I’m not known for taking risks. I am, in fact, absurdly risk-averse, so much so that my therapist is really over it.
I have already written about pissing off my therapist, and that she is demanding that I take some risks. Oh, she didn’t put it that way — her words were more along the lines of “stop hiding yourself!” and other positive, supportive crap, which was meant broadly to include my writing, my online presence, my body.
As you might note, my physical self (which I often refer to as “potato in black” due to my general shape in my all-black wardrobe) is still fairly hidden.
My writing, though…
One of the things I do to relax is write. I know, that seems odd, given that writing is also something I take very seriously. One of the greatest lessons I took from writing so much fanfiction, though, is that writing can be done just for fun. Writing for me is like daydreaming-in-action, taking the thoughts and fantasies of my inner world and making them real. I write the movies I want to see, the stories I’d love to read. It’s exciting and always worthwhile.
For a while now I’ve been writing and posting an original story on Wattpad that is very much a just for fun story. It’s what’s known in the business as a “contemporary genre romance” and if it is a bit of a mary sue I’ll never admit it. *shifty eyes* But it was written under a pseudonym, successfully hiding me, KimBoo York, yet again. (Oh, you do not know how many aliases I have, trust me!) It had over a thousand reads, which for Wattpad is next to nothing, but it does prove that some people were enjoying it (or perhaps suffering through).
Based on the admonishments of my therapist and encouragement from a couple of friends, I blew that away and have started reposting the story under my own name. It’s a WIP, although I already know how it will end, and it’s pretty much a guaranteed HEA of some kind. It’s not serious literature, it’s not meant to stand the test of time. It’s something I write during my lunch breaks or after dinner when I just need to get away from things.
I’m not sure if “revealing” this ongoing project is a reflection of my courage or my folly, but it definitely feels like I’m taking a risk and opening myself up to unbridled criticism. I guess that’s the point. *sigh*
Too Fine by KimBoo York at Wattpad
Becca Novak is building a new life at 40 years old after too long in a stale marriage and an unfulfilling career. Her new apartment is small but one of several in a renovated Victorian hotel near downtown Tallahassee, F.L., charming if noisy and quirky. She’s got hipster neighbors downstairs and a crazy cat lady next door…and a dreamboat blond Adonis who lives across the hall and is only 28. Becca’s pretty sure she can’t stand younger men, and Dreamboat has a different girlfriend at the start of every month. It’s all cool, though. It’s great. Becca’s just happy to have a chance to live her own life. Alone. It’s awesome, really. Totally super.