Writing Journey | Fiction
From Little Acorns, I’m Growing Oak Trees
Summer highlights of my fiction writing journey
I’ve been writing ‘my favorite kind of fiction on Medium for 9 months now, and it’s been very freeing. If you write fiction, and you haven’t discovered Fiction Friends I urge you to seek the publication out. Created by E. Ardincaple it corrals a community of writers, people taking the same journey as me. For only the cost of my time to read their work and comment, followers of Fiction Friends are willing to read my stories and support me right back. The regular newsletter feature lets you share a link to 1 of your pieces each week, which is excellent for casting your own net wider & becoming part of their fiction ‘lists’. This way I have discovered many creatives who write the kind of content I enjoy.
I love writing about monsters and mythical beings, and after finishing my series Courtly Love I’m still keen to write them into adventures. The first prompt I saw on Kraken Lore immediately flared to life in my imagination, with a bright plot that became Mixed Emotions. Now I’m keen to explore Sci-fi and Dystopian fiction.
From childhood, I’ve always enjoyed a ghost story, being thoroughly spooked is a thrill. I’m also an avid reader of fiction that weaves its plot around historical details (e.g. Diana Gabaldon and Deborah Harkness’ books). Recently I used the period house where I grew up as the setting and combined these two factors in The Cellar’s Dark Secret. It’s a chilling tale that taps into some of the history that may have happened within the old house’s beamed walls. It was written for the Tantalizing Tale’s prompt ‘cellar’. For their latest prompt, most of the story must take place in darkness — what a great idea!
The romance wasn’t far from my mind and I responded to Pure Fiction’s prompt theme Change with Sharing Her Lipstick. It incorporates several changes in the MC’s life but, as often happens to me, the plot wouldn’t stay nailed down! My character Dora had a mind of her own about where the action was going, she wanted even less to do with the guy at the bar than I had planned. But she aptly demonstrated that her friend’s lipstick (like the feather in Dumbo) was a vehicle to boost her confidence.
In August, I took a trip to an island in the Mediterranean sea, to spend time with family, see the sights, and share their company. Thank goodness I took my notebook, because I found the landscape, and the old towns we visited, sparked a lot of ideas for stories, which I’ll be sharing over the coming months.
The first from that trip owes much to an awesome fireworks display put on by the town where we stayed. Its colors and lights were reflected in the bay, where boats of all sizes are moored. My mind went somewhere very dark for the plot, so I shared it on Redemption. All the crime thrillers I consume must be tipping into my subconscious. A Fireworks Display is a Killer’s Best Friend that portrays a gruesome event in a dispassionate way.
Thanks so much to my friends and followers for your continued reading. Your claps and comments make this journey worthwhile.
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