Priming the Pump

Before You Write Today

Zero quit school, and she lost her job again, and then her boyfriend beat her up, and now he won’t let her in. So’s she’s walking by this joint in a black-and-blue dress, and she looks at Louie who elbows Eddy, who says, “Don’t tell me, let me guess…”

For three decades readers have asked me, “What music do you listen to?” My guess is that they sense my love of lyrics over prose. My constant push to make each story sound like a song, especially when read aloud on stage. Some days, I’ll listen to the same song on repeat from sunrise to sunset. To get the mood & voice right, and get the language artfully wrong. Here’s one of my favorites songs.

Click and enjoy. Click here and learn.