There’s something bittersweet about completing a long-form creative project. I usually have two going, and in the last few years, those two projects have been a commercial novel, Chaos Magic, and my collection of personal essays. This latter project has kept me company for a while, long before I started writing about it. And part of me didn’t want it to end.
The problem is that I think it’s done. I thought it was done six months ago, but then I kept tweaking.
Recently, River Teeth selected a short version of this collection as a finalist for their contest, which is a true honor (finalist from them is big for me). Also, a notable agent chatted with me on Zoom after reading a long sample and told me how much she loved the voice, the story, and the delivery. (She also said what amounted to the following: “If only you were famous or related to someone famous. Or had a bestselling novel out already. Do you happen to have a novel about the same topic in a drawer?” Which sounds shitty but isn’t. It’s business.) Her confidence in the project, to me, was a nudge not a disappointment. This woman reads a hundred times more than most humans.
There are more signs, but I’ll stop the list there. The point is that while I haven’t found the right publisher, these acknowledgments are the warning dings. I can’t keep tweaking and revising. Put a fork in this manuscript—it’s done.
So with Chaos Magic and this fierce little CNF manuscript being released like balloons (or grenades), I’ve decided to pause any new long-form work for a while. Not so much to quit but to take time to reinvigorate my muse by turning up the music and finding a different beat to dance to.
This new rhythm is all about keeping things “short” in the form of flash fiction, flash CNF, and prose poetry. It’s a form that is not only timely in our impatient, digital age, it’s fun.
I recently wrote an essay on aging, for instance. It was fun to construct. I was going to try to find a venue, then decided to post it here instead because why not? It’ll illustrate the process I’ll outline below. This aging essay is an exercise in taking a single concept and kneading it until it becomes something cohesive and sweet.
I plan to continue this approach. I’m working on a short essay about charisma (excuse me, Muse, I’ll dip you now). Next, I’ll approach the concept of impatience, then human connection and division, then masks, gardening, then . . . I have a long list.
In revisiting the short-form work, I’m remembering how tempting it is to skim the surface of a subject, throw in a few fancy words, and add a nice rhythm with a little alliteration, a little amplification, and a few analogies. And end up with rambling thoughts that are pretty but lack cohesion.
So on the advice of a fab writer, Carolyn Zaikowski, I’ve returned to a practice I abandoned a few years ago. I’ve begun using mind maps to organize my thoughts. For a non-linear thinker like myself, the mind map is a way to see the multifaceted in a simple, graspable image.
Here is an example of my essay thoughts a week before I share the piece.
I can’t wait to share the actual piece next week.*
Flash is a beautiful form in our times, at least for me. It’s great fun. So if you need a little break from your longer work or have completed what once feels daunting and now feels like a gaping hole in your life, join me! Try the following:
Pick a single word.
Identify the concept behind the word (which is personal to you).
Make a mind map about all its potential angles.
Pick those that call you.
Write.
What a liberating prompt. Thank you Jen
Congrats on the River Teeth selection and good luck with shopping it. I'm looking forward to Chaos Magic. Thanks for the prompt!