Author’s Note: Please be advised that the two em dashes, two colons, two semicolons, & one ellipsis in the following piece were generated by this all-too-human author without the assistance of AI or even another human, for that matter.
Oh yeah, and the hyphens, commas, periods, apostrophes, ampersands, & sentence fragments as well. I’d toss in an en dash, but then I’d have to stoop low enough to write something contrived along the lines of, “The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 against Drew Faraday’s use of the en dash.”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve viewed my writing life through a simplistic lens best summed up by the title of this piece, an adaptation of my favorite Zen adage: I eat my rice; I clean my bowl.
That’s not to say I haven’t endured struggles with aspects of my independent author’s life, as evidenced by a fair share of the posts on my website dedicated to the usual litany of frustrations endured in the self-promotional arena.
But somewhere along my meandering way, I found myself focusing to an almost comical degree on the experience of writing rather than on the outcome. Whether it be the action-packed chapbook from my eight-year-old self about a superhero foiling alien invasion plans in the far reaches of the galaxy or this current post composed on what would then have been considered a space-age platform (that is, a laptop), writing has been my steadfast sidekick.
From that first chapbook forward, I’ve continued writing pieces in a variety of forms, the lion’s share of which have remained shelved in their digital safehouses awaiting this phase of my life.
That storehouse has provided material for two published novels, a few short stories, various & sundry posts here on my website & elsewhere (including Substack & Medium), & two screenplays soon to be submitted to separate competitions. My relatively newfound openness, of course, has led to pertinent questions regarding the whys & wherefores of my writing passion, particularly from friends & family who were largely unaware of how much time & energy I’ve actually been dedicating to my obscure hobby lo these many years until I invited them to be part of my street team.
My answer to nearly all their questions stays true to my simple mantra — I write my fiction; I revise my work.
That’s it. I don’t spend hours crafting fiction in order to share convoluted plot twists, idiosyncratic perspectives, political philippics, character sketches, personal experiences, or deep-rooted convictions with any potential readers.
I write fiction because every time I do so, I get lost in the moment. From exploring new What if…? scenarios that shimmer on the periphery to listening to voices old & new to experiencing plotlines that transport me back to the soothing embrace of storytelling to getting so enmeshed in the act of writing that my full cup of steaming coffee magically transforms into a nearly full cup of cold brew (more like room-temperature brew).
A case in point involves Pearl Fields, a pivotal character in my first Oregon Meltdown novel who became the narrator of my second not by design or because I thought readers might be drawn to either or both companion novels. She simply refused to go away until I wrote her own standalone. Granted, that persistence stemmed in no small part from the fact that Pearl is an amalgam of my own mother, grandmothers, aunts, & teachers whose combined influence guided me along my way. How could I not give her/them their due?
But Pearl’s story was more than just an homage — she self-righteously demanded her day in court. In fact, I wrote her entire novel in the form of a supplemental testimonial ordered by the military judge at the end of her trial for gunrunning during a declared disaster that she dutifully records in her cell with the gallows in her line of sight & the proverbial clock ticking away in the background.
Of course, I realize that along with my pure enjoyment of the process, I write fiction because of other factors. One that comes to mind is that at the end of each writing session, I go through my rendition of cleaning my bowl by organizing for my next session with a sense of fulfillment unlike anything else I know.
Another has to do with those wonderful effervescent aftereffects that always bring a smile to my face. Upon waking, while walking, or during rocking chair meditations on the back porch, at a moment’s notice my wandering thoughts can swirl into a new plot twist, a convoluted thread, an enhanced description, a disgruntled character, a surprise guest requesting a backstage pass, or simply that one word I just couldn’t come up with earlier.
So with my bowl regarding this post drying in the dishrack, so to speak, it’s time to ease back into screenwriting, a form of expression that speaks to me in an oddly familiar tongue as if another sidekick just returned from a decade of living overseas & has something pertinent to add to the conversation.
Until a fortnight from now.
Drew
Latest review of Core Haven: Hope Amid the Ruins, 2-9-26
P.S. At the time of this writing, Core Haven: Hope Amid the Ruins has maintained its 4.9 out of 5 with 48 global ratings & 46 customer reviews on Amazon, along with 4.61 out of 5 with 127 ratings & 118 reviews on Goodreads. Not too shabby, right?
My first self-published novel, Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown: A Tale of Survival, is currently available on the Kindle Store.
My companion novel, Core Haven: Hope Amid the Ruins, was released on July 31st, 2025. Available now.
