The Project Begins

Alright, I’m going to concede straight-up, that my title is vague. It implies that I have a project which I intend to set in motion.

I don’t really have a project, with goals and stuff. At best I have a few pages of refill paper with hastily-scrawled words. Some of the words are in green, and I’m not sure why. 

Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. Last month I posted a piece of flash fiction; Word measured it as around 500 words, if that. I’ve always loved writing, and I’m not going to get a job too soon. It’s not because I don’t want to work: I do, I really do. Thing is, I don’t have any work experience. I began drafting out a CV to wait tables at the local restaurant, and when I got to the ‘skills’ section I blanked.

So here’s what I’m going to do: short stories. That piece of flash fiction? I have an entire page with notes on one thing, and there’s the flash fiction that I deliberately ended on a cliff hanger. I’m going to marry that story to another idea I had drifting around, develop it to be under 20,000 words – I’m told a short story spans 1,000 – 20,000 words. Then I shall publish it as an eBook.

I have two such planned. Last night I began a poem, which mutated. My poems are generally six, seven stanzas minimum. This one hit 40 lines and I began to furrow my brow, because there was still more I wanted to say, but it was practically reaching for the flash fiction title at the same time. I figured it could either be an exceptionally long poem, and not that good, or I could develop it, treat the poem as an outline, and give it the short story treatment.

Tough choices, no?

So, now you know what I’m going to do in my bid for an income. 

(In case you’re wondering, that short story was The Stranger)