August 2024 Stack Talk

What came, is, and shall be

Photo by Aleksandr Eremin on Unsplash

For my regular readers it is apparent that I rarely step outside the realms of some kind of fiction- only an occasional essay or memoir-ish piece challenges this habit. I do not apologize for my love of fiction but offer cautionary advice - do not come to this place for a dose of reality or for any sort of suggestions to improve yourself or your life; it is not that I find non-fiction unappealing or self-improvement wrong - it is that I am not really very good at either! But for those of you who enjoy forays into the weird, fanciful and sometimes humorous worlds of imagination and playing with words (wyrdplay, right?!) - let’s continue our trek together.

FICTION CONNECTIONS

A shout out to the wonderful fiction niche groups I have found here - if anyone has not checked these out yet, here is a quick list of the ones I am aware of and I keep discovering new ones daily:

• Macabre Monday

• Anything featured for Tuesdays?

• Warrior Wednesday with The Brothers Krynn

• Thorny Thursday with Kathrine Elaine

• Sci-Fi Friday with Andrew Smith

• Sword Saturday with The Brothers Krynn

• Funny Sunday with Addam Ledamyen

• Microdosing with Miguel S.

• Connecting Readers to Writers with A Literary Eye - A collection of great resources for writers by A.C. Cargill, Author.

• Top In Fiction with Erica Drayton - I love it that the fiction community on Substack is finding ways to make it easier for readers and writers to find the great fiction on this platform.

COMING SOON…

4 August Stack Talk is here! See you again 1 September.

11 August “Sometimes Things Sneak up on You” Short story fictional piece, maybe it’s a horror story (Macabre Monday) but also a psychodrama. I was reading this article in Psychology Today by Steven Stosny, Ph.D., entitled, “Therapist, Heal Thyself!” which I am guessing is a play on Luke 4:23, ‘Physician, heal thyself’ though he didn’t allude to any biblical inspiration. It was a generally good article, but mostly it got me thinking about the proposition that one, anyone really, can heal themselves. Of course, your body and mind can handle healing some minor stuff, but deep hurts with acting out, addictions, self-destructive and anti-social behavior are like bleeding wounds that cannot heal on their own. If Lincoln was right, “The man who represents himself has a fool for a client.”, I cannot but wonder whether outside agents aren’t always a necessary component for any self-work, physical/mental/spiritual healing (certainly, there is the question of objectivity which we rarely can apply to ourselves, right?). Anyway, my main reason is not to argue the efficacy of therapists healing themselves, but to explain how my story came to be. Faye (a therapist) thinks she can medice, cura te ipsum, and it takes a spider to uncover the error of her ways…though she has a certain amount of conceit, hubris, whatever you want to call it that causes her…. oops, I don’t want to spoil the ending!

18 August “The Lost and the Veil” Part One of Three. I was encouraged to try fantasy writing by The Brothers Krynn and it has been wonderful experience! Yet, I fear my first-time effort breaks some rules of this genre and I am not sure what rules may be hard and fast and what may be more flexible. Since it is my first attempt at writing fantasy (I do occasionally dabble in sci-fi), I invite other fantasy writers to offer helpful comments which I will happily consider implementing. Maybe because I am working on a novel that seems to defy being placed in a particular category of fiction, I cannot help but drift out of prescribed structures for my shorts; I fear rule-breaking might be ingrained in me! But I do understand the necessity for rules: I am reading a fairly well-known horror writer now that used the term “ripped off” in an 1800’s setting that kind of bothered me. Some rules need to be in place for the integrity of the piece…but I am apparently incapable of seeing if I have seriously transgressed. Anyway, I invite your comments - this fantasy was an incredibly fun thing to write, and its theme was inspired after reading and researching Geraldine A. V. Hughes’s piece on THEALOGY - yep, that’s right, I didn’t mis-spell.

25 August “Deja Vu” is an essay that originally began with a prompt from one of Beth Kempton’s online writing communities but took on a life of its own as these things often do. I have noticed recurring themes in much of my writing as I have with most writers I like. Sometimes the overriding or underlying theme (it’s a lot more fun when it is not so obvious and the reader must discover it) is so well-hidden it is difficult to ferret out, but eventually there is an ah-ha moment, where I feel a deep kinship with the writer and their chosen theme or realize that we may be from different planets. No matter what I seem to write, I too have an underlying and recurring theme which I think my loyal readers must find interesting (we are likely from the same planet :)). I am thankful for those who read, are amused and who continue to like, restack and comment. I believe I prefer one comment from an engaged reader more than 100 likes (not that I have ever experienced 100 likes) but I have had many thought-provoking and heartfelt comments which mean the world to me - thank you!

SUBSTACK FAVORITES & DISCOVERIES

What was once a favorite are still favorites, but I have dropped the descriptors on ones heretofore mentioned - short blurbs for new discoveries each month. Now that I think of it, though this looks like a typical “favorites” list, I am most excited about the moment I discovered these jewels and count myself lucky to have done so - on a platform that features so many writers daily, hourly, one cannot possibly find and read them all.

• The Starfire Codes

• Kent Peterson

• Geraldine A. V. Hughes

• Beth Kempton

• Charlotte Pendragon

• Neil Shooter

• Andy Adams

• Ken Flyingheart - A rare talent with stories that can take you anywhere he wants to travel - he is the little kid you used to play with who always came up with the best games, ideas and things to do - you would basically follow them anywhere…even if it was out of the yard, down the street and through the woods your mom told you to stay out of! Creative, engaging, endearing in his honesty and self-deprecation - always thought-provoking.

• The Brothers Krynn - Prolific writers with an overabundance of imagination (my grandmother swore this was an affliction - I do not hold with this view). Their movie and book reviews are detailed and amazing, often sending me back to rewatch a film or re-read with a better eye. As a child I loved the Brothers Grimm (another questionable source of imagination and adventure my grandmother found suspect). The Krynn’s name, in the same vein of the Grimm’s, reignites the fun, magic and adventure I experienced as a child - Hans Christian Anderson and Lewis Carrol were my other constant companions. They engage with readers on a wonderful level - not too good to chat and willing to give more than a the sometimes cursory “like”! I rarely miss reading a post (and enjoying their audio interviews too)!

Hey, Did You See That?

I wrote a short horror piece while back with a little twist at the end. Now that I re-read it, I feel like I needed to develop the woman and her marital relationship a bit better, and what about poor John who lost it and was drug off by the police before we got to know him…maybe he deserved a deeper look too. IDK, the bones are there…but I feel something’s not quite right (besides the woman that wrote it). :)

Book, Movie and Other Recommendations

“The Fearless Writer” book by Beth Kempton

“Three Body Problem” – It’s on Netflix. Great Sci Fi experience.

“Hillbilly Elegy” - Also on Netflix - a good movie to watch because he’s a Veep possibility, a great movie to watch because it rang true…I might be related to a couple of those folks - Glenn Close deserves an Oscar for her portrayal of that bad-ass Mamaw. PS - I have just heard that Vance may be “weird” - what a wonderful endorsement - I was on the fence about him, but now fully committed :P

Until next week!

“May your days be many, and your troubles be few,

May all God’s blessings descend upon you.”