Something old and something new.  

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

In light of losing my files, from which I'm still weeping, I have started a brand spanking new writing project. I aim for it to be a full-length novel. My new years resolution is to have the first draft finished by April. That is the most reasonable date to me as I start school afresh in about two weeks. With this new idea I'm trying out a new approach to my writing. Planning! I usually never plan anything out. I just start writing. This time I figure, what could it hurt? Nothing. In fact I'm doing pretty well so far. I've planned out the first five chapters, worked on the plot and my main characters all day. I've started writing my first chapter and I'm looking to get at least 2,000 more words down tonight. That should finish up the first chapter.

That was the something new.

Now to the old.

I was looking through my saved emails today, you know cleaning out the riffraff, when I came across an email of my short story that I'd sent myself so I could work on it at my mom's computer (you know, when my computer isn't around). I was so excited that I hadn't lost all of it. I don't have the end, but I didn't like the original ending anyway so now I can change it when I get to that part in the rewrite. Woohoo!

In light of my good mood about recovering my lost work I will leave you with a scene from said work. Keep in mind this is the first draft and unedited.

Realm of the Demon Souls: Two Months Earlier

Vigilo thought about his
daughter a lot these days. As much as he
wanted to see her, he knew it would
only cause trouble for her.

It was at one of these times when he was
thinking about his daughter
that he felt a presence near him. A Master
should feel it in his being when
someone enters his world, but this time it
was different. Someone was watching
him from inside his Realm without
alerting him first.

Well, this is a first, he thought to himself. He
looked about his room
for anything out of place. In the far side of the
room, he spotted a tiny
floating orb. It seemed to dance and take shape
before his eyes.

He thought quickly through the possibilities of the
origin of the
mysterious orb. Low-level Demons simply do not have the skill
to perform light
magic, especially on a Realm Master. Demon Lords have
neither the time nor
patience to deal in such trivial affairs. “No,” he said
aloud, “must be Angel
mockery.” Angels shouldn’t be able to pass through
three worlds completely
undetected, just one of those impossibilities. He
laughed despite himself. For
all he knew it could just be Gerulus, trying to
get a rise out of him. Besides,
he was a Master, not easily intimidated or
conquered.

Vigilo found himself watching the orb again in spite of his
musings.
This time, he noticed, it did take shape. It took on a form that,
even though he
hasn’t laid eyes on in years, he’d never mistake for anything
else. His
daughter. He watched motionless as her every feature etched into
the light.
“Alexandera,” he said barely discernible to his own ears. As the
word passed his
lips, he heard a faint laughter and the image and orb were
gone. For the first
time in his two-hundred odd years as a Master Demon, he
was afraid. Not just for
his daughter’s life, but for is own, as well.

He immediately sent out for the messenger, Gerulus, his old friend, but
immediately in Demon time isn’t always instantaneous. He knew it could be a
while before Gerulus had time to get around to his request. Just as the
signal
left his lips, he felt the force of several beings pass through his
Realm. He
knew they would come for him, quickly, after he sent for Gerulus.
Vigilo
scribbled a note, and hid it in a place where he knew only Gerulus
would find
it. Whatever happens, he wrote, help her.



Thank you, my friends, and Happy Holidays!

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We wish you a...  

...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

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Can weather be ambiguous?  

Monday, December 22, 2008

Winters in Florida are very confusing. It doesn't know weather it wants to be hot or cold. The last couple of weeks have gone exactly like so: Seventy-five degree weather for two days straight then it rains and there is the resulting Fifty degree weather and then it starts all over again.

The weather totally set me up last week. I woke up to a promise of warm weather. The sun was shining and the weather man proclaimed it to be a seventy to eighty degree day, this excites me as I loathe being cold. I meant to be somewhere but I'm running late so I quickly put on the first thing I pull out of my drawer which happens to be a pair of shorts. (I know, I know, don't say it.) Normally I wouldn't even consider putting them on in December but it was seventy degrees and I think, "what's the worst that could happen?"

Would you like to know what the worst that could have happened?

I get sick! That's the worst thing that could have happened and, of course, it did happen.

I'm still sick, actually, but I'm feeling much better than I have for the entirety of last week. I had "flu like" symptoms but not the flu. Oh yeah, I hate being sick, and I double hate taking medicine.

Needless to say, I have learned my lesson. Next time I'll just set the alarm clock(which I absolutely hate doing because I hate the sound it makes).

Yes, I know, I hate a lot of things but being sick makes me that way.

As if that's not bad enough, I'm sad to say that my blopera, as of now, will no longer happen. It's a long story, but I'll simply say that from now on I am going to back up my files, specifically my writing.

It hasn't been all bad news, though. My best friend just gave birth to a darling baby girl named Sidnie two days ago. Seeing her made me happy again. My aunt's Christmas Eve party will make me even happier, and Christmas will make me happier still, so my week should end on a high note.

As always,
Thank you my friends, and have a great day!

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Free Writing and the Art of the Prompt-- Things I do when I'm supposed to be working on my short story.  

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Writing prompts are my new favorite thing!

Last night I was reading the January issue of the Writer magazine, and they have an entire page devoted to writing prompts and warm-ups, I could not resist the urge to try one out. 

It had been awhile since I'd used a writing prompt. The last time I used one was in my creative writing class in the 7th grade (yes, that long ago!).

So I had to finish a paragraph that began with:
The freezer door wasn't supposed to lock behind him. That wasn't part of the plan.
Yeah that was how it was supposed to start. I did more than just a paragraph. I wrote 486 words. I thought that it turned out to be a pretty interesting story for something I wrote in 15 minutes so I decided to share it with y'all.

The freezer door wasn't supposed to lock behind him. That wasn't part of the plan. This was to be an in-and-out deal. Quick and consequence free. Today was just not John's day. Well, the whole week wasn't his really. The week started out with everyday, mundane disappointments. Those he could deal with easy, but what he got was just...wrong. 
He'd thought he caught a break midweek when that guy who owns the restaurant on the corner took pity on him and offered him a job. He soon found that it would be all down hill from that point on. Exhibit one of his sucky week is when he saw his ex-wife who was accompanied by his once best friend and their child. Last that he’d heard they'd moved and now, out of the blue, they're stalking around his usual haunts. Of course, he didn't let himself be seen, not by them at any rate. 
Then, he got the job offer, and he hoped his luck was turning. The universe was not up for giving breaks, not for him, it seemed. Two days into his new job, and he's stuck in a freezer. Not because he was hard at work, no, it was because he was up to nefarious deeds. He was planning to steal just enough food to get him by for the rest of the week. Never mind the fact that he worked in a restaurant and if asked the owner would probably gladly let him get a little something. I mean, he had hired him, right? 
Now, sitting in that freezer, John's mind wanted to give one final blow before the day was done. John hadn't taken a hit of anything since he divorced. He promised his ex that he'd stop. That was the one thing she wanted from him when she left, that he'd let go of his self-destructive ways, and be the man she knew before the clouds blocked his ascension toward his dreams. She wanted him to remember a time before he felt that his world weighted him down and anchored him to reality. This is why he took his first hit of the moonrock because when he was high he could see through those clouds to his dreams. Sure, they were unreachable, but they were there nonetheless. He didn't see his dreams within the confines of this freezer, the restaurant, or the world. He couldn't even find his dreams within himself.  
He was starting to feel the cold, but he didn't get up and try the door again. He didn't bam on the door and scream for help, either. It was closing time and most of the staff had already left. He knew that no one would have a reason to go to the freezer at this time, that's why he picked it for his stealing time. Instead, he sat and froze, and, right before the end, felt weightless once again.

It was not what I expected to write, but I am happy with where the story went. 

Thank you, my friends, and be looking out for Episode 1 of my blopera!

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Word o' the Week Wednesday!  

This week's word is...


urbane- adj. polished and elegant in manner or style



Dictionary.com's word of the day is...

homologous- adj. corresponding in position, proportion, or other property

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And introducing...  

Friday, December 5, 2008

A few months ago, I woke up from one of the strangest dreams I've ever had. It wasn't strange in the 'purple polka dotted elephant' sort of way. No, it was strange in the 'this could totally be real, but I know it's not deja vu' sort of way. I knew this had never happened to me.

I got up immediately after I opened my eyes and knew that I just had to right it down. So I did, and never thought about it again.

Jump to around 11 AM this morning, in the middle of class this dream just comes back to me. I get this overwhelming urge to not only read what I'd previously written but also to write more. 

But lo! I don't have my computer with me nor will I be able to see it for about another 8 hours.
So, I settle for writing...free hand! I never write free hand. I can't read my own handwriting. I literally cannot read my own handwriting. I salvaged as much as I could to add to the original.

Anyway, back to the story, I wrote the dream in prose. Yes, at around 3 AM I groggily tapped out about 1,000 words of prose. This, for me, is a huge accomplishment. I'm not a morning person and I hate to be prematurely awakened for any reason.

Long story short (Yes! The story is longer than that.), I have decided to use this dream as the base for a new project, which will be posted in its entirety on this blog. I shall call it my blopera. What!? Did she just say blopera? Yes! Yes, I did! My blopera...blog + soap opera = blopera! (Or soap blopera...whatever works!)

It won't contain the type of storyline that you think of when you hear soap opera. I can promise that it won't be cheesy, but I can't promise that it won't be bad. I hope it's good writing, but a writer never knows these things unless someone tells them. I've been told I write good (haha...a bit of grammar humor). You can't trust my judgement because I have a writer's ego. I think all my shits good (excuse the language, but it had to be done). I just called it a blopera because I didn't know what else to call it. If this helps classify it, at one point today I was going to write it as a full-length novel.

Expect the first episode in a couple of days. I have to edit and revise it first.

That is all.

Have a great day/night!

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Finals Week and All That Jazz  

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Next week is my last week of school this semester. I am so glad. This semester seems to have gone by fairly quickly.


I am most excited about all the free time I'll have to devote to my writing. Thanksgiving vacation was a very productive time for me. Hopefully I can have the short story revised and ready for submission by January. I have my fingers crossed.

I've been having some really good ideas popping up, and some new projects that I'm really wanting to get started on.

Still no title for the short story, and it doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

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Word o' the Week Wednesday!  

It's Word of the Week Wednesday!

This weeks word is.:drum roll:.

vicarious- adj. felt by imagined participation or taking another's place


Dictionary.com's Word of the day:
caitiff- adj. cowardly and mean

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