A Peek Behind The Scenes - Part I "Finding" The Story

I thought it might be interesting/different/helpful to give a behind the scenes peek at my creative process when it comes to writing a story and submitting it for publication. My short story, “When Morning Come” was recently published in an online literary journal. Before I reveal the journal’s name, I’d like to share a few details about the story’s journey.

“Finding” The Story

I keep a number of folders containing notes and drafts of unfinished stories.  

While thumbing through one such folder in late June (or early July) of 2025, I 

found 2 pages of notes and a fully drafted first page for “When Morning Come.” 

Even though I still have no idea what inspired the story or where I originally intended to take it, I was intrigued by the challenge of fleshing out a work that I’d initially conceived in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s.  After reading and carefully mulling over the rediscovered material, I sat down and just started writing.  It was a fairly effortless endeavor.  It almost felt as if the young girl’s voice, the plot line and all of the little details had just been sitting there all along, lurking if you will, somewhere in those magical spaces that stretch between my fingers, the keyboard and the far corners of my imagination.