What a beautiful job you did of bringing this tragic story to life, Stephanie. The care you took in unfolding the events, moving backward and forward in time was expertly done. Thanks for being a part of this project.
its hard to think that this can really be entirely fictional and not your own lived experience. It's very powerfully real. A great piece of work, as the views of other fine writers attest.
That line about potential? I can taste the bitterness in those dregs as surely as if it was my own cup of regrets. worthy of a frame that one!
Nice to read fiction that evolves out of the human condition, as this piece does wonderfully well. Nothing against sci fi and fantasy, but the intensity of human life on mother earth is often much more emotionally satisfying and relatable. After all, how many of us get out of bed in the morning and put on our underpants last.
Ha - the last bit - I do tend to gravitate toward fiction that’s based in “real life,” though I’ve never considered why that is in quite so practical a way!
For me, whether it’s contemporary fiction, sci fi, fantasy, etc - it has to be grounded in compelling characters to get me interested. Then I’m willing to follow, even to possibly strange places. And I agree; everyday life, and the human condition, as you put it, are plenty intense. Thanks, George.
Loss is always a difficult thing to deal with and you’ve reflected the agony, the despair and the recovery very well. Thanks for this short and moving piece.
Stephanie, your story has already been described as beautiful, touching, heartfelt and other deserving tributes - and they all fit. During and after reading, as well as right now as I'm typing this, I'll add another word, moving. I was deeply moved and still am. Just a wonderful and sincere job of writing Stephanie. - Jim
Jim, that means a lot to me. I want my stories to move and to have life outside of my writing of them. I’m so glad to know these characters and their story meant something to you. Thank you for reading, and for sharing that lovely comment.
Yes, very much so. I must admit, I found it exceptionally challenging (and slightly stressful) taking part in the first volume. Very rewarding of course, but I was certainly out of my comfort zone.
Same! Definitely out of my comfort zone, (which I think is good for me), and a bit stressful, especially with the time limit. But I also think I needed the deadline for this one.
That’s high praise, Nick, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the piece. My hope is always to make the characters and their experiences feel real to a reader - and to me, the writer! I love fiction for its capacity to get inside someone’s head no matter how different their life may be from one’s own.
This project of Ben Wakeman’s for which the story was written was a wonderful opportunity to work with that capacity, because the prompt came out of a real person’s emotions around “leaving something behind” (the theme of the project). There was certainly a sense of weightiness, even pressure in that, which I tried to honor.
What a beautiful job you did of bringing this tragic story to life, Stephanie. The care you took in unfolding the events, moving backward and forward in time was expertly done. Thanks for being a part of this project.
Thanks, Ben. The movement through time was a technical challenge. Glad it worked.
its hard to think that this can really be entirely fictional and not your own lived experience. It's very powerfully real. A great piece of work, as the views of other fine writers attest.
That line about potential? I can taste the bitterness in those dregs as surely as if it was my own cup of regrets. worthy of a frame that one!
What a cool project! You did a phenomenal job with the story.
Thank you, Rachel! It really was an incredible experience to be part of this project.
Nice to read fiction that evolves out of the human condition, as this piece does wonderfully well. Nothing against sci fi and fantasy, but the intensity of human life on mother earth is often much more emotionally satisfying and relatable. After all, how many of us get out of bed in the morning and put on our underpants last.
Ha - the last bit - I do tend to gravitate toward fiction that’s based in “real life,” though I’ve never considered why that is in quite so practical a way!
For me, whether it’s contemporary fiction, sci fi, fantasy, etc - it has to be grounded in compelling characters to get me interested. Then I’m willing to follow, even to possibly strange places. And I agree; everyday life, and the human condition, as you put it, are plenty intense. Thanks, George.
Loss is always a difficult thing to deal with and you’ve reflected the agony, the despair and the recovery very well. Thanks for this short and moving piece.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Gorgeous writing. So moving.
Thank you, Jo.
This is gripping and moving. Bravo.
Thank you, Hannah!
Stephanie, your story has already been described as beautiful, touching, heartfelt and other deserving tributes - and they all fit. During and after reading, as well as right now as I'm typing this, I'll add another word, moving. I was deeply moved and still am. Just a wonderful and sincere job of writing Stephanie. - Jim
Jim, that means a lot to me. I want my stories to move and to have life outside of my writing of them. I’m so glad to know these characters and their story meant something to you. Thank you for reading, and for sharing that lovely comment.
Oh, the heavy grief! But this was so beautiful, too. An extraordinary story.
Thank you, Liz!
Beautiful, Stephanie. Whatever the prompt might have been, you have no doubt done it great care with this truly emotional story.
Thank you, Nathan. I hope so. It was such an unusual challenge to write a completely fictional story based on a real person’s
emotions. Like Ben says, an exercise in empathy.
Yes, very much so. I must admit, I found it exceptionally challenging (and slightly stressful) taking part in the first volume. Very rewarding of course, but I was certainly out of my comfort zone.
Same! Definitely out of my comfort zone, (which I think is good for me), and a bit stressful, especially with the time limit. But I also think I needed the deadline for this one.
Just wonderful. Such a beautiful piece of writing.
Thank you, Anna.
Your heart sings in the grief.
Thank you, Mary. There was so much grief in this story, and also love, because I don't think grief exists without love.
That’s high praise, Nick, thank you for sharing your thoughts on the piece. My hope is always to make the characters and their experiences feel real to a reader - and to me, the writer! I love fiction for its capacity to get inside someone’s head no matter how different their life may be from one’s own.
This project of Ben Wakeman’s for which the story was written was a wonderful opportunity to work with that capacity, because the prompt came out of a real person’s emotions around “leaving something behind” (the theme of the project). There was certainly a sense of weightiness, even pressure in that, which I tried to honor.