Recently I've been stretching my wings by writing short takes—my term for one-chapter standalone stories. For years, Penna has written delicious treats for the Chocolate Box exchange. This summer she also participated in Wattpad contests. I've seen how much she enjoys it and I've loved reading her works. I was curious—and nervous—about what the experience would be like for me.
I entered a couple of Wattpad contests over the past couple of months. My first challenge was to write a work with a maximum length of 500 words. The result is called X-Factor. And, okay, I cheated a little. Although this is a short take, it can also be read as a prequel to my Sedlow Chronicles series. I enjoyed writing the story so much, I wrote another prequel for Wattpad's Rewind the Classics. The Chaperone is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven."
Last month I participated in my first exchange, Trick or Treat. For it, I got to play in a new-to-me fandom—Good Omens. Ineffable Deeds is a Halloween treat where Aziraphale and Crowley embark on their next act after preventing Armageddon. I'm currently participating in the Yuletide exchange and have several more exchanges on tap for next year.
The characters in my series have been eyeing my new endeavors with some trepidation. Does this mean I'll stop writing their series? I reassured them that the opposite is happening. Playing in different sandboxes gives me fresh insights into their stories.
Short takes can have a magnetic effect. A few days ago, a new character snuck into my writing cave. She introduced herself as an original character for a fandom with both short take and series potential. Lucy hopes her moment in the spotlight will come someday. With so many sandboxes to choose from, surely she'll fit into one of them.
The short takes collection
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