Gainfully Employed

Well, almost. Next Thursday I'll be attending 'orientation' for an actual, physical day job, one which requires leaving the house for, oh, about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Shocking, I know, but there comes a time in every young writer's life when he must pull up his britches, spit on his hands, etc., etc.

But, bonus: The job is kinda-sorta within my sphere of writing interest, so it's possible for good things to come out of it somewhere down the line. If I can make the right contacts... But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

Hey, how about some free fiction? I've been happy with my recent Elephant Words output, despite the fact (because of it?) that I've been traveling to some pretty dark places with my last few pieces. There's been straight-up reality-based horror, a bit of supernatural horror, a dash of the weird-and-creepy, and even a touch of metaphysical mystery.

But the piece I'm most fond of is this one, a direct sequel to a story I wrote last year while living in Viet Nam. It's no accident that these two are my only interrelated Elephant Words stories -- there's definitely more where they came from. I don't think I've figured out these particular ideas yet. They're still there in my mind, growing larger, moving towards each other and coalescing, like colonies in a petri dish, into something larger and more advanced. Something that would very much like to be written.

But... I still have to finish the first novel, don't I?

Lastly: Is it just me, or is The Onion getting better? First they come out with that hilarious robot overlord sketch. Then we get this fantastic article (granted, the headline's funnier than the actual text, but still). And then, just when they've got you in the comedy mood, ready and waiting for the next belly-laugh, they stab you in the goddamn heart with a genuinely powerful piece of writing.