Caution: Excitement ahead!
I write stuff. It’s less of a hobby for me than it is a compulsion. I’d like to write more exciting stories about the things I actually read (you know, stuff about people getting kicked in the head), but that’s not something I can seem to do with any sort of conviction. I write about people and their relationships with each other and themselves. I write about how some people just don’t seem make any sense. I write about mistakes and bad decisions and their consequences. I write the songs of love and special things*.
In 1999, a scruffy, confused, somewhat heartbroken, Irish American young man who had recently relocated to New York City to revive himself from to the soul-sucking doldrums he’d made of his life wrote a short story about a scruffy, confused, somewhat heartbroken Irish American young man who had recently relocated to New York City to revive himself from to the soul-sucking doldrums he’d made of his life. Ten years later that same Irish American man--not as young, not as confused, not as heartbroken, but still scruffy--took a second look at the material, using the insights he’s picked up after ten years of some pretty exciting living. What you’re about to see is that second look.
Starting Monday, September 14, I am going to begin posting a story entitled "Week in the Head." It consists of fourteen sections about three to five pages apiece, and links to character illustrations. I will post two sections a week - on Monday and on Thursday, and then I’ll be removing each section from my journal after it’s been posted for four weeks, but fear not!; they will be archived at the "official" story page, where you can catch up if you have fallen behind or have come in late, or if you want to read the whole thing in one go (I do not recommend this, by the way, because it’s lengthy). I welcome you to leave me comments at any of the websites the pages might appear (i.e. livejournal, dreamwidth, facebook, the archive, etc.), but I ask that you put your name on them so I know who you are. Also, if you think that someone you know might like to read this thing, please, please pass it on. I, like everyone here in Web 2.0-land, loves attention.
Now for an important series of DISCLAIMERS:
The work you are about to see features adult themes. If you are upset by harsh language, drug and alcohol abuse, sex, or untreated psychological disorders, then this is not the work for you. If you are upset by these things and you take a look anyway, please don’t complain to me if you don’t like what you see.
The circumstances contained therein are vaguely autobiographical, and the characters even more vaguely so. Many names, especially surnames, I made up on the fly, pulling them out of the ether-the ether being my long-term memory. There is rarely, if ever, a correlation between a name contained herein and the character. If you find it offensive, please let me know in the nicest way possible, and I’ll fix it.
Any parental characters contained herein are not, I repeat not representative of my parents, so please don’t ask me about it.
I’ll see you on Monday, and I hope you stick with me for the ride.
* Come to think of it, that last one is actually what Barry Manilow does. I’m not sure how that got in here.