Writing Has Been Happening!

Hey friends!

After the worst writing drought I have pretty much ever experienced., iam happy to say I have come out on the other side! That is right! Sirs, ma’ams, and all the distinguished folks who prefer other titles! I have been writing!

I finished one story (technically I finished two, but one of them is more of a joke story.) I know. My last paragraph showed off a bit too much enthusiasm for just one story. But the spring and summer of this year were pretty rough on me when it came to writing. And it was so discouraging.

But yeah! After I came back from Megaplex, something just kind of clicked back into place for me and I started pumping out words. For the larger story, I was able to get 8,771 words on the second draft (which is the one I am working on right now. I also have about 5,310 words from scenes and other attempts to start the story that didn’t make it into the current iteration of the story.

So yeah, I have been really proud of myself and the writing I have been able to do, and it makes me so happy because I also love the characters I am working with in Ari and Damien.

The story’s working title is “Seeing Spots” and it’s a story about a Asiatic Chee named Ari who’s invited out to a nightclub for Birthday Drinks! His presence at the bar catches the eyes of a couple from across the bar who really like his vibes.

The story itself is currently with beta-readers, but I wanted to show off a little of what I wrote! I had a few scenes that I wrote and just either felt weren’t right for the tone or felt like they put me against a wall with nowhere to go.

This particular was from the very first draft. This scene involves our two leads, Ari and Damien, first meeting while Ari’s sister and her girlfriend watch from the sidelines. I liked the writing I did for it, but it all felt a little too fast-paced for me, along with some other feelings and thoughts I can’t really explain. Didn’t really give Ari enough realistic time to get comfortable with Damien. It was very useful though, because it gave me a chance to start building chemistry between the two through the dialogue.

Let me know what you think of it!

“Hi.”

Ari turned in his stood to look behind him, the girls following suit. Behind him stood a tall golden retriever. Ari’d seen him up on the dance floor earlier in the night. He was wearing a cute mesh-net top that really accentuated his husky physique, and a pair of gray parachute pants. His fur was a bit damp and his tail was wagging as he smiled down at Ari.

Ari couldn’t help staring up at the dog, jaw slack. “H-Hi.”
The dog’s tail wagged faster. “Hey!” He looked past Ari. “Did you like your drink?”

“Ah… I-I…” Ari swallowed and turned to pick up his drink to take a small sip of it. “Y-Yeah! Yo-you bought me the drink?”

The golden retriever nodded. “Yeah!” He bit his lip. “Well, the hubby bought it for you. We saw you over here and… We think you’re really cute!”

“O-Oh! That was nice of you! Thanks.” Ari gave him a shy smile.

“It’s our pleasure!” He extended his paw. “I’m Damien.”

“Ari.” He stood up from his stool and took the paw. It was so warm in his grasp, and the retriever gently squeezed as they shook paws.

“Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” Damien tilted his head.
Ari chuckled, scratching the back of his head with his free paw. “You’re not the first to say that. I don’t really go clubbing a lot.”

“Not your scene?” Damien’s grin softened to a small smile.

“Is it obvious?” Ari chuckled, looking down at his clothes.

“Nah, as I said…” Damien gently lifted Ari’s chin with his paw. “You look adorable. Just… a bit overdressed for a club like this.”

Ari let out a soft sigh as the dog lifted his chin. “I was kind of ambushed by my sister.” He shot a look to Kayla, who was silently watching from her barstool with a wide smile on her face. He narrowed his eyes. She was probably enjoying this a bit too much.

“Ambushed? Sounds serious.”

Ari turned back to the canine. “Nah. They wanted to surprise me for my birthday.”

“Birthday?” Damien’s ears perked up. “Well, that’s fantastic! The Doghouse is a fantastic place for birthdays! At some point, you’ve got to try some of the food here. Daisy’s got a guy in the back who makes the best patty melt you’ll ever taste. I’d say see, but every time I get one I inhale it before they even put the plate down.” He flashed him a super charming smile. “Or if you’re more into something a bit lighter, they’ve got sliders.”

“I’m good for right now.” Ari giggled, bringing a paw to his muzzle to hide that he was grinning like an idiot. “D-Do you want to um… sit with us?”

“I’m not one for sitting.” Damien’s tail wagged faster. “I know! Quite the shocker.”

Ari’s shoulders shook with laughter as he fought to keep himself contained. “Oh, yeah?”

“I was actually wondering if you’d like to go out on the floor. Maybe do a little dancing with me?”

“You want to dance? With me?” He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. “That’s not a great idea. I mean… What about your husband?”

“All danced out.” Damien looked over Ari’s shoulder and waved, wiggling his fingers. “The fuddy duddy is a bit tired. Said I should find someone else’s energy to drain.” He rolled his eyes.

Ari finally was able to collect himself. “Yeah? I guess that is one of the curses of being a chee. Energy in short bursts.”

“Yeah.” Damien put a paw out. “So, I guess I could say… Would you like to use some of your energy on me?”

“God, you’re a charmer.” Ari muttered, then cleared his throat. “Um… I am not really much of a dancer—”

“Oh, don’t listen to him. When he lets loose, he has some moves!” Kayla grinned, coming alongside him and throwing an arm over his shoulder. “I’m sure he’d be happy to dance with you!”

Damien’s tail wagged faster. “Oh?”

Ari gave off a nervous chuckle. “Um… Excuse me for just a second.”
He turned to Kayla. “What are you doing?”

Kayla started talking over him. “Are you crazy? What are you doing? This hot guy is asking you to dance with him and you’re being shy?”

Ari groaned, trying to cut in when he could. “I’m just being cautious. I don’t know this guy. What if it’s too good to be true? You really think I don’t want to?”

“Just go for it!”

“What about the husband though? He is very obviously married.”

“Look over at him.”

Kayla and Ari turned to look across the bar again. The cheetah smiled, wiggling his fingers as he waved at them.

“Oh my god.”

“Oh my god is right! They’re flirting with you!”

“Oh my god!”

“Now you’re getting it.”

“Kayla, I don’t know how to dance!”

“Just tell him that. Maybe he’ll do that thing in the movies where he puts his paws on you and guides you through it.”

Ari swallowed. “Oh jeez.” He swallowed, then glanced over to Mel. “What do you think?”

Mel gave him a soft smile. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Do you want to?”

“Yes!” Ari said with little to no thought. “Oh fuck, I said that really fast.” He ran a paw through his headfur. “What about you guys though? I mean, we’re here for my birthday. I’d feel wrong to lea—”

“We’ll be fine!” Kayla spun him to face Damien again, and gently pushed him forward. “Now go!”

Ari stumbled toward the dog, an awkward smile on his face.

Damien gently caught him by the shoulders. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” He chuckled. “Um… Guess we’re dancing.”

“You have one hell of a wingwoman.” Damien chuckled, his paws gently squeezing his shoulders.

“I don’t know why she said all that. I have no idea how to dance.” Ari bit his lip.

“I kind of assumed as much with all the panicked whispering.” Damien smiled.

Aaaaand, that’s all for the scene! Like I said earlier in the post, I ran into a few bumps that I found really hard to navigate. Mels and Kayla added an extra layer of complication to his initial interactions with Damien.

But I do like this scene. It won’t be in the final draft, but I am glad I saved it. What do you all think?