Analysis of the look into the world of the FORGED series
What I learned, one microdose at a time
To learn more about the FORGED series, visit the Table of Contents.
A look into the world of the FORGED series
What I learned—one microdose at a time
Last week, I shared a compilation of one month's worth of daily prompts (July 8-August 7, 2024). What had started out as a way to engage with fellow Substackers, turned into a helpful tool during my editing process. After watching the daily prompts from Miguel S. of THE FICTION DEALER as a “lurker,” I hopped on the bandwagon.
Did you miss last week’s compilation? Click⬇️
How it started
Though I was intrigued by the responses from other participating writers, I was not sure how to start creating my submissions. My daily writing time was already filled with incorporating my publisher's line edits on Shattered, book one of the FORGED series. Thus, my creative juices were thick with thoughts of Tessa and her story.
Instead of struggling to find something “new” to be my muse, I stuck with Tessa for two reasons:
My thoughts were intricately wrapped up in the world of Tessa and her new friends in the urban center.
I’ve been struggling to come up with an elevator pitch for the book/series.
Two birds, one stone
I wanted to participate because I saw it as a way to connect with other writers on Substack. Daily writing prompts have their own built-in community, and I wanted to be a part of it.
Plus, I hoped these microdoses of Tessa’s world would act like Megestrol or Cannabis on your appetite. Make you want to read more. Magnify your desire to read Shattered, which will be released this fall. (While giving me bite-sized pieces to repurpose for promoting the book’s launch. Is that three birds, then?1)
The process
The first step was deciding which definition of the word to use (assuming that more than one existed). Next, I searched the manuscript for the specific word (or a synonym—because sometimes I just didn’t have that particular word in the manuscript). I found a section with the specific word (or that embodied the essence of the word) and pasted it into my working document.
Once I had the inspiration narrowed down, (I hoped) the creative juices would percolate and take over. I set some “rules” for myself:
Participate each day, regardless of the word given2;
Spend no more than 30 minutes on finding and creating the submission;
Write from a third-person point of view;
Stick to the same tense of the word given in the prompt; and
Hit the exact word count.3
That’s not to say that I didn’t break my rules. I did. Frequently. But that’s okay. I hadn’t written the rules in stone.
How did it work?
Let’s look at one day in particular. On July 12th, Miguel’s daily word prompt was 100 words for ROUTINE.
From Shattered, I pulled the following excerpt for inspiration:
Isaiah waited for me on the second-floor landing of the East staircase. I liked that we already had a pattern, a regular habit of eating lunch together. Isaiah had many friends. I’d never had any, only Mamá, Papá, and Sis. And although I looked forward to seeing him, I was surprised that he had chosen me to be his friend.
Notice that ROUTINE does not exist in the text as written in the manuscript. So, I chose an adjacent word, HABIT. I also needed to expand the excerpt a bit and give the reader more background than the excerpt contained.
My final submission for ROUTINE became:
Tessa turned the mid-flight corner, and there he stood–casually leaning against the wall, oblivious to students streaming past him. Isaiah was watching for one person only, and his face broke into a lopsided grin as his eyes locked with Tessa’s.
Warmth spread through Tessa’s chest. Dare she hope this was more than a coincidence? That this pattern–this waiting for her, eating lunch together–was a new routine for Isaiah because he chose to befriend a “stick” from the Wilds, an outsider who felt awkward in the technofiend urban center. Tessa found the blossoming friendship a surprising perk of her new life.
Some words are REALLY challenging
On July 28th, the word prompt was 90 words for PUNK. Um, yeah, Miguel, thanks… At first glance at the prompt, I knew with 100% certainty that I did NOT have any section that might be related to PUNK.
Until I read the last definition.
Yes! Something I could work with.4
The inspiration came from a backstory, so I’m not going to tell you that here. You will have to wait for the bonus materials that will be released later. (Yes, I purposely did not use any names. And yes, I broke my third rule.) The result of 90 words for PUNK was:
His Adam’s apple bobbed like it was difficult to swallow. Concern etched deep lines around his eyes. He shifted, awkwardly bumping me.
I blinked, and his face was inches from mine. Hands around my elbows steadied me. Our unanticipated closeness, more shocking than the unbalanced feeling, petrified me to stillness.
His breath was shallow, hot. Then his lips were on mine–full and a bit cracked from the day in the sun.
Not what I expected for my first kiss. My face ignited faster than a firecracker lit by a punk.
Distilling and Refining
I’ve mentioned here my struggle to create an elevator pitch when someone asks what the series is about. The daily word prompt has been a perfect way to refine the description of the FORGED series' world. And since a major thread in the storyline is the growing discontent of people in the sparsely populated rural regions of the country, the August 2nd prompt of 80 words for CRISIS seemed an ideal time to hone the pitch.
For inspiration, I used the preface.
The Great Changes decimated life as we had known it.
Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, storms, and sinkholes killed millions of people and displaced millions more. Global warming wreaked havoc on agriculture. Rising water levels submerged much of the United States, separating the North American continent into several land masses. Unrest and conflict over the lack of resources made centralized government impossible. In 2059, when the last elected US President was assassinated, the federal government finally crumbled.
Plus, this:
Amidst this chaos, in what was formerly known as the Pacific Northwest, six zones created from the old utility service areas banded together to form the United Pacific Territories, or UPT. … It seemed like a new utopia. Except that things were unraveling.
And some detailed backstory in the manuscript.
The country had been struggling with political unrest for decades. Division among the people was down the party lines, both in the government and in society. The assassination of the US President in 2059 escalated into more violence. The country was on the verge of another civil war. The United States dissolved in 2062.
Catastrophic earthquakes devastated countries worldwide, leaving governments in shambles and over-burdening relief agencies. Oil fields in the Middle East were ravaged by fires. The Suez Canal was leveled. Governments collapsed under the strain of the natural disasters. The world's population decreased by over 70%, with entire cities being wiped out.
The trick was whittling the word count down to 80 words and still getting the gist of the story across. The results for CRISIS became:
The Great Changes decimated life as we’d known it.
Seismic activity, storms, and illness killed millions. Unrest and conflict over the lack of resources made centralized government impossible. The crisis escalated when the President was assassinated, crumbling the federal government.
For two decades, survivors struggled. Utility directors–controlling the literal power–ended up with the figurative power. Life resumed under a science-forward, eco-centric government. A new utopia.
Except that things were unraveling.
Would the growing discontent in the Wilds spark another cleanse?
A fresh take
The daily word prompt also allowed me to explore side threads of the storyline. A few daily submissions were inspired by characters and backstories that did not make the manuscript or the planned bonus materials.
July 31st was hectic, and I knew I wasn’t going to have time to craft a submission to the daily prompt. My competitive side (or my perfectionist side?) made me commit to not skipping the day. Instead, I gave myself the grace to fudge with the “rules” a little.5
I combined the words and word counts from July 31 and August 1 into one submission. Once again, the selected word, LIGHTHOUSE, was not in my manuscript, and very little in the storyline of book one would work with the word. (That is to say, using any relevant parts from Shattered would give too much away.)
I chose to write from scratch—from a POV not in book one and about an event that was not in the storyline. Or rather, one not explored when I wrote the series. Talk about upping the ante on creative work to expand the FORGED world!
For inspiration on this submission, I thought about one of the characters that will be seen in book two and his backstory. How would both a LIGHTHOUSE and a BOX fit into his character arc?
The results for the combined LIGHTHOUSE (100 words) and BOX (80 words) became:
The assignment was the shits. He wanted to be on the heist team. That was where all the excitement happened. Instead, he was stuck on his ass waiting for the transporter to pick up the goods.
The lame middleman.
He glanced in the rearview mirror at the stacks of boxes filling the truck’s bed. He knew inside the unmarked cartons was precious cargo. Four hundred and thirty-two Omnibands, the latest wearable tech from SynFlex Corp, were nestled in the boxes, on their way to be repurposed for the Underground.
“Take that, t-urbanites!” he muttered with a small sense of satisfaction.
A knock on the glass made him flinch. He rolled down the window and was assaulted by the coastal wind. The salty brine was sharp in his nostrils.
A man bundled against the gusts yanked his hat lower, shielding his eyes and obscuring his face. “Excuse me, ché, where’s the best place to see the storm?”
“From the top of the lighthouse,” he responded, internally cringing at the absurd code required to verify identities.
The pick-up man was here. Finally.
Yes, I realize that I broke another rule (#4) and made the prompted word plural. Maybe I’m not such a rule-follower after all.
Lessons learned
First, getting out of my head by getting deeper into the story was a fun way to participate. Even if some Substackers dis microfiction as not “true writing”—everyone is entitled to their opinions—I see the process as beneficial. In fact, I responded to one such complaint with:
I treat the microfiction prompts as (1) brain stimulus—a challenge to get an exact word count, capture the prompted word, and explore my current WIP in a slightly different lens than the one used in the manuscript and (2) as teasers for my upcoming novel that I can go back to “find” the teasers I might want to use for promotion. It might not be the traditional sense of microfiction as you define it, but it works for my current situation (I’m in the final edits before publication). As far as typos or other grammatical errors, my goal is to work fast and not overthink the response. That means my wordsmithing is limited to getting the word count. Plus, I don’t have my trusted editor looking at the response to catch my habitual errors. And, hello, autocorrect? Not always my friend. But if I see the error later, I’ll go back and edit.
If this doesn’t sound like your definition of microfiction, then perhaps your use of microfiction is for a different goal than mine?
Second, I learned that I tend to be verbose… this newsletter is a prime example. In microdosing, I was “forced” to improve my word efficiency to hit the word count. In doing so, the writing was better—more succinct and to the point—something I am (obviously) not good at and which I need to practice more.
The third lesson was the importance of giving myself grace. Just because I set some “rules” for my participation, there is no (official) daily prompt police enforcing word counts, tenses, or perfectly edited Notes. Giving myself the space to not participate or to tweak the pre-determined rules was necessary for my sanity. (I hope to take this lesson with me when it comes to publishing the FORGED series. Sure, I need to hit deadlines and whatnot. But, also, it’s not brain surgery or rocket science. It’s fiction. It should be fun.)
Last, the exercise reinforced the value of connecting with others on Substack. Reading others' submissions, commenting on their microfiction, and delving into their back catalog of Notes and Newsletters has been a glorious journey.
I hope, hope, HOPE that those on Substack will find my microfiction and be intrigued by my writing. (And, *gasps*, buy my book later this year!)
Wrap-up
If you want to read all of my submissions (and don’t want to scroll to the top), click here.
To learn more about the FORGED series, visit the Table of Contents.
Before you go
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Good Stuff
Here are some other publications on Substack that I enjoy reading.
Geriatric Olympic Dreams, Sweating, and Financial Fears - I came across
Megan Lee’s post from the Shame Sandwich while doing a deep clean of our living room the day after our pup crossed the rainbow bridge. It was just what I needed to read (hear—I had the AI voice read to me as I mopped. And sweated.) Later, I processed more with this letter to my pup.
Episode 4: The Phoenix Reborn - I was having difficulty falling asleep Monday. I listened to Jenna B. Neece’s Magical Manifestations Podcast to help relax. And cried. Mostly because I was envisioning my pup’s reincarnation. Listening to Jenna’s soothing voice was cathartic. Give it a try.
The recounting of dating - Both Wendy Varley’s How I met my match and Rosana S’s Dating in your mid 30s (part 1 and part 2) reminded me how very lucky I am to have already found my match. And very thankful it did not require traipsing along either of their paths!
Do Passion and Perseverance Predict Resilience? - Tracy Mansolillo
from The Power of Change wrote about finding strength in adversity. I hope readers will find the same message infused throughout the FORGED series. I’ll explore it in future newsletters!
Principle 6: Power Corrupts - Another topic for further exploration is how power corrupts even the “best” of us, a fascinating concept discussed by
Nick Richards, and one that I want to track how it plays out in the FORGED series.
I discovered Bob Marley during my Sophomore year in high school. Three Little Birds became a sort of anthem for me. What better words to hear on repeat during my formative years than the following?
Rise up this morning, smiled with the rising sun
Three little birds pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs of melodies pure and true
Saying, "This is my message to you-ou-ou"
Singing, "Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright"
Full transparency—I did NOT participate every day. I participated most days. But also, instead of beating myself up for missing a day, I gave myself permission to be “in the moment” with those around me.
Soooo, I used Google Docs as my working document to track the daily submissions and inspirations. That meant I used Google Doc’s word count feature. Turns out, anytime there is a hypen (a hyphenated word or an em dash used in the sentence), the word on either side is counted as ONE word. This means some of my submissions are not EXACTLY the correct number of words… *sigh* But like not doing a submission every day, I’m gonna let the word count hiccup in my participation slide.
My hubby is a big fireworks fan—like a big, BIG fan. I enjoy a good fireworks display, but he loves to also set cash on fire, I mean, light off fireworks. And I’ve always found the name of the stick used to light the fireworks funny.
I’d seen other writers combine two days of prompts together, so I figured the precedent had been set. Tally-ho! Let’s GO! Dilemma solved.
Thanks for including my lonely hearts piece in your round-up of Good Stuff. Glad you enjoyed. Much appreciate you mentioning it.
Thanks for the mention!