In October 2017 I came across an internet blog challenge for a story written in two sentences. I wrote a story. Liking the format, I did another one. Another one. And another.
Quite a few stories later, I had enough for a book. Not only did I have stories, but I had written a short poem and created a brush and India ink illustration for each one as well.
The result was Minuscule, published in 2018. I’m now going to show you the book illustrations as an ongoing feature on this blog, once a week. I’ll link back to the story (they have been published one by one on my poetry blog).
If you want to hold the entire book in your hand, the print version is available on Amazon.
“Mark” is the title of the story. Look here to read it.
Claudia McGill and Her Art World 
Great illustration!
Thank you. I’m telling you, that bamboo brush is a miracle worker. Makes anything I draw look 100% better.
It’s funny, I was just pondering today the marketing tactics of “affirmation”. (K)
Now that sounds interesting to me, what you came up with, I wonder.
I was thinking how everyone seems to be giving affirmation advice all the time–lots of it involves making lists and telling yourself how wonderful you are and how you deserve to be loved–yet people seem more lost and less secure in their worthiness than ever. I think it may be the wrong approach to curing what ails us.
I think there is something to be said about being kind to yourself and once you have made sure you have done the best you can, being ok with yourself, no matter what happens. But “self-care” strays into too much navel gazing, maybe, a lot of the time. I agree with you.
I remember this story and love that your illustration focuses on the astute gaze of the assessing audience member and that the man on stage is diminished.
Thank you. That is what I hoped to convey – that the hidden secret power is the one to worry about here.