One last desperately insistent ICYMI
What won’t be making it on this list is the fact that I threw out a decade of notes, maybe 50 pages of real writing, and totally started from scratch—but still first drafted my novel. I first drafted the poetry manuscript I began in 2009 and gave up on more times than I can count. A novel-in-stories that Brendan and I have been kicking around since 2015? 90% drafted, 90% of that written this year.
From about 2011-2018 writing was not fun for me. Writing was more like a 50-pound suitcase I was lugging around hoping the airline would let me check it. In 2018, my kid was born, I figured it was time to put up or shut up. I’ve been getting bylines since 2020 (babies are difficult), and 2022 was a good year. Point is: writers, don’t give up. You’re going to have low periods. But if you love the art? Keep doing the art. Enjoy the journey. Writing is better than not writing.
Cracked
I got asked to do a lot at Cracked this year. For that, I consider myself very lucky. I did a massive background project that doesn’t have bylines but was nevertheless satisfying and taught me a lot. I got asked to write stuff I wouldn’t have thought of, and I got weirdo passion pitches approved. I got asked to write some five-part series, maybe the most fun and gratifying writing experience of my career so far. For a little bit, I got to live my dream as a sports columnist. This isn’t everything, but it’s what I enjoyed most. Shoutout to my editors Cyriaque Lamar, Logan Trent, and Chris Pauls.
Standalone Columns:
The New York Vs Chicago Pizza Debate – As Explained By A Chicagoan
5 Thought Provoking Moments Hiding In Franchises’ Dumbest Movies
5 Unexpected Facts About Life As A Minority In The Middle Ages
Calvin and Hobbes Series:
30th Anniversary of Goosebumps Series:
Cracked Dunks On The NBA, aka the silly history of the NBA:
My Brief Run As A Sports Columnist:
Silly Lists I Enjoyed Doing:
The ‘Halloween’ Franchise’s Best Moments of Unintentional Hilarity
15 Unintentionally Hilarious Movie Moments (That Were Meant to Be Serious)
Mental Floss
Someone I admire suggesting pitching Mental Floss, and man, am I glad I did. This is a relatively recent development, but thus far very fun and rewarding. Looking forward to doing more for them in 2023. Shoutout to Shayna Murphy and the rest of the editorial staff there.
11 Contemporary Updates to Classic Literary Monsters
11 Wintry Books To Read Under Your Warmest Blanket
The Poeming
Joining Cotton Xenomorph this year introduced me to the wonderful E. Kristin Anderson, who co-runs an October writing challenge called The Poeming. One poem every day for 31 (spooooky) days. This year, we read books from R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series and did found poems with the text. Big year for R.L. Stine in Casa de Corlew. I focused mostly on erasures and centos. A very fun way to stretch my poetry writing muscles again.
My Poeming blog is here. Scroll all the way to bottom if you wanna read in order, or click here for the first poem.
That’s it for 2022 for me. It’s a genuine pleasure to be writing this much, and I’m grateful to anyone who reads even one full sentence. Thanks for subscribing to shipwrecked sailor—more coming in this space and elsewhere in 2023.
Sorry you got an email,
Chris