I Made a Deadline, & stuff about Characters~

Well, if you wonder why I haven't written (don't raise your hands), I was desperately writing and trying to edit a story for the Ursula Nordstrom Fiction Contest. (Eight- to twelve-year-old age range.) You know. That story I said I was writing "just for me?" Ha ha.

I had a lot of fun, even though there was some stress involved. My mother was my reader. Although she offered very little in the way of suggestions, she gave me the unalloyed enthusiasm and support I needed. (I could have used some writing advice, too, but there was none available at the time.)

Sometimes after I finish a story I get a let-down feeling. Like I don't know exactly what to do with myself.

I miss the characters already. I don't have any sequel plans, but I'd kind of like to invite them all over (at least some of the main ones) and sit around the kitchen table and share an apple juice. Characters from some stories wouldn't be able to handle this, but from this story... yeah, they'd be fine.

Some of my characters, if I sat down with them at the table and tried to tell them I'd made them up, (or even if I didn't), they would end up under the table whimpering. Or else they'd attack me with swords... not a comfortable idea.

But some of my characters, I think they could handle being told they were imaginary. I don't know if they'd believe it, but they could handle it.