Original Fiction of the Week: Killing Atlas

Killing Atlas is a wonderful original fiction written by Ragdoll. In this edition of Original Fiction of the Week, we take a closer look at this amazing work.

Give us a brief summary of Killing Atlas.

Killing Atlas is about finding love in someone you never thought you would… and not knowing how to deal with it. Autumn Crocus was raised to follow in her father’s footsteps, training to become better than anyone before her, so when she is given her first mark, she couldn’t be more delighted. Atlas King is a former rival of hers who failed to complete his first job. After surfacing four years later, it’s Autumn’s job to kill him within 10 days, or her own neck is on the line. The rules are simple: Failure to complete your mission results in termination. Problems arise when Autumn starts falling for Atlas, and her heart is torn as to whether to kill him, or risk her own life to save him.

What inspired you to write Killing Atlas?

Funny story… I was going through my DVD collection, wondering what I was going to watch, and I have a whole section on that ‘romance/comedy’ genre. Well, I scanned through them so quickly, that when I read How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I actually read it as How to KILL a Guy in 10 Days simply because Killers was right beside it. There was planted the seed that began my story.

How long have you been working on this story?

I only started on it a couple of weeks ago. Lately I’ve been suffering a bad case of writer’s block, and normally when that happens, I need my focus directed elsewhere. Hence, starting a new story that gets my mojo flowing.

What is your favorite thing about writing Killing Atlas?

From what I have written so far, I like writing the differences between Atlas and John. The way Autumn remembers Atlas, and the way John treats her, is literally as if he is a completely different person. Still, she does notice certain traits that John still carries.

What is the most challenging thing about writing it?

Autumn’s profession. Obviously she has ten days to kill Atlas, so my problem lies with having Autumn show just how good she is when it comes to killing without having her kill him on day one.

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

It’s funny, because this story is how I am trying to overcome writer’s block. Generally when I hit writer’s block, it’s for one of two reasons: I’ve been writing so much that I’m exhausted from writing or I’m so busy in my everyday life that my mind can’t settle down to write. I’m currently stuck in the latter, so the best way I can deal with it, is focus on something new and see how it goes.

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

Most of the time I write with an outline, just to see where I’m going with it, and how many chapters I’m looking at. I find that my ideas often change as I write, though, so my outline is constantly changing as well. I’m bad at keeping track, so I think winging it would make the story confusing.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

I read over the chapter 2 or 3 times before I post it. I’m not really proofreading for grammar or anything. I just like to read it a few times to make sure I still like it after the third time. Unfortunately there have been times that I haven’t done this (on other stories), which I totally regret.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you for reading! It really makes my day seeing feedback on my work so it’s really appreciated. Thank you!

Special thanks to Goddess_Of_Muse and nearly witches. for editing!