Nice to meet you. I started writing short stories at the age of 40.
Nice to meet you.
su_novels is my name.
In this note,
Family.
Work.
Marriage.
Parents.
Children.
Friends.
And, the 'aging' that gradually draws near.
Such things,
the subtle discomforts of daily life that you only notice after becoming an adult
are what I turn into short stories.
Turning 40, the way I see things has changed a little.
When I was young,
working,
getting married,
having children,
buying a house.
I just thought that as long as I kept moving forward, it would be fine.
But once you reach around 40,
the moments where you suddenly stop and pause increase.
The fact that the number of times I meet friends has decreased.
The fact that my parents are gradually getting older.
The fact that my children are growing up in ways I don't know about.
The fact that even though we talk as a couple, it's actually just business communication.
Even though I'm working hard,
'What am I working for?'
The fact that there are nights when I think that.
None of them are
life-altering events.
But,
for some reason, they stick in your heart.
I began to want to turn those kinds of things into stories.
Big incidents don't really happen.
In my novels,
there are no heroes saving the world,
no hundreds of millions of dollars,
and no miracles that change a life overnight,
and they probably won't appear much.
What appears is
people you can find anywhere.
They might be office workers.
They might be fathers.
They might be mothers.
They might be shop clerks.
They might be children.
They might be elderly parents.
And they,
I pause for just a moment in my daily life.
Thinking, "Huh?"
That is all there is to it.
It is just that.
But I personally,
think that life is actually,
a collection of those small "huh?" moments.
I write stories that can be read in about 5 to 10 minutes.
On the train.
During lunch break.
Before going to bed.
While drinking coffee.
At times like those,
I would be happy if you could read them for a little while.
And after you finish reading,
if you think,
"I can relate to this a little,"
there is nothing more I could ask for.
Rather than novels that provide answers,
novels that make you want to think about your own life just a little bit after reading them.
That is the kind of thing I would like to write.
For those visiting for the first time.
You can start reading from anywhere, but
"Where should I start?"
If you are wondering, please start around here.
"What Remained After the Fire Went Out"
Turning 40,
the time I spend with friends is gradually changing.
It is not that I have come to dislike them.
It is not that I do not want to see them either.
It is just that,
things can no longer be the same as they used to be.
That is what this story is about.
"Beside the Bonfire"
Working every day,
doing my best for my family.
Before I knew it,
I had become afraid of "time spent doing nothing."
This is a story about an adult like that,
pausing for a moment in front of a bonfire.
"Try putting yourself in the shoes of the person coming over"
Obon.
Relatives gather.
Behind the fun times,
someone on the hosting side is always moving.
This is a story that depicts a scene I once took for granted,
from a slightly different perspective.
"The Reason for Freshly Baked"
I do work that is useful to others.
And yet,
why am I so tired?
This is a story about the space between "working" and "being useful to someone."
"Flowers Bloom Silently"
This is a story about people who work at a flower shop.
Even if no one praises them.
Even if no one notices.
There are people who do their jobs silently.
I wrote about such people.
For those who would like to read a little more.
Things that became visible after turning 40,
Work, family, marriage, friends, parents, aging, and the time remaining.
I have compiled 10 short stories depicting the subtle discomforts of daily life that are hard to put into words into a single paid magazine.
"From 40, Life Becomes a Little Quieter."
There are nights when you suddenly wonder, "Is it okay to just keep going like this?"
Being swayed by others' evaluations.
Getting tired of being relied upon.
Memories with family.
A phone call from my father.
A lost friend.
Time that cannot be reclaimed.
Because these are stories about people who could be anywhere, there might be moments that overlap with your own life.
You can read the "Introduction" in its entirety for free.
10 stories in total + Introduction + Afterword
Price: 500 yen
▶︎ Read "From 40, Life Becomes a Little Quieter."
After finishing it, you might want to look at what you have a little more carefully.
It is that kind of short story collection.
Perhaps, I will continue to change.
Between when I started this note and,
who I am now,
what I want to write has changed a little.
And,
when I turn 50,
I think I will be writing something different again.
When I turn 60,
I might be seeing a completely different landscape than I do now.
Including that,
I hope to leave it all here.
The scenery I see at 40.
About family.
About work.
About marriage.
About parents.
About children.
About friends.
About getting older from here on.
Things like that,
I will turn into stories one by one.
If you read one,
and think,
"Maybe I'll read another one,"
please do take a look at my other works.
And,
if there is even one story that stays with you,
I would be happy if you followed me.
From now on, too,
Stories that can be read in 5 to 10 minutes, and after finishing them, make the usual scenery look just a little bit different.
I will be writing these.
I look forward to your support.
su_novels