Today's WIP Wednesday is about honesty: a final tribute to the shifty Richard Ridyard.
Aaron Polson is my real name. I understand the need for pseudonyms. I respect most people who use them. Tricky Dick Ridyard, I do not. The "Aaron Polson" on Facebook from Australia is not me. There is a small town in Montana named "Polson" and a former liquor store in Manhattan, Kansas named Polson Liquor. I have no affiliation with either. The surname Polson is Scandinavian, meaning (at some point in history) Paul's son.
I teach at McLouth High School in McLouth, Kansas. The town has less than 1,000 residents. Our school district has nearly 600 students. You do the math...many of my students live in the rural areas near Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka. I teach English to our 11th and 12th grade students. Words are my friends. I chose English as a major because it was more challenging than math. True story.
I guess I hadn't taken the hard math courses yet.
My face is scarred from a bicycle accident when I was 19. I'd like to say it happened during a sweet trail ride, but alas, I wrecked 1/2 block from my house. I've worn glasses since I was in 2nd grade; I'm too lazy for contact lenses and stopped wearing those when I was 18.
My worst fear used to be death. Now, I make fictional characters die (or suffer worse fates) and it somehow makes me feel better. I've been writing since the summer of 2007. Yeah, I dabbled before, but nothing serious.
On some days, I feel like everything I do is a failure. I work harder on those days than any others.
The freedom of speech is the most valuable "possession" I have. I'm exercising it right now. I've made mistakes...many mistakes in life. Giving up hasn't been one of them, yet.
I finished writing "Shallow Drownings". It will take at least three edits before I'll release it to the wild. The final lines:
The man in the pool continued to rock. He began to hum a few notes from a simple lullaby.
“My God…Mick, who are you holding?”
Anything else you'd like to know?
17 comments:
This one simple blog post has more truth (and eloquence) than all of Ridyard's "career." Also, that is a totally freaky ending for a story.
K.C. - Something about a lullaby always goes for the throat.
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Dick Ridyard.
That seems a poetic and proper end to this saga, my friend. Well said.
Dainelle - Pipe smoke makes me think of my dear old dad. :)
Alan - Hard tellin' who anybody is around here.
Well said, Aaron.
Thanks, Laura. Honesty seems to work the best.
You absolutely rock, Aaron. :)
Beautiful.
-Mercedes
Fantastic post, and now I know even more about you.
Great post, Aaron!
PS. Got my copy of 52 STitches today. Lovely little book. You rock.
Great post. Nice to know the person behind the byline.
You do indeed rock. I'm still stunned by the Summer of 07 remark. You cannot be this good in so short a time. It makes the rest of us look bad.
Anything else I'd like to know? Funny you should ask . . .
Often wondered if you grew up in Lawrence and were scarred in your youth watching your town consumed by nukes. Might explain some things . . . (:?)
Boxers or briefs?
Brendan - Just say no to nukes.
Natalie - that's a whole new post.
Carrie - I'm channeling General Patton. That's all I can say.
Thanks, everyone.
Nat has already asked the pertinent question (wait--what?!) so I'll just throw in my two cents here to say that I enjoyed this, and your honesty and eloquence are a shining beacon of awesome in a land that's been sort of cloudy for the past few days.
Post a Comment