I. L. Chang

Progress

Story 1 – Takashi
10.01.24 to 11.19.24 – 1,400 words
02.17.25 to 02.28.25 – 3,300 words

I finished writing my first story. The process took so much longer than I thought it would. The first 4,700 words felt so little but also such a big accomplishment. And these aren’t even the final edits. The writing journey is long and tedious. I have to stop questioning whether there will be any economic returns because if I do, I will stop writing.

Research

I found myself researching and learning about different things while writing my story. Not only do I write (my favourite thing to do), but I also get to learn (my second favourite thing to do). This feels like a cliche dream come true. In order to know Takashi better, I learned about the school system in Japan, Japanese names, and neighbourhoods in Tokyo.

Character and setting

Takashi was inspired by a staff at the bar of a Ramen restaurant. He was tall, with glasses and had spiky purple hair. He kept to himself, not interacting with his co workers nor had any facial expression. He worked the bar absentmindedly. I was curious what kind of story he might have.

Eating at the Ramen restaurant alone stimulated my senses and I used it as the backdrop for this story.

What do you think? What kind of story would Takashi have? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!