I started writing Forever my Love, at the beginning of December 2020, but put the project on hold whilst I worked on Stories for Advent. Later in December I continued working on the story which had begun to grow at this point. I never intended Forever my Love, to be such a long short story, I certainly didn’t intend to write 18,082 words. My first short story The princess’s playhouse, was just 3,952 words long, and the Luna goddesses and the Golden birds, was a true short story at just 1,742 words. I had a very clear image in mind of how I wanted things to end, and for those who have read the story it’s not the perfect fairytale ending one might expect. After starting I soon realised to get to the desired finish I would have to go on a truly long and winding road, with ups and downs, and a few twists and turns.

The clear image that I had in mind for my ending, was the basis of the artwork that accompanies this short story, which I completed on Christmas Eve. Satisfied in the knowledge that I had the artwork done, I turned my attention to writing more of the third book in the main series. A couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day I realised that this short story would make a lovely valentine gift of sorts. At that point I had written two thirds of the story and I only had the ending to get right. Now with a self-imposed deadline I picked up my pace and completed the story.

As it so often happens whilst writing one story, I came up with ideas for more, and references of folk heroes, and I began to develop characters who will find their way into my other works. I’ve realised that the world of Gear has to exist far beyond the adventures of Keyanna, and by writing these stories I’m expanding into the past, into the realms of folk story and legend.

R. R. Tolkien created the world of Middle Earth to hold his ideas for the Elvish language, to give the Elvish language meaning, he created the Lord of the ring’s books. The classic three part story is much like an iceberg, as it is the part everyone sees, but it’s just the visible tip of that proverbial iceberg. The genius of Tolkien was to write extensive world history, short stories and books of law, governing the intricate world he had created. I can never aspire to such genius, but I can be inspired by it. With every short story I write I’m opening another door into the past of the world I will forever be building.

 

You can find ‘Forever my Love’ here on my webpage, in the section called ‘Novella of Gear’.