Wish I could say this story was born from the deepest, warmest, most nourishing recesses of my idea uterus, but alas, it was not. The truth is that I cheated this week and had to go with a surrogate, because I simply could not conceive of any story babies all on my own.
One of my favorite writing apps for my iPad Pro is called Brainstormer. It’s a spinny carnival wheel of story-telling magnificance and I love it, especially during those times when I need an idea FAST, and the gaseous nebulae where my usual stars explode into existence are producing nothing but giant sucking black holes. (Yes, I’m aware that nebulae don’t produce black holes. I do read. Don’t be such a hater!) Even after I had the ideas this week, and started writing, I simply could not keep focus. Random song lyrics, tasks from my to-do lists, and just the day-to-day stresses of the week kept fogging things up.
For this week’s story, Brainstormer gave me:
– Healing Journey
– Utopian (setting)
– Insects!
As I kicked back and let my imagination do its thing, the first character to come in from the dark wasteland and join the warmth of the firelight was Hunter. He gave me some dialogue, which I thought was pretty good. But I still didn’t have a story. After Hunter, Alaina joined our little group and gave me some more dialogue. Once these two got together, things really started to take off.
It wasn’t until about half way through the story that I started to get an idea for an ending. It was still pretty fuzzy and translucent though. I had a vague impression of where I thought things might end up, but I just wasn’t sure how to get there from where I was currently in the story. After more work and more thinking, things finally came into focus.
As far as stories go, this one’s a little out there. It’s the weird little brother that everyone tries to keep away from their friends. You know, the one who sits across from you at the dinner table and still thinks its funny to open up his mouth and show you his chewed-up casserole. But its a perfectly fine tale for dark and stormy autumn nights, especially ones that are so close to Halloween.
Title: Imago Island
Word count: 1,700
Synopsis: Alaina Lambert refuses to believe that her brother has gone missing on Imago Island. When she comes to the island to investigate, she finds things are exactly as they should be.
Genre: Fantasy/Horror . . . maybe???
Completed: Week ending October 28, 2018
That’s a fun brainstorming app. Scary story too, and just in time for Halloween!