Devilleaf – The Process

Posted on by pcmccollum

Devilleaf is story number thirty-one in the #52ShortStories challenge.

**SPOILERS BELOW. If you have not read the story and want to be (hopefully) surprised, come back to this when you’re done.**

An unplanned, extended interruption to the writing?

It was never a matter of if.

Only when.

Well, apparently the when was the month of March. A perfect storm of so many things made landfall–many good, many bad, some of which I can talk about, some of which I can’t. Suffice to say, I am officially Way Behind™.

And it’s fine. Just more fuel for the story-fire now that my health and schedule are slowly returning to normal. I undertook this challenge because of the deadlines and I’ll continue to see them as a good thing. They’re the whip that gets this old horse to water.

Devilleaf started in early March based on a song I’d had on repeat for a while and was going to initially have some Greek mythology influence, but they both kind of got waylaid. It happens. Most of the time, I just need something to get the story in gear and then it goes where it wants to go. Maybe that’s not such a good habit to develop if I ever seek a traditional publishing gig and I have to write what I say I’m going to write, but for me, this is all just a learning experience and to have fun.

For some reason, the fantasy bug bit me this time around (though this story could easily be classified as historical fiction as there is no mention of magic). Maybe reading all of the Francis Bacon has turned my thinking a little archaic. I’m certain he influenced the idea of some political intrigue.

As for my tradition of releasing a story each Sunday, yeah, that’s going to change as I catch up. I’m assuming I will catch up, but I’m not going to fret, so long as I produce.

Here’s the general scratch file:

And the daily journal entries:

-Phillip

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