I started a short story last week.  The basic idea germ came from Parsec’s writing contest theme:  Metallic Feathers.  I started off by laying in bed just before todlin’ off to sleep, thinking about it.  And then I woke up thinking about it.  I had the whole story in my head, all the plot twists, the characters, the whole thing.

I put in about an hour on it last week, and got something like 850 words on it.  I had a small personal emergency which ate up all of my time, energy and attention.  Yesterday I went back to it, gave it another hour, and doubled my word count.  This morning, I got up early and ran an errand, and when I got back home I went back to sleep.  I am so  not a morning person.  When I woke again from the unbearable heat and opened the windows, I went back to my story.

And then I finished it.  About two and a half hours, another 1,500 words or so, and Voila!  Short story!!!

It wound up at 3,125 or so on the word count.  The title is Daedalus and I’ll be editing it this coming week, and trying to come up with something else to write.  Then I’ll send it to Parsec and hopefully win first place.

I know you want to know what it’s about, because if I were reading this blog, I’d want to know.  So I’ll tell you.  It’s a steampunk retelling of a rather famous myth.  The theme is Metallic Feathers, you know  the title, I’m sure you can figure out the myth.

It’s already been read and critiqued by Steve Brust, and he liked it!  I’m waiting on my writing group to critique it, and I’m letting it rest in the back of my brain for a bit.  I want to give it time to rise, like a good yeast bread before I knead it some more.

Finishing a story and realizing that it’s good, that it’s something I’m willing to let others read and critique and then sending it out, and knowing that it’s good enough to win…  What a rush.  I could so get addicted to this.  In fact, I think I shall cultivate this addiction.  Now, what to write next?

For some reason, perhaps it is the smart ass in me, I want to write a talking cat story.  Perhaps a mystery, with a talking cat as the villain…  Now that would be different.

Coming soon to a bookstore near you: ME!  Mwah ha ha ha!!!  In all my evil writerly glory!  Bow before my manifest magnificence.

Where’d I put my pencil?