...And they lived happily ever after.

I've managed to finish the first draft of a short story that I'm hoping to submit as an entry to the Baen Fantasy Awards. It might have been finished sooner if I hadn't come down with a serious case of flu, cough and cold that managed to not develop into pneumonia, but DID develop a throat infection. I was bedridden for a solid month and a half! But even sick there are some things that you can't just let slide, and taking the youngest to school as well as fetching him were just some of those things. Another was keeping track of household and food supplies. But somehow, all that and writing got done.

Out of all the list of Things That Must Be Done, it was actually the writing that itched at me, as the characters in the tale reminded me of my deadline. The drawing of the Elf's Point of View was something I remembered as I was waking out of a dream-scene, and hung about the edges of my thoughts as I did other things. "It would not take long for you to draw me," the picture seemed to whisper, "and you can manage that even if you're so tired you can barely think." So I turned on my art computer, neglected for so long, and the picture was right (it took me less than three hours.)

I'm especially pleased with the short story; though if I'd had another 2000 words allowed to the word limit then I would be satisfied with the story! There were some parts here and there that felt a bit rushed, but my wonderful beta readers think I wrote a wonderful, entertaining tale; the protagonist of the story funny and very likeable ("You just want to hug him! and tell him to keep trying!" said one reader) and the prose engaging and fun to read. Another told me that it was exactly the kind of tale she'd needed to read, because she'd gotten a little tired of grimdark and overly dramatic fantasy, and she'd wanted a comedy. "You've definitely come up with an unusual, quirky hero that fits the 'want to root for!' requirement!" said another. My hubby, and another reader who'd only gotten the tale when it was half-finished, pouted! "It's not done yet!" was the complaint. "I want to know what happens next!"

With such an outpouring of positivity, it was difficult to listen to any whispers of self-doubt.

Other than a few suggestions of 'change this word, it feels a bit awkward,' the response has been a surprising "I can't think of any way you could possibly hope to lessen the word count, and think it's ready as it is."

The process I've had with the last two works I've done has been very different to my previous approaches to creating art - written or drawn.  With the Elf picture, I'd already had most of it in my head, and it kept urging me not to fuss overmuch on the little details. With the short story, it came to be almost completely shaped save for a challenge / villain to the story, but it did not seem too worried about it. "Just let it flow into the outline," the story seemed to say, in the voice of the Main Character.

I rarely do outlines. I'm a pantser - google the term with regard to writers - and yet this one seemed to need one, especially since I had such a limited number of words to play with.  So I took the pad on which I normally write grocery lists (it was on the bedside table) and turned on the light. Fortunately my darling hubby is very forgiving of my quirks when I'm in "Must... write...!" mode and understands it when I cannot sleep until the ideas are written down. By the time I had the outline, I had nearly everything, but the name of my hero, and a suitable title. By this time, the characters and setting were so alive in my mind, that it seemed I could imagine conversations with them.

"Don't worry," said my Main Character again. "You'll find a proper name for me in due course."

"You're far more laid back than how you are in the story," I wanted to scold back.

"But of course," came the serene reply. "I already know how it all ends, and I'm sure you can do this."

And the story, like the Elf in the picture, was right. I actually finished the story a week ago, and my beta readers have all been delighted by the tale. The title? And the name? Came at the very end while I was talking with a friend about title ideas. The final title was a combination of two ideas; and it fit the story perfectly.

Just one last beta reader and editor to go over it all, a final go-over by myself and my hubby, and then I send it off, to be judged alongside the works of other, far more distinguished authors; others who are far more subtle, deft wordsmiths than I am.

I don't expect to win. But I am happy with the opportunity this gave me, and the work that resulted.