Adam Oster, Novelist

In case yesterday’s little piece of flash fiction didn’t make it obvious, I’m back!

It sure has been a while, hasn’t it?

Six years actually. Well, outside of the random little something or other.

And I know what you’re thinking, this is just another one of those random little something or others.

NO!

Six years ago, this blog was my comfort zone. My place to sit back and get out some of the random thoughts rumbling around in my head, experiment a bit through flash fiction or social commentary, highlight other authors, book and entertainment reviews, life and book updates, as well as a little bit of advice column.

This was my prosaic playground. And it was one of my favorite places to play.

And then, about six years ago, I made a decision which would mean I had to put the blog on the back burner. And then a few other decisions. And before you know it, it has been six years since blogging was a daily activity for yours truly. Most of these decisions involved doing what was right for my family, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world, but for the past six years I’ve been ruminating on how I can get back to this space.

And then, a couple months ago, I realized how much I needed to bring this back into my life and began developing something to not only allow me to return to regular blogging, but also to make sure that the blog would remain as engaging as possible for you, my amazing readers.

As a result of all that planning, I’m happy to say that I’m back with a whole host of things sitting in the hopper ready to be shared, with plans for a ton more. I’m so incredibly excited to get my playground back and even more excited to share it with you.

Yet, I’m aware of how terrible of a return a stupid “I’m Back” post is, as it’s inherently boring and self-aggrandizing. Because of that, I’ve written another little piece of flash fiction for you. It’s basically the first version I came up with for yesterday’s post, but, you know, a little less epic. All the same, just a little goofy treat to throw out here to showcase how I’m ready to be back!

Have fun out there!

Once upon a time, in the not-so sleepy town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, there lived a storyteller. This storyteller loved to tell stories, but there was one thing he loved even more: his family.
While this storyteller could never give up telling stories entirely, as it was his very nature to do so, he decided to limit his storytelling time in order to focus more on his family and give them the attention they deserved.
Now, it would be lying to say his focus was purely on his family during this period. No, he was working hard to try to do something incredible. His fought to find ways to make more of himself so he could provide his family with the quality of life he wished them to have. And while he would find it difficult, he found success in the ways which mattered. And through those successes, he and his family were able to have the most amazing adventures. And, as luck would have it, he would still manage to find some time, albeit small amounts, to tell stories.
He would publish three books, three short stories, and two plays during this period of decreased storytelling. The plays would be performed before sold out crowds who would laugh and cheer, the short stories would be included in anthologies filled with writing from some of the storyteller’s favorite storytellers, and the books would tell enthrall readers with its epic adventures and colorful characters. While the storyteller dedicate himself as fully to his craft as he wanted, he still managed to achieve his ultimate goals of telling stories and having people enjoy them.
Yet, he yearned for the storytelling days of his past. The days where he would daily provide his audience with new tales and engage with them directly. Perhaps not all of his stories would be met with the grandest of responses, but a conversation had been developed between storyteller and storyreader. And this conversation was what the storyteller missed
One day, the storyteller, finding himself with an unexpected moment of free time, opened up his computer. He sat in his dark little office and began tapping away on his keyboard. Eager, once again, to find his friends and hope to entertain them.