After visiting Dear Diary Coffee in August 2022, and taking in the news of its second short story contest, I knew that I would submit - and I immediately charted out how I would bring the narrative together. Likely due to a decade of trial & error in my writing process, I crafted this tale in just over 48 hours.
I write virtually all of my first drafts by hand. I pulled out an old Moleskine paperback and let the pen flow. I experiment with different pages & pens when I write, but I usually employ a Pilot G-2 07 to get the job done (the brand strikes a sentimental note for me, as I used its pens to study for the Louisiana Bar in 2016).
A couple days after I started, I had this draft.
About ten years ago, I would be concerned with the legibility of my handwriting, and I would also strive to make few errors on the page. I appreciate what this draft of Betrayed Biking represents - a willingness to explore topics that I previously avoided, a loosening of my handwriting to match the flow of my thoughts, and the robust inclusion of scratched out words & phrases on the journey to the final product.
As a nice bonus, the short story contest required entrants to record their pieces. Prior to it, I hadn’t included an audio component alongside any of my work. I enjoyed using Anchor to add more depth to the piece, and I plan to use more creative storytelling devices like it in the future.
A few weeks after I submitted it, I received the news that Betrayed Biking had been selected as the winner (the audio lives here). It is an honor for my work to be recognized in this way, and it has inspired some of my current projects.
On that note, folks in Austin, come to Batch on Manor Road at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2023 to hear me tell a story for Hyde Park Storytelling. I think you’ll get a kick out of what I have to say.
I’ll end by sharing that sunset should be sunrise in the last sentence of Betrayed Biking; however, if you’ve gotten that far in the narrative, I imagine you’ve likely taken away larger points than that.
Awesome!