On “Prose” and “Essays”:

The academic in me is showing with this title. Now, I must think rather highly of myself to call one of these sections “essays” … right? If I’m being honest, I don’t think anything I say is worth calling an essay, at least not compared to an Emerson or Vonnegut piece. What I do know is that they aren’t prose. They’re about me. And in part of my process to understand myself, I figured I needed to have a hard line between fiction and reality. I guess I could use nonfiction, but that doesn’t feel right either.

The prose section, then, is obvious. It’s fiction writing I’ve done. Repeat: my own drafts and doodles. The content will vary, as well as genre. They will be largely unedited or workshopped, although I wouldn’t be against being roped into a fiction workshop or two. I would also love to have my fiction writing praised and maybe one day a get a book deal, etc etc. But I know better and my expectation is radio silence. My feelings will not be hurt.

I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember, but I can never seem to stick with a project and finish it. I would love to be published one day, but I am the one holding myself back from that goal. I get too in-my-head about what I am saying and how I’m saying it, if it makes sense, if it’s good enough, if it’s worth saying… the list goes on. Maybe this format will help me get somewhere.