It’s been some time since I’ve used this header. The writing life got swept under the bed, and there it has remained. I have felt bad about this. Ironically, in getting the Bright Lights Book Project going, and keeping it going, I had forsaken my writing career.

As I said yesterday, I have very articulate friends. Hillary, Michele, Toni, Bill, Judy, they all are getting their work done.

What may have given me reason to pause is this – the majority of writers (the above are the exception) are self-absorbed assholes who are out for themselves. They would not ever consider, as I have done, giving back and finding appreciative readers for their books. This is because this would take time away from their own writing.

Alys drawing megan bacon

I may have thought similarly when I was in graduate school and working on my MFA. In fact, I’d say that I was then one of them. I most definitely would not have volunteered to save books.

I began thinking differently a few years before I took on the book project. I just didn’t want to be like those who could do nothing but talk about their own work. My sister El has a friend who is like this. He recently published his second book – I could tell it was all he wanted to talk about. El and I didn’t give him a chance to ramble on. We just kept talking about other things.

I thought, I know your type. The problem very well may be that you have nothing else to talk about. This remained a thought because I didn’t want to damage his frail psyche.

My problem, after graduate school, was that I distanced myself from other writers. I did keep working, but I lost my social connections. The loss of my three mentors didn’t help much either.

The book project has brought me full circle. For sure, I now have something to write about. And I’ve made friends who write. The poets, well, there is no hope for the poets, but I’ll continue to humor them along.

Yes, the book project work has been such that I’d been forced to put Shelf Life back on the shelf. I pulled it down off the shelf yesterday and began working on the introduction. As I’ve said repeatedly, all good writing involves problem solving, and in this particular instance the problem is that I am not sure what form Shel Life’s introduction should take. Yesterday afternoon and this morning, I hoped for the breakthrough that did not come. I may just end up figuring out what the introduction should entail in a more piecemeal fashion.

As for the rest, I have an idea, one that’s going to involve doing some radical revision. In Field of Dreams, the movie, the central character brings a ghost, J.D. Salinger, back to Iowa. Pete was the one who pointed out to me that he’s a ghost. In my case, the ghost might be one or both my parents.

My subconscious has resumed working on this book. The hours are long, and the pay is non-existent. NO matter. I’ll take what I can get.

Next: 347. 12/19/23: The Heart of Darkness