What is this all about?

I'm really good at beginnings. I've got the hook down pat. I can reel people into a story, create interesting, dynamic characters, describe beautiful settings, and set up a pretty good plot. I've even got a knack for important scenes and chapters. I'm just not very good at endings.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I've written one or two pretty darn good endings. They just didn't have beginnings or middles to go with them.

What I'm really good at is starting a story and then never finishing it. What can I say. It's a gift. I have notebooks from high school and college filled with snippets. Some are only a paragraph, not even taking up a full page. Others go on for pages and pages. But they all just sort of end. Abruptly. With no warning.

Occasionally I go back to them and actually do finish them, but only occasionally. However, it's that elusive eventuality which causes me to keep them all, regardless of how trivial they may seem at the time.

Some people hoard newspapers or magazines because they think there might be something important in there somewhere. Other people collect shot glasses or matchbooks or spoons so they won't forget the places they've been.

Me, I collect thoughts. Just random thoughts that pop into my head. It just so happens that they're frequently in narrative form. I've been doing that since childhood, narrating my life inside my head. It's like a constant voice over -- like the Wonder Years -- running through my mind. Sometimes I'm in the stories in the guise of another character. Sometimes not. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that I get them down on paper so that they don't spill over into my regular life. Like Superman wearing tights and red speedos in his off time so that particular habit doesn't interfere with his Clark Kent life.

Of course, I'd be interested in your thoughts. A lot of people who read my snippets get upset because they want to know the ending. So do I. If you think of one, let me know.