The Making of "Once Upon a Portal" and "Fit for a Queen" - Loveless Letters Short Stories
I didn't know that the idea of writing again would ignite me so deeply. But now I feel a fire I dare not put out. Here's a look at the making of the first two installments in the Loveless Letters Short Story Collection.
Getting started again was easier than I thought
"I want to start writing again," I said to myself, likely out loud because I'm strange like that.
A year had passed since my final eye surgery and I was able to look at a computer for more than a couple of hours without getting a migraine. Finally, I could use it for something other than work.
I wanted to be a writer for quite some time. Throughout university, my love of all things artsy had me dreaming of living in a little house in the country where I could write in the evenings and run a small art studio during the day.
I dabbled in short stories and other creative pursuits as I built a copywriting business (now a marketing business... but I still do copywriting and creative ghostwriting if you're interested 😉)
I even started writing a novel before my vision got bad. Clearly, that was never finished. To be fair, though, it was mostly because I kept changing the genre and couldn't decide on first-person or third-person.
Once I made the decision to start again, it was like something pushed forward inside me that I wasn't expecting.
Once Upon a Portal almost wrote itself
As someone with a lot of hobbies and a short attention span, it seemed best to at least start with short stories. (Yes, I will get back to writing my novel, soon.)
I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to head for my first story so I did what I've always done when I'm stuck - I looked up writing prompts.
I took a bunch of different prompts from a bunch of different places and arranged the ideas until I was able to create an interesting story that tied them all together.
The prompts were things like:
"Someone finds something unexpected."
"Someone is hiding and watching other people who are unaware."
I already knew which genre I wanted to work in and I knew I wanted to include magical elements so it was just a matter of fitting it all together.
Speaking of magical, I love the way that each of these elements kind of magically unveiled the storyline inside my mind. It's a surreal feeling when you are more a conduit for the art than the creator, herself. At least, that's how it felt.
I wanted to write a story for my stepdaughter
She loves to read. She loves to escape between the pages of a novel, into a world of mystery, magic, and wonder. If she could crawl right inside, she probably would.
My goal was to create a story that made it almost feel possible for her to do just that - climb inside the pages and get lost among the things in that world.
What is most magical, though, was that this series has brought us closer together. She's keen to write her own novel and we often meet up in the evenings to write together.
Infusing a little bit of myself into every character
They often say it's best to write what you know. And while I might not know what it's like to swirl my wrist and open a portal into a storybook, I do know a lot about myself. So, I took different parts of me and infused them into every character. I asked myself, "What would it be like if this part of my personality was most prevalent?" And I ran with it.
Of course, I mashed up pieces of me with pieces of other people (because I'm not a freakin' narcissist, lol - it's not all about me). It was pretty cool to see parts of me come together with parts of other people I love to create entirely unique individuals.
There's a bit of my anxiety in Curtis.
There's a bit of my rule-breaking in Lindsay.
The small shy piece of me lives in Sandra.
My most eccentric self is embodied in Aunt Cleo.
I won't spoil the rest for you though 😉
👉 Start with Once Upon a Portal
OR... Join my mailing list and I will send you a free copy of Once Upon a Portal direct to your inbox!
