I used to drink a lot.
More than was healthy or conducive to a fulfilling life.
From 1996 to 2012 I experienced the massive highs andcrushing lows that accompany a drunk’s chaotic lifestyle.
Today, I’ve been sober for close to 12 years, but I still think about drinking all the time. Not about drinking again, but about the act of drinking. Why do humans feel the need to overuse a substance that’s so obviously harmful? Why did I love it so much? How did it help me? Hurt me? Change me?
When my thoughts take on a macabre tone, I feel regret for the stupid things I did, and for the warped way I thought about life. Most of the time I marvel at how weird it was. Screaming and yelling in a packed bar or pub, sweating, spending copious amounts of money just to feel like death the next day.
Then doing it all again a short time later.
I think about the stories, too, and the storytellers that inhabited that dank establishments. The way someone talked with their hands, paused at the right moment for effect, altered their, or changed the pace of their voice to re-tell the events in the most entertaining way possible.
The wild energy.
The slang.
The rapt attention of the audience.
The laughter.
Despite the impromptu nature of these stories, in hindsight, they held so many lessons for storytellers:
1. The stories started strong. The conflict was introduced right away or there was an immediate hook (Hey, remember the time Jonesy got robbed by the cab driver?).
2. The details were precise and visual (The guy’s pants were so tight it looked like he was smuggling grapes).
3. The people in the stories were active. (Scott was the only person I ever saw break a beer bottle over his own head).
4. The climax was memorable (The best part is the cabbie didn’t take his wallet. No, instead he stole Jonesy’s bag of McDonald’s they’d just picked up, three cheeseburgers and a large fry).
Think about a recent book, movie, or TV show you love, and I guarantee it starts strong, includes precise and visual details, and I bet the main characters are active, while a memorable climaxleaves the reader/ viewer excited, angry, sad, or wanting to debate.
Punk Noir Press 