Beginning a New Chapter in My Writing Journey
There was once a young woman named Claire who dreamed of marrying the love of her life and settling into a wonderful new future together. Until Claire discovered she was different and that her fiancee worked for an undercover organization aimed at eliminating whatever it is about her that is a threat to humanity. On the run from the man she thought would protect her from anything, Claire finds out her past is anything but normal and her future is tied up in a project meant to change the world for better or worse.
That was the premise of Claire’s Story, a serialized story I wrote for my freshman Pre-AP English I class two years ago. I’d always wanted to be a storyteller and I’d written a few things here and there, but it was with those students that I began to discover myself as a writer. Almost every week for the entire school year, I gave them a little bit more of the story of Claire, the woman with an extraordinary ability and a man named Flynn Granger who wanted to see her dead.
Was the story good?
Probably not. It was my first real attempt at a serious story with the intention of finishing. Remarkably, my former students still ask me about Claire’s Story often.
Claire’s Story has never been released to the public. I’ve sat down to rewrite it multiple times, and it’s my hope to rewrite and publish it someday. It is, perhaps, my favorite story I’ve ever written, even if it isn’t the best, because writing about Claire taught me that I could craft a compelling story that people would be interested in. I also wrote “Outlaw,” a short story about a father desperate to save his daughter, during that time.
Claire’s Story reminded me of long-held dreams of being a professional writer. Maybe I could actually do this. Two years later, and I’ve written several short stories and another serial that I’m proud of. I’ve developed as a storyteller.
Writing on Medium
Around the time I finished Claire’s Story, I began to experiment with writing on Medium. I began by writing about writing. I’m a teacher who is also a storyteller, so it just made sense. Then I started sharing some of my short stories on here.
I’ve been fortunate to connect with a lot of great people through here, and I’m grateful for anyone who has read one of my stories and pushed the green button.
I began with the idea that writing for free was a gateway toward building a career. Sharing my stories on Medium was a bit of an experiment, an extension of what I tried with my students with Claire’s Story. I wanted to know if people would take the time to read my stories. Would they like what they read?
The Answer Was Yes
After sharing multiple short stories and a complete serialized novella, helping to start a fiction publication that’s evolved into a fun project called daCunha, and making many friends in the Medium community, I’m proud to say the answer to my original questions has been yes. I’ve been privileged to have people read and enjoy my stories.
Which means it’s time to close that chapter and begin a new one.
There’s a new question I have in mind, the one that’s most natural to ask next in my quest to building not only an audience for my brand of storytelling but a career as well.
The question is, will people pay to read what I’ve written?
In some small ways, I already know the answer to that question. I sold a television pilot script to an independent production company. Several of my stories are available behind paywall at daCunha.
My original goal was to build an audience. Now I want to continue building an audience while also building a business.
So what does that look like?
Well, first it means that the stories I’ve worked hard on and published for free here on Medium will soon be removed. I’m grateful for the time people have spent reading them. I never actually believed when I started that anyone would care about any of the stories I’ve written.
Where are the stories going? I don’t know yet. Some of them are migrating to the fiction side of daCunha. Some of the others will probably be revised and submitted to paid publications. New stories I write will hopefully find a home somewhere that’s willing to pay.
I’ll still share the occasional story for free. All of my stories written for
’s and ’s wonderful publication The Weekly Knob will remain on Medium as examples of the kind of stories I tell, and I hope to contribute more in the future.I’ll also still be sharing my thoughts about writing and the creative process, as well as my own journey as a writer. You can find me writing about Star Wars often as well.
Next Steps
I’m beginning the process of contacting Medium publication editors where I’ve published some of my stories to let them know of my decision to remove my short stories from Medium. My goal is to have them all removed by Monday, October 3.
In the meantime, if you’d like to read some of my stories, I’d love for you to check them out in my archive post below while there’s still time. Some of my personal favorites are “Under the Forest Lights” and “The Weekend.”
There’s also my serialized novella Extraction.
How You Can Help
One of the things I love about Medium is the opportunity to draw from the wisdom of others in this community. I’d be grateful for any opportunities you know of that might be something I should check out.
And if you’ve enjoyed my writing, I hope you’ll point people to my stories in The Weekly Knob and the stories behind the paywall on daCunha.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for coming along on this journey with me. It’s far from over, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Author’s Note: I’m grateful to the following publications for giving some of my short stories a home and a wider audience on Medium:
- Made Up Words
- Panel & Frame
- Curiosity Never Killed the Writer
- Two Thousand Words
- The Coffeelicious
- The Weekly Knob
Tom Farr is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who believes in crafting lies to tell the truth. When he’s not enjoying the good life with his beautiful wife Lindsey and their three much-adored children, he’s striving to create stories that thrill and inspire and preparing for the day Disney calls him to write a Star Wars movie. He’s also a contributing editor for Made Up Words. His work has also appeared on Panel & Frame, Wordhaus, Curiosity Never Killed the Writer, and The Unsplash Book. Check out his fiction writing portfolio on Medium and sign up for his author newsletter.
