Ape's writing thread

[Luce NDs]

Will it wash ... especially when the vessel is downed like a bunny? Consider how the thing (thin*k) responded to Fudd ... filthy rabbits ... complexity abounds ...

 

[Waterfall]

Yeah, we writers go down some weird rabbit holes sometimes.

Thank God for writers!

 

[Mendalla]

Working on a new story right now. Borrows some ideas from my Tana-verse but tries to keep some distance from those stories (which are here). Originally, I had set out to do outright sequels featuring Tana's daughter (resulting in this) but now I'm taking a shot at just referencing elements of the setting (like the monothestic faith of Denith/Denyth) in a story that's standalone. It's kind of a supernatural thriller but in a fantasy world. A minor character is dismembered, a rarity for me. It happens offscreen but there's a horrific scene where the protagonists (a priestess and her novice/apprentice) find the results. Warring spirits and other weirdness are involved. I'm wrestling a bit right now, trying to put the next part of the story together. Also debating a possible romantic subplot between the novice and the victim's brother (the victim had been flirting with her originally before I decided to dispatch him).

 

[Mendalla]

So my writing projects keep stalling, mostly because they keep growing out of control into something bigger than I intended. So I am going back to something I tried a while ago but did not get far with. I basically have enough horror fiction published on StoriesSpace to actually compile a decent sized anthology of them (9 stories including my first published story). So I put the original drafts into a new, consistent format and am now doing medium-heavy edits on them and trying to sort out what the order should be. Then I can experiment with how best to compile and format them into an epub and figure out what to do for a cover (perhaps even commission some art, I hate to use AI for this since I still find AI generated art a bit stilted and bland).

 

[Mendalla]

New story underway. I took an idea that was originally going to be a fantasy story, about something lurking in a volcano, and moved it to the present day. So from secondary world fantasy to modern dark fantasy or even horror. I've got a couple scientists (who are exes) with some doctoral students researching a somewhat mysterious volcanic island. One of the scientists has a strange sense of dread about the place. She also has lingering feelings for the ex, even though their relationship had only lasted a few months. Add in a past hookup she had with another member of the team and there's plenty of potential for relationship drama.

And then there's her sense of something under/in the volcano. In the fantasy version, it was an imprisoned spirit of fire. Not sure about the modern version yet. Something similar maybe. Still pondering that. A kaiju-esque monster (kaiju = Godzilla and similar) or Lovecraftian "god" would be options, too. Maybe she's just mildly psychic and knows intuitively that the island is building for an eruption.

Yes, my trips to Iceland and Hawaii are influential here, esp. the latter since that was just a bit over a month ago.

 

[BetteTheRed]

So my writing projects keep stalling, mostly because they keep growing out of control into something bigger than I intended.

Some people would suggest you were gestating a book, not a story.

 

[Mendalla]

Some people would suggest you were gestating a book, not a story.

Oh, for sure. Certainly something longer that I could get away with on my current sites. Even this new one is likely going to end up as a novelette or novella or something. Hard to tell until I get it all sorted.

The problem is, until I pull the trigger on retiring, I don't really have the time between work and household stuff to take on longer work. But I'm trying.