Mitchell S. Jackson's Blog

Good



Sent from my iPhone

To whom would be concerned: 
Years and years ago I decided I wanted to be a writer.  I decided I wanted to be a writer and didn't have the slightest idea what it meant to be a writer, or even what strong writing was.  I began my first graduate writing program without EVER having written a story—that's ever, as in my entire life.  To be true, as of the year 2000, my lifetime tally of stories read could be counted on one hand.  No matter, I kept on.  I read.  I studied.  I worked on the craft.  I developed taste. None of this happened overnight either.  As a matter of fact, it took so long for it to happen, there were times when I doubted if it would happen at all, if maybe it was the destiny of my afterlife, or worse.  There were some around me who said I was being too hard on myself, that I was ready to publish, that I was scared to put something into the world.  And they were right—at least somewhat.  Five years ago, I could have released a book.  I could have traded on my real life hood tales and wrote, like many others, a serviceable novel in the category of urban lit. But here's the thing, I wasn't looking for that.  I'd decided if was going to do it, I had to do it at the highest level--no halfassing.  I'd decided if I was going to do it, what I created had to be art, literature, that it had to stand up against my ever-burgeoning taste and incalculable ambition.  But wait, let me back up: as I said, those few were right; they were right because I was oh so trepid of letting my writing go; I was terrified of releasing something that didn't uphold the standard that I'd set for myself, a standard in some ways that had been passed down by others.  Well, ten years hence here I am: an author—finally, finally, at last—with art that gives me great pride to share.  Indeed, I stand behind it.  Indeed, I stand in front of it too. Oversoul: Stories and Essays is not a premature baby; it is a full term birth.
Ars Longa, Vita Brevis (Art is long; life is short)


Mitch
Below is the amazon link to Oversoul http://www.amazon.com/Oversoul-Stories-and-Essays-ebook/dp/B008BVY18C/ref=la_B008C2OP1S_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339876250&sr=1-1

ENTRY 1

JANURARY 1ST, 2012

Look at that date right there. The first of the month. The first of the year. The first entry in the diary.

I actually came up with the idea of keeping a diary a few days ago, but I decided the 1st would be a sensible start date. Not because I’m one of those people who swear by resolutions and such (go ahead and set a goal whenever you damn well please), but because it made sense.

What am I going to write about? Anything remotely related to writing this novel. The journey from here to there. Here being a man in possession of a manuscript that a publisher felt was worth the gamble of publishing and there being a book on bookshelves—AKA, The dreamed achieved! But more than the process, I want to document how all this feels, what I think about it. The what, yes, but also the how and why.

Today’s the day I decided to start editing the novel. Not that I haven’t edited it many, many times before, but this time it’s under contract (more on this later). Don’t ask me why, but I went to the end of the novel and did some line edits on the last two pages. Not the most productive thing I could’ve done, especially since no one has really said anything critical about the ending, but I’m just a sentence fanatic. I can revise and revise a sentence. It has to be true and also has to have kind of sonic appeal, etc etc.

Shit, there I go digressing.

Let me back up. The novel has found a home. The name of home in Bloomsbury USA. (This could also be called the publishing house the Harry Potter built). The novel also has a birth date or should I say birth season: Spring 2013. The novel also has a shepherd of sorts and her name is Kathy Belden (yep the same Kathy Belden that shepherded Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones (a novel I’m currently reading) to the national book award).

So there it is: Kathy buys the book for Bloomsbury USA and they decide on a Spring 2013 release date.

Was that enough name-dropping for you? Yeah, I feel the same way as you do about it. Don’t bust my chops.

Does Spring 2013 seem far away? Well, it is, kind of. But for me it’s much closer. I have to hand in edits by May of 2012. So that’s five more months to make this thing I’ve lived with for yeeeeeeaaaaars (if you only knew) as good as I think it can be, as good as I hope it could be.

Yep, I hope to spend the next five, six, seven months of life devoting every atom strength, second of attention, ounce of talent to improving the novel (maybe sneaking a short story in here and there) to becoming a better writer along the way. It’s a challenge, but who successful doesn’t like them?

I’ll also be spending that time working on the documentary. Yep, documentary: if you didn’t know now you know, and if you still don’t, I hope you soon will.

Well, I don’t want to be too long winded. I’ve got editing to do. This is the first of many entries. I’ve got a year + of them.

Easy,

Mr. Debut

This is a snippet from my conversation with Freeway Rick Ross, a man who has inspired me, and whom I now count as a friend. The interview is part of my documentary project: The Residue Years.
And yes, that's the same title as the novel.

A few weeks back Steffani Jemison contacted me and asked if I'd like to contribute to her upcoming exhibit: Alpha's Bet Is Not Over Yet. I jumped at the opportunity and now that work is on display as part of her exhibit in the New Museum. Go check it out. Go check it out not because I'm a part of it, but because we need to keep the conversations about language and art and literacy and history going and going and going. Many Thanks Steffani

I did this interview over a year ago, but my friend just brought it to my attention that it was on YouTube.