Wordy Wednesday

And the word for today is TERRIFIED. Well, not really terrified so much as really, really apprehensive. The next post on this blog is going to be the next episode of The Kid. And it's a bit scary.

It's one thing to write something from a moment of inspiration. Something tight and self contained, even though it takes place within the larger context of another story. I did it once with Yacob Vobescu. And that was fun. I gave voice to something that had been in my head for a long time. And it was well received and I thought it would be fun to do another. And I invented The Kid. I channeled Richard Widmark and created this character that I thought would live for the episode, and no longer. But I was wrong.

A couple of people suggested I do more with him. And I thought, "Okay." And a few days after the original story, published the second episode, which took place 'Earlier That Evening'.

And there came even more encouragement to 'keep The Kid alive'.

But now, now I have to go back and create him from scratch and explain how he winds up in an alley in Las Vegas, being nibbled on by a rat as he dies. This isn't inspiration. This is hard work. This is doing it over and over again until I think it's right. This is exploring a mental case where I have no supporting experience. This is creating sexual abuse where I have no supporting experience. This is creating a loveless, unemotional character where again, I have no supporting experience.

So I am going to tell you up front that whatever this turns out to be, it's the best I can do. I have a team of people who I am asking to review these episodes before they are published. They will look for inconsistencies. Errors. I was going to ask them for their opinions, but I realize now that that isn't fair. This is me. This is my work. I cannot ask them to choose between revisions, or what they think about this idea or that idea. It isn't fair to them. I'm just going to ask them to vet what I'm doing to minimize errors and inconsistencies within the story itself.

And I am going to ask you, my readers, to have fun. Because that's what I'm doing. Enjoy. Because that, also, is what I'm doing. Having fun and enjoying myself. And, hopefully, entertaining you, the reader.

Until tomorrow.

Peace.