What is #52Stories?

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Happy Tuesday, friends!

I thought I’d take a minute–just sit right there–and explain this year’s blog project: #52Stories (formerly #100Stories, because I tend to set overly ambitious goals).

I first started writing fiction in grade school, turning 10-sentence vocabulary homework assignments into 2-3 page serialized adventures, featuring explorers and spies with surprisingly advanced word-usage. My teachers encouraged me to keep writing, and I did, even if it wasn’t for class credit. I wrote short fiction throughout high school and shared it with friends and family. I loved exploring ideas or scenarios in this format. In college, that creative itch shifted toward poetry and dramatic scripts, and eventually a few false-starts on full-length novels.

In recent months, I’ve been thinking about turning my attention back to writing some short fiction (as I try to rebuild a writing rhythm), and that has me thinking: What can I learn about the craft of short story writing by reading (or re-reading) a ton of short stories suggested by everyone I know?

That question is the inspiration for my 2019 personal reading/blogging challenge: #52Stories.

My list will be based on the recommendations of my blog readers, social media circles, and friends/family, along with a few of my own additions. I’ll be reading all across the dial in terms of genre, while trying to maintain a mix of classic and modern. I don’t purport to have a perfect demographic representation of human writing or experience (my social circles are admittedly limited), but I have tried to open things up as best I can (and I’m absolutely open to more suggestions!).

My plan is to read each story and write a reaction post with 3 parts:

a one-sentence blurb about the story’s plot/idea (“the Set-up”);
my possibly-but-not-necessarily spoilery reaction to how well it unfolds (“the Pay-off”); and
something I can take away from it in terms of how to write better stories (“the Lesson”).

If the story is (legally) available online, I’ll post a link for you to check it out, and if it’s not, I’ll tell you where I found it.

I hope you enjoy #52Stories, and that you find it as fascinating and useful as I expect to. I’m excited to get started–which is a good thing because, at one story a week, I’m already behind! Gotta get cracking! Talk to you soon!

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Any suggestions for #52Stories? Post them below!

What’s Next? (My 3-Step Plan)

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Happy December, friends!

After finishing #30ThankYous in November, I have to admit, I’m feeling a bit of pressure to top that with something even bigger. But that’s totally bonkers and just not feasible at this point in my life.

Instead, I’d like to use some of that energy and momentum to make this site better than ever, heading into the new year. So, how can we do that?

Step #1 is Consistency. This was the beauty of the #30ThankYous project in November–it forced me to publish on a daily basis (albeit imperfectly so!). And while it wasn’t the home run I was hoping, you know what? I posted 22 out of the the 30 days. I’m proud of that, folks. Because in recent years, it would have taken me months to post that many times. And while I’m not going to keep up this blistering, Challies-like pace, I can see now how a 3-posts-a-week process is a very realistic goal. So that’s what I will be shooting for, starting this week.

Step #2 is Content. According to my internal metrics, you folks really enjoy book reviews and Bible discussion, so I’m going to make those weekly features for the next several months. Along with that, I’ll keep posting the #FridayFive, but starting this week, I’m going to mix in some themed “top-five” style lists to mix it up a bit. I may even post some fiction or poetry here or there throughout the year. No matter what, my goal is to produce content worth reading, posts that matter to you and bless you for having read them. The best way that you can help me be successful in that is by telling me which posts are actually helpful to you, so that I know I’m on the right track. Which brings me to Step #3.

Step #3 is Conversation. Here’s where I make my big ask: I want to interact with you more. Along with producing interesting and helpful content in the coming years, my plan is to be more intentional about posting questions for discussion and responding to your comments. These days, I think most of us are really uncomfortable and anxious about interacting with ANYONE online, and hey, I completely understand that. But I would love to create a forum on this site to talk through ideas and provide suggestions and feedback. So I’m inviting you to engage with posts, interact with me and each other, and join the conversation. I welcome your comments–even your critical ones. (My only request is that you keep things respectful and watch your language.) More conversation may make this a richer experience for all of us.

I look forward to hearing from you!

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Your Turn: Three posts a week means I need some great ideas STAT. So what would you like to talk about? Is there any topic you’d like me to address? Let me know in the comments!

#30ThankYous Day 9: Frank Peretti

Dear Frank,

The first book of yours I ever read was a Cooper Kids adventure (maybe The Tombs of Anak?) when I was in fifth or sixth grade. I was not yet allowed to watch the Indiana Jones movies, but I had somehow already become fascinated with archaeology and ancient civilizations, so the adventures of a brother and sister digging around in ancient dungeons and tombs was a blast for me.

A few years later, I started reading your more grown-up fiction, and the book of yours that really grabbed me was The Oath. I had never encountered an outspoken Christian author use horror or fantasy elements to tell a story like that. (Aside from Lewis’ Narnia books, which were more fairy tale than fantasy.) The mental image of a dragon or monster chasing down his marked victims was captivating. I read it over a very long week in high school when I was sick at home with pneumonia, and your book made the time fly. (The feverishness only added to the experience, I think.)

I had played around with writing since middle school. I used my vocabulary homework as an excuse to create serialized chapters of adventure stories to entertain my teachers. (No doubt, there was some Cooper influence there as well; I think the first year I did this, it was about scientists exploring an Egyptian tomb.) I’ve read most of your bibliography (though I’m delighted to find I missed a few of your recent ones, and will be looking for those at the library!). But reading The Oath opened my eyes to the idea that genre fiction can be used to tell spiritual stories beyond historical fiction or Biblical epics. I started aping your style a bit, as I tried to write short stories that were more or less morality tales. (I almost typed “moralizing tales,” which may have been closer to the truth.) I was shooting for a mix of Frank Peretti, Rod Serling, and Ray Bradbury, my 3 favorite story tellers–but I’m pretty sure I fell far, far short of that lofty goal. I don’t think those stories will ever see the light of day in their original form. (But who knows, maybe I can go back and mine for story ideas…)

Nevertheless, from that point on, I was hooked–I wanted to be a writer. I got an English degree from my undergrad studies, I’ve been blogging on an off for 16 years, and I have maybe a half-dozen unfinished novels in notebooks and hard drives all over the house. While life circumstances always seem to get in the way of finishing these projects, the dream doesn’t die. I still want to be a novelist. And if I were to trace that crazy dream back to its roots, your books would be there at the inception.

So thank you, Frank. Your love of telling stories and sharing truth have been inspiring readers for decades now, and I’m one of many fans who remember fondly how your books have blessed my life.

Here’s to more years and more words!

–Dave