Last Week’s Story

Alas, as of this writing, I did not again finish the story. I did start it on Wednesday, though, instead of yesterday, so that’s a plus! I fully intend to finish “Fleeing Asylum” tomorrow, though, during my work breaks and lunch hour. And possibly tomorrow evening as well, depending on how I feel after what I think will be a rough day at work. But I have a plot in mind for the story, and an idea of where it’s headed, and that’s going to help me work this story out. I always find that it’s good to have an idea of the end in mind when writing a story, though sometimes not having one can be a lot of fun. Each writer has a different process. And each story has a different process as well. And, as my friend M. Todd Gallowglas observed when I met him for beer the other day, every project also has its own voice.

This Week’s Prompt

I rolled a 2 on my d4 this week, so this week’s prompt comes from the Fantasy expansion deck:

A diabolical ghoul wants to navigate a maze at the heart of which sits a throne, but they will suffer an injury that does not heal.

This one is cool! I’ve always been fascinated by the story of the Fisher King from the Arthurian cycle of legends, so here I have a chance to develop my own idea of how the Fisher King initially became the Fisher King, with a ghoulish touch. I don’t know if the ghoul I’ll use in the story is a Lovecraftian ghoul, of the type that lives under graveyards and feasts on corpses; but we’ll see. As always, there are plenty of different directions a story can take.

This Week’s Recommendation

Some weeks, I struggle to come up with something to recommend, because there’s just so much good stuff out there. This week was kind of a no-brainer for me, though. This week’s recommendation is the novel The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty:

I listened to the audio version of this book, which I checked out of the public library, and I had SO MUCH FUN listening to it as I walked and got my steps in. It’s historical fantasy, featuring a pirate in the medieval Arabian world. The main character is a middle-aged woman who takes no shit from anyone, and who leads a pirate crew on a daring escapade. There is adventure, excitement, betrayal, and more! I also appreciated that there was no centered romance in this one, which was a nice change of pace. I strongly recommend that you buy this one or check it out of the library as soon as you are able.

And That’s All

As always: be safe, be well, and, of course, be kind. And for crying out loud, try to have some fun! Unless, of course, your idea of fun involves hurting other people. In which case, don’t.