The Birth, Dissection & Evolution of a Story Never Written

For as long as I’ve had the desire to entertain readers with creative fiction writing, I’ve had a mermaid tale in my mind, just dying to come to life. It started out as a simple story idea, but has gradually evolved into something much greater.

The “story” I’m referring to, that never fully came together (except in my head), has now blossomed into a full blown unwritten mermaid saga.

I’ve tried, as recently as March 2026, to publicly take steps and begin focusing on what will one day become my creative masterpiece: The Chronicles of Merquatica.

In a Vocal Media story, I told writers/readers of my plans to rewrite the 2016 novel I self published under the pen name Charm Baker.

The Vocal story fully details everything related to my life-long love of mermaids and the inspiration that gave birth to writing and publishing that first serious work of fiction titled: Experimenting With Murder (EWM).

Unfortunately, the book basically turned out to be a 452-page flop, even though so much of the content and story theme has serious potential.

Convinced that the story was worthy of more attention, two years after publishing EWM, I paid $300 for a professional analysis of the book and a breakdown of the various elements. 

It helped me appreciate the many strengths and weaknesses of the book. This in turn, awakened the motivation I needed. Periodically, I resumed directing conscious attention to the story that was typically in the back of my mind.

My introduction and understanding of the “hero’s journey” helped me see how to apply an effective format and structure to what I had already written.

This sparked my desire to create an entire world of merpeople, and ultimately, the story in my head began to evolve even further. My imagination constructed a story arc beyond just interactions between mermaids and humans (such as in the EWM book).

In my mind and the many notes I compiled along the way, the story’s evolution was remarkable to witness.

As days, weeks, and months turned into years, my subconscious mind never stopped world building and creating mermaid related scenarios. Each one fit perfectly with the continuing saga in my head.

Over the years, I’ve been busy dissecting (if not cannibalizing) some of the most relevant events first mentioned or referenced in the EWM book. By combining many of the existing details with added information and scenarios, I wound up writing several new mermaid tales related to various sections of the EWM story.

For instance, in January 2020 — prior to the COVID outbreak, I settled on the clever pen name of fantasy writer: Beka R. March. I also set up a simple blog to help promote the release of a standalone book that connects to the evolving mermaid saga.

At the time, I felt fired up and determined to promote the recently released self published novella - still available on Amazon - Tell Us the Mermaid Story.

The book appeared to be off to a good start in the Amazon marketplace. I wrote a blog post about the success it seemed to be having. But later, as the pandemic began to spread that year, my focus shifted abruptly. 

Eventually, thanks to COVID-19, my fantasy writer debut period was short lived, along with the initial success of yet another one of my mermaid books.

It wasn’t long before I gradually gave up on the idea of one day writing my Chronicles of Merquatica saga. 

Besides the novella, I also self published a small collection of different mermaid tales; all of which ultimately have a connection to the big picture; the saga that refuses to stop playing in my brain.

Basically all the events and characters from my newly spun tales were written so that they fit nicely into the rest of the story.

I can honestly say that I have full clarity about where I see the entire saga going, from beginning to end. However, I can’t dismiss the fact that something is clearly holding things back.

It’s 2026 and I’m still struggling when it comes to bringing the entire story together as a whole. Why can’t I just sit down and finally get the ball rolling?

Whatever the obstacle is, it’s preventing me from writing the story that has been burning in my soul for more than a decade. 

I can’t understand it myself, so it’s hard for me to articulate it to others.

I suspect it has a lot to do with just how large the scope of the project truly is, not to mention all the effort I know it will take, to make this epic story available for the world to enjoy. 

The picture my mind keeps painting, has successfully evolved into a colorful and entertaining story, spanning thousands of years, involving multiple species, both on land and sea.

Since 2016, I’ve managed to keep copious notes about many of the vital details related to this underwater world I’ve created in my head, as well as the several generations of humans that are relevant to my mermaid civilization.

At one point, using the Scrivener writing tool, I attempted to pull all the elements of the story together in a strategic and orderly way. This helped me gradually create, log, and organize lots and lots of pertinent details including:

Characters & Locations, Histories and Back stories, Relationships & Motivations, Allies & Enemies, Time Frames & Events, Mermaid Species & Terminology, Major Issues & Conflicts, etc.

Organizing the various elements with the help of Scrivener, helped me play around with my ideas, so I could structure the complete story in a logical way. 

The only problem was, the story was never complete. Instead it kept growing.

Over the years, I’ve done a lot of creative work, continuing to flesh out the events in my mind, in hopes of one day watching them unfold on the pages of the first of many books in my mermaid chronicles.

Professional Feedback & Honest Evaluation 

In spite of the lack of success with EWM, I refused to let the situation deter me completely. I sucked it up like a real pro and did some honest evaluation.

Even before I paid for professional help for feedback on EWM, I was already aware of certain shortcomings, including the book’s wordiness in some places.

I noted how I was guilty of using too much exposition instead of dialogue in some places; a common mistake of non-fiction writers who transition to writing fiction.

There was also the issue of whether or not the book and overall story arc is meant to be “dark” or “light”, and the need to determine exactly what audience I’m trying to market to.

Apart from the mermaids, the story focuses a lot on the human teens and college kids. The parents and other older adults are almost incidental.

However, since the opening events of EWM begins with a brutal murder and harsh swearing, it makes me question whether the tone I’m setting in the beginning is too dark to market to anything but an adult audience.

I have to consider more than just the events in EWM, when determining the right tone to set. Realistically, I’ll need no less than five books to adequately do justice to the current story that has managed to evolve. 

In my mind, my fantasy adventure starts long before billionaire Tyler Payne (from EWM) finds mermaids washed up on his New Zealand island. The way I see things unfolding, EWM will end up becoming book three in the chronicles, not book one.

Experimenting With Murder was never supposed to allow the elements of flawed human behavior (like murder, adultery and hideous experiments), upstage the fantasy elements of the story.

From this perspective, it was a huge failure, since I set out to write about mermaids.

My big dream was and still is — to write a fantastic mermaid saga, introducing readers to a whole new world and breed of mermaids and a collection of fun, interesting, and memorable characters to fall in love with.

In many ways, the story I really want to write, is fighting against all the norms and boundaries that seem to be forcing me into a standard box.

I don’t want a light and whimsical story for kids, yet I don’t want to restrict my story and have it labeled as adult reading.

The good news is, the more I write and discuss the challenges I’ve been having with this story that has never been written, the closer I get to actually writing it. 

Stitching Together Story Elements that Work

I see all too clearly how the complete story I’ve yet to write will eventually unfold. If I ever get started, it shouldn’t be difficult to stitch together the various elements that easily fit into the framework of the overall story.

I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel intimidated by the work that lies ahead with this huge writing endeavor. I feel a rush of different emotions.

Excitement, anxiety, fear.

I’m excited because my determination to share this story with the world is finally starting to get the best of me. It’s time to get this story written.

…thus, all the anxiety and fear I’m feeling.

My Plans for the First 5 Books of the Chronicles of Merquatica

• My goal is to make the primary focus of my story from begin to end, to center around mermaids; from book one to book ninety-one (or wherever it ends).

• My introduction of humans into the story is important, yet I won’t allow it to overshadow the true stars of the book — which is the mermaids.

• The remaining four books will be written, by extrapolating lots of my existing scenes, dialogue and character development from EWM, as well as all the previously published mermaid tales, and weaving all the relevant parts together.

When the time comes, I’ll make my very first book include all the elements I initially wanted to write about in the first place.

Book One of my mermaid chronicles will open with the focus on exactly who the Merquaticans are, as well as a history of where they’re from. I’ll title it:

Rescue of The Guardian Mermaid (Chronicles of Merquatica — Book One)

Rescue of The Guardian Mermaid will start with details that help explain two of the merpeople’s most immediate concerns; the survival of their kind, and the eventual return to their original home in the deep.

This book will enable the earlier events in the story to unfold organically, through the use of lofty dialogue from the Ancients, spoken during important underwater ceremonies. 

“Hear me my fellow Merquaticans and hear me well. The time for warring amongst ourselves is past. For what reason have we been destroying and hurting one another worse than any tail-less could ever do? This is of no benefit to our dwindling numbers which threaten our beloved Merquatica. We do not have to worry about the tail-less finding and destroying our ancestral homeworld. If we continue in this fashion, it will matter not, if they discover the location of Merquatica. What need will we have of a homeworld when we one and all cease to exist?”

Since a great deal of the merfolk’s history and backstory will be essential to the more recent events that take place in each book, I’ll be creative about how I disperse the weighty details, being careful not to force feed readers with a lot of dry exposition.

[I mistakenly did this in one of the short tales I previously published about the History of the Merpeople]

I can take time to provide more stimulating descriptions of the underwater scenery, plus include more creative mermaid dialogue and lots of vivid scenarios that take place in the sea.

I actually have lots of never published conversations among the mermaids, that I’ve been writing and saving in my notes over the years, so lack of content is not the thing holding me back.

No Shortage of Content Just a Shortage of Courage

My problem all this time with getting started writing the book and seeing it completed, has in no way been about lack of content. In fact, it might even boil down to having too much content.

Coupled with my desire to jump right in and finally get started writing, is also the overwhelming anxiety of getting bogged down once I begin, and the fear of failure and giving up too soon.

I have plenty of content and dialogue to help with character development of my young and my older mermaids. I have interesting scenes and scenarios, all ready and waiting for me to insert into the right places in a “plug and play” manner.

Examples of Unpublished Dialogue, Scene, & Plot Development Notes:

• A frightening event and interaction with a human

Ruby found herself willing him with all her might to let her go. Bradley worked frantically, trying to loosen the net, first with his hands, then with the blade of a knife. He whipped the Swiss army knife out so quickly, it seemed to come out of nowhere.

In order to cut through the thick netting, he needed her to be still, so as not to accidentally jab her with the blade. But Ruby was scared and her thrashing around was just as frantic as his own movements.

He stared intensely into her eyes until he was able to calm her down a bit with his gaze. Their connection was strong; stronger than anything that either of them had ever experienced. That was when the imprinting began, but Ruby had no idea at the time. She only knew that a calming affect came over her; calm enough for her to remain still and let him cut the net.

He moved swiftly, but safely, cautiously cutting until it loosened and she was out of its grip.

SHE WAS FREE!

• Helpful text about a sensitive time in Merquatican history

Any mention of the Red Guardian and the lost spawn created painful memories. Most Merquaticans refrained from ever thinking about the event. Regardless of the clan you belonged to, whether you were Aquatican, Aquadonian, or Nesirkian, the subject was still taboo. 

Yet no one could forget that devastating period when each of the clans had lost an entire spawn pod. The several dozen fry would have transformed and added to the decreasing merpopulation. 

The loss affected everyone, no matter which clan was yours, which meant that the loss was still yours. The event was a blow to all merfolk. 

The Mourning Assembly took place in the city of Aquadonia, where everyone joined together to grieve and mourn the young lives that would never be.

• An interesting scene with some young mermaid

Pearl sat perched on a rock in an underground cave, staring at herself in the mirror - her most prized possession from previously found trinkets on the ocean bead.

She brushed her hair slowly, watching as the human object glides easily through her waist length hair.

Though her eyes seemed fixed on the slow and meticulous strokes, she is actually admiring her own beauty. This was something Pearl did often.

Suddenly there’s giggling and two mermaids even younger than Pearl swam up and approached her on the rocks.

Pearl didn’t even bother to act surprised. She sensed Gem and Opal coming long before they crept up and tried to surprise her. It was so silly. They always tried to sneak up on her, even though they knew she could read their thoughts.

“What are you doing Pearl?”

“Yeah, what are you doing?”

Gem tried to stifle a grin when she questioned Pearl innocently. As usual, Opal mimicked Gem, and tried to sound and act just like her. The two young maidens continued giggling, knowing full well what Pearl had been doing. 

It was what she was always doing. Sitting and looking at herself in the mirror, admiring how beautiful she was.

They teased a moment longer, then Gem and Opal two suddenly remembered what they had come to show Pearl. They reached in their bags made from pieces of torn sails found littering the seabed.

Slowly pulling items out, they held them up, one-by-one, showing Pearl what they had scavenged from the debris of another sunken vessel.

She examined the things they held, and her eyes got big and shone brighter, when she spotted a lovely gold locket among the items. 

Pearl was delighted, but pretended to be upset. Fingering the locket and not bothering to look at the two of them, she scolded them for allowing their curiosity about the tail-less to potentially put them all at risk.

“You should both be ashamed of yourselves, going off like that and defying the laws of the Sea Mistress. You’re such senseless little flippers. Have I not taught you anything at all?”

She looked directly at them both and spoke in an exasperated voice.

“Ho hum. What am I going to do with the two of you? Surely you don’t ever expect to be Guardian to the spawn with those terrible habits of yours.”

Gem and Opal both looked at Pearl, who was now wearing a smug look, as she returned to admiring herself in the mirror. They glanced at each other and simply burst into giggles again.

Concluding Thoughts

Oddly enough, between all the short mermaid tales, plus the original EWM book and also my mermaid novella; I’ve nearly written and completed the story that’s been begging me for so long to write it.

Now, it’s just a matter of time. Once I finally get that first book written so it comes together exactly like I want it to, then the succeeding books in the series should be easier to write and publish. 

At that time, I’ll jump for joy and thank my lucky stars for never giving up on the story that was never written.

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RELATED VOCAL STORIES:

• Rewriting My First Fantasy Novel and Getting it Right this Time

• Mermaid Island: Experimenting With Murder (Chapter 1)

• Fragments of a Dream

• The Mermaid Who Was Mourned

• Beware of the Bright and the Beast