One We Love: This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey - a Chapbook by Steve Almond

POST by Anonymous Author, SUE WILLIAMS

A while back, Steve Almond gave a book launch for his self-published chapbook, This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey, in which he said we writers make a choice about whether to affect many folks in a small way, or a few in a deep way. His words touched on something we've felt for a long time -- smaller, deeper projects may never line our pockets, but they are rich in meaning and potential.

This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey, can be bought (or ordered) from Harvard Book Store, where their snazzy book machine births the slim, little booklets. If you're able to be there in person, it's a great process: you get to watch the machine in action. At the end, a member of staff passes you your own copy warm from the press -- and boy, these small books are a pleasure to handle.

Steve's book contains two sections: the first is a set of enticing flash fictions, the second super-short essays on the writer's craft. Here are a few quotes from each to whet your appetite:

FLASH FICTIONS:

"Because she was a tough girl from the Jersey shore she spoke most eloquently by injuring others..." The opening of Death Song

"When I was young, mother used to dance naked on her marriage bed with a sweaty bosom while papa was away on trips. The nanny took me onto her lap and whispered red secrets and the world rushed at me like pollen..." The opening of Young Body Dream

ESSAYS ON THE CRAFT OF WRITING:

"...readers are drawn to stories not because of your dazzling prose, but because they wish to immerse themselves in a world of danger. More precisely, in the heart of a particular character on the brink of emotional tumult..." From 4. The Only 2 Qs About Which the R Truly Gives an S

"Plot is the mechanism by which your protagonist is forced up against her deepest fears and/or desires." That's actually the whole of, 17. A Quick Definition of Plot

"Enough with the arrogance of metaphor. Place your trust in precise details. Place your trust in verbs." From 24. Metaphors Almost Always Suck

One of the great beauties of chapbooks is their smallness, and though This Won't Take But a Minute, Honey contains only 80 pages, every flash packs one hell of a punch. When faced with big book deals, it's easy for a writer (and reader, indeed) to ignore the smaller projects they love and throw themselves into the big stuff. But by publishing this tiny book in addition to his larger works, Steve Almond reminds us that the whispers matter.

We doff our hats to you, sir.

Check out Steve's new book Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, here.