Bedhead’s Writing Corner

[Afterword]
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If you’ve made it this far after reading every story from beginning to end, welcome.

If you saw the page number of my afterword and flipped through the pages in hopes of meeting me first before getting started, hello there.

There are not enough words to express my joy, and the sheer sense of accomplishment at having willed myself to make, refine, and compile my first-ever, self-published short-story collection on Honeyfeed! Fourteen chapters is a LOT—and that is nothing short of impressive if I do say so myself.

That reminds me, if you haven’t noticed by now, the stories all throughout this work feature an interesting mix of new and familiar characters, settings, perspectives, and universes! It’s probably a bit too late to point this out—but I’ll still call myself out regardless—but man, there are just way too many characters in this series! And the worst part is, I’m only going to create more! The fun just never ends, and that’s the best part.

Interestingly enough, while the newly established “Gravemoor Hollow” series only has two prominent characters so far, I’m actually drafting its third chapter as we speak. Will it have a new character? Who knows! Only time will tell…

Talk about overwork when I’m barely writing this afterward, right?

Anyway, while on the topic of consecutive story “chapters,” despite my creative process absolutely flowing with the linearity of “Gravemoor Hollow,” I constantly find myself at an impasse when it comes to even drafting that first chapter for the overarching “What a Small World!” series as a whole. The series has like, what, fifteen loosely connected story threads, but I’d really like for it to start, you know? Copycat made Arcadia and the series a reality, but I don’t consider it a Chapter One—more like a Chapter 0.1, if you catch my drift.

Well, as the saying goes, “Never rush greatness,” so hopefully it’ll come to me one of these days…

Be that as it may, what did you think of this short-story collection created by yours truly? Do you have any favorite characters? Do you prefer the chaotic world of Arcadia, or does the mysterious world of Gravemoor Hollow catch your interest more? I intend to continue doing my best with the worlds that I’ve created.

Ah, and it looks like the time has come.

World-building  is undeniably my favorite part when it comes to story writing and I can only hope that I’m doing a good-enough job at that. With so many characters at my disposal, it’s real challenging to make something unique happen with words when I worry about how many it’s taken to make the picture I’m envisioning feel just right.

And with that, I’ll end this Afterword with the following note: “I ultimately do not regret participating in this year’s [2025] Inktober challenge with the twist of writing one story a day. Even if I didn’t achieve the end-goal that is all thirty-one stories, the real challenge lies in one’s creative consistency. I think that, for my first time, as an aspiring writer, I did considerably well.”

Till next time!

Bedhead