James Michael Dupree
Other Writings
Fish Out of Water
One night, in the spring of 2015, a sentence popped into my head: "There's a fish on my desk and it's weirding me out." It was a strange sentence indeed. I still don't know what led to its existence. Did I eat fish that night? Did I think about eating fish? Did I see a fish earlier that day? Was it from a dream? Did some ethereal being with a predilection for fish (or was a fish itself) whisper the idea into my ear? Whatever the reason, I now had this peculiar sentence. So I wrote an equally peculiar story around it.
The Five Stages of Writing
I took a Life Writing course despite my aversion to the idea of writing about myself. I didn’t think I had much to say or that my experiences were interesting enough. I was quick to learn that everyone in the class felt similarly and how cathartic writing about your life can be. I was specifically attracted to the braided essay style: a series of short paragraphs about seemingly random topics all tying together through a central theme. I wrote one centered on the writing process. I incorporated experiences from other writers of different backgrounds including, comic book writers, novelists and screenwriters.
Ghostmate
This was a fun little story I came up with a few years ago while trying to fall asleep in a hotel room. I heard some vague creaky noise that my weary mind could only assume must be a ghost. I remember thinking if it was a spectral visitor, then it could mind its own business because I was too damn tired to be scared that night. Finding that initial idea funny (maybe it was the exhaustion?), I remained awake long enough to write this story on my phone and then promptly fell asleep.