OCT. 21, 2018

Taking stock of my writing this weekend, I’m happy to report that I have 3 separate books on the go at the moment.

The first and most complete is my ‘Virtus’ project, which has really been in the works for a 10 or so years now.  Through my marriage and after its dissolution, I had been writing stories about the subject of gender issues, mostly from the viewpoint of men.  I wanted to explore the true meaning of the Virtuous Man while examining our failings in becoming one. I’d been writing about fathers, husbands, sons, divorcees, brothers and bros, accidentally at first, but later, when sensing the theme, filling in the gaps to complete a composite collection of 15 stories.  I’m in the editing/reading stage now but soon I’ll be sending out queries to publishers to have it moved to production and publication. To me, it seems inevitable.

Then there is my ‘Holophrasis’ project.  There is a lovely book out there called the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig.  He takes some human conditions and gives them definitions in lovely poetic language. He has even created his own words to fit certain concepts and all of it comes across as a lovely enrichment of language and experience.  Using some of Koenig’s concepts and definitions as writing prompts, I’ve created a few stories that I think have much of the same beauty and profundity. Most are flash fictions with a word count of 1000 or less, though some exceed that count but still fit with the concept I want to achieve.  Each story starts with the single word as its title, and ends with the definition of the word, which I feel encapsulates the whole experience of reading. I have called it Holophrasis, since its definition is “the expression of a whole phrase in a single word.”, which I feel expresses the whole concept nicely.  I have seven stories completed so far, with about five in different stages of development right now. I’m considering self-publishing this book, maybe with some special bookbinding ideas with Jack Pine Press and some bookbinders I know.

Lastly is a collection of short stories I am building that all have a common thread, following the chronicles of a grassroots rock band of middle aged musicians that play the northern circuit of the Canadian bar scene. Inspired by the Tragically Hip, the Rheostatics and Paul Langlois’ band of bros, The Campfire Liars Club, ‘The Conifers’ is really a vehicle for different commentaries on the issues that Canada and The North faces, such as racism, cultural and ethnic diversity, unity and truth/reconciliation with indigenous peoples as well as the individual personal issues of the band members, such as fatherhood, addiction, marital strife, aging, obsolescence, touring and other middle-age crises that travelling musicians over 40 experience.  I’m 3 stories in already, with with several frameworks set up, as well as lots of concepts forming as I go. I plan to do some travelling and a lot of talking with people from the North from different walks of life to get an accurate portrayal for this book. It’s another concept that I feel really good about and look forward to working towards its completion.

I know what a blessing it is to be creative and prolific.  It’s a delicious feeling to be inspired, to feel the push and pull of a piece of work demanding to be made.  Anyone that knows me knows that when I’m like this, it’s hard to get me to emerge from my hermetic sphere. I would rather write than go out and socially engage, I would rather write than go out and have a healthy walk or bike ride.  Truth be told, I would rather write than go out and earn a real living. It’s actually something from which I have to extricate myself and even that takes careful planning. But I’m doing something I love with an energy that can fade at any time, so I take advantage of its presence to its greatest capacity.  I’m grateful for it.