Welcome to July! The mid-month of the northern hemisphere summer (based on the traditional school calendar that still has a hold on so many of our schedules). This year, July also happens to be sandwiched in between two 5-Saturday months. Which means, here at ck’s days, it is in the middle of two 5-part short stories. And if you have been a reader of this little blog for a minute or two, you know I write short stories during the 5-Saturday months and you probably also picked up on the fact that when they are so close together like this, I tend to combine the stories into a 10-part short story. Much like that last sentence, the stories tend to get stretched a little thin. But I digress, let’s talk about last month’s short story first.
Back in April, I went to see Lauren Graham, star of the television shows Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, while she was on a book tour. Turns out, for the past decade she has also been churning out books. Not a bad little side hustle she has going on there. I first became a fan when she donned the Lorelai Gilmore persona in Gilmore Girls (2000-2007). So when I found out she’d be stopping in a convenient town, I thought it would be fun to go and listen to her.
Now, up until I saw the Facebook post ad about her book tour, I had no idea she had become an author. And me being a bit slow on the uptake, it didn’t occur to me to read her book before going and listening to her talk about her book. That’s not entirely true. I did think maybe I should get a copy from the library and read it in enough time to have two or three chapters read before going and listening to her talk about the whole book. In case you are wondering, yes , there were spoilers alerts. Did it matter? No.
Once I finished her 2022 book Have I Told You This Already? Lyn suggested I keep going with that theme and read her other books. I read 2016’ s Talking As Fast As I Can next. Both books were essays and personal experiences. Before finishing up with my LG experience, I went to her first book, 2013’s Someday, Someday, Maybe last. This one is actually fiction but it reads so much in her own voice that you wonder how much fiction is it, really?
The book is about a struggling actress living in New York. Now, if you read last month’s short story you’re thinking that sounds awful familiar and you’d be right. I got the idea for Plan B from reading Lauren Graham’s book. But there is a major difference. In her book [SPOILER ALERT] her character Frannie keeps trying and stays in New York. While the fate of her character is left open, she decides to stay and keep working at it.
In my story, Lizzie does not. She gives up and moves back home. It is true, I don’t have any experience being an actress or know what I’m talking about when it comes to living in New York. I’m pretty sure I took some creative liberties when it comes to agents, waitressing, and living in New York.
But I do know about giving up and moving home. That part I know quite well and since that is the focus of the story, I am hoping the rest can be forgiven. Lizzie’s story isn’t really about living in New York, it’s about finding a new rug when the rug she had worked so hard on is pulled out from under her.
Finding out about Lizzie’s dad was just as shocking to me as it was to her. I had no idea her dad was sick. He also didn’t tell me anything. Because of that, I decided Lizzie’s story was too big to fit into 5-measly chapters. She’s going to need at least 10 to pull it all together. At least, enough for us to feel comfortable leaving her on her own.
Next month, Lizzie, Chuck, and Matt will continue on in Plan C.
Thanks for stopping by for a read!
ck's days 