Hey, look--it's a post about writing!

An article in the latest issue of what might be my favorite magazine ever, Air and Space Smithsonian, got me thinking about a shelved short story idea. It has been a long time since I've worked on any short fiction... I couldn't tell you why. It just seems like every concept or setting or twist that works its way into my brain seems connected to a much larger narrative. Not sure what to blame that on. I'll go with "globalization" for now.

Anyway. The issue with this story is that I have a beginning I love and an end I love and a middle that doesn't really ratchet up the tension the way I would like. Part of the issue is that it's just two guys on a space station, waiting for someone from the ground to talk to them and turn them away from a horrible mission. There is atmosphere (not pure oxygen, of course. Ha.) but nothing sweat-inducing.

So I find myself reintroduced, in a way, to the mechanics of making a relatively small story arc generate conflict and high stakes. It will be a fun exercise.

Or maybe I'll just turn it into a novel.