These are beautiful snippets, or slakes! I find this especially clever: "It may have been Sunday, but our religious beliefs amounted to nothing more than an acknowledgement of good architecture." All these could be like inspiration prompts for others. I do hope you keep unfolding these words and the worlds within them. Congratulations on your 100th post!
They still have some fine - tuning to do. A piece can be NEAR PERFECT, then you spot 2 extra fingers on one hand, or a Play Doh / Silly Putty nose, even an extra set of teeth.
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH !! 😠😤 Or you can't reference ______ & nudes are OUT unless they're classic, etc. I did a Gilda Radner tribute & nearly freaking FAINTED when the AI didn't go, " ah - ah - ah ". 👎🙅♀️
Congrats on writing 100. All your pieces are thought-provoking and a joy to read on an aesthetic level, even though I sometimes don't know what they mean (my failing, not yours).
I keep every draft, and still use or edit and re-use things I wrote decades ago.
Your (as yet) unused pieces at the end are wonderful.
Yes, but of course they are spread all over the place, plus the ones I think about are the written or typed ones that somehow became lost in the course of life.
I'm glad to learn you sometimes don't know either: I suspected as much. 😂
Congratulations on 100 'slakes' Nathan, these fragments you choose, even alone entice comment...
"our religious beliefs amounted to nothing more than an acknowledgement of good architecture." leads me to, maybe there is partiality for the 'synodical' structure of a church - ok so that isn't great - you can do better... but I love "I saw in every tree an angel, already fallen upon this earth." and your last lines - “And what of flowers?” I asked, thinking of when we had stopped in the forest.
An undulance,” she said, stifling her laughter, her hand on her mouth as she rolled her body into mine." I could read these over and over and love them more each time!
Keep going my friend, keep going...
PS "Even mid-walk, when an idea has smacked me about the face with its untimely imposition, I find I have to jot it down lest it be lost to the winds and carried to someone else." Me too!
Do we all have one of those boxes of snippets we haven't used yet? Mine is like a magician's hat. I never know what will come out of it. but I am afraid to throw any of it away.
Do we all have those boxes of snippets? Mine is like a magician's hat. I never know what might come out of it, but I can never bring myself to throw any of it away.
Here’s to a shimmering 100 and a brilliant 1000 more Nathan. How lucky are we that you, ehem Slake, found his way here? And speaking of Slake, I have to know…are your parents still in the dark or are there tiny leaks forming between identities, light starting to spill out and blurring boudaries?
And you must continue this one!
“It's the coffee talking. It does that. I've started consuming it again. I take a syringe and fill it with espresso, then attach a needle and slowly pierce my eyeball, pushing the plunger until the contents flood my eyes, my world darkening as the black and organic substance clouds my vision, distorts my world, reveals the very reality I wish I could forever perceive.”
Thanks, Kimberly. So lovely to have you along for the ride.
You know, I've been edging close to telling them, or at least hinting it to them, but no I've not said anything yet. Rest assured, if and when I do, you'll be one of the first to know. ;)
You didn't ask for our opinion on the "snippets", Nathan, but as I happen to be "someone here reading", I'd like to say that I'd read anything you write with these as an opening line:
"I saw in every tree an angel, already fallen upon this earth." "It may have been Sunday, but our religious beliefs amounted to nothing more than an acknowledgement of good architecture." " I have looked back on these pages, seen the words through which I have fallen." ( words rather than descent)). Oh heck, I would pretty much read ANYTHING you write...
I can relate to your feeling, having dinged into your archives to read many fantastic pieces of fiction that I had missed this year. It was a wonderful experience and I'm happy to say that I'm almost up to date. 😜
Congrats on 100 slakes! No matter what happens next, it's a great achievement. Thank you for all the beautiful stories you've shared with us so far.
re: "this is a fun side thing / admit to yourself, you want this to be more than just a fun side thing" -- I feel this! I keep seesawing between writing what I feel like vs. writing for The Audience (tm) all the time. Could they be the same thing? I don't know. Anyway, writing some more is always the right thing to do.
Congratulations, Nathan! You've crossed the line into three digits, and there are surely many more to come. I loved this: "One hundred posts is hard to fathom. That's at least ten more than ninety." It sounds so Bolañoean. I get the same feeling when scrolling through my old pieces, and you put it best here: "Scrolling through the archive is a strange experience. It speaks to the fleeting nature of creativity that I can go and click on something I wrote last year and not really recall doing the writing or have any idea where the idea came from." Finally, 'synodic.' Like the time it'll take to come back around after another hundred pieces. What a perfect word you've highlighted there!
Thank you my friend. Lovely, kind words. I really appreciate it.
Perhaps it is the fragments of Bolaño I have been reading that have been seeping through. (I just read the Kindle sample of By Night in Chile -- wondrous!)
These are beautiful snippets, or slakes! I find this especially clever: "It may have been Sunday, but our religious beliefs amounted to nothing more than an acknowledgement of good architecture." All these could be like inspiration prompts for others. I do hope you keep unfolding these words and the worlds within them. Congratulations on your 100th post!
Thanks, Nadia! 🤗 Glad you got some enjoyment out of the words here. :)
Your snippets are like little stories already!
I agree, Nadia. I would like to steal three of these Slake sentences and write 50-word stories right now....
By all means go for it, Sharron! It'd be my pleasure if you ended up using any as prompts.
Aww! You should share with us all!
Try doing One Hundred pieces of digital ART ! Sometimes my Idea Fairy whacks me with her mallet & I just have to get on Canva OR ELSE.
Very impressive! I have zero skill with a pencil or paintbrush, digital or otherwise, so even one piece of art is impressive to me!
They still have some fine - tuning to do. A piece can be NEAR PERFECT, then you spot 2 extra fingers on one hand, or a Play Doh / Silly Putty nose, even an extra set of teeth.
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH !! 😠😤 Or you can't reference ______ & nudes are OUT unless they're classic, etc. I did a Gilda Radner tribute & nearly freaking FAINTED when the AI didn't go, " ah - ah - ah ". 👎🙅♀️
Congrats on writing 100. All your pieces are thought-provoking and a joy to read on an aesthetic level, even though I sometimes don't know what they mean (my failing, not yours).
I keep every draft, and still use or edit and re-use things I wrote decades ago.
Your (as yet) unused pieces at the end are wonderful.
Thanks Terry, I appreciate it. Don’t worry, sometimes I’m not sure what they mean either. ;)
That’s fantastic that you keep every draft. Over a decade of drafts is most impressive.
Yes, but of course they are spread all over the place, plus the ones I think about are the written or typed ones that somehow became lost in the course of life.
I'm glad to learn you sometimes don't know either: I suspected as much. 😂
Congratulations on 100 'slakes' Nathan, these fragments you choose, even alone entice comment...
"our religious beliefs amounted to nothing more than an acknowledgement of good architecture." leads me to, maybe there is partiality for the 'synodical' structure of a church - ok so that isn't great - you can do better... but I love "I saw in every tree an angel, already fallen upon this earth." and your last lines - “And what of flowers?” I asked, thinking of when we had stopped in the forest.
An undulance,” she said, stifling her laughter, her hand on her mouth as she rolled her body into mine." I could read these over and over and love them more each time!
Keep going my friend, keep going...
PS "Even mid-walk, when an idea has smacked me about the face with its untimely imposition, I find I have to jot it down lest it be lost to the winds and carried to someone else." Me too!
Those are the best moments when ideas strike and one must scribble them down! It doesn't surprise me that you experience the same. ;)
Thanks for being here for the ride to 100, Susie. Couldn't have done it without you. 🤗
I wouldn’t miss a word of yours Nathan… thank you! 💛
Do we all have one of those boxes of snippets we haven't used yet? Mine is like a magician's hat. I never know what will come out of it. but I am afraid to throw any of it away.
Do we all have those boxes of snippets? Mine is like a magician's hat. I never know what might come out of it, but I can never bring myself to throw any of it away.
I think perhaps we do. The best way is to let them sit there, even if they gather dust. At some point, something might be worth extracting.
Here’s to a shimmering 100 and a brilliant 1000 more Nathan. How lucky are we that you, ehem Slake, found his way here? And speaking of Slake, I have to know…are your parents still in the dark or are there tiny leaks forming between identities, light starting to spill out and blurring boudaries?
And you must continue this one!
“It's the coffee talking. It does that. I've started consuming it again. I take a syringe and fill it with espresso, then attach a needle and slowly pierce my eyeball, pushing the plunger until the contents flood my eyes, my world darkening as the black and organic substance clouds my vision, distorts my world, reveals the very reality I wish I could forever perceive.”
You picked my favourite one. ;)
Thanks, Kimberly. So lovely to have you along for the ride.
You know, I've been edging close to telling them, or at least hinting it to them, but no I've not said anything yet. Rest assured, if and when I do, you'll be one of the first to know. ;)
You didn't ask for our opinion on the "snippets", Nathan, but as I happen to be "someone here reading", I'd like to say that I'd read anything you write with these as an opening line:
"I saw in every tree an angel, already fallen upon this earth." "It may have been Sunday, but our religious beliefs amounted to nothing more than an acknowledgement of good architecture." " I have looked back on these pages, seen the words through which I have fallen." ( words rather than descent)). Oh heck, I would pretty much read ANYTHING you write...
😊 Thank you.
Ooh, nice, I really like the change of words rather than descent.
As I just replied via your comment to Nadia, I'd be only too happy if you used anything as a prompt for your own creativity.
You have a knack for final lines. No exception here.
Congratulations on post 100. I think mine coming out this week might be too or maybe 99. Either way, glad we in stride here.
Huzzah for the 100! Thanks, Holly. 🤗
I can relate to your feeling, having dinged into your archives to read many fantastic pieces of fiction that I had missed this year. It was a wonderful experience and I'm happy to say that I'm almost up to date. 😜
Yay! Thank you, Claudia. I have several of your pieces from this week to catch up on imminently!
100 slakes! We thirst for more. Evermore.
Congratulations my friend. Here’s to the next 100! Fill those tankards.
Thanks, Alexander. Tankards (of whisky?) ahoy. ;)
Oh yes: “occasionally I see within the compost arrangements of words I enjoy and that continue to ferment”!
So good. No matter what you decide to do with it all, I’m enjoying reading it’s/your evolution, Nathan!
Thanks Kate, always so happy to have you here as a reader and fellow writer.
One hundred is 10 more than 90.
Yes, yes it is. 😁
😄
Congrats on 100 slakes! No matter what happens next, it's a great achievement. Thank you for all the beautiful stories you've shared with us so far.
re: "this is a fun side thing / admit to yourself, you want this to be more than just a fun side thing" -- I feel this! I keep seesawing between writing what I feel like vs. writing for The Audience (tm) all the time. Could they be the same thing? I don't know. Anyway, writing some more is always the right thing to do.
Thanks so much Vanessa. Yes, I feel you there. More writing it is!
Congrats on 100 pieces. Consistency definitely speaks to a certain strength of character and self belief. Look forward to the next 100!
Thanks, Shoni! Kind words.
Congratulations, Nathan! You've crossed the line into three digits, and there are surely many more to come. I loved this: "One hundred posts is hard to fathom. That's at least ten more than ninety." It sounds so Bolañoean. I get the same feeling when scrolling through my old pieces, and you put it best here: "Scrolling through the archive is a strange experience. It speaks to the fleeting nature of creativity that I can go and click on something I wrote last year and not really recall doing the writing or have any idea where the idea came from." Finally, 'synodic.' Like the time it'll take to come back around after another hundred pieces. What a perfect word you've highlighted there!
Thank you my friend. Lovely, kind words. I really appreciate it.
Perhaps it is the fragments of Bolaño I have been reading that have been seeping through. (I just read the Kindle sample of By Night in Chile -- wondrous!)
Glad to hear you’ve made your initial approach to Bolaño!