This year’s October fiction project is a short middle-grade horror novel. The working title is “Turning Leaves,” but that will probably change.
Here are the rules (which I am making up as I go along!):
- Write every day.
- Write about a thousand words every day.
- Write words the same day the characters would be writing them, for the most part (that is, Oct 1 words in the story = Oct 1 words in real life).
- Don’t plan ahead.
- Don’t quit.
I don’t have an outline or even a plan.
It’s been a while since I wrote middle-grade fiction. This should be fun.
…
October Fiction Projects to Date:
2017 – October Nights – General flash fiction short horror-ish stories.
Website – Ebook
2018 – Tales of the Normal – Twilight Zone-style surreal stories.
2019 – Crime du Jour – Short crime stories.
2023 – Turning Leaves – Middle-grade horror.
Website – And sign up for the newsletter to get updates about the final ebook!
Turning Leaves (Working Title): October 3 - Enter the Sparkle
Mr. Henderson’s note on Jayla’s October 4th entry:
What was the horror movie?
October 3 – Lola
Note: Mr. Henderson said that I need to write something in my journal that he’s allowed to read today, so FINE I will write something and it will not need to be folded over taped shut and marked DO NOT READ like my last two entries even though he clearly said that we were allowed to do that for sensitive entries and he would just give us a checkmark for the day.
To tell the truth what I wrote in the previous entries wasn’t really sensitive, it was just fanfic entries for my Miraculous Ladybug/Dracula au [that means ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE to YOU, Mr. Henderson], Miraculous Ladyvamp. I’m behind on chapters and people on AO3 are asking for updates and honestly I spend a lot of time in class when I’m supposed to be taking notes writing Ladyvamp chapters instead, because I don’t caaaaare about my classes and it’s easy to get A’s and B’s if you just do the assignments.
Trying to pay attention in class means listening to Isaiah and Cooper blah blah blah blah about whatever DEEP SHHHHHH STUFF they’re wound up about today and honestly I’d rather dieeeeeee!!!
❤
I am writing this entry under protest, Mr. Henderson. Remember that you ASKED for this. I hope you enjoy all the GLITTER I added on top of today’s entry. There is LOTS MORE where that came from.
DO NOT TAUNT THE SPARKLY FANFIC WRITER!!!
WE READ MORE THAN YOU!!!!!
❤
HERDERSON’S BOYLITA – CHAPTER 1
Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Lolita | reader insert, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, No Happy Ending, Everybody Dies
BOYLITA, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. BOY-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Boy. Lee. Ta.
❤
Okay okay I won’t torture you with the twisted tale of the English professor who loved his sixth-grade student Louis. BUT I COULD.
Remember THAT, Mr. Henderson, and don’t ask for something you’re not prepared to read.
❤
Ugh, I get it though, I really need to write something personal, like some kind of tortured poet SHHHHH stuff that Isaiah and Cooper write, but I just don’t care. The world sucks? So what? Everybody already knows that? Saying the world is bad doesn’t make you cool?
But mostly I don’t want to, though?
Blah blah blah, just imagine I’m writing something deep and personal here.
LET ME BEAR MY SOLE. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!
Wait, watch this.
HOW THE BEAR LOST ITS SOLE,
an Aesop’s Fables AU, by LOLA BOLA CH CH CH CHERRY COLA
The bear was running across the forest holding the fish in its mouth when the clever vixen, lady fox that is, stopped him, saying, “Is that fish a…sole!?!”
The bear was a total mansplainer and said, “No, it’s a trout.”
…and off ran the vixen, with some sort of fish or other in her mouth, it little mattered which.
THE END.
❤
I’m stuck. I’m hungry already. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I don’t know what to write. It’s yucky outside, all gray and depressing. Speaking of depressing Jayla is sitting in front of me all dressed in black, hunched over her notebook with her left arm curled around her paper like she’s trying to hide it. Which just makes me want to read whatever she’s writing.
I could totally distract her and steal her notebook and read it.
She’s probably writing some tortured thing about how the world sucks, too, but it’s probably actually interesting, instead of just guy-interesting.
guy-interesting: adjective: holding the interest of guys but nobody else
Examples of guy-interesting in a Sentence:
Great story! Very guy-interesting.
It really would be very guy-interesting to see that move from Naruto again!
That movie is guy-interesting, so clearly it’s better than the movie I actually want to watch!
I think Jayla is actually interesting, not just guy-interesting and I wish she would hang out with me but she doesn’t hang out with anyone she just scowls until you make her say something and then half the time she says “something” and half the time she raises one eyebrow and says something completely weird and cool. But I’m just a sparkly fanfic writer and I am waaaaaaay too much with the dumb jokes for someone like her.
Question: Do I have a crush on Jayla Jackson, who sits in front of me in Mr. Henderson’s first-period English class?
Answer: le sigh.
❤
October 3 - Jayla
Last night: more fighting upstairs between my mom and Stepdad Dave.
I fell asleep on the basement couch again.
This morning I woke up in my bed upstairs.
I don’t think Stepdad Dave carried me, though, because I didn’t feel gross when I woke up.
I felt happy and comfortable and when I woke up it was the good kind of autumn day, the kind where it’s gray and cool and rainy with gusts of winds that make breathy hooting noises as they try to slip inside through loose windowpanes.
I got up and took a shower and put my clothes on and I felt comfortable in my clothes and Stepdad Dave was already gone for the morning and Mom even said hi. She was awake and said hi.
Do you know how big this is for me?
I don’t want to jinx it.
Can I just not do this today?