I started writing short stories after a car crash. Right before the crash I ran into a veteran at a gas station convenient stop. He asked me for change, and I got roped into a conversation about his service. He was drunk. Even though I was late to be somewhere, I enjoyed his war tales, so I stayed and listened. Shortly after our conversation, I got into my car and crashed. In the car, waiting for the cops to arrive, trying not to warm up to the other driver, I couldn't stop thinking about his stories and his vigor to explain something important to him. What a story teller, I thought. I didn't even mind the dents in my car. I was thinking about how he saved his friend from an explosion in Saigon. I wrote down his stories the next day. The writing sucked, but I found I enjoyed doing it.

My next goal is to publish a novel. No veterans or car crashes needed this time. Maybe some veterans.