Wrote a Story

I wrote a story last week. It started with a seed I got maybe 2 years ago that kept coming back to me. It was one that I worked on a bit to build up my descriptive text and exposition, so I was familiar with it.

Well, this thing wouldn’t let me alone. I’ve had a couple stories like this, that insisted on being shown to the world. But this one was GOOD….

It ended up 11 pages single spaced, or 18 pages formatted for submission. A little over 5,000 words.

Yes, I submitted it.

Anyway, this story woke me up in the middle of the night with a poem I needed for the last scene. I don’t write poetry, after all. I was wondering how I would handle it, but not really wondering, you know?

After I got the poem, it insisted on being finished, so I got up and finished it. This story was so hot-to-trot onto the page that I was surprised. The entire thing was a pleasure to write. I know most writers will think I’m nuts for saying that. But this one was even fun to edit!

During the same week, I read Orson Scott Card’s “How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy,” published by Writer’s Digest. It’s a really good book if you haven’t read it. I learned quite a bit and even downloaded Octavia Butler’s “Wild Seed” from the library because of his book. Yeah, she’s that good, too! I’m still learning.

I remember years ago when I met Forrest Ackerman. He said that I didn’t want to write sci-fi because I would never be able to write anything else. I would be pigeonholed as a sci-fi writer and that would be it.  I must have been 14 or 15 years old. But he was wrong on that – I DO want to write sci-fi/fantasy stories and books! I always have, and I still do.

So this little story popped out and it’s a fantasy without sex or violence. It can go into the “coming of age” type story, or a “journey” story, or a “sword and sorcery” story or an “alternate world” story or…..

Yeah, that.

My first reader was really impressed. He said “the language” blew him away, and that he missed reading it.  I write a little more formally, and I use a lot of what he called “Olde English” prose in my writing. Especially when it fits the story and the genre.

Since I’ve submitted this story for publication in several places, I won’t publish here and blow that. I’ll keep you posted on the results. I’m sure that I’ll get some rejection notices.

Currently reading: “Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction,” ed. James, E. and Mendlesohn, F.; Cambridge University Press, 2003.