Sometimes a dream delivers the unexpected. The unexpected becomes expected and what you do with that is a whole other can of worms. For me, it was an especially vivid dream involving long and cramped industrial hallways, a game of chase and Edward James Olmos. As nonsensical as the actor's presence was, the narrative felt fairly clear and I had tried for years to put it to paper. It simply it would not come.
My first college creative writing class in the fall of 2013 provided a few key elements that I had never thought about before. With those dashes of subtly, the story came out within the span of about two days. I've revised it numerous times since but it was vindication to have the completed thought on paper. I've tried publishing the story numerous times, and it currently stands as my most rejected story. However, as I like to say to my own creative writing students, all it takes is for one person to like it. Flash forward today and "Of Wolves and Stars" has found its way into the Spring 2022 edition of El Portal Literary Journal. What makes this sweeter is that El Portal was founded by science fiction legend Dr. Jack Williamson, someone I found myself reading and studying at the University of Texas at Dallas completely independent of the story. I find that there are moments of divinity in life. Or at least, I like to acknowledge them as such.