List Story - Elise Curtis
Number of pages read in my lifetime: 5,170,101.
Number of books read in my lifetime: 502.
Number of books on the “favorite” shelf: 39.
Number of ideas sorted through before picking: 8.
Number of times I imagined the short story being published: 46,152.
Number of pages in story: 24.
Number of sections in story: 5.
Number of words in story: 7,692.
Number of characters with lines: 6.
Number of female characters with lines: 2.
Number of living janitor characters: 4.
Number of dead janitor characters: 2.
Number of ghosts: 3.
Number of times used “it”: 209.
Number of times used “was”: 239.
Number of times read over the manuscript: 6.
Number of minutes per read through: 120.
Number of credits taking in current semester: 16.
Number of English classes: 5.
Number of times the professor mentioned we would be workshopping: probably 29.
Number of times I emotionally prepared for mine: 0.
Number of times panicked while thinking about workshopping: 642.
Number of nails bitten to the quick: 10.
Number of heartbeat accelerations: 16.
Number of copies printed: 22.
Number of times I had to scribble my name in the corner because I forgot to put it on the manuscript: 22.
Number of people in class on my workshop day: 18.
Number of breaths until first comment: 0.
Number of seconds to first comment: 37.
Number of words in first comment: 3.
Number of positive words: 3.
Number of comments: 19.
Number of relevant comments: 16.
Number of times they said, “I want a little more of…”: 68,433.
Number of weird comments that quickly proved that the person hadn’t read the story: 3.
Number of notes taken on the workshop: 7.
Number of annotations on this story totaled from all returned copies of the manuscript: 107.
Number of typos: 5.
Number of times I thought “HOW?!” in response: 50.
Number of tears after workshop: 0.
Number of workshops done on my work: 1.
Number of stories I want to write now: 379,428,892.
Number of words in final draft: 4995.
Number of words cut to final draft: 2,697.
Number of words allowed in short story: 5,000.
Number of revisions made: 36.
Number of people in writing group: 5.
Number of times considered submitting: 430.
Number of times submitted: 0.
Number of conversations with group about submitting: 1.
Number of times submitted: 1.
Number of weeks waiting for an answer: 2.
Number of times checked inbox specifically for response: 68,433.
Number of rejections: 0.
Number of acceptances: 1.
Number of awkward dance moves in the first hour: 38.
Number of further revisions later: 39.
Number of dollars earned: 75.
Number of pages into the magazine that my story appears: 10.
Number of pages that my short story takes up in the magazine: 5.
Number of reviews online: 17.
Number of five star reviews: 10.
Number of negative comments read: 0.
Number of days of writer’s block since being published: 140.
List stories are interesting! I feel like this could also be a poem. I consciously had to conform a writing journey into a structure based on numbers, which isn’t something necessarily a writing process should be twisted into. Writing the piece brought satisfaction because I consciously split away from norms associated with writing prose. There was still a general plot that gave it a sense of pulse, but the ending was the reality that isn’t always portrayed in fiction: the writing block can come at the most inopportune moments.
Number of books read in my lifetime: 502.
Number of books on the “favorite” shelf: 39.
Number of ideas sorted through before picking: 8.
Number of times I imagined the short story being published: 46,152.
Number of pages in story: 24.
Number of sections in story: 5.
Number of words in story: 7,692.
Number of characters with lines: 6.
Number of female characters with lines: 2.
Number of living janitor characters: 4.
Number of dead janitor characters: 2.
Number of ghosts: 3.
Number of times used “it”: 209.
Number of times used “was”: 239.
Number of times read over the manuscript: 6.
Number of minutes per read through: 120.
Number of credits taking in current semester: 16.
Number of English classes: 5.
Number of times the professor mentioned we would be workshopping: probably 29.
Number of times I emotionally prepared for mine: 0.
Number of times panicked while thinking about workshopping: 642.
Number of nails bitten to the quick: 10.
Number of heartbeat accelerations: 16.
Number of copies printed: 22.
Number of times I had to scribble my name in the corner because I forgot to put it on the manuscript: 22.
Number of people in class on my workshop day: 18.
Number of breaths until first comment: 0.
Number of seconds to first comment: 37.
Number of words in first comment: 3.
Number of positive words: 3.
Number of comments: 19.
Number of relevant comments: 16.
Number of times they said, “I want a little more of…”: 68,433.
Number of weird comments that quickly proved that the person hadn’t read the story: 3.
Number of notes taken on the workshop: 7.
Number of annotations on this story totaled from all returned copies of the manuscript: 107.
Number of typos: 5.
Number of times I thought “HOW?!” in response: 50.
Number of tears after workshop: 0.
Number of workshops done on my work: 1.
Number of stories I want to write now: 379,428,892.
Number of words in final draft: 4995.
Number of words cut to final draft: 2,697.
Number of words allowed in short story: 5,000.
Number of revisions made: 36.
Number of people in writing group: 5.
Number of times considered submitting: 430.
Number of times submitted: 0.
Number of conversations with group about submitting: 1.
Number of times submitted: 1.
Number of weeks waiting for an answer: 2.
Number of times checked inbox specifically for response: 68,433.
Number of rejections: 0.
Number of acceptances: 1.
Number of awkward dance moves in the first hour: 38.
Number of further revisions later: 39.
Number of dollars earned: 75.
Number of pages into the magazine that my story appears: 10.
Number of pages that my short story takes up in the magazine: 5.
Number of reviews online: 17.
Number of five star reviews: 10.
Number of negative comments read: 0.
Number of days of writer’s block since being published: 140.
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List stories are interesting! I feel like this could also be a poem. I consciously had to conform a writing journey into a structure based on numbers, which isn’t something necessarily a writing process should be twisted into. Writing the piece brought satisfaction because I consciously split away from norms associated with writing prose. There was still a general plot that gave it a sense of pulse, but the ending was the reality that isn’t always portrayed in fiction: the writing block can come at the most inopportune moments.
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