Previous A too-warm tent and Harley’s revving wake me. I’m groggy but rested and pull out my phone. 7:00 AM. All at once, the night whooshes in—the texts I didn’t reply to, and Jason. I halfway expect a motionless camp, but as I unzip a small section, I see and wave to two of theContinue reading “A Broken Promise (Book Part 23)”
Tag Archives: Writing
The Knuckle Saloon (Book Part 21)
Previous Jason and I visit a t-shirt vendor outside the Easy Rider. We browse up and down rows of neatly folded t-shirts in the open air. Here or there, I pause to touch a piece of fabric or pick one up to get a closer look, but the price tag is outside of my budget,Continue reading “The Knuckle Saloon (Book Part 21)”
The Sturgis Scoop (Book Part 18)
Previous “I didn’t know there was a cost,” I say, standing on the stoop with my new biker friends, not wanting to appear ungrateful. “I’m on a road trip and staying in my car to save money. Last night, I was camping in Wyoming, and a man told me this was happening. So I –.” “Wait!Continue reading “The Sturgis Scoop (Book Part 18)”
The Longest Night (Book Part 15)
Previous Chapter 3 Therapist: Do you ever think of suicide?Me: That’s a weird question, considering I’ve never mentioned it. No, I’m too scared to do something like that.Therapist: In a way, how you’re using drugs and drinking to anesthetize yourself – not to mention the risky sex – could be looked at as a slowContinue reading “The Longest Night (Book Part 15)”
Under the Surface (Book Part 11)
Previous I walk up the sidewalk, the same one I’d mindlessly been up thousands of times. Like a dream, the familiarity and comfort splinters; I’m Alice inside the looking glass. Up is down, but with a directive: Say goodbye. Through the ajar front door, I walk. Down the eight-foot brick entry. Into a much too-litContinue reading “Under the Surface (Book Part 11)”
The Spot (Book Part 10)
Previous My mom had the most shiny, reddish-auburn hair you’d ever seen. In her senior high school photo, it flowed elegantly down her mid-back, parted precisely in the middle, and draped over her shoulder. Beauty was a family trait extending to her younger sisters, known as “The four Alexander girls,” whose house on Carriage LaneContinue reading “The Spot (Book Part 10)”
Meeting Jim (Book Part 6)
Previous For the thousandth time, my thoughts demand I turn back to the safety of my car, but to turn back now would make my car a prison of social awkwardness. With each step, fuzzy details become more precise: the windblownness of his thick salt and pepper hair, the neatly tucked white T-shirt into blueContinue reading “Meeting Jim (Book Part 6)”
A Newish You
Creating a new persona is a tip I learned on an episode of “Accelerated Spanish” podcast. This alter ego is supposed to think, speak, and behave in a different way than you usually would, and the podcast creator insists switching personalities this way is a tool native speakers use to be highly effective. I thought,Continue reading “A Newish You”
I Don’t Remember
I don’t remember how he picked up his feet when he walked or whether his burgundy woolen slippers skimmed the ground or if they left it with room to spare. I don’t remember the kind of cup he poured his box of red wine Franzia into. I’d surely remember if it was a proper stemmedContinue reading “I Don’t Remember”
I Am The Walrus
Do you know about the unreliable narrator? IT MESSED WITH MY MIND when I first learned about it; in my eyes, it was outright wrong for a writer to be intentionally deceitful. I naively expected writers to be the most honest reporters ever. So when I started a book myself I expected to remember, verbatim,Continue reading “I Am The Walrus”
Going On 40 