June Shmune

An Update

Time for a little reset on Jackson’s Distractions.

Thank you to everyone who has been following along at home so far! It’s uplifting, hilarious, and a little scary to think there are actually a few people reading my “musings” (as one reader called them). I appreciate every analysis of my characters’ intentions, every remark about a story’s “meaning” (or lack thereof), and every text asking [Spoiler Alert for this story] “what happens after Janie attacks the narrator in the bushes?” Keep em coming!

---

Throughout the past month, I’ve been writing full time. Some days, I knock out a free write in the morning, add a few pages to a half-finished story, and clean up the flow of a story that’s almost done. Some days, I spend hours trying to get situated, open like 8 partially written stories or nubs of stories, alternate between them throughout the day, and eventually head home without having done much of anything (check out this story if you want to hear more about those types of days). I think this some-days-you’re-on-some-days-you’re-off flow is sort of how it always goes for a writer (especially one with ADHD), but it can get discouraging.

With that being said, I’m grateful that I’ve had this time to write and edit, learn about my own work habits, and think (dwell? stress out?) about my future.

---

On July 5th, I’m heading to California, then to Colorado, then back to California, and from there, eventually, to somewhere else. Moving around in this way, I probably won’t have as much time to sit down and write as I’ve had in June. I still might end up writing quite a bit (there’s nothing resembling a direct correlation between the amount of time I spend writing and my output), but I can’t commit to churning out as many shareable drafts.

So, I’ve decided to switch to posting once a week.

Throughout July and August, I will be posting every Friday. After August, we’ll see!

Posting two stories a week has been a helpful way to force me to put endings on my stories (often, if left to their own devices, they just trail off and get forgotten about), but it also creates some undesired byproducts. Sometimes when I’m writing I find myself asking, “Will this turn into something suitable for Jackson’s Distractions?” Thinking about a piece of writing as a post that other people will see limits my ability to let the story grow naturally. Posting once a week, I will still have an incentive to write endings, edit, and consider my audience, but I won’t rush into anything that isn’t ready.

Also, it will give each story a longer shelf life. Reading two stories a week is a lot to ask, especially if some are drastically longer, more developed, and/or easier to read than others. Now that there will be a full week between posts, I’m hoping the stories will have the space to draw people in and become the subject of conversation in the comments, over email/text, or in person.

Relatedly, without as many new stories coming out, you’ll have the chance to read the existing ones. Thank you to anyone who has read every post (it’s a big commitment!), but I don’t expect everyone to be completely caught up.

On that note, if you want to read some of my posts but don’t have the time to go all the way back through the archive, I recommend The Camembert's Kitchen, Masada, and Comeuppance. Those are my three favorites.

---

Finally, I still wanna hear from people!

Are there any patterns in my writing you find troubling? Any sentences that give you the heebeejeebees? Any stories that had potential but ended up disappointing? Any strong emotions (one way or another) you felt while reading something I’ve posted? Don’t worry, you won’t hurt my feelings.

If you don’t have specific feedback, comment your favorite story and your least favorite story. It will be helpful to know which ones are getting through to people and which are missing the mark.

If you have fan theories about which Camembert sibling corresponds to which Gray kid, direct those to my sisters… They have some thoughts.

Thanks again to everybody!

Peace,

Jackson