I Have a Thing for Rocks

This Is Normal, Right?

This photo was taken in 2014, I believe. Several years before the concept for “Dwayne” popped into my head, when I was on vacation and hiking in Glacier National Park.

At that time, I just thought that, when you’re hiking and a cool rock with super-cool moss comes along…well, you climb on top of it, right?

…Right?

Well, in 2017, I started writing a novella about a woman whose life is upended by the sudden appearance of a 15-ton boulder in her living room. In the story, she’s forced to live with the rock for a prolonged time when her insurance company is unable to help her have it removed.

So, naturally, she names it Dwayne. (Hence the name of the story, although there’s nothing else to do with pro wrestling—sorry, WWE fans!) She develops a relationship with her new roommate, hangs out with him, hugs him to release stress…

You know. All the totally normal things that anybody would do with a huge boulder.

Over time, my “short story” about a monolith sitting in someone’s living room ballooned into a 70-page novella. Because Dwayne’s personality deepened as I wrote about him and his erstwhile roommate. He became darker and more dynamic, more powerful.

Which makes sense, right?

…Right?

Rather than remaining a joke with a funny, pop-culture-related name, he turned into a force with his own agenda…even if, from our human perspectives, we may never be able to fully understand what that agenda is. Because Dwayne is an ancient being, even though he’s brand-new to the protagonist, who doesn’t quite know what to do with him.

And, as she puts it in the story, “I guess when you’re as old as a rock, you’ve seen some things.”

But whatever he’s seen, Dwayne is keeping it to himself. He doesn’t talk, after all. We can only guess what’s going on his head…if there’s anything going on.

Then again, maybe he’s really just a hunk of granite with no personality at all.

Turns Out, I have a Thing for Rocks

Well, it turns out that not everybody does make friends with the rock. Not everybody thinks rocks are all that interesting.

Turns out, I have a thing for rocks.

It honestly didn’t occur to me until I started putting together materials for the Kickstarter I’m running to fund the creation of an e-book, a trade paperback, and an audiobook of “Dwayne.” I was looking through old photos of me with rocks, thinking they’d be good marketing materials.

I thought I’d find one or two. Instead, I found…well…many more than i can fit into this blog post.

So, yeah. I have a thing for rocks. For their solidity. For the way they feel warm under the sun, the way they feel cool under the moon. How they become ecosystems for moss, lichen, and even small animals. And for their deep, deep quiet. 

Of course, you probably figured I’m one of those “rock people” from the get-go. But since I just discovered it myself, I thought I’d share it here.

I’m Turning My Thing into a Thing

My thing is turning into my very first published novella. I’m turning the story of Dwayne and his disgruntled roommate into an e-book, a trade paperback, and an audiobook. And I’m funding its creation on Kickstarter!

Do you also have a thing for rocks? How about short fiction about the relationship between a rock and a human? How about Kickstarter? (wink wink)

Tell me all about it in the comments!