#00: Bubble Baths, Ambitions, and Announcements

Weekly Wesdom

Take more baths.

Our last bathroom boasted fake porcelain and fake wood surfaces, the colors of eggshell and sandalwood that trigger an ‘oh wow’ response from guests and remind you of your comforts. The Andy Warhol knockoffs, evenings with an Alexa swooning jazz, and the scented candles prohibited by the building’s lease rounded out the ambiance. Tucked in behind plexiglass doors, was the pinnacle of our makeshift spa. The bathtub.

Piping hot water met stolen hotel shampoo to fill the basin, deep enough to time by Seinfeld episode. After Jerry finished the closing standup bit, my toes tested the water. Suds hid my naked body, leaving just my head above the bubbles. Possibilities simmered in my mind. Ambitions raced the rising steam to the ceiling. During one of those self-care spa appointments in a past April, my writing journey won its first heat. I decided to become a best-selling novelist.

Writer in a sweater.

Daydreams work like this, but real life does not. Manifestation alone cannot transform a type A tech worker, who inhales science fiction and obsesses over psychological thrillers, into a successful novelist. My ENTP brain operates theory first, practice second.

At night, I would lie awake structuring a novel in my head. During morning, company-wide meetings, I would note characters and plot lines. Two years of this generated hundreds of pages of notes, but only two worth of prose. Dozens of other stories never realized, because my one big idea denied their existence. A mental backlog. The idea of writing galvanized my imagination, but I did not write.

Aligned with my decade of corporate training, I established a S.M.A.R.T. goal, a contained iteration of progress to see if I really wanted to be a writer or just act like one. The challenge—Write 10 short stories in 3 months and publicize them. Get words on page. Hold myself accountable. Hence, the genesis of Wednesday Wesdom.

After 10 weeks of writing, last week’s post, “Fare game,” completed the challenge. All these stories jump started my creativity and my writing practice. The overall exercise produced clever explorations, like “Dungeon” and “Do you believe?” Now, I rave about my proudest works, “Thaw” and “Balcony,” to strangers. But I cannot lose sight of the goal—Write. The. Novel.

Wednesday Wesdom must complete the prologue and begin chapter 1.

What changes?

Moving forward, Wednesday Wesdom is transforming into two distinct experiences:

Fiction

• Stories released when they're ready—not on a schedule, but currently thinking 1-2 stories per month

• Continued exploration of new techniques, styles, and genres

• This public platform is a great driver to write more and better. I’m far from the best I will be.

Weekly Wesdom

Every Wednesday, you'll get:

• Writing updates—novel progress, story ideas, peeks at my process

  • Speaking of which, here’s the premise I’m currently excited about: "In a near-future with renewable marriage contracts, a reluctant spy's infiltration becomes personal when his wife's connection to a secret organization forces him to question the authenticity of love in an AI-saturated world.”

  • I might try to get some friends or guests to do voiceovers for past stories and then discuss their inspiration. Let me know if you are interested in volunteering or have a story you would like voiced over!

• Life happenings—personal updates, some of you are curious about what’s going on with me overall. You might even get personal essays, which would be a new way to exercise my writing muscle, plus those are popular on substack. I won’t lie about that.

• Recommendations—books, stories, art, the stuff that currently inspires me and hopefully will inspire you too.

• Call for input—The great thing about this publication is its public nature; I would love to hear what you all are into! I’ll include some prompts for the comments.

Why change?

Life guarantees change, and right now mine is evolving:

• That novel in my head is ready to become reality

• My short stories are asking for more time to breathe

  • The best stories were the ones that I didn’t rush out for the weekly Wednesday deadline

• I'm moving to New York! (More on that adventure soon)

When?

Today! I’ll give you all a little taste of recommendations in just a bit.

What if I only want the stories?

If you only want to receive the Fiction posts, you can follow the instructions in this link to unsubscribe from the newly created section for Weekly Wesdom. Although, I hope you’ll stick around for the evolution of the weekly posts. They will evolve with your input 😀

Art.

Recommended tastes from my artistic taste

📚 Currently Reading (Sci-Fi) — "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin:

I was told this is one of the best literary science fictions books, written by one of the best. I love philosophical science fiction and this one seems right up my alley.

📚 Currently Reading (Thriller) — “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk:

I’ve been reading a bunch of Chuck’s essays and I subscribe to his substack. I’m enamored by his prose and story structures. Every sentence is a treat, so I’m really enjoying this one. Yes, the movie is famous and I’ve seen it 10 times.

📝 Short Story Spotlight — "Why Don't You Dance?" by Raymond Carver:

A disorienting introduction to Carver’s famous short story collection, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” I was drawn to it by one of my favorite movies, “Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.” This story was such a stark shift in prose style for me that I experimented with it in “18th hole” and “Do you believe?” Please, read him to get a true sense of his style, but it was a fantastic learning experience.

🎨 Exhibit — “Proper Love” by Amoako Boafo:

I mentioned it in this note, but if for some crazy reason you make it to Vienna, check it out.

🎵 On Repeat: I just love techno and this is one of my favorite tracks:

Before you go

If you've enjoyed my stories so far, please consider sharing Wednesday Wesdom with others who might find a home here. Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing, and I'm grateful for every new reader you bring into our corner of the internet.

If you already know some things that you’d like to see every week, please add ideas in the comments below! What piques your interests?

Let's make this weekly connection something special.

Best,

Wes