by I’ve been a bit quiet this week! I spent most of last weekend poring over my pieces. As the rest of the week went on, both my regular day job and writing opportunities demanded something I’d been putting off for awhile: samples.
I’m a bit of a newbie in terms of paranoia with the reasoning of a seasoned writer: I know that it’s unlikely anything I provide as a sample will be stolen, and it’s better if my samples are published by a third party, but until I reach that milestone, I only have my own voice and drive to get the words out and on paper. As a result, all of my samples are my little ducklings. Until one swims away on its own, they’re mine to keep and nestle.
(I was going for “cute” with the duck analogy but in hindsight, it probably reads as strange. Ah, well.)
In the fanfiction world, there’s a thing that some writers do called the Sunday Six. It’s self-explanatory: each Sunday (or, random Sundays! Nobody’s watching), a writer will produce an excerpt of something yet-unpublished that is either six sentences, words, or paragraphs.
I’m not going to do six here, but I rather like the idea of sharing some of the things that I can without revealing the entire work. This is either because they’re protected by an agreement or are still in evaluation after submission. Anywhere from prose to technical writing has been on my plate this week. Here are a few highlights I especially enjoyed. Think of it as a sampler platter? Taster? I don’t know.
From a music review:
If you are a transplanted city slicker and have not yet had that moment, save this song to your Spotify. When that time comes, wait for a night when the Santa Anas are especially hot and stiff and pour a drink that can stand up to them. Sip twice, then listen.
From a personal essay:
At first glance, the van looks vintage. The bright paint job appears tie-dye, but up close it’s a dichromatic geometric design. Fresh and modern. Against the brittleness of the Mojave Desert, it’s an aquatic jewel; a promise of relief long before the winter rains are due.
They won’t come.
Last (and most definitely least…not all writing is fun), from an instruction manual for work:
It is recommended that only one device transfers data at a time. Note that high-power devices such as…media storage (cameras, scanners, and large files from external hard drives) may reduce the performance speed of your computer.
Reidun Saxerud 
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