The History of a Story

I hope you are well.

I've been busy figuring out social media and wrapping up editing projects. The only things left on the burner are editing a tabletop game, writing text for a friend's web site and my own WIPs.

I suppose I should show a little leg and tell you what my stories are about, or maybe their origins [Who wants to show too much leg? Kurt Vonnegut (some will get that. Others will not.)].

The first story in a yet to be named series, came to life a year ago. It WAS supposed to be a submission for an anthology, but a series of things happened. 1, I was terrified of putting myself "out there," so, 2, I waited until the last minute to finish the story and submit it in time, and, 3, after the panic subsided I discovered, 4, I wanted more breath for this story than ten thousand words would allow (that, and I hadn't gotten the grasp of pulp fiction yet).

When I decided to stop pushing around my story on my plate and hide it behind the mash potatoes I found a really great writing coach. Her name is Rebecca T Dickson, and she has the attitude of Boudicca, and at this time in my writing life I need a writing coach warrior like her. I appreciate her honest, "I've been where you are, so you have no excuse, tough-love attitude. She is fierce. She is good people.

So. Here we are. A year later and about 6 pages of fleshing out the climax away from finishing my short story before I send it to beta readers.

Tempest Makers is an alternate, near future, Sci-Fi, Fantasy. Raze at Dogtree is the story I began first but (see reason 1) finished Tempest Makers first. The universe of these stories is humans, nonhumans, and basically the theme of justice, in all its debatably beautiful and sometimes brutal forms, and how that has an effect that lasts for a time longer than most people realize, or are willing to admit.

There will be some pulp fiction in regard to 2 characters from RaD, but right now those ideas are puffs of air in my brain and in index-card stage of their creation, waiting to be born. I'm juggling with the idea of publishing those first to help you understand the characters' justifications for what happens in RaD and also I think adding those side stories in RaD would probably slow it down. The pulp, for pulp, would be "in medias res," where as where I would put them in RaD would not. Plus I have so many other things planned for these characters, pulp seems most appropriate. Thank you, Andrea Judy.

I'll post this for now, and I promise not to be a stranger. Strange, Duh, but stranger… it's all about context.