Tag Archives: silent secret

The Silent Secret: The Story So Far

07 Friday Oct 2022

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The Premise

Twenty-years ago in Black Pine, at a local beach celebration, high school senior, cheerleading captain Haley Sullivan went missing. The incident put a shadow over the entire graduating class and town.

Now, just in time for their high school reunion, those she was closest to in school all received postcards, all reading “Have you forgotten about Haley.”

Lucy Sawyer, childhood friend of Haley, received her post card, and decided it’s time to return home, and maybe find out whose keeping the secret, of what happened to Haley.

The Deets

I came up with the idea for this story during a time when a close relative was very ill. We were passing through a state park with old fashioned motels, run down from disuse, nestled deep in tall trees growing for perhaps a hundred years on the side of a mountain.

Back in the days when family style road trips to see landmarks and local attractions were the go-to vacation, small downs like these were probably popular and thriving. Now the internet exists and if you wanna see a natural bridge or cave system, you can Google it. So the towns, and people in them, lost money as interest waned. These places went from destinations to “just passing through”.

On a trip through the mountains, I started thinking about this, and as I tend to do, wondered what kind of stories someone could tell. And this Black Pines was born.

The idea for the actual store legit came from *drumroll* random generators. I wanted to write a novel entirely with random generators. While it’s been a few years since the idea was created, I know that character names and other aspects came entirely from generators. Including the title. The premise from the story came from the title and bits and pieces of other generators.

Access

The Silent Secret will be my first premium only story. It will be available chapter by chapter on the premium page here. It will ONLY be available via premium.

Premium is currently set at $10 a year, which is pretty reasonable, I think. While subscription is currently open, I won’t be posting any premium content for a while so don’t worry about subscribing right away! It will be announced when it will be posted.

FYI: Creating a (free) WordPress account is required to subscribe.

I’m also working on some promotional material, including a mock newspaper article. This material will be free to read.

WIP/Works in Progress

I currently have multiple works in progress (WIPs) on my docket, including Halloween History, the Choose You’re Adventure Story (which needs a title), and Pretend Fantasy Novel. I hope to have something to share soon!

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Projects in Development

27 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by in Audience participation, Black Pine, Books, coming soon, Fiction, I’m Crafty and You Can Too!, My Writing, News, Non-Fiction, On Writing, Premium, Self Publishing, silent secret

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Just so I can remind myself I have stuff I should be doing

1. “Silent Secret” (research)

Dropping “the”. Cover created using Canva (not sponsored, but you can holla at me, Canva! *wink*)

Plot: A young woman goes missing just before her high school graduation. Presumed dead, she is honored at her graduation by family and friends. Twenty* years later, after her friends and classmates go their separate ways, they receive postcards in the mail from their hometown, Black Pines. “Have you forgotten about Haley?” One young woman, the missing girl’s childhood friend, returns home to seek answers. (Something like that)

Silent Secret started as a “random generator” story. The premise was to use random generators for as many aspects of the story as possible. The title, characters, and at least some extent of the plot was created by generators. They mostly came from links available on the Seventh Sanctum website.

I’ve written a little on this story, but I want to do some research before anything solid. Eventually it’ll be available by the chapter, on a monthly basis, as premium content!

At some point it’ll be self published as well.

2. “Sisters Make the Best Accomplices” (development?)

Cover made with Canva (*wink*)

Plot: (so far) Two sisters, with very different personalities, who honestly don’t get along super well (sounds like a generic sister story) get into complicated shenanigans. They have to learn to accept their differences and work together to get out of the mess they’ve gotten themselves in.

Honestly got the idea from a random Facebook image someone shared. I think I woke up thinking about it. Had some downtime at work and wrote an opening scene. If I can get the time to work on it, it’s gonna be a good one!

Don’t tell my sister, it’s gonna be dedicated to her.

Eventually I’ll self-publish this one as well.

3. Facebook Poll Story.

Guess how I created this? Yup. Canva.

Premise: On my Facebook page I post each “chapter” of a story. The next chapter’s content is determined via poll posted on the Crash Landing Site group. ALWAYS check the page first, for the chapter. Then vote in the poll. Haven’t figured out yet how to post the chapter and poll as one post.

I haven’t revealed the general plot or theme, yet. I want to watch and see where the readers take the story! So far we’re one chapter in so check it out! This one is Facebook exclusive!

I’m also going to be giving three self-published copies of the finished story to the three people who participate the most in the polls.

4. “I’m Crafty, and You Can Too!” (Delayed)

I PAID FOR A SUBSCRIPTION FOR THIS ONE CANVA. I LOVE IT.

The weird sounding title was on purpose, FYI.

My goal was to make tutorial/informational videos on my YouTube for people who want to learn more about various crafts! I so often get people who tell me “I wish I were crafty.” I wanted to show them how!

I’ve gotta get my crap together and get going with this. I’d love to do it but honestly I’m afraid of being in front of a camera! That and the debilitating fear of rejection. 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, I’m sure there’s a million other things I want to be working in. Like my nephew’s letter keychain and sticker. Sorry my dude. I’ll get ya eventually.

Thanks for reading!

-c

Be sure to follow for updates! I try to post something about something at least once a week!

Black Pines

15 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by in Black Pine, coming soon, Fiction, Premium, silent secret

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Sponsored by Black Pines Tourism and Black Pines Historical Society

“Nestled next to a breathtaking mountain, which feeds a large lake, Black Pines is a unique and beautiful little town. Boasting scenic views from mountain cabins, guided hikes, and even the annual Pioneer Festival every Autumn, there is nothing Black Pines doesn’t have to offer!”

“Black Pine Lake, whose water is sourced straight from fresh mountain runoff, stays perfectly cool and clear all year round, making it especially enjoyable in the hot summer months!”

“There’s something for everyone all year round in Black Pines! Come see us anytime, we’ll be happy to have ya!”

Learn more about Black Pines, featured in “Silent Secret” coming soon for premium subscription!

On Writing: A New Approach

04 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in Black Pine, Non-Fiction, On Writing

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I’ve not written anything worthwhile—much less finished it—in a very long time.

But I’ve recently gotten an idea. It started as a glimmer and it’s blossoming into something with real potential. I’m jinxing it but with my track record 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going to change up my approach to this particular idea, in a number of ways.

1. I am NOT going to share it with the world until I know it’s taken root and has solid ground. I usually post the stories and share them here or on my Facebook for the world to see (ie What the Heart Wants), page by page or chapter by chapter. I haven’t finished one and my readers (all five) have been left hanging. And it makes me angry.

2. I’m not going to think about it when I’m not actively working on it. With one of my stories, which was really popular with a few people (like, three), I wrote a massive amount of it and thought about it constantly. I had the ending figured out in my head before it was on paper. At that point I was burned out and couldn’t come back to it.

(I am actually considering a massive overhaul on that story, eventually. I was very proud of Her and hopes were high. I hate the idea of abandoning her).

3. I will not write an outline of what happens. With the story mentioned before, I got burned out and thought it would inspire me to write an “outline”—it was actually a short form of the whole shebang—as a guide to finish. That outline is gathering dust in a jump drive, with the rest of the story.

4. I AM going to flesh out the characters a little. Before and during writing, I plan on fleshing out my characters. With other stories, I had them all in my head and they developed personalities as the stories progressed. I want to have them fleshed out and described before I get too into writing. I don’t think I’ve ever spent much time in describing features of characters in stories. I want to help my readers see what I see.

I really think this one has potential, even if I only self publish. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I want to finish it before I go anywhere with it. Wish me luck.

Thanks for reading.

-c