Btw I got my copy in of Slaves of New York–and I was genuinely shocked to find that it was signed! I'll be glad to share with Levi for some linked collection inspo~
Yeah, I always tend revisit Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange not long after reading works like Fight Club, Snuff, Haunted, or as you mentioned a Trainspotting or Porno by Welsh. I had a very unique, enjoyable time Invisible Monsters; being from Seattle and also being a fan of Geek Love, John Waters, and Gregg Araki, the book really spoke to me.
THAT's a book I need to reread. In Manchester I once read at the Burgess museum; however, I needed a nap beforehand so I laid on the basement floor and fell asleep. I woke with two wrinkled, white hands in my face. They were the death casts Burgess's wife had made of his hands upon his death. They'd been misplaced for years, and here I'd found them on some lowest shelf where I'd propped my head.
Haha that’s great! I don’t know if people make this association, but I saw similarities between Burgess’ nadsat lexicon and cadence and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It may only be because I saw the movie before I read the book, which was coincidentally released the same year as the Mel Brooks Willy Wonka, but appy polly loggies seems like it belongs in Willy Wonka’s vocabulary. I have always, always described A Clockwork Orange’s Alex as a sadomasochistic Willy Wonka of sorts.
I think it's crazy that invisible monsters didn't sell, might be my favorite to this day. Probably because my mom was a real estate agent when I was growing up so visiting houses and seeing how people lived felt very Brandy Alexander, ya know minus all the pills.
Truly, but I find it challenging to veil my past in characters. Probably a similar sense of feeling exposed you highlight about readers and their writing.
Thanks Chuck, for the great week of back and forth, dissecting and analyzing and improving my story. It was a real pleasure.
As you gleaned, the piece is based off my lived experience, but as any good tattoo artist or Fox News broadcaster worth their weight will tell you, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
My Radar (minpin) made it to 16.5 and my mom’s feisty pom I inherited made it to 17… all with lumps and bumps and special meds and food but still sassy and happy until the very very ends.
my patterdale terrier is a freak of nature. we pulled him out of a cage half dead, no fur left on a dog. the orginal owner only let us take him after he broke out of that cage numerous times to fornicate with his goats and he just wouldnt stop. then he had a ruptured disc and miraculously started walking again after they told us hed be paralyzed forever. after that he had to have almost all his teeth pulled and pissed on my face during an epileptic seizure whilst watching succession. just turned 10 this month, hope hell beat the odds till hes 103. his government name is little mac but we call him slinky shambles the soft king.
The less you want to know about other people’s problems, the more you suffer from the pruritus of not being able to tell your own. It’s actually a big relief when someone just blasts you with theirs out of nowhere.
Thus the popularity of the "Difficult Lives" section at Barnes & Noble.
Every Sunday I volunteer at a charity thrift store. THAT puts life in perspective. For one day I have to be the patient, rational, accommodating person, and if you can't afford that last 50-cent towel, I'll sneak it into your bag for free. Oh, and you look hungry. Let me steal you some stuff from the food bank.
I'll never forget when I was working at Woolworths back in my college days, I got a dressing-down for letting a homeless woman steal a pair of socks. But I mean...come on...
How did you hear about a sheriff’s office using petroglyphs for target practice?
The local newspaper finally looked into it and ran a story.
Congrats Levi! Looking forward to reading it!
Awww she is precious.
Good old dog!
Btw I got my copy in of Slaves of New York–and I was genuinely shocked to find that it was signed! I'll be glad to share with Levi for some linked collection inspo~
Je crois que cette grande pancarte annonçant notre emplacement enfreint à la fois la première et la deuxième règle, monsieur.
Yeah, I always tend revisit Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange not long after reading works like Fight Club, Snuff, Haunted, or as you mentioned a Trainspotting or Porno by Welsh. I had a very unique, enjoyable time Invisible Monsters; being from Seattle and also being a fan of Geek Love, John Waters, and Gregg Araki, the book really spoke to me.
THAT's a book I need to reread. In Manchester I once read at the Burgess museum; however, I needed a nap beforehand so I laid on the basement floor and fell asleep. I woke with two wrinkled, white hands in my face. They were the death casts Burgess's wife had made of his hands upon his death. They'd been misplaced for years, and here I'd found them on some lowest shelf where I'd propped my head.
In retrospect I should've stolen one or both.
Haha that’s great! I don’t know if people make this association, but I saw similarities between Burgess’ nadsat lexicon and cadence and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It may only be because I saw the movie before I read the book, which was coincidentally released the same year as the Mel Brooks Willy Wonka, but appy polly loggies seems like it belongs in Willy Wonka’s vocabulary. I have always, always described A Clockwork Orange’s Alex as a sadomasochistic Willy Wonka of sorts.
also I just looked up the death mask white plaster cast of Burgess’ face, and it’s both really cool and off putting.
“A Tasmanian devil with a swastika, and a big boner coming out of his dust cloud”
this tattoo existing is the definition of horror itself.
Egg is so beautiful. She looks like a lifestyle model for comfortable mature living… but punk.
“Of course it’s a classical velvet fiddleback. Good for lickin’”
She's a good fourteen: Half the time she jumps around like a puppy, half the time she sleeps.
Back in the day, wasn't there a guy who would buy SUVs and drive them off cliffs and blow them up for fun?
I think it's crazy that invisible monsters didn't sell, might be my favorite to this day. Probably because my mom was a real estate agent when I was growing up so visiting houses and seeing how people lived felt very Brandy Alexander, ya know minus all the pills.
Those days of pill stealing are so fresh in my memory. Unpacking events and preserving them in fiction is such a gorgeous way to keep a diary.
Truly, but I find it challenging to veil my past in characters. Probably a similar sense of feeling exposed you highlight about readers and their writing.
Thanks Chuck, for the great week of back and forth, dissecting and analyzing and improving my story. It was a real pleasure.
As you gleaned, the piece is based off my lived experience, but as any good tattoo artist or Fox News broadcaster worth their weight will tell you, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Or a good time. You made this week so much fun, and that's always a sign that the writing will turn out fun and addictive..
You may have said before but I don’t recall which post but how much of a “story” can we send you for house call?
I'm willing to look at longer work now. You might go as long as 5000 words, which I think runs to twenty pages.
Guess I’ll throw her in there: https://open.substack.com/pub/atticusblake/p/abducted?r=sqvsi&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
Did you send out my book? I haven’t seen it in the mail
So needy! I sent the book on Monday, and they said it would arrive on the 12th.
Thank you
Okay so this story is so so good - I could not stop reading. Where do we leave feedback - under you guy’s notes or here?
All the feedback is in Comments, below the story.
I haven't written anything yet that's why I'm afraid of giving feedback. It's a great story though. Thank you for everything that you do, Chuck.
That's fine. I'm the same way about holding back until I feel more comfortable.
My Chaun made it to 12. Give your pup a hug for me.
My last two died at twelve.
My Radar (minpin) made it to 16.5 and my mom’s feisty pom I inherited made it to 17… all with lumps and bumps and special meds and food but still sassy and happy until the very very ends.
my patterdale terrier is a freak of nature. we pulled him out of a cage half dead, no fur left on a dog. the orginal owner only let us take him after he broke out of that cage numerous times to fornicate with his goats and he just wouldnt stop. then he had a ruptured disc and miraculously started walking again after they told us hed be paralyzed forever. after that he had to have almost all his teeth pulled and pissed on my face during an epileptic seizure whilst watching succession. just turned 10 this month, hope hell beat the odds till hes 103. his government name is little mac but we call him slinky shambles the soft king.
The less you want to know about other people’s problems, the more you suffer from the pruritus of not being able to tell your own. It’s actually a big relief when someone just blasts you with theirs out of nowhere.
And to repay that sweet kindness, you blast them with an even bigger pile of shit that's too much for them to handle.
Thus the popularity of the "Difficult Lives" section at Barnes & Noble.
Every Sunday I volunteer at a charity thrift store. THAT puts life in perspective. For one day I have to be the patient, rational, accommodating person, and if you can't afford that last 50-cent towel, I'll sneak it into your bag for free. Oh, and you look hungry. Let me steal you some stuff from the food bank.
I'll never forget when I was working at Woolworths back in my college days, I got a dressing-down for letting a homeless woman steal a pair of socks. But I mean...come on...
Maybe that's how Jesus worked.
And maybe prayer is cheating. You dump your filth freely without expecting God to do the same.
Imagine God returning the favor. Trust me, you wouldn't want to hear it.