I’ve been thinking (which is always dangerous enough) and I had an idea, which are always cause for alarm. I’ve been writing short stories for a long time. It’s something I’ve done naturally—though never easily—and I’ve stuck with it for so long that I have no idea if I could resist writing. And despite this seeming love for writing, I never seriously contemplated being a writer in the professional sense. It was rewarding enough to write something for myself; something to read years later with a grin on my face.Then came the Internet, where I’ve come to feel at home: a place where anybody who has ten minutes can become a writer with the power to reach, quite literally, the world. So, I guess I’ll give it a try.Beginning on June 21—the summer solstice and the official beginning of summer (it also happens to be a Thursday)—I will begin posting for thirty straight days. I’ll try to keep the posts short enough to read in at most ten minutes (I’ll be splitting longer stories across several days). I’ll only be posting new stories (and a few other things). The point is to see what being a writer is like—having to write something every day that I know somebody (I hope at least one somebody) will read.I’ve been furiously trying to get a head-start on the project so I can have a little leeway if I get busy. I can’t promise I won’t miss a day but I’m going to do my darndest not to. Promise.Check back on Thursday, June 21, at 6:06 p.m., when all of us here on the Northern Hemisphere will be the closest to the sun we’ll be all year. Maybe the heat will make you lightheaded and you’ll enjoy the stories more.Thanks.Starts Here: Smoke