Thanks Vince. It certainly has some Sandlot elements but as Sherman so nicely said, it’s a bit more “real”. I wanted an American summer that wasn’t all good times.
Nice, elegiac atmosphere. I think we all have a Mr Hartley in our lives, fuck those guys, but thank god for the Mrs Hartleys. They sustain us through those impossible years and impossible human kids. Soft and tender story. Thank you.
It's easy to long for 2000/2001, isn't it? I didn't realize how nostalgic this story was until after I wrote it. The references are too on point. In fact, I probably revealed a great deal about my age.
I think the softness of Mrs. Hartleys act to counterbalance the often very masculine overtones of American culture. They are vital.
Loved reading this, Clancy. For some reason, I was playing the story in my head as if (naturally) occurring many years ago, when the Playstation didn't exist (for one). Maybe because I was projecting my own childhood into it, and back then Harry Potter wasn't born yet. Maybe because of your reflections along the way, way more mature than those by the average nine-years-old kid. I especially appreciated this one: "I thought about what using this phrase meant. It meant that, although I had an injury, they who had caused me injury had in turn received an even worse injury by my hand, the other guy in question thus implied to be the loser in the altercation, a fact the questioner would have no choice but to believe given the absence of said other guy and allowing the injured (me) to save (wounded) face." Thanks for writing this.
It's funny, I had somehow anticipated that whole explanation in my head when I read the Granpa comment on how one should reply to that question. And then there it was, perfectly crafted by you as the next paragraph. This is magic. So glad I discovered your writing today. I'm excited to keep reading your stuff. :)
Thanks Sherman! Yeah there are similarities; the move, a black eye, the dog, baseball in general. But I kind of wanted to flip things, not all American summers have happy endings.
Lovely and wholesome, Clancy, plus the closed loop with the title was excellent. Haven't ever thought about that phrase as it applies to when you injury yourself. Well executed :)
Also, an audible laugh at this line: "I had no idea about baseball, or any sport, really, except for maybe Quidditch." 😆
I loved this story,Clancy. It is beautifully written, and made me feel eight years old again and full of the angst a child feels when moving to a new neighborhood. My family moved 16 times in 18 years due to eviction for non-payment of rent. It was especially hard on me, socially, as I was painfully shy. But I made up for it in academic success. Thanks for taking me back with this lovely story. Can I assume it was autobiographical?
Now THAT is emotionally rough moving. I'm sure that comes out in your work. Kudos on being academically successful despite that, I think that sort of life probably leads to failure on that front.
I would love to hear a story about that!
All writing is autobiographical in some ways. But you'll have to read my retrospective on this piece when it comes out to see how I wound it all into a narrative :)
Yes, it may or may not be apparent, but I write nearly all my autobiographical pieces as fiction, in the third person. I can' bear the narcissism of I, me, my, mine. And it is certainly less painful. Thank you for the encouragement. Your retrospective will be on Substack and emailed to your subscribers? Or?
Enjoyed this story. Reminds me of a flipped “Sandlot.”
Thanks Vince. It certainly has some Sandlot elements but as Sherman so nicely said, it’s a bit more “real”. I wanted an American summer that wasn’t all good times.
Nice, elegiac atmosphere. I think we all have a Mr Hartley in our lives, fuck those guys, but thank god for the Mrs Hartleys. They sustain us through those impossible years and impossible human kids. Soft and tender story. Thank you.
Thanks for reading Mark.
It's easy to long for 2000/2001, isn't it? I didn't realize how nostalgic this story was until after I wrote it. The references are too on point. In fact, I probably revealed a great deal about my age.
I think the softness of Mrs. Hartleys act to counterbalance the often very masculine overtones of American culture. They are vital.
Loved reading this, Clancy. For some reason, I was playing the story in my head as if (naturally) occurring many years ago, when the Playstation didn't exist (for one). Maybe because I was projecting my own childhood into it, and back then Harry Potter wasn't born yet. Maybe because of your reflections along the way, way more mature than those by the average nine-years-old kid. I especially appreciated this one: "I thought about what using this phrase meant. It meant that, although I had an injury, they who had caused me injury had in turn received an even worse injury by my hand, the other guy in question thus implied to be the loser in the altercation, a fact the questioner would have no choice but to believe given the absence of said other guy and allowing the injured (me) to save (wounded) face." Thanks for writing this.
Thanks for reading Silvio! That line is very much the crux of the story, I’m so glad you pointed it out.
It's funny, I had somehow anticipated that whole explanation in my head when I read the Granpa comment on how one should reply to that question. And then there it was, perfectly crafted by you as the next paragraph. This is magic. So glad I discovered your writing today. I'm excited to keep reading your stuff. :)
Woo! Great read!
Thanks Will. I will take you “woo” as cheering.
As you should!
I also thought of "Sandlot," the movie but this is so much more real—the difference between nostalgia and insight.
Thanks Sherman! Yeah there are similarities; the move, a black eye, the dog, baseball in general. But I kind of wanted to flip things, not all American summers have happy endings.
I really wanted the Hartley boy out, too. I don't know a lot about baseball because I'm British but I could really appreciate the game here.
Thanks for reading Hanna!
The 17 minutes went fast, and slow, in a good way. F that kid.
Lovely and wholesome, Clancy, plus the closed loop with the title was excellent. Haven't ever thought about that phrase as it applies to when you injury yourself. Well executed :)
Also, an audible laugh at this line: "I had no idea about baseball, or any sport, really, except for maybe Quidditch." 😆
Thanks Nathan. I hadn’t either until I had the idea to have someone throw a baseball into their own face.
There are Harry Potter hints throughout. Further puts us in the times and cranks the nostalgia factor.
Yep, definitely. I was juusst over the edge of that (was starting uni when it was really all the rage), so never picked a house myself ;)
I loved this story,Clancy. It is beautifully written, and made me feel eight years old again and full of the angst a child feels when moving to a new neighborhood. My family moved 16 times in 18 years due to eviction for non-payment of rent. It was especially hard on me, socially, as I was painfully shy. But I made up for it in academic success. Thanks for taking me back with this lovely story. Can I assume it was autobiographical?
Thank you Sharron, as always.
Now THAT is emotionally rough moving. I'm sure that comes out in your work. Kudos on being academically successful despite that, I think that sort of life probably leads to failure on that front.
I would love to hear a story about that!
All writing is autobiographical in some ways. But you'll have to read my retrospective on this piece when it comes out to see how I wound it all into a narrative :)
Yes, it may or may not be apparent, but I write nearly all my autobiographical pieces as fiction, in the third person. I can' bear the narcissism of I, me, my, mine. And it is certainly less painful. Thank you for the encouragement. Your retrospective will be on Substack and emailed to your subscribers? Or?
Yes I posted the first one not too long ago, it should have come via email, I hope.
Here it is: https://blog.pornnamepseudonym.com/p/diaries-and-journals-retros?lli=1
I hope to do one for all of my stories.