Storyfeather

What happens when two treasure-seekers cross a forbidden threshold and trespass within an ancient temple?

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Mythology

Excerpt: “Greetings, travelers,” the temple guardian said. “Give me your names.”

The two treasure-seekers gave her their names freely.

She did not return their offer of names, nor did she return their smiles.

“Turn back, travelers,” the temple guardian said, her voice calm and measured. “Go no further than the spot where I now stand.”

What’s the Word (that inspired the story)?Onoma, a Greek word meaning “name.”

Follow my Fictioneering MischiefThe Storyfeather Gazette is a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more sent by email. Follow the link to look through old issues and to Sign Up: STORYFEATHER GAZETTE

Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE

CREDITSStory: “The Hollow Temple” Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel

Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)

Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Ancient gods” “A story of gold” “At night” “Dark winds” “Above” “Glass (seamless)” “One two thrill” “Eternal life” “Human fear”

*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.

Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket

Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com

Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Two men facing forward standing in a corridor that stretches back to a vanishing point behind them. Both hold up flashlights in their right hands. Both have bands stretching across their chests and hung over their left shoulders attached to pouches at their right hips. Recesses appear at intervals on both walls. The wall at left bears a torch, and at bottom left corner, a stick figure depiction of two figures, one with one raised hand, and the other with both hands raised. The wall at right has a mosaic depiction of a woman in left profile, in a green dress with a wide red belt, her bent right arm raised. In one recess is a rough-made statue of a sitting figure. At bottom right is a mosaic depiction of two figures with arms raised toward each other.

A prideful swallow is cursed and changed into the form that she finds most abhorrent, a tree.

Genre: Fable

Excerpt: The swallow was a happy bird, but also somewhat superior. Nothing brought her joy the way flying did. Slicing through the clouds and flicking the air with the perfect points of her tail. She believed that birds were the supreme creatures of the world. Because they could fly. Some insects could fly as well, of course. But birds could fly higher, faster, and farther than any insect.

The happy swallow pitied any creature who could not fly.

What’s the Writing Prompt that inspired the story?EXERCISE: Grab a book off the shelf—any book! Don’t bother searching for anything in particular. Open it at random and begin reading. Write down every idea you get from reading what is on that single page. Now turn to another page and do the same thing. Later, scroll down the aisle, pick another book whose title arouses your curiosity; once again open the book at random, and record any ideas that come to mind.

Source: The Daily Writer: 366 meditations to cultivate a productive and meaningful writing life. Fred White. Writer’s Digest Books. 2008.

20 Master Plots and How to Build Them (And How to Build Them). Ronald B. Tobias. Writer’s Digest Books. 1993. I landed on page 151, the chapter on metamorphosis plot.

Faster FictioneerEver wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written? I have a method. You can learn more about it right here: FASTER FICTIONEER

I’ve Got Issues For YouThe Storyfeather Gazette is a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more that I send by email. Follow the link to look through old issues and to Sign Up: STORYFEATHER GAZETTE

Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE

CREDITS Story: “The Swallow Who Was a Willow” Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel

Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)

Music by JONATHAN SHAW* “Checking Inventory” “Cold Sanctuary” “In Tranquil Spring” “Visions of Freedom” “A Bitter Hope” “Thoughts” “Heated Lands” “Afternoon Chat” “A Dream of First Flight”

*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.

Music by Jonathan Shaw licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping to align with my narration.

Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Jonathan Shaw at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.ukFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com

Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center a tree that splits off to two main branches close to the base, and splits further out into gnarled bare branches that extend across the top half of the image. Under the right side of the tree is a swallow in flight, seen from the top. The shadowy silhouette of another swallow appears in the background on the left side. Patterned and color-matched borders added at top and bottom to make the rectangular image a square. Watermark of “Storyfeather” at bottom right.

This is episode #333. Gasp! What does that mean?

A fearful and captive servant, who tends a menagerie of unique and captive creatures, is dazzled by the arrival of a most magnificent creature known as a hippocampus. Genre: Fantasy

Excerpt: At the center of my memory is the image of a horse, a horse the color of orange cream, rearing up, and glancing at me, with an oceanic glint in her eye. She has wings. She has fins. She is fast. I remember. She was fast. Slicing through the water like a ray of sunlight.

So I don’t know how it could have happened. But I have to do something.

I must free the hippocampus.

What’s the Writing Prompt that inspired the story?Write a story based on the image you draw of a...sea horse. No source noted. This prompt was marked “idea,” so I think it may have been my idea.

Faster FictioneerI held my first free writing workshop over Zoom to teach my method of writing short stories (an abbreviated version) on 11/8/2023. The workshop is based on my course, called “Faster Fictioneer: A Doable Method to Write a Short Story from Start to Finish in Five Weeks.”

You can watch a replay of the workshop here: FASTER FICTIONEER

(You can also buy the course there.)

I’ve Got Issues For YouThe Storyfeather Gazette is a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more that I send by email. Follow the link to look through old issues and to Sign Up: STORYFEATHER GAZETTE

Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE

CREDITSStory: “The Hippocampus and the Menagerie” Copyright © 2020 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel

Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)

Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “The ocean takes it all” “Compass” “Experiment 7” “In the shadows” “Winter guild” “Fallen leaves” “Rage” “The plan” “Into wild lands” “Northern dusk” “Ancien stones” “Dark secret” “Wide place”

*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.

Music by Nicholas Jeudy licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket

Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com

Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Within a glass globe, whose edges are partly visible in frame, there floats a creature in left profile with the front half of a rearing horse and the bottom half of a sea dragon. A finlike wing extends from the creature’s back. Branching frills and ruffles of fins extend from the bottom half. The body is striped. The ruffled fins bear patches and spots of color. Glowing bubbles rise up around the creature. The globe rests on a base that’s decorated with tube-shaped coral and coiled snail shells.

When a young man sees his reflection in a pool as he has never seen it before, he is both mesmerized and suspicious.

Genre: Mythology

Excerpt: One day, he had an enticing thought. Then he chastised himself and told himself it was a silly and foolish thought. He shook his head as if shaking off the thought, but it was a sticky thought. It would not be forgotten.

And so, he leaned down closer to his reflection, closer and closer, until his lips touched the surface of the water, and the lips of his reflection.

What’s the Writing Prompt that inspired the story?The prompt was a screen capture I took of someone looking down a deep well. It was meant to be a reference image, but I ended up using it as a prompt as well. And the first thought that came to mind was reflections and mermaids. Like what if someone looked down into the waters of a lake and thought they were seeing their own reflection, but just under the surface, there really is another person... Inspired by the story of Echo and Narcissus.

Faster FictioneerEver wonder how I’ve gotten all these hundreds of stories written? I have a method. If you’ve got 40 minutes, I can teach you an abbreviated version of that method, right here: FASTER FICTIONEER(If you want to learn even more, there's info about my online course on that page too.)

I’ve Got Issues For YouThe Storyfeather Gazette is a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more that I send by email. Follow the link to look through old issues and to Sign Up: STORYFEATHER GAZETTE

Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE

CREDITSStory: “They Linger in the Deep” Copyright © 2020 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel

Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)

Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* “Sirens” “Secret water” “Experiment 6” “Runes” “In the shadow” “Between two worlds”

Music by ROZKOL “Ambiet I-IV” “Fever Dream”

*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.

Music by Nicholas Jeudy licensed from GameDev Market Music by ROZKOL is licensed under CC BY 3.0 Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Vocal effects made in Audacity Changes made to the musical tracks? Just cropping to align with my narration.

Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by ROZKOL at bandcamp.comFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com

Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. View from below the surface of a pool looking up at a young man in a short sleeve tunic seen from waist up at a diagonal. He is gazing down. His face is reflected on the stone surface visible along the left and bottom edges. Stray water weeds cling to the rocky walls of the pool.

An alchemist attempts to create a coat that will allow her to travel to other dimensions.

Genre: Fantasy

Excerpt: Aunt Mariya was certain that she had solved the mystery of the many dimensions. All of us could do it, but our minds and bodies prevented us from going, be-cause the environments in these other dimensions were different. Some were slightly different. Some more drastically so. One would die as certainly as a diver without oxygen and a space-walker without a spacesuit would die. Only in these other dimensions, it would not be the body that suffered injury, but the mind and the soul.

What’s the Word (that inspired the story)?Bugaboo: something that causes fear or worry; bugbear; bogy Bugbear: 1) any source, real or imaginary, of needless fright or fear. 2) a persistent problem or source of annoyance. (source: dictionary.com)

Follow my Fictioneering MischiefThe Storyfeather Gazette is a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more sent by email. Follow the link to look through old issues and to Sign Up: STORYFEATHER GAZETTE

Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE

CREDITSStory: “A Coat for Many Dimensions” Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel

Music: “Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background” by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro)

Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* “Fugue for One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)” “March of the Waking Lights” “Evolving Cities” “Forest Bathing” “Cozy Afternoons” “Night Time (No Percussion)” “You Were Always in the Right”

Music by Benjamin Carr (Scythuz)* “Labyrinth” “Fire Dungeon” “Ice Cavern” “Torture Chamber” “Forbidden Tower” “Miscellaneous Battle Theme 1”

*These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market.

Music by Andrea Baroni and Benjamin Carr is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket

Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Benjamin Carr and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com

Episode Art Description: Scan of ink drawing, digitally colored. A girl or young woman seen from knees up and from the back. She has short hair ending at the base of the skull and is wearing a coat that is gathered at the back and flares down from the waist in folds. Trees with scarce bare branches surround her, their tops looming above. Through them can be seen the glowing disc of the moon casting out dim light on the gray and foggy atmosphere below.