My Latest Story (A Note to My Fans)
I have been extremely moved by the reception to my latest story, "You Look So Sad," over the past couple of days, both on FurAffinity and SoFurry.
The main goal of my whole "Shorts for Summer" exercise is to get me in the habit of finishing things regularly, with the secondary goal of letting myself stretch my abilities and test out and try new things. I hadn't really been expecting to turn out anything I'd be particularly proud of, and so in that regard, this story has definitely surprised me.
I've been writing stories in and for the furry fandom for over a decade now. I've put out dozens of short stories and a few novels about a whole bunch of different things. I don't have "big issue" works like kyellgold's Waterways or anything, where people email me to tell me that I've changed their lives, but I occasionally get some pretty flattering responses to things, and that makes me feel good as a storyteller.
The other day, I was on a plane, and during the flight, I read something that Kyell had been working on (no, I can't say what it is). In the course of reading it, I was moved emotionally in ways that I hadn't been in years, to be honest, and it felt really good. It sparked some kind of fire inside me, and I sat there when I was done, just kind of basking in how that felt.
I had this urge to be creative, to turn this fire into something tangible. And I looked down at my laptop bag there underneath the seat in front of me, and I started to think, "Eh, but that'd be so much effort."
For those of you who've never seen me in real life, I am a very tall person, and airplane seats are not, shall we say, the most comfortable thing in the world for me. I think I've tried writing on a plane once before, and trying to use a laptop on a tray table was just so cramped that it was barely worth it (as I recall, actually, this was for my first Reylin story, but I digress). So yeah, the prospect of doing writing on the plane was not a great one.
But the urge inside me was too strong, and I decided that it was a bigger shame to let my creative energy go to waste than it would be an inconvenience to write on a tray table.
And I'm glad I did. I wrote that story in what I can best describe as a fit of creative passion. It's very short, and it's not a life-changing treatise or anything, but I was immediately happy with it, in a way that I pretty much never am when it comes to my writing (seriously, ask any of my writer friends or editors and they will back me up on how much I hate my own writing). I'll even confess to being a bit choked up at my own writing as the story was coming to a close, which is honestly a little weird for me.
After getting off the plane and getting situated at my destination, I went over the story again, polished it up and made a few changes, then posted it.
And the response has been amazing.
I'm not talking in volume (actually, for some reason, it's only getting about half the traffic most of my stuff seems to get). I mean in what people are saying about it.
At least one person called it "beautiful." I didn't know how good it would feel to have that one simple word used to describe something I wrote, but it's honestly one of the most flattering things anyone has ever said about anything I've ever written.
I write because I want to share stories with people. I don't do this to get fame or recognition or praise (certainly not money). But the thought that something I created might have brought a tiny bit of beauty into the world, even for just one person, or a handful of people, blows my mind and kind of overwhelms me.
Lots of other people have spoken to the fact that the story was very emotional to them, and I see that as very fitting, as it was the emotions brought about by my reading something that brought the story into existence in the first place.
At the end of the day, that's why I do this: because I love stories, I love how I feel when I experience a really good one, and if I can make even one person feel the way I felt when I was inspired to write this most recent one, then it's all worth it, right there.
I really just want to thank all the fans and readers who take the time to read my work. Some of you have stuck with me for the last ten years, and some of you are more recent than that, but I appreciate every single one of you, because what's a storyteller without someone to tell a story to, right?
Also (and pardon my sappiness here), I want to add a huge thank you to Kyell for seriously being the biggest inspiration in the world to me, not to mention one of the best friends I've ever had (and for being a pretty good fox, to boot).
The main goal of my whole "Shorts for Summer" exercise is to get me in the habit of finishing things regularly, with the secondary goal of letting myself stretch my abilities and test out and try new things. I hadn't really been expecting to turn out anything I'd be particularly proud of, and so in that regard, this story has definitely surprised me.
I've been writing stories in and for the furry fandom for over a decade now. I've put out dozens of short stories and a few novels about a whole bunch of different things. I don't have "big issue" works like kyellgold's Waterways or anything, where people email me to tell me that I've changed their lives, but I occasionally get some pretty flattering responses to things, and that makes me feel good as a storyteller.
The other day, I was on a plane, and during the flight, I read something that Kyell had been working on (no, I can't say what it is). In the course of reading it, I was moved emotionally in ways that I hadn't been in years, to be honest, and it felt really good. It sparked some kind of fire inside me, and I sat there when I was done, just kind of basking in how that felt.
I had this urge to be creative, to turn this fire into something tangible. And I looked down at my laptop bag there underneath the seat in front of me, and I started to think, "Eh, but that'd be so much effort."
For those of you who've never seen me in real life, I am a very tall person, and airplane seats are not, shall we say, the most comfortable thing in the world for me. I think I've tried writing on a plane once before, and trying to use a laptop on a tray table was just so cramped that it was barely worth it (as I recall, actually, this was for my first Reylin story, but I digress). So yeah, the prospect of doing writing on the plane was not a great one.
But the urge inside me was too strong, and I decided that it was a bigger shame to let my creative energy go to waste than it would be an inconvenience to write on a tray table.
And I'm glad I did. I wrote that story in what I can best describe as a fit of creative passion. It's very short, and it's not a life-changing treatise or anything, but I was immediately happy with it, in a way that I pretty much never am when it comes to my writing (seriously, ask any of my writer friends or editors and they will back me up on how much I hate my own writing). I'll even confess to being a bit choked up at my own writing as the story was coming to a close, which is honestly a little weird for me.
After getting off the plane and getting situated at my destination, I went over the story again, polished it up and made a few changes, then posted it.
And the response has been amazing.
I'm not talking in volume (actually, for some reason, it's only getting about half the traffic most of my stuff seems to get). I mean in what people are saying about it.
At least one person called it "beautiful." I didn't know how good it would feel to have that one simple word used to describe something I wrote, but it's honestly one of the most flattering things anyone has ever said about anything I've ever written.
I write because I want to share stories with people. I don't do this to get fame or recognition or praise (certainly not money). But the thought that something I created might have brought a tiny bit of beauty into the world, even for just one person, or a handful of people, blows my mind and kind of overwhelms me.
Lots of other people have spoken to the fact that the story was very emotional to them, and I see that as very fitting, as it was the emotions brought about by my reading something that brought the story into existence in the first place.
At the end of the day, that's why I do this: because I love stories, I love how I feel when I experience a really good one, and if I can make even one person feel the way I felt when I was inspired to write this most recent one, then it's all worth it, right there.
I really just want to thank all the fans and readers who take the time to read my work. Some of you have stuck with me for the last ten years, and some of you are more recent than that, but I appreciate every single one of you, because what's a storyteller without someone to tell a story to, right?
Also (and pardon my sappiness here), I want to add a huge thank you to Kyell for seriously being the biggest inspiration in the world to me, not to mention one of the best friends I've ever had (and for being a pretty good fox, to boot).