Spring, Sprang, Sprung
My Grand Experiment
The word “spring” is both a verb and a noun. The verb forms have to do with sudden movement, release, or originating/arising from something. The noun forms vary widely. There’s spring as in the season, a spring as in a helical coil of metal used to exert tension and absorb constant movement, and a spring as in a sudden jump forward. A spring is also a place, one where water wells up from an underground source, or the flow formed from it.
The spring I’m talking about is a very specific spring in a very specific place: El Polin Spring in The Presidio of San Francisco. But, it is also all of the other springs too. The Spring is my first attempt at putting a novel out in the world after many years of writing non-fiction both for business and on my blog, Poetic & Chic. After working on another novel project off-and-on for 5 years, I realized that project had lost its flow. So, I asked the universe for a new idea, a new flow to work with, and it’s really flowing. I am feeling the tension of the story inside my head and its presence tells me it is something that needs to come out on to the page as soon as I can type it. I’ve been doing A LOT of typing lately - about a third of this manuscript in just over a month. This spring is welling and flowing.
That said, I am going to ask for a bit of tolerance and patience with this process. It’s an experiment I’m doing with this story and I’m asking you to join in the fun. Because it’s been a lot of fun to bring this story to life, even if I feel like I’m an absolute neophyte idiot who doesn’t know anything about how to do this thing.
That is another big part of this project: me, getting past my fear of putting my writing out in the world. I’m having tolerance and patience with myself in this too. I’m trying to take chances, put this story into the world and hopefully gain a following from some lovely readers. I’m making an attempt to get past perfectionism and not think about things too much. I’m making some small edits, but there will be very little re-writing. After weeks of thought and development and writing, I have the story arc. I’m trusting it, and committing to it. Some things may shift here and there, but I’m really pushing myself to go with my instincts and not over-think it.
What am I trying to do?
Entertain you, and myself, if I’m honest. I’m pursuing an idea I’ve had for a long time: to create a classic crime procedural set in my own city. Like something you’d see on Masterpiece Mystery on a Thursday night.
Is the spring a real place?
Yes. It’s very real and has a very important history in San Francisco. El Polin Spring is a natural water source that heads the Tennessee Valley Watershed in The Presidio. The Ramaytush Ohlone built a village near the spring, and when the Spanish arrived in the bay, a young girl named Juana Briones (who had arrived overland from New Spain with the Anza Expedition) told the Spanish where to find fresh water at the spring. Because of this, the Spanish founded The Presidio, and then the US Army and the city of San Francisco followed. In the 19th century, a myth was created about the spring, saying that if a woman drank the spring’s water under a full moon she would have many children and a long life.
The site of El Polin Spring had been restored into a trail and bird watching area after many years of being overlooked. Growing up in Presidio & Laurel Heights, I was in the Presidio quite often for soccer and play dates, and never knew about the spring until a few years ago. Now it is one of my favorite places to walk.
Is this a Young Adult story?
Not exactly, at least that’s not what I’m going for. Yes, there are teens in the story as the victim is a teen, and while there may be some story telling from the teen perspective, it is primarily an adult story with an adult perspective.
I also should say that the story is dark. There are some moments that are very sad and uncomfortable, even for me as I write them.
Why should I be a paid subscriber?
Paid subscribers will gain not only my eternal gratitude, but a few fun extras that will build the world of the story: maps, evidence lists, and I’m also working on some music playlists too. That’s just the beginning!
What else?
The Spring will be a serial with new chapters going out on Tuesdays and Fridays.