I love this story so much, @litguru. Or should I say "novella"? I have to say, it hums along beautifully. Your masterful use of action and dialogue keeps the reader moving forward, and a therefore a story that is on the longer side does not at all seem long!
The comment made by the guys depositing them on the island created some interesting foreboding!
"I must warn you," said one of the men on the boat, "this island is rarely accessible to travelers. Only local people."
The young man seemed about to say more but just smiled and then began steering the boat towards the island.
I kept thinking something really bad was going to happen. But as I braced myself for that, the story took such a pleasant turn. The propriety of the couple simply could not be sustained in the magical and sensual environment of the island. They were helpless in its embrace, even though on the ship where the very raw exposure of flesh was something they couldn't handle. I just love how this played out. It's like the difference between sex and love making. Miranda and Larry found the beauty of sensuality after experiencing the crass nature (at least in their point of view) of people taking off their clothes and exposing themselves.
I'd love to know if you knew the direction this story would take when you started writing!
Thank you, @jayna! I'm glad you enjoyed the novelette 😄
I took my time with this one and slowed it down to a lazy rhythm. It was going to be longer (including the festival :), but I quickly realized it was getting out of hand.
Your summary of the key themes is perfect. It's a contrast of worlds that handle questions of morality in different ways.
I like to experiment with different approaches to crafting a narrative. This particular story began as an idea that made me laugh- a couple stranded in a nudist cruise ship. I didn't know where the idea was going, I just liked the amusing situation and wanted to see how they handled it.
I brainstormed different ideas first by sketching some images along the top of the page, and by using concept maps in the space below (as shown in the image). Some of the sketches helped me in crafting the prompt for the AI images. I then put all of this aside and began writing from memory, consulting my notes only when I got stuck. It was challenging because I had to handle the passage of time, so I did it in discrete scenes that take place at different times of day.
Sorry for the blurry quality. I'm not protecting any trade secrets just saving myself some embarassment. 😊
Thank you for the great explanation of your creative process, @litguru! That's very inspirational. I love to hear how different writers approach the craft.