Bodikin

Very happy to announce that my modern fairytale, Bodkin, has now been published online by Gingerbread House Literary Magazine. I love the work that Gingerbread House is doing; creating an enchanting venue for literary work of a speculative nature.

I wrote Bodikin last year, and reworked the story several times to tighten it up. I wanted something that portrays both the antagonistic, joyful, tribal energy of teenage boys and the mystery of their inner lives. I wanted to put the Xbox child into a fairytale, with all its attendant dangers. Life, of course, is all about negotiation–the things we win, and the things we give up, the things we consciously fight for and the things we gain without much thought. And the things we maybe though we wanted, but actually did not want at all.

Writing fiction is similar: a constant tug of war between two different forces. It is the map through the woods, and the unmarked path. When I start a story I always feel I can see a little way into the forest–into that dappled half-world that lies neither in nor out. I know which way I am heading but I never know exactly what path I’m going to take. And for a time, inside every single story, I do feel lost. Utterly. I doubt myself, I doubt the idea. I certainly doubt anyone will ever read it. But then, something magical happens. The rules get rewritten without me. The story starts to write itself; it rearranges its inner logic. And if I am really, really, really lucky, it works.

Thank you, Arnold, for finding your way. And thank you to the lovely editors at Gingerbread House for giving Bodikin such a fine home.

Bodikin 1. A small body 2. a tiny particle or atom (Collins Online Dictionary)

Copyright Sam Grieve, April 2020