With regard to short stories, William Browning Spencer wrote that “The writing of novels is, by comparison, a long, lonely trek through hostile country.”

I love that quote because it is true, but moreso because he said it. He wrote Zod Wallop, a title that I actually used for an email address, way back when I was married and Webtv was my only form of internet access.

Shortly after I registered zodwallop@webtv.net, I received an email from myself. Sort of. In truth, the email was from zod_wallop@webtv.net, with the subject line “So you’ve read the book?”
I always thought that was a great start for a story, but I never could fit it in anywhere. Just recently, I had a short story idea (or, rather, an idea that turned out to only be a short story in length) and that random, anonymous exchange became the backbone of the story, the crux upon which it turned.

As I was attempting to grasp the story, I prayed that it not be a novel-length idea. I have nothing against writing novels and enjoy the process, but I did not have time to explore the idea at such length.

Stuck between the paradox of Spencer’s “lonely trek” and an idea that would not leave me alone to think or read or sit still, I was forced to write it out until it was in a format that I could refer to whenever I wanted. External storage.

I just have to write the ending, which came to me last night – days after I started. After that, all that’s left is for me to wonder if it’s any good.

Should I post it next week instead of a memory? What does my prospective audience think?