So after much hemming and hawing about whether or not to use this space to publish ramblings that fall under the umbrella of creative writing or to create an entirely new blog to suit that purpose, I’ve decided this space is as good as any (mostly because I’m lazy and pressed for time and don’t want to create a whole new blog). Once upon a time, I did submit some of these works to actual magazines and poetry journals, but again, mostly because I’m lazy, I gave up pretty quickly and the only thing that’s ever actually been published-published is a poem about Manhattan in the Metropolitan Diary section of the New York Times. I’m pretty sure real authors would rank that one step above a letter to the editor being published in the local paper, but I still have fun saying I’ve been published in the Times. And hey, as one veteran WCBS newswriter told me at the time, after I tried to dismiss it as an actual literary accomplishment, it’s The New York Times–be proud.
Image via CrunchBase
So aside from my not-so-glorious millisecond of fame, the only other time I’ve seen mybyline inprint was when I was working as a newspaper reporter. While I am quite proud of my small portfolio of clips, the world of creative writing is a whole other beast, and because I am still quite lazy about submissions (and have a terrible aversion to cover letters), I have come to the conclusion that I will be perfectly satisfied sharing my work with whoever is gracious enough to read it in this space. I’ve also decided that while I’m at it, I might transcribe some of my hand written journal entries from when I was in Iraq.
I decided I would undertake that last endeavor after recently glancing through my old journal and being amazed by some of my own thoughts and feelings which I have since tucked away and compartmentalized in order to reintegrate into the civilian world. I thought if I can be moved by my own experiences, now comfortably placed barely within reach of my own memory, then maybe I should share some of those experiences with the rest of the world. The other reason I decided I would take on that project is because ever since my mother’s house burnt down when I was 16 years old, and I lost so many treasured keepsakes along with typical old memorabilia (photo albums, year books, etc.), I have a terrible fear that I’m going to someday loose the rest of my irreplaceable sentimental objects to some other natural disaster. If I include some of those precious entries in this blog, that is one way I can make sure they are preserved should another fire, flood, or hailstorm of brimstone strike my life again.
I’m going to publish mostly old stuff I already have typed up and handy first, and I’ll get to more recent stuff and the Iraq journal entries somewhere down the road. In the meantime, I hope as old as some of this work may be, it remains relevant and speaks on some level to whoever stumbles upon it.
