In the last days of December 2017, a friend pointed me toward a writing competition. The theme for the competition was “Awakenings”. The group that posted the competition welcomed all genres, with a great desire for romance and speculative fiction, among others. I’ve written romance in many forms over the years, from the simple to the unapologetically raunchy. I had only a few days before the deadline, but I’d come up with – what I thought at the time – a straightforward love story set in a pseudo-familiar setting, and one I could finish pretty quickly.
Then I actually started to write it.
What poured from my brain was a twisty-turny, upside-down-reality tale of love, duty, patriotism, relationships, even politics(!) that took nearly a full five months to finish. It wasn’t what I had first planned, and it veered a lot from my original plot. But one lesson I’ve learned through writing fiction is that, when I allow the characters to speak freely, they will forge their own path. More often than not, that path is more satisfying than any I may have planned at the start.
Number Seven
Seven, like so many of my original characters, embraced his being-ness with so much quiet strength and determination, it overwhelmed me. I could think of no other story or character for those five months I wrote. In fact, writing became almost like transcribing. Many times, it felt like he was standing at my shoulder, telling me who should do what and what should happen next. That letting-go is one of the most joyful feelings I’ve experienced as a writer.
Dour Number Seven, a doodle by me.
I said I wouldn’t apologize for Seven’s story, and I won’t. He took me on a new journey into personhood, one I hadn’t considered before. I grew with him, and because of him. He made me open my eyes a little bit wider to the world around me. He’s a bit suspicious, as I am, and he’s quite the serious individual, as I can be. But he also has to trust himself, a lesson I took to heart along the way, too.
If any of this has piqued your interest, you can read “Number Seven and the Life Left Behind”, part 1, here.
What’s Next
I’ve posted this story for free because it’s a project I want to share with people. I am working on a hardcopy version, and when that’s available, I’ll be sure to share that news. In the meantime, if my story moved you at all, I’d encourage you to take a moment to consider where you are in the world today, and what struggles you see, nearby or faraway, hidden or in plain sight. Everywhere, there are people fighting the good fights: for freedom, equality, and love. This story is for them. And for me, and for you, because we’re all in this together.
Now,Thanks
A writer rarely creates a story in a vacuum. People influence us in their own ways. Sometimes, that influence makes it onto the page. Sometimes, it helps us just get to the page in the first place.
Thank you to Sue for giving me the impetus to write this story.
Thank you to Chase for joining me for the ride.
Your thoughtfulness and support means a lot to this lonely writer. 🙂
While I haven’t had a chance to read your story yet, I think it’s great you put it out there. Love the doodle too! It’s always interesting where our stories take us. Even when we outline, new twists develop that we hadn’t anticipated.
Thanks, Carrie!
I love it when a story pushes me in a new direction. That seems to happen most easily when I let a character find their own voice. I’ve also found that forcing a scene rarely works, so it must be part of my subconscious reacting when I try to pigeonhole a character or situation.
Online posting is pretty much my only option for sharing stories. My “real-life” family and friends have differing interests, can’t spare the time, or just don’t want to read my stuff. Luckily, I have a handful of supportive folks around the world who are willing to read and offer me their feedback. It’s already helping me with version 3 of this particular story!
Hope you are enjoying a free-flowing story of your own, right now!
And I did enjoy it!
And what a ride it was!
I like seeing you branch out into new genres/subgenres, and this was a fun example of the more careful, more person-driven Bodyguard story. It didn’t need an overwhelming amount of action to make Seven look badass, that was already implied. And making Kirill impulsive, but likeable, was a very smart move. And the villains weren’t mustache-twirling cardboard cutouts eating up all the background, because they didn’t need to be.
I do hope that you continue on with your goal of putting this story in a cover and on shelves, because I think it deserves that wider audience. It’s relatable while not beating the reader over the head with symbolism and analogies. And the main conflict is easy to focus on, letting the rest of the story unfold around it.
Can’t wait to see your next project!
Thanks, Chase!
It’s always fun to explore different paths to telling a story, even if my stories tend to be about the same topics all the time (love, relationships, family).
I know I’ve said it before about other stories, but I really will put this one out as a hardcopy, sooner rather than later. It’s short enough for me to edit, as well as simple enough to put into a little book form. It’s too short to try and pitch to an agent or publisher, but I feel like padding it to necessary length (which would be close to doubling its wordcount) would be too much. So, I’ll probably stick to a small paperback run for sharing with friends. 🙂
Thanks again for your support through this project. I never thought it would become the story it did, but I’m happy to have taken the journey. 🙂
Happy writing to you!