It is a little over a year since I started this project and I am very pleased with how it has gone so far. (Albeit with a reasonably far-reaching caveat.)
In celebration of post ＃１００, I am grateful for:
The role of language as a conduit for soulfulness and curiosity
Living in a sufficiently safe location to dedicate my time to fiction
Everybody that reads my writing — however much or little
I intend to maintain my tradition of using purely numeric titles, at least for non-serialised posts. I like that they make the content of the post a little harder to predict before opening. I find this policy amusing, and simple, and it ensures that I do not artificially distill my prose to marketable earworms.
However, I see no conflict with a retrospective wrap-up of my annual oeuvre; perhaps even with a smidge of commentary now that I am detached from the creative process.
If this *is* what audience capture feels like, so be it. But truthfully, I've resisted babbling about subscriber counts and such for so long now that I feel rather entitled to an inputs-focused celebration of my craft. (One post in a hundred isn't needlessly masturbatory, surely..?)
I have selected a number of my personal favourites and sifted them into arbitrary categories that likewise appeal to me. If you have enjoyed any of my writing in particular, I hope you find more to your taste below — and consider subscribing if you haven’t already.
Thanks again, and welcome to Scrapped - Volume 1 !
Character Profiles
＃７７
She was genuinely happy and a lot of people tried to figure out why and how and how to structure their life more like hers so they could have happiness too. It seemed easy enough. She ran a lot and juiced things and had a photogenic relationship with a golden retriever of a man and everybody wanted what she had.
＃９６
A young man struggles with his lack of artistic growth and the effect it has on his relationships.
Sensory Experiences
＃１４
Trying to be David Foster Wallace. Specifically, emulating The Pale King. I would like this a lot if I hadn't actually read any Wallace to know how vastly superior he is at writing this way.
＃６７
A fictional Buddhist passage meditating on the nature of consciousness, attention, and the possibility of multiple 'selves' within us.
＃７８
A blatant and less readable rip-off of Foucault's Pendulum. The result of an enjoyable Wikipedia deep dive.
I Simply Enjoy the Prose
＃１０
One of my earliest attempts (on Substack, anyway) of telling a story with less chaff. I was very proud of this at the time.
＃６３
A man hears sounds from another reality, or somewhere else in his. The "disinterested artists" line calls to me.
Honourable Mentions
＃７６
Contains multiple lines from the CVR of the doomed Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Venting a nightmare as art.
(I’m also very fond of ＃９９, actually, but since that’s the very last post perhaps you ought to just click Previous and work your way back…)
In closing . . .
At the time of writing, I have posts scheduled through to ＃１０５ and many more drafts in the tank, so it is certain this project will continue at least somewhat further. I haven't the heart to let all my stray ideas die in infancy.
Will we make it to Scrapped Vol. 2?
I’d like to think so. I certainly expect to have some free time to write over the summer, and I know I’m capable of building up a scheduled stockpile of fiction to coast me through life’s busier periods.
But if this is the only Scrapped I ever make… I’m really happy with it.
I wish you the same happiness with your own creative pursuits.
With love,
Jack
Thank you for reading 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 !