Ryan Werner (Writes Stuff): The Website
  Ryan Werner (Writes Stuff)
  • (Runs a Blog)
  • (Is Published)
  • (Wrote Books)
  • (Makes Chapbooks)
  • (Would Love To Hear From You)

Shake Away These Constant Days: An Explanation in Thirty Parts (Part 24: "This Illusion")

9/17/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture

My upcoming book of short short stories, Shake Away These Constant Days, originated as a project called Our Band Could Be Your Lit, in which I wrote a story under 1000 words every week. To generate this much content, I based the stories on songs suggested my musicians and writers from around the world. The original idea was 100 songs, 100 stories: find the creative common ground between two mediums and cultivating the virtue found therein.

Until September 25th, I'll be doing a blog post a day about the stories in the book. After that, it's all up to you.

"Feel" by Big Star was the inspiration behind the story "This Illusion"

(Read "This Illusion" over at Prime Number Magazine)

Exclusive to SATCD. Big Star really only fired the same few longing-related synapses over and over, so I knew immediately that the story was going to be about a guy and a girl and a disappointment sitting comfortably between them. What I ended up with was a guy dating one of “exactly four-dozen registered female magicians in the United States.”

I remember being obsessed with magic when I was younger. Not real magic—I’m obsessed with that now, though it’s even more fruitless than the other kind—but magic tricks, the kinds done with prop metal rings and slight-of-hand. I had books and learned some tricks and, until I decided I wanted to be a pro wrestler, was convinced I would be a magician someday.

Obviously, this never happened. I knew a magician in high school tangentially. His sister was in my grade. His license plate said MAGICEJ and he was kind of a fucking dork. The ghost was long given up, but that wasn’t very endearing.

I’m sure there’s a bit of GOB Bluth in here somewhere, but mostly it’s just a bunch of stuff I made up. I may have gotten the idea for a “female magician convention” from a porno. If that doesn’t actually exist, someone should make it.

As for the story, I think it was a bit of a turning point in my writing. After years of doing it accidentally, I finally figured out a way to be a little funny while still having that feeling of a big, functionless Midwestern heart somewhere at the center of it all.


Tomorrow: A story named "Where Is Your H?" that is based on the song "Smile & Wave" by Headstones. Suggested by writer Tim Trenkle.

SATCD on Goodreads
 
Pre-order the book like all your friends already have. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Ryan Werner
    (About Stuff)
    Picture
    Writer, rocker, janitor. Lover of pro wrestling, porno, and ice cream. Hater of fingerless gloves, pictures of cats, and goodbyes. 

    Archives

    April 2016
    January 2016
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    Categories

    All
    000 Maniacs
    10000 Maniacs
    2002 Mitsubishi Galant
    Ace Frehley
    Alan Moore
    Alejandro Escovedo
    Amber Sparks
    Amy Hempel
    Barry Hannah
    Bible Of The Devil
    Big Star
    Bill Evans
    Bob Bucko Jr
    Book
    Book Review
    Brian Eno
    Caketrain
    Cease
    Chavez
    Chet Baker
    Chili Dogs
    Chloe Caldwell
    Chocolate Butthole
    Cloud Rodeo
    Comics
    Computer Crash
    Connotation Press
    Cooking
    Cows
    David Lynch
    Death Ships
    Decibully
    Deep Purple
    Dena Rash Guzman
    Diane Werner (Mom)
    Dirty Tricks
    Don Caballero
    Eirik Gumeny
    Eluvium
    Essays
    Explosions In The Sky
    Fang Island
    Fanny Packs
    Frederick Exley
    Gary Burton
    Gary Lutz
    George Carlin
    Ghostfinger
    Goodreads
    Hair Metal
    Hal Literature
    Heavy Psych/blues
    Hot Dogs
    Ice Cream
    Indiana Review
    Jamie Iredell
    Ja Tyler
    Jeremy Leven
    Jersey Devil Press
    Jews
    Jim O'Rourke
    Jon Konrath
    Justin Lawrence Daugherty
    Kevin Wilson
    Kickstarter
    Kip Winger
    Laura Kightlinger
    Louis C.k.
    Marc Maron
    Mario Kolaric
    Mark Kozelek
    Marvin Gaye
    Mary Miller
    Mary Robison
    Matthew Burnside
    Matt Kish
    Mick Foley
    Milan Kundera
    Modern Art
    Morton Feldman
    Motley Crue
    Motorhead
    Mount Moriah
    Mr. Ryan
    Murmuration
    Neko Case
    Neuroses
    Not Reading
    Not Writing
    [pank]
    Paragraph Line
    Party Down
    Passenger Side Books
    Pinball
    Pity Sex
    Preschool
    Redheads
    Reigning Sound
    Revision
    Rock & Roll
    Roy Kesey
    Ryan W. Bradley
    Sam Lipsyte
    Sam Snoek Brown
    Sam Snoek-Brown
    Sante Fe Literary Review
    Sarah Rose Etter
    Sara Levine
    Satcd Explained
    Shake Away These Constant Days
    Sigur Ros
    Smokelong
    Spinal Tap
    Steve Earle
    Steven Gillis
    Stone Cold Steve Austin
    Strippers
    Sundog Lit
    Teenage Fanclub
    The Afghan Whigs
    The Bismarck
    The Midwest
    The Road Becomes What You Leave
    The Sword
    Thin Lizzy
    Thomas Cooper
    Titles Are Hard
    Toe
    Tom Keifer
    Touring
    Tristeza
    Twitter
    Uncle Ryan
    Wal-Mart Santa
    Workshops
    Work Sucks
    W.P. Kinsella
    Wrestling
    Writing
    You Can't Stop The Signal
    Zoe Muth
    Zz Top

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.