A former coworker friend of mine, Matt Pais, recently self-published a book of short stories titled This Won’t Take Long. Stories are grouped into categories such as Politics, Relationships, Pop Culture, Travel, etc. They live up to the billing as each story is very short and digestible, perfect for our “I don’t have time for (fill in the blank” culture we find ourselves in.
The reason each story is so short is one of the fascinating things about this book: each day on his 15 minute morning commute he’d write another story. 15 minutes. Done. Next.
My only wish is that the book came in print form. My eyes sometimes can’t take reading on the iPad after I’ve spent all day looking at computer monitors to earn a paycheck, and that’s why it’s taking me so long to get through the book. For me it’s a something to snack on and come back to now and then to read a new story.
I wish I could be this disciplined in my writing and set time aside like this. I think of those 15 years at the Tribune mostly spent on CTA trains and buses and the missed opportunity I had to do something like Matt did with his book. Now, driving 45 minutes up to an hour each way doesn’t allow for much creative writing time when hands are on the wheel and eyes on the road. Even some times when I did get an idea while driving, being able to replicate that moment of inspiration when I got home often times didn’t repeat itself.
I thought about lunch time and some of the journal entries previous to this one were written at lunch. But I still couldn’t seem to commit to it every day, as much as I’ve tried. All I’ve found out is it’s a pain in the thumbs to try and type trains of thought on an iPhone. There are composition books out there with some scribbles of mine that may become entries here some day. But again, the discipline to do this every day needs to improve.
Anyway, I recommend Matt’s book if you’re looking for something unique to read over the summer. Check out the link below to find out more how to get your hands on it.
