I used to get in and out of stories quickly. Three thousand…maybe thirty-five-hundred words was plenty.
Today, that old “normal” has almost doubled.
Even something as seemingly basic at the start, like “Milkboy,” became more than a basic story.
It’s not that the stories I now write are bloated; rather, it seems I have more to say. I consider the ripple effects of actions more than when I was younger. (Not that I explore every possibility, but I’m not as focused on one thing as I once was.)
I suppose, with age, I take time and put more into the things I do.
In Cypress Cove
I’ve talked enough about November’s Not About Lumberjacks story, “In Cypress Cove,” that you know it’s about two guys who reclaim sunken timber in East Texas spotting an ivory-billed woodpecker. I planned to share the story last November, but I knew it would take more time than I had in 2020.
Younger me would have established the woodpecker spotting, and then likely made the focus on the main characters battling a timber company told to shut down its operation to save the bird. But even a small area in East Texas being shut down for a conservation effort would have a bigger effect on the area.
With a confirmed sighting of such a rare and magnificent bird, small towns in the area would see a flood of birdwatchers. People settled in the area for generations might see restrictions on their own land. Maybe new friendships begin or old rivalries reignite. (Say…a former high school bully now owning a timber company returns to his old ways in a battle against the two people he gave the most grief decades before).
Suddenly, that 3,500-word story can grow to 5,500 words with little effort. Probably even a bit more…
Last Week
Last week was a good week for Not About Lumberjacks. I released the Behind the Cut episode for “Milkboy,” and it’s doing better than any other Behind the Cut episode in its first few days of release. Hell, it’s doing better than most full stories…and people keep listening to “Milkboy” as well. (Granted, the numbers for Not About Lumberjacks have never been worthy to merit the effort I put into it if I saw the show as something more than a thing that keeps me busy writing stories I like.)
“In Cypress Cove” has hit that point where I’m seeing its shape much better than I was at the start. Hell, I think I even know how it ends!
Still…there’s quit a bit to still write, and the sounds needed for the episode will take a bit of an effort to make.
Perhaps I got spoiled with the two-week turnaround in getting “Milkboy” written, recorded, and online. But…it’s given me a bit more time to ensure however long “In Cypress Cove” ends up, that it’s the story it needs to be…
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Also, for no reason (other than she’s cool), here’s a photo of my mom’s little pot-roast of a cat, Preeda…
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