Okay, first of all, I DO NOT own the cover picture!! I just put some writing on it! If anyone wants me to take it down, I will. I believe it's licensed for reuse, but I may have been misinformed.
According to my Google Docs, it's 8,163 words. That's pretty good, considering my goal was to pass the 4,000 mark. I'm proud of myself.
Well, this #OnceUponNow story contest caught my interest right away! The prompt is exactly the type of story I would be super into writing! However, I learned about it weeks late, and then I experienced massive writer's block, so the final product only got about week's worth of work. That's okay, though, because the idea hit me after I struggled with and discarded four or five other story starts for this contest. I think I wrote a total of at least 10,000 words by the end, taking them all combined.
This idea grabbed me pretty quickly when I finally got it, although it took its sweet time popping into my head. Originally, the whole thing was supposed to be set in the pet store, and the conflict was supposed to be centered around stolen money and J.P. trying to prove that he was innocent and that Angelica had taken it. Then I realized that was the plot of a TV show episode that I watched way back when I was like twelve, so I scrapped it (it was an exciting show though).
Afterwards, I thought of doing a Hansel and Gretel thing with J.P. and Nicole going into the woods, but I scrapped that also in favor of the ever-popular Little Red Riding Hood story. At first, J.P. was going to be Little Red, but I thought it would be more fitting for him to be the action hero, the hunter/woodcutter person, since he's the main character. Therefore, Nicole is Red and Davy is Grandma. I made the wolf into a dog because I thought a dog would be more realistic to the setting.
I'll be real here and just state that probably no one is still reading this, even if they did make it all the way through the story. I have no shot at winning because I will never be popular in any situation ever, but I had a lot of fun writing this story. A million thanks to anyone who read it. Drop a comment and I swear to look at your works ASAP!
Just one last thing! I have terrible eyesight and need corrective lenses, but I don't know what it's like to be completely blind in one eye. I did a little research, but at the end of the day, I'm kind of out of touch with the situation. I hope I handled that well enough, and that I didn't offend or stereotype anyone who actually has a blind eye.
The same goes for J.P.'s mom's bipolar disorder. I have a second cousin who is bipolar, but I don't see him a lot so most of my knowledge on the subject comes from my high school health class, TV, and Google. I'm sorry if I wrote anything offensive or inaccurate. I'm not trying to disrespect anyone; I just thought that it would be important to J.P.'s character and the development of the story. Please understand that I am still more ignorant than educated, but I mean no harm.
Last but not least! I actually know someone named J.P., and someone named P.J. This character is not based off of either of them in any way, shape, or form. Their personalities and physical appearances could not be more different, but if they're reading this: you guys rock; I didn't include you in my story, though, sorry!
Have a nice day! =)
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Fish Food #JustWriteIt #OnceUponNow
Short StoryJ.P. is spending the summer after his high school graduation in suspense, waiting to see if he's accepted into his dream college. Meanwhile, though, he spends his days working full-time at Happy Pets, a small, not-so-successful pet store, under the...
