A number of my past fiction projects were attempts to branch out and create stories that were different from the bulk of my work. Some I found to be successful and some ended up being fun experiments that didn't quite turn out the way I wanted.
I've found this to be the case with my latest piece of work. My original idea was to write a full novel that did not feature my long-time protagonist, Kai. As I've gradually worked on this project, I felt less and less invested. The idea itself is still compelling to me in its own way, which is why I've decided to condense it into a short story. I just don't feel like it can be built up as a full novel.
I've done this plenty of times. In fact, several of my short stories were originally ideas for novels. In the case of my debut novel "The Other Side of Grand," it was the opposite. I wrote a short story about the character who would evolve into Kai and later decided to create a novel out of it.
My work has always been firmly rooted in the life of Kai. At this point in my life, I don't know if I'll ever write longer pieces of work without Kai as a central character. Writing in general is not easy. I often struggle to write a few pages at a time. With Kai, it's different. He's a character I can relate to and he compels me to write more about him.
For now, my plan is to write enough short stories to fill another collection and work on another novel once I want to depict another period of Kai's life. Short stories offer a great deal of freedom to explore plots and themes that are different from my more standard work. I still find myself diving into the absurd and questioning the line between reality and fantasy. As a result, I continue to love the short story format.
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