Stage 2 of Sitting in Darkness has begun.

There are stages, you ask?

Perhaps I should explain.

I started this blog to do two specific things:

1. Entertain readers with short, snappy, sometimes creepy, (and hopefully engaging) stories.

and…

2. To see if some of these tiny germs of stories want to grow up to be…bigger.

Well, it has finally happened. One of the stories on this blog has announced itself as wanting to be told more fully, with all the bells and whistles of noveldom.

So, I am fully engaged in the planning and execution of this story, this novel.

Why do I bring this up, you may be wondering?

Just to explain the spotty posting schedule over the next few months. I will continue to put up stories, and hopefully more of them will want to be novels.

Now, I’m tempted to ask all 12 of you who subscribe if you can guess which of the 50 some-odd stories on the blog I am currently novelizing.

I’ll just say this: Margo will probably get done as a novel someday, because I want to know more about her and I just love the way she looks at the world. One of my relatives thinks I am doomed to be the victim of an Annie Wilkes copycat if I write the Margo novel(s).

If you don’t know who Annie Wilkes is, Google will be more than happy to oblige you.

There are several stories herein that have hinted at their aspirations to become more than I have made of them so far. But right now, only one story has flooded my fevered brain with imagery, additional characters, colorful backstory, stakes to die for, and a lead that looked me in the face, in a dream, and convinced me to write the story.

I have to admit, that was kind of weird. But hell, we only go around once, right?

By the way: these characters are completely of my creation, but I don’t tell them what to do all the time. Sure, I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, but sometimes my subconscious, in the guise of one of my characters, has other, usually better, ideas.  It’s super fun, and sometimes a little disconcerting.

I believe it was Jerry B. Jenkins, author of the 14-volume, bazillion-copies-sold Left Behind series, who, when asked why he killed off one of his major characters, answered, “I didn’t kill him off. I found him dead.”

So, I hope you’ll continue to stop by and read my little stories (and see if you can guess which one on the blog is soon to be a novel).

As always, I’m writing this alone in my room and hopeful the stories connect with a reader out there.

I’ll occasionally post updates to let you know where I am in the novel writing process.

The publishing world continues to evolve so quickly, I have no earthly idea what it will look like when I’m done writing this story.

But I’ll deal with that when I actually have a completed manuscript.

Right now, I just want to tell a rollicking, balls to the wall story.  A story the reader simply cannot put down.

There, I’ve said it.

There’s no turning back, even if I wanted to.

Behind me an avalanche has sealed the mine entrance.

I can only stumble forward.

Into darkness.

_________________________

image by kevingessner