The best way to explain what I mean is that, I had to explain what exactly was happening in my characters' surroundings and that alone opened up an entire universe of possibilities, which I just continued to expound upon. Now, as of January 2018, I have almost a full novella (longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel) of a story titled, We Missed A Meeting. The idea of being published in 2017 sounded enticing, but the burning thought and opportunity to take my time and to finish a story that was going to be as controversial as it was going to be dividing was just too much for me to pass up, and I decided it's probably just best that I continue to build on the characters, the plot, and the overall bigger picture that I already began developing. Let me give you some back thought. The idea for the story came to me in 2015, while working out with a buddy of mine. We began discussing Black Lives Matter and the ever-growing shift for African-Americans to buy black and create both identity and community in America. We were discussing the deaths of Michael Brown, of Troy Davis, Jordan Davis, and so many more African Americans that had been shot at the hands of either law enforcement, or citizens, who'd grow their monetary support and eventually avoid charges. My problem with what my buddy was saying was that he stuck to the idea that African-Americans (and thus Black Culture) would see a struggle in attempting to survive or manage itself in exclusive existence without general white culture. This was segretation versus integration type conversation, and ultimately my hypothetical (and somewhat rhetoricla question posed to him) was met with answers that I didn't quite agree with. We Missed A Meeting is about neither of those scenarios. Instead, it's about what Black identity means to African-Americans. As the storyline continues, it continues to push and push and ask the questions we're either never afforded to, or too afraid to ask. We follow the main character, Richard, on a day on the job at his place of employment, H.L. Powerman LLP, on a very peculiar day. Throughout the story, we follow Richard's struggle with both social placement and social identity. I've been finding the story to be both painful to read, as well as disturbing to discuss with some of my colleagues. This, however, along with a number of stories I've read and seen in headlines through 2017 are the very reason that I've been pushing to complete this book. Somehow, I feel like it's extremely necessary to deliver at a time when White Supremacy, Neo-Nazism, and White Nationalist movements are giving a comfortable lane to exist, while banishing and antagonizing the faux and so-called Black Identity Extremism. There isn't much I can provide right now, but I have offered to create a brief sample read of We Missed A Meeting that I've been sending out to some friends and family who enjoy my writing. That sample is available for download in this blog post, so be sure to check it out now! One important note to make is that as of right now, there's no projected release or publication date, but I will be discussing the opportunity to release chapters to my blog, or in some other form. Right now, that is a best case scenario, but other than that, I hope to be finished and began the process to publication this year!
I do want to take this moment to thank everyone for reading my posts from 2017. There are a lot more, very raw posts to come in 2018, and I hope to take you all on the journey with me. So, being said, be sure to subscribe to new blog posts as they come out from Written By Mistah Marvel. I hope you enjoy!
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