Somber Heart · 4:04am Dec 22nd, 2013
I don't know how most authors do it, but when I have an idea for a story I write down a short intro to the story. This one was written months ago and was backburnered to focus on other stories. I might want to revive it, but I have a lot of work to do on it. What I want to know is; do you want me to write it?
Pffeh. Destiny. It’s a pretty enough word, I suppose. It means a lot to others as well, if markless foals are to be believed. They don’t know much about what it means, though, to be chosen by destiny. Most cutie marks are about what you’ll be good at. They’re your special talent, something that you can call uniquely yours. No matter how important or how mundane your talent is, it’s something to take pride in, right? At least, that’s the way I want to think about it.
The story I’m about to tell you has a moral, to be sure, but I don’t think I’m the one to tell you what it is. I will, however, ask you to ponder this question: What if you were destined to be evil? Hmm? What if it was your talent, your duty, to harm others and be harmed in return? Could you be proud of yourself then?
*Sigh*
Yes, I suppose that’s a rhetorical question. You can’t answer it with any certainty. The trouble is I can’t really answer it either. I ought to have at least an inkling, but I do not.
I have rambled long enough. Like any decent storyteller, I would like to begin my story at the beginning. If you’d like, please travel with me to the place I used to call home. It’s a small town. There wasn’t much there in the way of entertainment, but that didn’t keep us from getting into trouble. You would have thought the climate rather cold, but one gets used to it. Besides, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as hot soup on an icy day…
"Do you want me to write it?"
Oh, my friend, you are asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is, "Do I want ME to write it?".
If the story will not leave you alone until you give it a home (the first draft, in other words), if certain lines and scenes whisper at you, as is often the case with me, then yes, yes a thousand times YES, you should write it.
Alfred Bester, a science fiction author, once said "The book is the boss". If the book, or story says "write me", then write it. If it later turns out to be less than what you thought it would be, what of it? At least you are writing.
Sometimes the story knows itself better than you do. The only way you'll know that stories' secrets is if you write them down.
I'm sorry if this seems a little artsy-craftsy, but I'm in a poetic mood. Plus, I'm passionate about writing and what I'm telling you is based on my own experience. I hope all this helps. Good luck.
1634723
Hmm, I suppose that perspective has merit. I'm certainly hearing voices.
In all seriousness, I enjoy a good artsy-craftsy turn of phrase. I'm just a bit scared because this makes something like my third or fourth story that deserves updating and the task is made more daunting by the upcoming semester. I'm going to need some RD-level commitment to bring it home this time.
Hmmmm.......
Yes, I do believe you should write this.
Do it.
Now.
P-please?
1635910
ASAP, my good sir.
1635912 *Squee!*
Also, do shoot me a PM or some such when it has been completed. I tend to just skim other notifications if there's a lot of them and I don't want to miss this story because I'm lazy.
Also, do you prefer penguins or peaches?
1635917
It might be a bit of a wait, but I'll try to remember you.
Penguins masterrace.
1635920 Thank you.
Also, here is your penguin.
lovethesepics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Emperor-Penguin-Chick-Snow-Hill-Island-Antarctica.jpg
1635926
I may have found a workaround for you. I just created a fanpage for me, so if you pay more attention to notifications than your feed, you can just join The ChromeMyriad Dictatorship Division. Just a suggestion.