Though I've been penning the "Hackie" column for 11 years (Egad), the creative process has never grown rote. If ever it should become automatic, that's the day I pack it in. It's actually the precise opposite of rote:  every time I sit down to write a story, I feel as if I'm figuring it out for the first time. This is exciting, albeit daunting. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Some stories turn out better than others. How could it be otherwise? You can't hit a home run at every at bat. But I try.

Last week I was feeling good because, by my own standards, the story - Elegy For Frenchy - accomplished everything I shoot for in my storytelling. Most importantly, I feel as if I successfully evoked a live human being. This is always a challenge in a thousand words or less.

So for the next couple of weeks, at least until the next story appears, I am happy hackie.