Last week I began working on a short story. It’s my first new piece of fiction since last year. Those of you who are following my blog know that I’ve been busy with writing freelancer articles for three magazines and for Wizards of the Coast. Getting paid for writing instead of getting rejection after rejection (or hardly any money for a story) is preferable in my opinion. So why did I start writing my latest story? In the middle of a busy work day, I turned away from the computer and an idea popped into my head. I filed the idea away and started writing the story in my head. I typically do that: I’ll run through various events, jot some notes down, and then sit down and start writing. Yet the story took some drastic revisions in my head as I kept editing the plot. I knew I had the gem of a story idea, but I needed something that would work better—something which had more of a hook. After a few more days of thinking and not worrying about the story, the idea came to me. Where’d the get the idea from? A nightmare of course. I woke up from the nightmare, went to my desk and wrote down what had bothered me. I took those raw emotions and the events surrounding the nightmare and realized that they matched perfectly with my story idea. It seems that while I was sleeping my brain had worked out all the kinks in the story. Draft 1 is completed on the short story, but I knew that the ending didn’t quite work for me.
I took a few days off as I had too much work to do at my day job and had preparations for my son’s third birthday party to keep my occupied. Late last week a new ending popped into my head so I jotted the idea down on a post-it note. Later this week I’ll sit down and read through the whole story and rework the ending. With having a bunch of writing related deadlines hanging over my head for the freelance articles, it’s nice to have a chance to write something for myself. The story I’m working on isn’t a happy one, but I find it touching. Let’s hope an editor does. I still really enjoy my last story that I wrote: “20,170 and 1” but I haven’t been able to find a home for it. I’ll keep trying.
I’m off to work now. Lots to do. If you’re bored and looking for something to do, here are a few things:
Rocketboom
Mobuzztv.com
The Lascivious Biddies Chad Vader:
I took a few days off as I had too much work to do at my day job and had preparations for my son’s third birthday party to keep my occupied. Late last week a new ending popped into my head so I jotted the idea down on a post-it note. Later this week I’ll sit down and read through the whole story and rework the ending. With having a bunch of writing related deadlines hanging over my head for the freelance articles, it’s nice to have a chance to write something for myself. The story I’m working on isn’t a happy one, but I find it touching. Let’s hope an editor does. I still really enjoy my last story that I wrote: “20,170 and 1” but I haven’t been able to find a home for it. I’ll keep trying.
I’m off to work now. Lots to do. If you’re bored and looking for something to do, here are a few things:
Rocketboom
Mobuzztv.com
The Lascivious Biddies Chad Vader:
Comments