Dear World

Please Kill Me,

Greetings my nefariously noteworthy scribes, how goes the beginnings of the week? First, I would like to apologize (albeit insincerely) for the glaring lack of post yesterday (I didn’t realize that it was Colombus day). I try not to post on holidays – because well- it’s a holiday, and I do this for free (damn you and your demands).

Anyway, rest assured that as America celebrated (the origin story of a mass murderer) – I took the free time to work on a few short stories that I’ve been tinkering with. Aforementioned tedious hobby has led me to today’s post-

Excess, (otherwise known as- everything on your fat friend’s plate. “Don’t look!” …”Okay now look”.#LoveAllSizes).

As creatives, we tend to have a natural proclivity to indulge in the overdone and bombastic. I mean how much can you blame us? In the end, we are just storytellers and every good storyteller wants to tell a tale that is engaging and entertaining. To accomplish this, it always appears easiest to go in the most absurd and/or over the top direction. This can be a good thing – until it’s not.

Think of the greatest stories, movies, novels, events  – or anything- that you’ve ever seen (excluding porn) – most of -if not- all of the greatest moments were precluded by a time of suspense, curiosity, and questioning. Sure, the chapter with the insanely cool chase, the horrifically graphic murder, or the intensely sensual love scene, all end up becoming the defining moments of any particular story – but it is what got us there in the first place that should be praised – because it was the build up -that not only peaked our interest, but kept us engaged, and made us desire the pay off.

The reason that I bring this up is because – on my quest to write a wall to wall thriller of a short story – I realized that all of that intensity and action was fine. But without anything or anyone (or any sort of blue-balled build up) I was kind of disinterested and bored. I had focused so much of the time on pay off – that I never had a chance to establish what it was a pay off too. Thus leading me to realize – the reason that it didn’t work was because of my indulgence in excess.

This idea of excess -works from the other direction as well. A story that is packed with build up, detail, and information – will likely fall victim to the same fate without the “intensity” of an eventual payoff. A truly brilliant story (like it or not), lies somewhere in the interim of build up and climax (*Quagmire voice*  “Giggidy”). If you can find your story there – you may have something worth holding on to.

Alright, noble men and women, you can take that with you on the way out. I’ll be here – building my bunker for post-Election Day (I’m not taking applications). I’ll see you guys tomorrow for a post that’s not this one. (Stay alive until then.)

Chokeslam Your Tuesday,

-Antwan Crump.