Wait, I Actually Finished A Story? (and other updates!)

Hello lovely readers! It’s been a little while since I last posted, I hope all is well with you. Are we enjoying the summer? Or are you like me, fair-skinned and seething, melting away and wanting nothing but autumn to be here? Either way, I hope you’re taking care yourselves in this hot, hot weather!

So, exciting writing news. I actually finished a story! A feat many others have achieved many, many times over, but for me, it seemed to be something that was getting further and further out of my reach. My turbulent mind means that I’m CONSTANTLY pursuing the shiny new idea, rather than sticking to one story. But somehow, I managed to fall in love and stick to one of my many, MANY, works in progress. And now I am pleased to say, I have finished it!

…well, the first draft, anyway. Already I’m thinking about possible things I could change, or certain parts that outright need scraping. And of course, my favourite part: turning the trash fire into something beautiful!

Now, the story itself isn’t actually all that long. Right now, it’s just shy of 7000 words, which could obviously change after edits.

Some of you may be thinking “huh, only 7000 words? Is that worth celebrating?” And the answer is YES! ABSOLUTELY! A writing win is a writing win, no matter how big or small. And for me, who’s never actually written anything remotely book-length, it’s a massive step forward (apart from the “novel” I wrote when I was 11, which I’m thinking of writing about in a future blog post..)

I also want to talk a little more about what inspired the story I wrote, but that in itself can cover an entire blog post, so I may save that for later. I’ll just say one thing, to maybe keep you guessing: this was actually a collaborative effort!

Now, once I’m done with the editing and polishing stage, I will be looking for a place for this story to live. I don’t think it’s enough to be published, and to be honest, I’m not looking to make money from this anyway. It’s just that some of you lovely lot have expressed curiosity, and want to read it, and I want somewhere for you to do that!

To be honest, I’ve been thinking about revamping my Wattpad account. As some of you know, I absolutely adore The Moomins, and have been thinking about writing “episodes” about them, fanfiction I suppose, with the intent of publishing them on Wattpad. So there’s already one potential place. However, a few people have also recommended SubStack, which I need to do a little research on. If anybody has any information, or maybe some more recommendations on where I could publish my work, please comment below!

Anything else to add?

Oh, yes. Dear Hypnos. *sigh* At this point, it’s just fear keeping me from publishing my poetry collection. Do I want to be perceived? Do I want to deal with the tax/royalties side of self-publishing? Do I want that pressure? Obviously the answer to all of these is YES, if I want to “make it” as an indie author. I will get there, I promise. I will be brave one day!

I think that’s all from me today. Look out for another blog post about my story in the future, and hopefully, some news as to where you can read it!

Soph, signing off!