Back in 2018 I saw a post on Instagram. The artist accompanied a beautiful image with a casual statement about how it needed a back story. There was no character concept, no story, she had just created the image. I thought to myself, "I used to write such things." So I shrugged, cracked my knuckles, and wrote a scene and a flashback to the beginning of the relationship of the two characters. I even shared a copy with the artist, who very kindly wrote back and told me she loved it, and I should finish a short story in that vein.

Then i sat on it for a few years. There's a thing that happens when I work in the corporate world, to my artistic inspiration and ability to step out of my narrow existence. It took a few years for me to walk away from being an employee in that kind of environment. Several weeks after I did, I came across that seedling of a story. And it stared back at me. I knew I had to finish telling it, and I knew it was too big for a short story.

I immersed myself in study. That meme of Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia trying to prove a conspiracy...that was my head space. Only instead of trying to prove Pepe didn't exist, I was making Taliba, my main character, into something real. Or letting her touch the world, if you prefer. The further in I got, the more motivated I became. I was putting out 2000-2500 words/day at peak, 5-6 days a week. I wrote it in under 3 months. That is...fast. Waiting for beta readers, and an editor, and all the hurdles of publishing, took far longer. Since my phone is always around somewhere, I dedicated space in OneNote to recording flashes of inspiration. I breathed the story. 

It has to consume you. For a perfect explanation, read this. It came roaring, and I gave it a place to go. Still am. My biggest disagreement with Bukowski is that I am a morning writer, and he preferred to drink and punch away into the night.

My life altered and made room for something that was inevitable. I wish I had done it long before, but maybe I needed to walk away from something in disgust to be in the right state of mind. I am happier now, and make choices about work that allow me time to write, and time to be ready to write. You can figure it out if you really work at it.

Future posts will talk about that lovely illustration, my process, the idea of "study", and much more.