There is no greater excitement than starting a story. Finishing a story is satisfying, but in a different way – it’s a worn-out, bleary-eyed kind of happiness. You almost don’t even care. You don’t really remember the thrilling beginning, the new idea becoming a narrative with real, live characters.
Today I took myself and my laptop to a coffeeshop. I opened my Word doc called “Ideas and Beginnings” and picked something at random. I copied and pasted it into a blank document. And suddenly I had a story. I can’t even explain how it happened – and it would probably be boring if I tried – but suffice it to say I spent the next hour solidifying a story that had been in my brain for quite some time. It finally found something to stick to. Very exciting!
I will say, however, that naming characters will always be, for me, the very hardest part of writing.
I also discovered the Taddle Creek Archive and spent some time reading some amazing short stories. Here are some of my favourites:
Ah, that’s great! I agree about the excitement of something new. It’s my favourite part.
It’s kind of addictive! I may only ever start stories! ;)