Progress Update

Writing Progress Update: W10 Masquerade

My February Writing Goals* | 2020’s writing bucket list | (All) Writing Progress Updates |

* I just realized I haven’t written this month’s goal post yet, so I’ll be doing that next. It’ll get pubbed during week 11.


Last month, I started on a fluffy paranormal romance short story. Last Friday, I finished it, and prepped it for submission! I’m really fond of this story and sharing it with CPs and betas has been a delight so far. It’s needed its edits, but overall people enjoyed it, and of course that’s a great sign.

So, here’s the update I’ve been promising you all for a while. I’ll just start at the beginning.

Image of someone writing by pen with underneath text: writing progress update.

This story started out with just a couple of ideas. Two characters sharing a moment as they danced, a masquerade, and faeries. I’d say the fantasy elements are more on an urban fantasy level and connected to dreams and faeries. The romance is cute, starring a Black Autistic girl and includes an enby love interest (bigender). It’s got kitchen witchcraft, dreamwalking, and a bit of mystery.

Since this is a short story, there are things which I’d have liked to allow some more space, but hey, that means there’s potential for either expansion, or sequels! And, you know me! I’ve already been plotting both options, so when the time comes, I’ll even have choices on how to progress with this story!

Hmm… then again… I could also have them appear in my dream magic trilogy as either side characters or give them cameos. Those books won’t be in the making for a couple of years I guess though, but I think they’re worth the wait.

Anyway, so this concept really started to flourish inside my head last month. I made a Pinterest board for the WIP, gave it the working title Masquerade, and ended up drafting it in one day. Some editing the next and I was so excited I started sharing it the weekend after.

The idea repeatedly infiltrated my life from that day on, not only in my dreams, but into my daydreaming as well. I started looking up the most amazing faerie inspired masks and dresses. Imagined myself wearing them, venturing through grand twin doors of a mansion and into a world beyond of magical mayhem and unimaginable wonders.

Things slowed down after that. As I shared and gathered the feedback, I let the story rest before returning to it. I struggled a bit with what to do. Expand it into a novelette? A novella? A novel? Should I keep it short? Do two versions? Combine my plans for the sequel and this or keep the sequel for later?

In the end I decided I had enough to write already. I wanted something short, something I could submit to magazines, and I didn’t want to abandon that now. So I finished the short story by improving one of the final scenes and kept it at 7200 words. With the story finished, it also needed a definite title. I’ve gone with:

A Spell to Soothe the Heart

Since a big chunk of the plot which I had in mind for the sequel and the extension are very similar to my dream magic trilogy, I think it’d be unwise to go with those. If I return to these characters, I’ll need to go back to the drawing board and find a new plot.


So that’s it for my writing progress update. If you missed my updates for the previous weeks, I’ve got a general update with wordcounts in my Writing Progress Update: W8. My Writing Progress Update: W9 is specifically about my Blood Maiden WIP.

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