Upton Close And Personal - Bonus Materials

Well, the story is finally finished! I like posting stories in this serialised format, and I may do it again someday if I come up with an idea big enough to warrant it. I thought I'd post some supplemental material as a reward for everyone who read the story. Consider it a 'bonus feature.'

This story was written over the course of several months for a university project. As someone whose writing usually leans towards more science fiction and fantasy, I decided to ground myself in a realistic setting in order to avoid using otherworldly elements as a crutch. This way, I could place my entire focus on creating realistic and effective characters and settings.

To keep locations on the titular street consistent, I drew this birds-eye map. Once it was finished, I noticed the map's uncanny resemblance to the street I grew up on. I hadn't set out to 'write what I know', but it just sort of happened as development progressed.

The development process was actually rather long, and the story has changed a lot since its conception. I originally envisioned a murder mystery story called "What Happened on Cypress Close?", with clues being revealed across the multiple vignettes. However, I found the murder mystery element hard to conceptualise, and perhaps just a tiny bit insensitive, so I changed the story to be more slice of life and endearing.

I liked the idea of exploring different perspectives, and created the new title "Upton Close and Personal" as a play on the phrase "up close and personal."

Finally, I created a little treat for anyone who enjoyed the story; a personality quiz. Apparently, I'm most like Margaret.