This year for NaNoWriMo I took on two projects: the novel Ship’s Heart (space opera) and the novella Self Insert (contemporary fantasy). The following excerpt is a text exchange between Shonda (a medical necromancer and librarian) and her friend Natalya/Tasha (a writer).

***

So Tasha? I got some stuff for you.

🙂

No, not good news. She’s summoning a subjunctive spirit. They’re not real. You can’t banish them.

I threw salt in its face and it went.

Temporary relief is as good as you’re gonna get. 😦

Shit.

Shit would be about the size of it. There’s worse. You said she’s not using a pentagram.

Nope. She thinks it gets in the way of the Muse.

Well duh, that’s the point. Authorial distance is good for mental health.

OK.

Watch out if he goes away without you chasing him. He won’t be gone.

?

It’s rare but stories can eat people. Just be careful.