Last month, I told you about my creative fiction goal in order to stay accountable.
Let’s say the results were… less than stellar. Total word count: 4,219. Results: two short stories, not the planned five, about fan conventions.
My first story, “Your Biggest Fan,” is about a Hollywood-aspiring anime voice actor who thinks his fans are disgusting nerds. The tables are turned after he publicly humiliates a fan during a Q&A session, only for her to point a gun on him.
My second story, “Caroline,” is about a fandom convention that has turned into a commune and has had its doors open for the past eight years. It follows their lives after they find a baby in a dumpster and decide to raise her as their own.
I had hoped to share these stories with my readers at the end of the month. Unfortunately, neither of them are fit for human eyes… yet.
I realize now that learning to write fiction isn’t a goal I can check off in one month, but rather a lifelong process. Fiction is hard. It takes a completely different set of skills than nonfiction. A true story already has its twists laid out, and you as the writer only need to assemble them so they make sense. In a fiction story you have all the power, and that can be overwhelming.
Some of the most worthwhile goals to set are the ones you know will be the hardest. I challenge you today to set your own writing goals that are completely out of your comfort zone. If you write short stories, dedicate yourself to a novel. If you write sporadically, think about setting up a routine, or even a regularly updated blog.
I didn’t reach my goal, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. I look forward to sharing my creative fiction with my readers before anyone else—but not until I’m confident that it’s ready.
In the meantime, I’m preparing for the launch of my latest nonfiction book, Cosplay: The Fantasy World of Role Play, which will be out in May. You can pre-order it from anywhere in the world, but if you’re in the UK and want to help me promote it, shoot me an email!
Photo via MixedDecal on Etsy