My First (Almost Completed) Story

For years, I've talked about writing and expressed great hopes that I would finish (and publish) something one of these days.

Now such a dream is on the brink of coming true.

Tonight, I completed my first story that I plan to put in the public's eye. 

It's about my Beowulf, and it's called The Wolf at the Door. 

It started out as a short story. Then I found I had a lot more to say, so now it's a novella, just a little shy of 20,000 words. 

It's about a young girl named Mavie, about 11 years old, who runs away from home after a bad fight with her family. Naturally, she regrets this almost right away, and now she's all alone, hopelessly lost, and scared to death.

Beowulf finds her (or she finds him) and helps her get home in one piece. 

Not a terribly complex story, but I believe this will be a great way to introduce Beowulf as well as put my writing chops to the real test. 

Of course, there's still a lot of proofreading and editing to do, and that's not including the tedious publishing process. I'm going to self-publish this because I'm an unknown author, and traditional companies tend to favor people who are bit more guaranteed to make them a profit. Besides, traditional companies give you a lot less creative freedom; I hear they even choose your title for you. 

So, while fortune and fame are always nice, I'd much rather tell my story my way.

And yes, I'm going to try to illustrate this, too. Kel has already agreed to help me. 

But right now, I just want to bask in the fact that I've actually got a full-length story you can read from start to finish.

I haven't been this thrilled since FanX. I just gotta say:

Big News!

I got a new job at Barnes & Noble! Yay!

Granted, it's only a seasonal job for now...but you never know. During today's orientation, we got introduced to a few high-ranking workers who started out as Christmas workers, and they really keep an eye on those people who "bust their butts" at the place.

This is a dream come true. For many years, I've talked about wanting to work at a place like Barnes & Noble or Deseret Book, or some other bookstore or library. I start full-time this Monday. They'll have me work only a few hours at first, only a few days at a time, and then as I get used to the routine, they'll have me stay longer more often. I'll have to work a Sunday or two, unfortunately...but as long as that doesn't happen too often, I guess I can live with that. A few of my own friends and family have jobs that require them to work some Sundays, too. I suppose you can always maintain that Sunday attitude, and I can still listen to hymns and do my own scripture study at home.

I'm thrilled and scared to death, and a little sad about leaving my old job at Deseret Industries. I always knew my DI job wouldn't be permanent, just like how I knew college wouldn't be permanent...but you just get used to the routine, you know?

Oh, well. They say you get stagnant if you're stuck in the same place for too long. And maybe, in a way, being nervous is a good thing; it means you're aware that it's a big deal and you treat it as such.

My family's plenty proud of me, and tonight, we celebrated my success with a scrumptious Sizzler dinner. I can still taste that lobster, medium-rare steak, fat fries, hot rolls (they give you all the rolls you can eat), raspberry lemonade, and chocolate and vanilla ice cream.