Have a few stories out on submission and a boatload in the oven. A new storyworld presented itself with some seriously finishable shorts attached, so it behooved me to consider it. I did and I hired it. In the process, I'm learning how to put together a coherent series bible for a world whose premise did not make itself immediately obvious. I'm utilizing mostly articles from Juliette Wade and my own natural worldbuilding process to flesh it out.
Then today, I read this: "A Look Back At The Book and The Rewriting Issue" by Camille LaGuire. I have been mulling over whether I wanted to rewrite "Crossing the Barrier" for a while now. My first rejection on the story was a personal one and stated that while interesting, it didn't make the editor want to reread it. I thought about that. I dug into the ideas behind the story and the stakes involved and realized that with a lot of work, I could make this story awesome. But I chose not to.
The story is what it is. It's meant to be a small window into Casal's life when she first gains hunter status that is hers and not her parents'. It's interesting; it introduces the world; it doesn't explain the intensity of how important that hunter title is to Casal or what it means to be a hunter. I would have to explain the latter in order to explain the former and some things are simply outside of the scope of a short story without adding a lot of explanation or ancillary material. So for reasons very similar to what Camille talks about, I chose to let it go and let the story be what it is, a hopefully entertaining read that is understandable within its world, if not a deep analysis of the meaning of that world.
If the story comes back again from where I've submitted it, I'll self-publish it. The illustration isn't done yet, and I figured while I was waiting, I might as well keep it circulating, but I'm ready to let this one go and find its own legs. It will never be my best short story in the world. But it isn't meant to be.
Anything new in your world, writing or otherwise? Hope you have a wonderful new year.
