I have been working on a short story for you guys who follow me and my work. My thank you for sticking with me while I finish up a class I need to take.
This first short was supposed to be just a look at what happened to Sonya after the train pulled away but as I started writing I realized I wanted to give more of a look into why she acts the way she does.
As this story has been unfolding I have to say Sonya is creeping me out a bit. Sometimes I wonder where my ideas come from. At times it seems as if I am just writing the facts of someone I know. Like it's not something I'm making up off the top of my head but more like taking dictation from someone else.
I know most authors write outlines and rough drafts and go through several versions before they land on their final draft. For me, I just sit down and start writing with a basic idea in mind of the direction I want to go and the characters I want to use and just let the story write itself. I'll do another walk through to correct mistakes and clean it up a bit after the fact but the bones of the story always stay just as I wrote it the first time through.
Since I have not been writing because of the class I'm finishing up, the characters from Into the West have been sort of just hanging out in the back of my mind, waiting somewhat patiently for me to finish up my schoolwork and get back to writing full-time. When I sat down to write this it was like I heard a collective sigh of relief that I hadn't forgotten them and remembered to come back for them.
This short has gone in a direction I had never previously considered. I always had an idea in my head about what happened to Sonya after the train pulled away and how she would pop back up later in the story but the characters apparently didn't like my idea and brought a whole new scenario to the page. I like this one much better. It has more compassion to it.
So if you would like to read this short when I am finished all you have to do is sign up for my Members Only page on StephenBurckhardt.com. Click on the Saloon tab in the menu bar to get the drop down menu then click on the Members Only link. All it takes is to create a sign on and you are in. There are no fees for this section. By signing up you will get occasional members only updates, insider info, and of course special freebies like Sonya's short story.
When my class goes on a week break next month I will write another free short for you guys. This time it will be about Elizabeth and Conner's mother, Margret, after she wakes up the next day after leaving her children at the church. I know where I want that story to go too but who knows where Margret will take me after I start writing that one. She is even more stubborn that Sonya but at least she is more sane.
Time to get back to writing. Sonya wants her special story finished NOW!