Go For Stories

There’s that word: Afterword.

I know what you’re thinking, it’s what we all think upon seeing it: “But why? Why must we? We just finished the good bits and now we have to sit through some boring spiel about the author’s inspirations and dedications? This is bullshit!”

And it is. Absolute and total bullshit, the ramblings of an attention-seeking fool, yet here we are.

Obviously, I feel like I have achieved something. Not necessarily something great or world changing, but something. It has been a challenging, trying and entertaining time for me to achieve this something, but I’m not the only one that deserves credit for my work.

My darling wife, my long-suffering and ever-patient wife, has been enormously (I know, I should be careful with that word) supportive of me. Upon her suggestion, I embarked on this journey. I then committed myself to it fully; one chapter a week, no matter what. I admit it was a silly time to do so. Since making that commitment, we have been married, went on honeymoon, renovated bathroom and kitchen, dealt with changes in work responsibilities, and moved house. Still, she has had the remarkable ability to stop short at a mere roll of the eyes when I’ve said, “My darling wife, my long-suffering and ever-patient wife, I have not finished this week’s chapter. Would you mind if instead of spending time together I just … wait, where are you going? Did you hear me? … Is that a yes?”

I often assumed it was a yes and we’re still married, so I can’t have been too wrong. Not only that, I got useful and honest feedback after each chapter with very little laughter. You simply can’t buy that kind of support.

There is another being that has encouraged me. David, if you’re reading this, I’m working on an assumption. That assumption being that you betting I couldn’t keep up the pace was a subversive tactic to keep me on point. Congratulations, we did it. Grins. High five. Hug. Okay, we’ll stop there. There is such a thing as too much celebrating.

Then, readers of my turgid imagination, there is you. I simply couldn’t have kept up the motivation without knowing there was at least two people reading my words. Thank you all (both) from the bottom of my feet. The entire reason behind this journey was to get my words out there and into people’s eyes. You are those people and I will be eternally grateful to you and your eyes.

So, with all that sap out of the way, I wanted to let you all in on my process. Yes, this is the boring part where you don’t even get to feel good about yourself. I came up with the idea of this story the morning after I decided I would do the blog. One week later, I had a chapter online for all the world to see.

But this sudden and wonderful burst of creativity had a downside. Now I had to come up with the rest of the story. I had ideas of moments, sure, but nothing solid. The next 39 weeks were quite an adventure. Definitely for me, hopefully for you. Each week, each chapter came with a new surprise; a character would say something that shocked me, or did something that ended badly and I would be forced to follow behind, cleaning up the mess that they had left behind. Those bastards.

And it doesn’t stop there. As I wrote, I gained more insight into the world and its workings. I realised there was more to this than just what we were seeing in the complex below. There is, in my mind, a sequel. At least one. I tell you this not to whet your appetites for more, not to earn your continued interest in this blog and everything associated, but because I am a cruel beast. Because, you see, I’m not yet ready to write those tales. You can wait, like I have to.

Down the track, I intend to revisit and edit this piece, adding chapters and details to make it feel more like a complete world with real people inhabiting it. But for now, I shall start anew. More stories fight in my head for their place in yours. And who am I to ignore these?