Just finished my "Year o' Writing" -- the most epic thing I've ever done

Welcome back. Wharf!

Backstory

In the aftermath of my Dad dying I decided to do something I know he always wanted me to do: to try and write. Three hundred and sixty four days ago I began a (sacred) quest: to write the great American novel.


Main story

I told myself to write every single day, but I didn't. To wit: I didn't write the day after the election, New Year's Eve day, one day in January, nor did I write for nine weeks when I changed jobs, finding it hard to summon the energy to write anything more than songs and jokes. According to my beer-soaked calculus, I only wrote 299 days during my "year" of writing.

New paragraph...

Today I finished my seventeenth book.


Afterword

I am so damn... happy... that I tried this, and that I actually followed through on this life-long goal. I wrote my novel. I fuggin' did it.



I learned a lot about the writing process in general, but I learned more about who I am as a person --- Maybe not a great writer, but at least not a quitter.

Every leaf changes its color, and so did I.

Thank you, kindly

Good Words Bro!

17???

Damn!!!

Indeed, there was a post that you were among the missing GLPers, glad you are not!

Where does one find these writings for reading?

Backstory

In the aftermath of my Dad dying I decided to do something I know he always wanted me to do: to try and write. Three hundred and sixty four days ago I began a (sacred) quest: to write the great American novel.


Main story

I told myself to write every single day, but I didn't. To wit: I didn't write the day after the election, New Year's Eve day, one day in January, nor did I write for nine weeks when I changed jobs, finding it hard to summon the energy to write anything more than songs and jokes. According to my beer-soaked calculus, I only wrote 299 days during my "year" of writing.

New paragraph...

Today I finished my seventeenth book.


Afterword

I am so damn... happy... that I tried this, and that I actually followed through on this life-long goal. I wrote my novel. I fuggin' did it.

:johnthis:

I learned a lot about the writing process in general, but I learned more about who I am as a person --- Maybe not a great writer, but at least not a quitter.

Every leaf changes its color, and so did I.

I'll be frank with you, I don't have anything resembling a distribution network. Only about five people, including my friends and family, have expressed any interesting in reading my novels. Which is fine with me, because I write 'em for my own reasons. They're for me, mostly.

I will say that a few people on GLP have messaged me and I have sent them a book. And actually one kid at work, which was cool. I get the feeling people don't read much anymore, and it's hard to blame them.

But I will share stuff, if someone expresses an interest.

Wharf Rat's Year o' Writing oeuvre

September 2020: In Search of a Lonesome Hero (memoir)
October 2020: No Shirt, No Shoes, No Cervix (short story collection)
October 2020: Still Life with Fruits and Nuts (short story collection)
October 2020: High Up Over Kansas City (memoir)
November 2020: Str8 Eight (short story collection)
December 2020: Number All Your Graces (novel)
December 2020: That Which Does Not Kill Us (novel)
January 2021: Grapevine (novel)
February 2021: Big Fish Swim Alone (novel)
February 2021: The Old Man and the Moon (novella)
March 2021: The Great American Barbecue (novel)
March 2021: Big Spender (novella)
April 2021: Fried Chicken Diaries (memoir)
July 2021: An Office Chair and a Gentleman (novella)
August 2021: Something Done Right (novel)
September 2021: Minnesota Blues (novel)
____
September 2021: Year o' Writing Journal

What is it called?

I see a few themes here...foods and numbers and persistence! Congrats on all these achievements! While others were playing games on their phones, you actually took that spare time and fulfilled your dreams, 17 times over!!

Just like JD Salinger!

Somebody doing something ... From GLP!!!

Where is the

Pinz 4 thiz Biz???

Hey sseess!

Well, the overall project is just called Year o' Writing, but it consists of about seventeen books. I consciously tried to vary my approach with each one, but/and ended up with an entire toolkit of techniques for my troubles.

I like the question, "What is it called?" because titles have a special place in my pantheon; that is, a good title has mysterious powers. Such as making a bad piece of art better (with a great title) or good piece worse (with a stinky title). I can't explain it, but I think about this phenomenon a lot.

Nice to see you on GLP, as always!

:jimithis:

Well you know, this was more of a personal journey than anything designed to make the world a better place. I probably should have said that in the original post...

I do what I do to make my world a better place, which is pretty selfish when I stop to think about it.

But thank you just the same. Best case scenario is that a happy Wharf Rat might make the universe an infinitesimally more interesting place to exist.

And I could live with that, I suppose.

Nah, that guy was the real deal. I'm just a phony.

Just like JD Salinger!

Catcher in the Rye is such a great book


Welcome back Wharf Rat!
And Congratulations on the new book!

Good Words Bro!

Puff puff Give!!!

Somebody doing something ... From GLP!!!

Where is the

Pinz 4 thiz Biz???