January 2024 Notes

A Month in Review

January 2024 is over and we are moving right along in February.

Let’s jump in.

Writing in January:

Last month I published four stories, including the results of a brief experiment with drabbles (100-word stories). You can read them below:

The Morning After Midnight, a 100-word story originally published in the Soaring Twenties Journal.

The Morning After Midnight

Hot Blooded, a cautionary tale of sex and greed published in Pulp, Pipe, & Poetry Magazine.

Hot Blooded

Stone Cold, a 100-word story inspired by Mort Künstler's painting, “The Hunter Becomes the Hunted”. Published in Pulp, Pipe, & Poetry Magazine.

Stone Cold

Forever Young, a 100-word story inspired by the Fabian Perez painting, “Marmol Negro II”.

author

Frank Theodat on Instagram: “At the bar, embraced by smoke and music, she sat alone, shot glass in hand, sipping slowly and swallowing hard. “Alone, tonight?” a voice came from behind. Deep and smooth. She gave a fake, half-smile and raised her empty glass, ignoring the new arrival. The fat bartender, grabbing a bottle, laughed in embarrassment. “Move on, buddy.” The man walked off. “Don’t these guys know?” asked the bartender. “Not a shot—” “I know,” she sighed. “Not a shot in Hell.” He poured another drink. She’d need it now as a regular in this forever, smoky lounge. Yes, she was alone. Eternally. A 100-word short story inspired by the Fabian Perez painting, “Marmol Negro II” .
.
.
.
.
.
#100wordstory #drabble #artinspiredstories
#tinystories #shortstories #art”

February 5, 2024

Reading in January:

Slower reading last month but we carry on. I’ve made a note to myself to go back to last year’s reading list and study the stories I gave a five-star rating. My goal this year is to expand the range of reading material to include short stories, novels, novellas, comic books, and poetry.

Short Stories:

All the Myriad Ways - Larry Niven (3/5)

The Death of Doctor Island - Gene Wolfe (3/5)

Novels/Novellas:

Mister Tidwell, Gunner - L. Ron Hubbard (3/5)

The Big Jump - Leigh Brackett (4/5)

Comics:

The Old Guard, Vol. 1 - Greg Rucker (2/5)

Descender, Vol. 1 - Jeff Lemire (4/5)

I’ve readjusted some of the more - ahem - ambitious goals I set for this year and dropped them down a bit. I still plan to stretch myself with at least 100 short stories written and published in 2024. I’ve done the math and I believe I can reach that target. Not too ambitious, I don’t think!

Something I don’t often do with my own life is reflect on the past. Back in my high school and college days, I used to watch the show Mad Men. Quiet religiously.

In an early episode of season one, Don Draper, a man running away from his past, says this line: “I have a life and it only goes in one direction. Forward.”

Now Don is a shady character with hardly any principles and extremely loose morals, but that line stuck with me. During my twenties especially, I was quite determined to never spend time looking at my past, always moving forward. There was very little point in it, I thought.

However, I’ve come to appreciate looking back now and then, especially when it comes to my learning of storytelling craft. From 2020 onward, I’ve learned a lot and, more importantly, met a ton of great men and women who’ve had a life-changing impact on me and informed my writing. These little recap notes every month or so help ground me to showcase the progress I’ve made over the years.

Looking back, I’m proud of the amount of practice and writing I’ve been able to achieve. Though I still have much to learn, and there have been many road bumps and setbacks, I’m grateful for making it this far.

For any writer just starting out or any seasoned pro who is interested in discussing storytelling craft, feel free to reach out. I love talking shop and always want to learn something new.

Until next time.