A new commission piece has been posted today! It’s called The Divine Creamery. It runs at about ten thousand words, and it’s… a little different in a few new ways. I hope it’s enjoyed.

This commission piece was interesting to work with, chiefly because the commissioner (ZeRoBotz) not only gave me the characters and overall idea, but also a beat-by-beat rundown of the plot. If this story seems a little better-paced than my usual stories (an opinion I would share), take note – that’s why. He also gave me the details he would like to focus on and the things he could do without in the story. It was incredibly helpful, and made realizing the idea better.

At the same time, I recall feeling a little insecure as I began writing the story. I took note of the plot structure and began to feel it out – and saw glimmers of my style peeking into a plot made by someone else. I started to feel as though I had taken over or colonized another idea, and “painted over” it in my own style. I was worried that there was a little “too much Bashful Scribe” in this story, and that it became too tropey.

This is, in hindsight, silly for a few reasons – chief among them, the commissioner approached me when they wanted the story written. Of course it was going to be written in my style. If nothing else, my insecurity and worry existing at all was a bit more fascinating than what the insecurity was based on. This is coupled with the fact that the plot was meticulously laid out for me in a way I’d never really received for a commission before. Clearly, I felt more embarrassed of my style the more it was mixed with ideas that weren’t mine. It was if I was telling myself, “how dare I take these ideas and plots I didn’t come up with and dress them up in my style?”

You may notice that this piece is the first to credit the commissioner openly. Reading this blog, one could be forgiven for assuming my guilt made me want to credit the commissioner, but in actuality, this was the first commissioner that brought up crediting – as is his right. These were his characters, ideas, and plotlines, and they deserve credit when asked, even if my labor and words helped bring them to literary life. Even so, I will admit, there was an element of relief to know I was openly crediting someone else given how I felt. It’s likely important to highlight for my future self just how insecure I felt.

The last few blogs have taught me that I’m getting increasingly obsessed with tropes and how my writing comes across to others. I may need to take a step back from that line of thinking and allow myself some breathing space. I think I’m tricking myself into believing I have this kind of responsibility or reputation when I simply… don’t. It’s food for thought. I’ll talk to you all soon.

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