The Weekly Atticus (12/23/2017)

A recap of the week at Atticus Review, along with some extras.

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Dear ,January 1st is my favorite day of the year. I love hitting reset, and I love making resolutions. Not that you can do this only on January 1st, of course, but the beginning of a new year, whether it be the calendar year or a year of your life, is a natural choice.Various statistics suggest, however, that very few resolutions take. Most people don’t manage to uphold their resolutions for more than a few weeks or a month, much less a whole year, or for life. Given my abundant personal experience with failed resolutions, I’m not surprised. Still, I have been successful with some resolutions. The one in particular that comes to mind is when I resolved to get more serious about writing. After earning my MFA in fiction and moving to a town where I didn’t know anybody but my spouse, and then taking a full-time science writing job, I struggled to write creatively. I felt isolated and lost my momentum. I didn’t quit writing altogether, but because I didn’t have a regular writing habit, I got rusty, which made the days I did write pretty agonizing. When writing ceases to be fun, or at least satisfying, it’s not exactly surprising that one may struggle to sit down and do it. Despite having published several stories during graduate school, I stopped sending my work out. This lasted a few years. When I reflect on why my resolution to get serious about writing took, the most important factor I think is that I truly, deeply wanted to make this change. It wasn’t simply that I felt guilty or ashamed that I wasn’t taking writing that seriously. I have never been successful in changing a habit just because I thought I should change it. Also, I was specific about what taking writing more seriously meant. For me, at that time, it meant that I wanted to write a couple of hours a day at least six days a week. This was a reasonable goal, a specific goal, and one I could easily measure, which I did. I took a few sheets of thick resume paper and drew calendars on them. Each day I tracked the hours I spent writing. In addition, I resolved to spend much more time reading the fiction being published in various literary journals—both to get a better sense of the aesthetics of individual journals and to be exposed to a wider range of contemporary fiction. I kept a notebook in which I recorded every story I read during those months.  I recorded my writing and reading like this for about three months or so until I didn’t need to anymore. Because after several months of writing, and reading literary journals, nearly every day, I wasn’t rusty anymore. So I enjoyed writing again. Thus, I no longer needed that calendar to motivate me to write. I was hooked again. I’ve been hooked ever since.That’s not to say, however, that I don’t still experience rough patches. Now, for instance. The end of a year, with the holidays and their various accompanying obligations, is hard on my writing routine. I feel overburdened, distracted, and, simply put, tired. So it’s not surprising that writing is one of the things I find myself thinking about in terms of resolutions for the impending new year. How can I kick start my writing in the new year in an inspiring way? Whatever I choose to do, I know from experience that if I want to be successful, I have to really want it and that my goal has to be realistic, specific, and measurable. What are your resolutions? What ways do you find to inspire yourself to write? Whatever your resolutions or goals for the new year, we at Atticus Review wish you success. Happy and healthful new year! 

Michelle RossFiction Editor

**Editorial Note:Atticus Review will be on break for the next two weeks and will resume on January 8th. 

THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

FERAL TOWN by Adam Gustavson

SHIRLEY

BOOK REVIEW: The Comfort of Food and FamilyA review of The Last Days of Café Leila by Donia BijanReview by Rachel Wooley"[The novel] delves fully and thoughtfully into the lives and feelings of the characters and explores their motivations and interactions. It’s also a lovely examination of life and society in Tehran through the lens of the café. Readers will become immersed in the atmosphere of this little community and...may not want to leave."READ ON

FICTION: MECHANICAL MARTYRBy Rachel LevyOur 2017 Flash Fiction Contest winner!"In the ballroom there’s a ravishing piano, a hot chandelier, and a self-winding clock. I should think I’m in paradise, except for the people. Not all girls are people, but most of them are. Chastiffany is both."READ ON

POETRY: DEAR CAROLE, DERMATOLOGISTS CALL THE BODY A TRUNKBy Sarah A. Chavez"Knee caps, whatever. Nobodyreally looks at those, but my breasts? Though they aren’t getting many looks either, I don’t need another reasonto feel inadequate. Lost weightand weird nipples are all I canhandle in the boobs dept."READ ON

POETRY: JANUSBy Geoff Anderson"I’ve inherited memory by hand,the one that held the strapand whipped."READ ON

CNF: WINTER RITUALSBy Genia Blum"Our feast’s rituals were adapted from ancient pagan beliefs once dedicated to fertility, winter solstice, and ancestral spirits."READ ON