I WROTE A SHORT STORY!

Actually, I’ve written a few of those in my time here at The Company.

But guess what?

You get to read this one! For FREE!

If you’re not in the mood for chit-chat and are yelling “Just leave me alone and let me read the story” then you can click this handy dandy link and get Sunspot sent directly to your inbox.

BUT, if you stick with me for the next bundle of minutes, you’ll get to to hear all about the story (and my rocky start).

Well, not all about it. Like, I promise not to spoil the story for you.

Drum roll, please…

My story is called…Sunspot!

I don’t know about you, but I love a good blend of whimsy, romance, and tragedy.

If you need more to go off of, here are the basic details (in glorious bullet point form):

• It takes place in a fantasy world (very D&D inspired, which absolutely nobody saw coming, I’m sure)
• I don’t know if I’d call it spooky, but it’s definitely on the darker side of fantasy.
• There’s a magical circus (oOoooOO)
• There’s forbidden love (how scandalous of me)
• There’s mystery (I’ve run out of sarcastic parenthetical remarks)

Sound up your alley? Either way, it’s free to read.

If you’ve read the book Caraval by Stephanie Garber, seen the movie adaptation of Wicked, or seen the 2005 version of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, you’ll be able to tell that I was obsessed with all three of those things back when I wrote this story.

You’ll especially be able to tell that Fiyero (from Wicked) was definitely on my mind (feel free to judge me about that, it’s ok).

Are you ready to visit Cicero’s Cabinet of Wonder?

Perfect. Here’s that handy dandy link again; go get that free copy sent straight to your inbox!

If you’re still here…

You must be nosy. Perfect. I’ll tell you all my secrets.

My first week here at The Company, I was asked to write a short story about anything I wanted. Anything! I was so excited. I chose to write a tragic tale about a string of people who kill over a pair of designer earrings, only for the earrings to be sold for ten bucks at a thrift shop decades later.

Sounds cool, right?

Well…

I don’t mean to be dramatic (that’s a lie–I do) but it was a terrible story. I mean, really. It was a literary disaster, and it took me waaaaaay too long to get done.

I’ve said before that it’s important to write bad stories at first. First drafts are usually pretty messy. But in my case, I took that messy first draft, with its disastrous story structure and multitudinous typos, and submitted it to my mentor.

…

Off to great start, Lucy.

That was September of last year. And it’s absolutely insane how much I’ve learned since then.

Then came December.

That sounded more ominous than I’d intended, but we’re just going to go with it.

A week or so before Christmas break last year, my mentor (Brad) asked me to write another short story about anything I wanted, just like before.

But this time, he told me to implement everything I’d learned and submit it before Christmas break started.

I, who totally did not freak out about it, was like “yeah cool no problem.”

…

But then I actually did it.

WHAT?!? That’s not supposed to be possible. You’re telling me I actually learned things at school? I actually got better at writing? That’s how this works? Sounds fake.

But that’s why it’s so important to slow down every now and then. If you keep running ahead at full speed, you might completely miss how far you’ve come!

In the first episode of Doctor Who (2005), the 9th Doctor says:

Do you know like we were saying, about the earth revolving? It’s like when you’re a kid, the first time they tell you that the world is turning and you just can’t quite believe it ’cause everything looks like it’s standing still. 

That’s totally the story of my life (and yes I know that this isn’t the first time I’ve quoted Doctor Who in a blog and it certainly won’t be the last).

This is your reminder that you’re not actually standing still. Just like the earth is spinning even though we can’t feel it, we’re moving forward even though we don’t see it.

I bet there are plenty of things in your life that you’ve accomplished against your knowledge. Even if the things seem small or unimportant.

Take a second to glance back and see how far you’ve come.