(Originally posted August 18, 2018)
Story: Hey, you! What’s up?
Me: Oh, hi, Story. How’ve you been? It’s been a while.
Story: Yeah, I know. So… I’ve noticed that you don’t really have any projects lined up for the next little while…
Me: Well, I’ve got that flight story percolating in my mind, and a possible dystopian story’s been rattling around…
Story: Yeah, but those deadlines aren’t for months.
Me: That’s true.
Story: You know what you should do? You should use this time productively. Maybe you should consider doing something with one of your story ideas that you never finished.
Me: Hmm… That makes sense. I’ve got quite the backlog of unfinished stories.
Story: I know.
Me: I mean, there’s the ghost story set in Halifax that I finally picked a time period for, and then I’ve just had this new story idea about a missing princess and an assassin and it all takes place in an alternate–
Story: You know, I was also set in Halifax.
Me: Oh yeah, you were.
Story: And I was also about assassins.
Me: Oh yeah…
Story: *Stares at me*
Me: *Not getting it*
Story: Remember the scene in the coffee shop… With the painting and the croissants… That was fun to write, right?
Me: Oh yeah. That was fun. And the scene in the apartment…. Yeah, you were a fun story idea.
Story: I know. And you thought of me years before any of those other stories even crossed your mind, so I assume you’ve had plenty of time to work on an outline.
Me: Oh, yeah… *Awkward pause* I should probably finish you, shouldn’t I?
Story: That’d be really nice of you. I mean, as fun as it’s been to sit on the shelf for the past 5 years, I’d love to at least make it to Draft 1 before you start to lose all your marbles.
Me: Touché.
Story: *Stares at me again*
Me: I mean… Yeah. I’ll get on that. Right away!
Story: Thank you.
*Pause*
Me: …But, like, it’s okay if I work on the other stories as well, right?
Story: *Throws up their hands in exasperation and walks away muttering*
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