For the last few weeks I’ve been polishing a short story set in the 1950’s called Missing Time. It’s been, technically, one of the most complex stories I’ve ever written mainly due to a succession of flashbacks to the main character’s childhood.
When I write period pieces I like to research to make sure the details are correct. Usually I’ll tap into a variety of resources including internet searches, television, and film. If I’m lucky, I’ll even get to have conversations with people who lived in the particular era I’m writing about.
This time, I stumbled on something a little different, an app called Vintage Radio. So far I’ve listened to a few comedy shows of the era from Bing Crosby & Bob Hope, and Red Skelton.
The one takeaway I have after listening is the content was much more quick-witted, cerebral, and interesting than most contemporary comedy, at least to me. It’s also damn funny. I find myself laughing out loud at these old radio shows more than I would have imagined. The comedians of this era had to “work clean”, meaning absolutely no profanity of any kind. This forced them to be more creative in their writing and to work harder for laughs.
This got me thinking about how little I hear people telling jokes these days. Even since my childhood in the 1970’s our world has become so much more polemic, serious, and extreme in many ways.
I love my profession for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is because each and every piece of fiction I write sends me down avenues that teach me more about the world and more about myself. I’ve learned so much from every character I’ve created -- Adam Harkin (Alarm Clock Dawn), Darren (Superstition), and Micheal Callahan (TheAmericanDream.) The process is a bit like channeling or time travel because, for a split second, you’re forced to see through the characters’ eyes. Like a legion of ghosts who follow you around, a little piece of every character you create stays with you for the rest of your life.
"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." --Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
The process of writing this last short story for The New Yorker forced me to take a deep dive into the McCarthy Era. It also made me explore what it feels like to be a Baby Boomer in the twenty-first century and all of the emotions (loneliness, regret, fear, and wonder) that are sparked by it.
Even if the story is never published, I still have gained this knowledge and perspective. Maybe at some point in the future it’ll allow me to make better decisions or live my life in a more positive way?
Being a writer is tough for too many reasons to list. Although the positives of this profession are fewer in number they have so much gravity that they easily outweigh the negatives. Because of this, I intend to "stay drunk" for the rest of my life.
If the story isn’t accepted by the magazine I’ll publish it here, if they do decide to publish it I’ll be posting a link when it’s available. Either way, you'll get a chance to read it soon.
I wish you all a great week!
Eric
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
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