Monty's Very Short Shorts
by Monty VernPublish: Jan 13, 2021Biographies & MemoirsBook Overview
"I never intended it, but this project became my daily journal for this crazy year. This is the result. A bit messy, but isn't that how life works?""366 Fully self-illustrated very short stories and poetic prose" (For best viewing use color-capable device!)
"My words are as varied as the experiences life has thrown at me. Always personal and emotionally honest. Mostly autobiographical, observational, and free of fake news. Periodically humorous, sometimes intentionally but often not.
"This work contains 366 illustrated very short stories, one for each day of the year 2020 based on the #vss365 prompt on Twitter. This is the first collection of such stories that are fully illustrated. I never intended it, but this daily short story practice became my daily diary for this crazy year. This is the result. A bit messy, but isn't that how life works?
I started writing during the extended spring festival in January 2020, just as the epidemic (later pandemic) set in and we went into quarantine. I had no specific plan at the time, but I had done some expressive writing about a year previously as part of a mental health/chronic pain treatment program and found it difficult but productive. The difficulty came from it raising many painful memories and emotions. The productivity came from being able to reframe those past experiences in a new healthier context and process the emotions. Anyway, I share this as it explains why I started my creative writing journey with an autobiographical focus and, because of this, there are references to depression and self-harm/suicidal ideation. If you are dealing with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please reach out for help. It can get better, but it's awfully hard to do it alone. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, then reach out to your local emergency services."
Be well,
Monty
