would be to experience someone else’s life, even for just one day.

What’s my passion these days?

I want to be a full-time novelist like Stephen King (f*cking Rockstar). He’s impressive, with 62 plus books written, 200 short stories published, and 60 books made into movies. In addition, he’s sold more than 350 million copies — mad genius.

I want to write like David Sedaris (NPR’s Chosen One). He is my all-time favorite humorous memoir writer. He lives a charmed life now. His style is a byproduct of his life experiences that both shaped his writing and sharpened his wit. As a result, his stories can be both happy and sad, funny and bittersweet.

So, let’s redirect.

Reading for leisure is indulgent. Writing for a living is my hope.

• I daydream about the perfect writing life. I peck away every day like a woodpecker. I put in my eight hours of perfectly crafted words on a virtual starchy white sheet of paper. Love it. Dream it. See it. Be it.
• I enjoy writing when I awaken and have a great idea. Sometimes, the ideas are available after I’ve slept on them.
• Whittle and polish a small twig of an idea. Wait, the piece starts like this, but wait, NO, it ends like that. Genius!
• Subtract away from a marble sculpture. This bit works, but something less in this paragraph.
• I rework a story and try to weave together all the parts. Create a beautiful arrangement by moving the pieces until everything fits.
• I rework the narrative. This beginning is agreeable, but I can do better.
• I reposition the words until they feel right. There are one hundred ways to make a perfect sentence.
• I scrub the paragraphs clean until the message becomes less muddy and clear. Yes, but what am I trying to say here?
• I reread it, again and again, ad nauseum. The more I look, the more I see until I become happy with the results.
• It’s fun, like a giant puzzle. Word position, storyline, moving paragraphs, and inserting details are part of the process.
• My favorites are dialogue. Tell a story with conversation. Don’t spill the details in the narrative. What’s the rule: show, don’t tell.
• Character development is another gem. Word by word, I create a character. Then, it’s exciting to reveal their details, their backstory.
• The plot unfolds little by little. The plot starts with just a sentence. Sometimes, I often don’t know where the story will go.
• New characters begin in my imagination. A new character originates in my world, and I cannot disappoint by leaving him hanging in the outfield. He looks at me until I describe his next step, his next word, his importance in the larger scheme of things.
• I love being in the flow. Where does the inspiration originate – is it above, out there, somewhere? So often, it feels like I can’t type the words out fast enough. But, other times, my imagination takes on a life of its own. The story lies in me, and it’s my job to let it out.

Here is the truth.

I’ve had tons of jobs. Professional ones. Side hustles. Part-timers. Time fillers. Temporary. Server. Bartender. Sales. Cashier. Dogwalker. It’s the experiences that prove to be fodder for writing. The conversational bits I overhear. People’s food choices I see while waiting in line. The homeless person I pass. I get a glimpse of them, and they become something to start with, an idea, a crumb, a stone that turns into a rolling rock – then, a landslide.

So yeah, writing is my passion – è la mia passione.

I spent five years in publishing. I’ve published ten stories on Vocal.com, and I’m building a following bit by bit. I placed third in a contest and started writing two months ago. I am a speed reader, a benefit from working at a pub house. I enjoy reading because it reminds me of my mom, my favorite prolific reader. I finish one book a day, maybe every two days if I’m busy. Warning: bragasaurus sighting.

It’s true. Read more, write better.

I’d love to find an agent.

Short stories are my jam right now. One down, another is in the works concurrently while I scribble away at this piece.

I am entering every contest known to (hu)man.

Every day I hope to fatten my fan base. I’d love to increase my audience and to have consistent reoccurring revenue with the membership software, Memberful. It’s an ingenious way to further my reach and give my subscribers fresh-baked handspun content. I have lots to say, and I’m willing to do the work because, in the end, everything is possible.

*** Enjoy reading my stories on Vocal? Please consider leaving me a tip so that ideas can come to me more easily. I love the idea of bringing you enjoyment. ****