Promises, promises...

Oops.  I had a story to tell and I had only so many words to use, but the idea didn't want to listen and spilled over, creating a bit of a flood - at least in comparison to what was initially needed.

 

As such, I have a lot of trimming to do!

 

When I visited the wonderful Writebulb peeps, I took part in their writing challenge.  My commitment was to write a 1,000 word flash fiction called The Masquerade, and finish my children’s story ‘Puddlebrain’.  The first part of this seemed easy.  A thousand words?  No problem.  The second part was also a cinch.  I knew exactly where Puddlebrain was going.  I could bash that down without no worries.

 

OK.  I should have been committed for my commitment.

 

Since I was there, which, granted was a little while ago and should have given me plenty of time, it’s been a little hectic.  But then, when isn’t my life?  And, as is usually the case – just look at Sin – my ideas don’t conform to a word count.

 

I don’t control the stories.  They control me, in a fashion.  As I’ve said before, I don’t plan or outline, I simply write.

 

So.  1,000 words?  When I reached 1,500 words I thought I was close to the end and it’d be fairly simple to trim it down to meet the flash requirements.  I could keep the ‘full-fat’ version for my upcoming anthology Darker Places but whittle away bits to squeeze into the margins.  As it was, I left out a little scene I wanted to put in, so I could work that into the final version too.

 

I finished the story yesterday.  It’s around 2,650 words.

 

Oops...

 

A friend of mine from America, Cindy Harper, suggested I keep the current story and write another.  I’d love to.  Unfortunately, the deadline is this weekend, and I have an interview to do and a blog post for Sin.  And I have to bin 1,600 words!  So, perhaps not.  I’m not sure what would be quicker, writing 1,000 words or deleting 1,600, but the latter seems to be the faster option.

 

As for Puddlebrain?  She’s still lost in The Grimace, though it’s leading her out to face The Shadow.  I know this.  I can picture it.  I’ve run through the scenes and the dialogue.  I just haven’t managed to write it down yet.  But I will, and soon.

 

Just perhaps not by the end of the week.

 

So.  I knew that time ran away from me like a teenager in a slasher movie.  I knew whatever I wanted to do would actually be a struggle when it came down to it.  But I still said I would do it.  Silly billy.

 

Anywho.  Hopefully I’ll get the flash fiction sorted and delivered.  Then I can work on Puddlebrain and have it finished and get some beta readers on the case.

 

And then I may manage to talk to the police about what’s going to happen to Sin now he’s in handcuffs...

 

Time, though art mine friend and mine enemy in equal parts.  Why dost thou entwine thyself in my dilemmas?

Or something...