Is That A Full Monty, Python?

 

John Clark musing on ‘stuff’. Real Mainers are often familiar with someone who ‘knows stuff’. They’re incredibly competent, often self-taught folks who seldom have to advertise to get customers. Such individuals’ services are worth more than they generally charge and their skill set is passed around like Grandma Crebb’s apple pie recipe at a grange supper.

In the literary world one such cadre is represented by librarians. Good ones ‘know stuff’. They know a lot, but more importantly, they have the sense to know what they don’t. Many times this is more valuable because they have the curiosity, research skills, and resources to get whatever answer a patron wants in a courteous and timely manner. That drive and skill doesn’t diminish in retirement. I must get at least one informal request a week, generally from one of my fellow ‘pooligans’ at the Alfond therapy pool. This week, it was from my buddy Dana who was lamenting the difficulty in finding real leather belts that last. This morning, I’ll give him a printout with three companies that sell exactly what he wants.

When I started writing this entry for MCW, I had no clue how it was going to start and that’s one of the aspects of writing I like best…going from ‘huh’ to an idea that takes off. My original plan was to share a new direction or two that my creativity is taking. It started when I got serious about looking at a blog that is shared frequently on the Short mystery group. https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/

It collects links to many writing contests/challenges that have opened up. While many aren’t applicable/open to me, there are some every month that intrigue me, so I’m gearing some of my creative energy and time toward them. Two I recently entered involved writing a poem relevant to a photo. The image showed an empty shopping cart in a vacant parking lot in winter with the sun setting beyond a railroad track. The other was one where I had to write a 53 word story using a prompt. (both are recurring monthly challenges).

I’m currently letting a story possibility for the annual Al Blanchard and Devil’s Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024, contests germinate in my head. It got its start from something our late mother, A. Carman Clark told me about a many times great grandmother. I’ve never written a historical mystery short story, but this one is well along in being written in my subconscious.

My other new experiment is on Substack where I’m serializing a book I wrote when I first took the NANOWRIMO challenge years ago. It’s called Afternoon Break and is not behind a paywall. I will be curious to see what kind of response it will get. If you’re interested, here’s the link.

https://songthresher.substack.com/publish/posts