Current work
(originally posted 10 Dec 2021)
I do have a full fantasy novel in progress, one that has been in progress for, uhm, going on decades. The interesting thing is that the world-building for this story has spawned tangents that I often find more interesting. I'm ok with that because I have finally learned how to just follow the muse, The novel can cool in its most recent version while I play out these other ideas.
Gem Finder is the first completed short story from the same fictional universe. I first scribbled notes for it on October 18, 2021. The story seed came from trying out The Story Engine Deck's beta version of Deck of Worlds that I learned about at the 2021 PNWA Writer's Conference:
Check out this awesome handwriting!
From there it was fairly easy to develop characters, plot, and just go. The characters and plot changed as it was hammered out, over and over again, like metal at the anvil. The story was short enough (around 6,000 words) to write, revise, rewrite, edit, correct, and submit on November 28, 2021.
This is my first story submitted for publication to a pro magazine, in this case to Fantasy & Science Fiction. I have loved F&SF since the mid-1990s. It will mean the world to me to get a shot there. But best believe I have backup plans B-Z just in case. You will get to read it, one way or the other. While Gem Finder is working its through the queue, I'm already writing the next story.
Ancient History will be about two-to-three times the length. I first scribbled notes for it on November 17, 2021. The story seed came to me while I was writing Gem Finder. Again, the Story Engine Deck helped me to develop the idea (I highly the SED recommend if you ever need ideas). This story is a lot more complex, with interweaving conflicts. I got about two-thirds the way through a wandering draft and stepped back to revise it. Yesterday I developed a better outline and am raring to go on completing the first draft.
There are many other aspects of this world that I plan to explore. I hope you come to enjoy these stories as much as I am having fun writing them!
~Liriel