Melissa:
**crickets**
*listening peacefully, looking into the sky*
Oh. Sorry. I'm enjoying a moments peace after the crazy roller coaster ride of the holidays. Getting ready for Christmas this year I remembered how last year I was writing while doing the holiday gathering, setting up, buying, and recouping. And wondered how on Earth I was able to do that!
This year the holidays kicked my keester from here to timbucktoo. As you can guess, I found no words this year. I actually think I was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off for the season. I didn't even feel the holiday spirit much either. (Although I think last year I might have felt it more because the story I was writing at the time was also a Christmas setting.)
So, needless to say, my goal for December in words did not come true. I hate it. I hate those words, 'did not'. It kills me to write that. I've typed it far to many times in the past months that I'm sick of the words.
No words, is not acceptable anymore.
I'm going to get serious in January. I've already started and ripped apart a scene that I was not looking forward to (too much work), but I did it. No more going out and doing anything else. I've got to sit my arse in a chair and get to the job. That is my plan. I am so close to finishing this draft and want to be done with it by the end of January. Then a re-read through to drop a few worldly things in and setting descriptions.
That's what I want to do....
We'll see what happens.
Jackie:
I went into December knowing I would have a short story due my first week back in January. So it only made sense that I would use any extra time through the holiday to get 'er done. But I got the flu and the 'extra time' was decimated by my inability to stay awake for more than a few hours at a time. So much for that.
I did get to do some research towards the end of the month. It was mostly online stuff but I managed to get out to talk to someone about my chosen topic. There was more done after, but that will appear in the January update.
The rest of the time I actually invested in the story was spent trying to figure out how to use the information I gathered into something that would incorporate everything I'd been learning (showing, not telling, layers of meaning, and so on.) THAT was the hard part. I went into things with a limited idea then had to force characters to interact within the confines of it. I think I've learned a lesson in this regard: to at least have an inkling of what to write before heading out in the world to gather materials.
So, no actual words for me either. I have amassed a whole lot of doubt about my future in creative writing at this point and will have to see where the new year takes me in terms of what words may come.
Hope you all did much better than Melissa and I. Bring on January... ;)
Monday, January 19, 2015
Thursday, December 18, 2014
November Update
Melissa:
Sometimes other things dictate what we do... So, by that sentence can you tell how NaNoRe-WriMo went? I don't know if I've shared about it here, but I am a freelance Content Editor. Being the time of year it is and all that is going on, when a job comes, I take it. I need the money. I had a few jobs come in and accepted them. When the opportunity comes knocking, you can't pass it up. And I don't want too.
I did get time in with re-writes and added a nice portion to the story. But then I stopped to clear things off my desk and do my job. I was able to get some re-reading and new words in over lunch hours, but this takes longer as I don't always get a whole section done or get to add them on the computer at night. But they are written!
I don't regret it one bit. This is not a loss for me. I knew going into NaNoWriMo I would not hit the 50k word count. I look at this as a new mountain I'm climbing, and the heart is thumping with adrenaline to do so. I'm excited to see where this path leads me.
I actually learn a lot about what to keep an eye on in my writing with content editing as well.
So, looking at the hard numbers, where do I stand?
Re-writes: 6,234 words added
(This is the hard number of words added including deducts for deletions. Not bad!)
The total number of words read and pondered over: 5,466
(Sounds unbalanced. lol. I added more than I read!)
Now for the goal. I want to finish this stories re-read by the end of the year. Yes, it's going to be a lot to ask for, but I want to get it done. Then I will read it to tweak, add small items, and for phrasing. I hope to get it to a few friends by the end of February. And I will start re-reading my Christmas story I wrote over last Christmas into 2014. That one I hope to have done and ready for Christmas.... it's a tall order, but I can wish - it is the holiday's after all. ;)
Jackie:
Considering I'm taking this creative writing class, you'd think my numbers would be sky-rocketing. The sad fact is, with taking two courses, working, and all the other stuff life throws at you, I can't even seem to find time for simple re-writes on my short stories. I think I'm in much the same boat as Melissa with other things dictating my time. I must admit, I'm feeling the pressure and I think it's being counter-productive to the flow of creative juices, Either that or my muse has up and left on an indefinite vacation.
Here's what my month looked like:
Short story: 1958
In class writing: 400 (-ish)
That brings my sad total to 2358 words. I'll be off school for most of December, so I'm hoping the much-needed rest will encourage the ideas to start surfacing again but as of now, it isn't looking promising. I have a research short due my first week back to class, so besides the usual holiday chaos, I'll be trying to research a topic and write about it through December.
For the research story, the professor has asked that instead of just looking up topic-related elements in books (or on the internet, I would imagine), she wants us to get out and actively find information. We need to keep a research log to show how we go about gathering the details. We've also been asked to get outside our comfort zones. All this is great advice but the issue I'm struggling with is finding a starting point...and the ability to interview people or find a place that might be potential setting for the story, etc. I think I'd like more time with this one, especially because of the holidays smack dab in the middle of it all but I think it will be a great asset to learn how to do this for future work. She did give us a list of examples of the types of journals writers can benefit from, which I will post separately. Now just to put it all in motion...
In the mean time, if any of you have seen a stray muse out in the world, it's probably mine. Can you ask her to come back my way, please?
Hope you all have a productive month ahead :)
Sometimes other things dictate what we do... So, by that sentence can you tell how NaNoRe-WriMo went? I don't know if I've shared about it here, but I am a freelance Content Editor. Being the time of year it is and all that is going on, when a job comes, I take it. I need the money. I had a few jobs come in and accepted them. When the opportunity comes knocking, you can't pass it up. And I don't want too.
I did get time in with re-writes and added a nice portion to the story. But then I stopped to clear things off my desk and do my job. I was able to get some re-reading and new words in over lunch hours, but this takes longer as I don't always get a whole section done or get to add them on the computer at night. But they are written!
I don't regret it one bit. This is not a loss for me. I knew going into NaNoWriMo I would not hit the 50k word count. I look at this as a new mountain I'm climbing, and the heart is thumping with adrenaline to do so. I'm excited to see where this path leads me.
I actually learn a lot about what to keep an eye on in my writing with content editing as well.
So, looking at the hard numbers, where do I stand?
Re-writes: 6,234 words added
(This is the hard number of words added including deducts for deletions. Not bad!)
The total number of words read and pondered over: 5,466
(Sounds unbalanced. lol. I added more than I read!)
Now for the goal. I want to finish this stories re-read by the end of the year. Yes, it's going to be a lot to ask for, but I want to get it done. Then I will read it to tweak, add small items, and for phrasing. I hope to get it to a few friends by the end of February. And I will start re-reading my Christmas story I wrote over last Christmas into 2014. That one I hope to have done and ready for Christmas.... it's a tall order, but I can wish - it is the holiday's after all. ;)
Jackie:
Considering I'm taking this creative writing class, you'd think my numbers would be sky-rocketing. The sad fact is, with taking two courses, working, and all the other stuff life throws at you, I can't even seem to find time for simple re-writes on my short stories. I think I'm in much the same boat as Melissa with other things dictating my time. I must admit, I'm feeling the pressure and I think it's being counter-productive to the flow of creative juices, Either that or my muse has up and left on an indefinite vacation.
Here's what my month looked like:
Short story: 1958
In class writing: 400 (-ish)
That brings my sad total to 2358 words. I'll be off school for most of December, so I'm hoping the much-needed rest will encourage the ideas to start surfacing again but as of now, it isn't looking promising. I have a research short due my first week back to class, so besides the usual holiday chaos, I'll be trying to research a topic and write about it through December.
For the research story, the professor has asked that instead of just looking up topic-related elements in books (or on the internet, I would imagine), she wants us to get out and actively find information. We need to keep a research log to show how we go about gathering the details. We've also been asked to get outside our comfort zones. All this is great advice but the issue I'm struggling with is finding a starting point...and the ability to interview people or find a place that might be potential setting for the story, etc. I think I'd like more time with this one, especially because of the holidays smack dab in the middle of it all but I think it will be a great asset to learn how to do this for future work. She did give us a list of examples of the types of journals writers can benefit from, which I will post separately. Now just to put it all in motion...
In the mean time, if any of you have seen a stray muse out in the world, it's probably mine. Can you ask her to come back my way, please?
Hope you all have a productive month ahead :)
Monday, November 10, 2014
Writing Update - October
Melissa:
*peeks around corner* Don't throw anything at me...K... Please...
I failed at anything and everything in October. I seem to be terrible at juggling my time these days. I hope November brings this back into focus a bit.
The one awesome thing of the month... My Workshop on a story at The Roundtable Podcast. If you are curious as to how I divided the hosts on my topic, please stop over and check it out. And please let me know what you think.
The few words I got in on project:
Um...well... looking through my records it appears I did nothing in October toward the project. Oops.
I did do Flash Fictions: (yes three as I made up for the one I missed last month.)
FF 1: 550
FF 2: 739
FF 3: 657
What are my plans for November in NaNoWriMo?
Well, I'm feeling a bit down on myself. I've not truly completed anything and I hate that feeling. I'm going to do my own Nano with a twist - NaNo-Re-WriMo. Yes, RE-WRIte MOnth. I'm working on projects I just can't get through to a rough ground-zero draft.
As much as I love the rush of NaNoWriMo, I need to take a step back and complete something. It's needed. I have great ideas in the works and great ideas to come, but I need to stop the new stuff and finish what I have, or I'll never get anything out of this dead form it's in.
Another obstacle I'm struggling with is seeing the speed at which others work... I know, I know. Don't pay attention to that. I get it. Everyone works at different speeds and rates, but still, it's hard not to. And I know authors work, and have families, and, and, and all sorts of things going on. But... *sigh* It still is a weight on my mind.
So I'm going to be a bit quiet, even for NaNoWriMo. I'm not going to be around to socialize as I HAVE to get somewhere and understand what I'm working towards in these stories. I'm probably going to skip out on the sprints and wonderful camaraderie between all the people participating. It all ends up being a distraction from what I want to do.
Jackie:
I had to go back to make sure I didn't make any wild promises in the last update for what I would get done this month. Thankfully, I didn't :)
Plugging away at an essay for school took up most of my month along with the reading that needs to be done for the same class. I had another short story that was due for the beginning of November and I thought I had a great idea. The thing with me is if I don't do it right away and if I don't allow for an organic flow (ie. typing the narrative out as I want it to appear,) I can't seem to make a story bend to my will.
The additional issue was that this story needed to be created around the idea of form equaling the content. It took me a while to figure out what the concept even meant and when I did, I thought I had the perfect plan to make it happen. The ideas seemed good and I even found a way to not end the story on a sad note, like I always tend to do when not working on genre fiction. By the end of the month, I had the 1300-ish words as noted below but nothing complete. (What I handed in was a last minute thing that will show up in the November count.) So, here's what my month looked like:
FF 1: 976
FF 2: 790
Abandoned short: 1362
Misc. in-class writing:750
Total 3878
(If it counts, I wrote an essay, which amounted to 2551 words and would bring my total to 6429)
It's more workshopping in November then nothing due until January, so will probably only have in-class writing and flashes to account for over the next month. Then again, you never know what will happen. For sure, NaNo is out though.
In the mean time, if I can squeeze in time for a post here and there, I would like to explain the form equals content style of story writing and maybe even some other valuable lessons that have popped up in my creative writing class. Between my two classes, I think I'm amassing a fair amount of knowledge on how to make my work more original and more complete. I'd like to share at least some of that with you.
Here's hoping you all have a productive November, whatever you choose to do with it :)
*peeks around corner* Don't throw anything at me...K... Please...
I failed at anything and everything in October. I seem to be terrible at juggling my time these days. I hope November brings this back into focus a bit.
The one awesome thing of the month... My Workshop on a story at The Roundtable Podcast. If you are curious as to how I divided the hosts on my topic, please stop over and check it out. And please let me know what you think.
The few words I got in on project:
Um...well... looking through my records it appears I did nothing in October toward the project. Oops.
I did do Flash Fictions: (yes three as I made up for the one I missed last month.)
FF 1: 550
FF 2: 739
FF 3: 657
What are my plans for November in NaNoWriMo?
Well, I'm feeling a bit down on myself. I've not truly completed anything and I hate that feeling. I'm going to do my own Nano with a twist - NaNo-Re-WriMo. Yes, RE-WRIte MOnth. I'm working on projects I just can't get through to a rough ground-zero draft.
As much as I love the rush of NaNoWriMo, I need to take a step back and complete something. It's needed. I have great ideas in the works and great ideas to come, but I need to stop the new stuff and finish what I have, or I'll never get anything out of this dead form it's in.
Another obstacle I'm struggling with is seeing the speed at which others work... I know, I know. Don't pay attention to that. I get it. Everyone works at different speeds and rates, but still, it's hard not to. And I know authors work, and have families, and, and, and all sorts of things going on. But... *sigh* It still is a weight on my mind.
So I'm going to be a bit quiet, even for NaNoWriMo. I'm not going to be around to socialize as I HAVE to get somewhere and understand what I'm working towards in these stories. I'm probably going to skip out on the sprints and wonderful camaraderie between all the people participating. It all ends up being a distraction from what I want to do.
Jackie:
I had to go back to make sure I didn't make any wild promises in the last update for what I would get done this month. Thankfully, I didn't :)
Plugging away at an essay for school took up most of my month along with the reading that needs to be done for the same class. I had another short story that was due for the beginning of November and I thought I had a great idea. The thing with me is if I don't do it right away and if I don't allow for an organic flow (ie. typing the narrative out as I want it to appear,) I can't seem to make a story bend to my will.
The additional issue was that this story needed to be created around the idea of form equaling the content. It took me a while to figure out what the concept even meant and when I did, I thought I had the perfect plan to make it happen. The ideas seemed good and I even found a way to not end the story on a sad note, like I always tend to do when not working on genre fiction. By the end of the month, I had the 1300-ish words as noted below but nothing complete. (What I handed in was a last minute thing that will show up in the November count.) So, here's what my month looked like:
FF 1: 976
FF 2: 790
Abandoned short: 1362
Misc. in-class writing:750
Total 3878
(If it counts, I wrote an essay, which amounted to 2551 words and would bring my total to 6429)
It's more workshopping in November then nothing due until January, so will probably only have in-class writing and flashes to account for over the next month. Then again, you never know what will happen. For sure, NaNo is out though.
In the mean time, if I can squeeze in time for a post here and there, I would like to explain the form equals content style of story writing and maybe even some other valuable lessons that have popped up in my creative writing class. Between my two classes, I think I'm amassing a fair amount of knowledge on how to make my work more original and more complete. I'd like to share at least some of that with you.
Here's hoping you all have a productive November, whatever you choose to do with it :)
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Flash Fiction (13)
Jackie, Blodeuedd, and I are back to working up some Flash Fiction fun. We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal and Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.
Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By: Melissa Hayden
The elders would be wearing their robes of green splashed with the rust and reds of the autumn leaves, found outside now, and trimmed in gold for the ceremony. Aonya took slow equal steps down the hall, listening to the clicking of her golden armor ring through the bare halls. Her attire showed her stature and matched the accenting colors of her elders for she was to be the one everyone's eyes were on. The ceremony room was full, everyone awaiting for her formal entrance.
She paused looking out the window and took a breath of the fresh air, wishing to feel the cooling breeze slip through her long brown hair. She lifted a long finger, pushing her hair behind her ear, then thinking better of her natural habit and hooked her finger around her hair pulling it to curl down her face. Her maid had spent hours to get it curled like this, even through she never wore her hair down. She was to look the young lady she was, and the warrior as well.
Aonya closed her eyes, feeling the power of her sun on her face and took a deep breath. She's known everyone in that room all her fifty years, even though she looked no more than a human's twenty years of age. She needed to get to the hall before she ended in terrible trouble with the elders and her father.
She made her way to the ceremony, nodding to the guard and acolyte waiting for her. The acolyte slipped behind the dark forest green curtain, then moments later she heard her father call the room to order. At hearing the words she was instructed to wait for, she pulled her shoulders back as the guard pulled the curtain to the side.
The room stood and bowed to her as she entered. She took her place by her father after she bowed to him and the elders.
"All rise." The king called and all in the room returned to standing. "Please join me in prayer as we honor Aonya this day, her power calling day."
The elders surrounded her, holding hands and joining their magics as they called to Aonya and the spirits within the world. Her father stood before her with the sword made of the strongest alloy known to the land, one only the elite guard and royal family were given on their power calling day. His baritone voice joined the elders in their chanting as the song grew with the voices of the hall. It sounded like music with the highs and lows of different voices blending and mixing together. Aonya felt her body start to sway and she closed her eyes, being drawn into the powers that swam across her skin.
Aonya was drawn into the tone and song, not hearing the words themselves but feeling the emotion in them. Aonya felt her body weave to the floor and her eyes flew open. The song had stopped. Before her, her father held the sword that glowed in a burning bright light from hilt to tip. She went to reach for it, then paused, looking to her father. He nodded his agreement with a small, pleased smile.
Aonya took the sword in her hands, slowly taking in the vine pummel and the care and detail of the blade. She held it, watching as the light grew brighter at her touch. The light traveled up her arm and down her body as she watched. She felt a warmth grown in her stomach and out through her body. She had known since she was young what her power was, but it wasn't a given until this day. Now everyone knew what she'd known for so long.
She smiled to the small stained glass at the top of the room as the sun took it's spot in the sky and shone it's approval at having her as his vessel in the world.
Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By: Melissa Hayden
The elders would be wearing their robes of green splashed with the rust and reds of the autumn leaves, found outside now, and trimmed in gold for the ceremony. Aonya took slow equal steps down the hall, listening to the clicking of her golden armor ring through the bare halls. Her attire showed her stature and matched the accenting colors of her elders for she was to be the one everyone's eyes were on. The ceremony room was full, everyone awaiting for her formal entrance.
She paused looking out the window and took a breath of the fresh air, wishing to feel the cooling breeze slip through her long brown hair. She lifted a long finger, pushing her hair behind her ear, then thinking better of her natural habit and hooked her finger around her hair pulling it to curl down her face. Her maid had spent hours to get it curled like this, even through she never wore her hair down. She was to look the young lady she was, and the warrior as well.
Aonya closed her eyes, feeling the power of her sun on her face and took a deep breath. She's known everyone in that room all her fifty years, even though she looked no more than a human's twenty years of age. She needed to get to the hall before she ended in terrible trouble with the elders and her father.
She made her way to the ceremony, nodding to the guard and acolyte waiting for her. The acolyte slipped behind the dark forest green curtain, then moments later she heard her father call the room to order. At hearing the words she was instructed to wait for, she pulled her shoulders back as the guard pulled the curtain to the side.
The room stood and bowed to her as she entered. She took her place by her father after she bowed to him and the elders.
"All rise." The king called and all in the room returned to standing. "Please join me in prayer as we honor Aonya this day, her power calling day."
The elders surrounded her, holding hands and joining their magics as they called to Aonya and the spirits within the world. Her father stood before her with the sword made of the strongest alloy known to the land, one only the elite guard and royal family were given on their power calling day. His baritone voice joined the elders in their chanting as the song grew with the voices of the hall. It sounded like music with the highs and lows of different voices blending and mixing together. Aonya felt her body start to sway and she closed her eyes, being drawn into the powers that swam across her skin.
Aonya was drawn into the tone and song, not hearing the words themselves but feeling the emotion in them. Aonya felt her body weave to the floor and her eyes flew open. The song had stopped. Before her, her father held the sword that glowed in a burning bright light from hilt to tip. She went to reach for it, then paused, looking to her father. He nodded his agreement with a small, pleased smile.
Aonya took the sword in her hands, slowly taking in the vine pummel and the care and detail of the blade. She held it, watching as the light grew brighter at her touch. The light traveled up her arm and down her body as she watched. She felt a warmth grown in her stomach and out through her body. She had known since she was young what her power was, but it wasn't a given until this day. Now everyone knew what she'd known for so long.
She smiled to the small stained glass at the top of the room as the sun took it's spot in the sky and shone it's approval at having her as his vessel in the world.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Flash Fiction (12)
Jackie, Blodeuedd, and I are back to working up some Flash Fiction fun. We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal and Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.
Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By: Melissa Hayden
I lie here growing weaker and weaker from the wound at my neck. I clutch my ears trying to stop the pain of the running water roaring in my ears. I don't ever remember the sounds of the river being this terrible. I use to love boating up and down the river. But today... my head and body throb.
Pulling my mind from the pain I remember the last feel of Seth's warm hands as he placed me in this small wooden boat and pushed me into the river. I peered over the edge seeing the sadness in his eyes and then fear as the monsters pounced on him like cats of the night. I listened to his screams as the water pulled me away. I wanted to go back but I hurt too much, and felt ill. I couldn't move far from the spot I was in. The ache of the wound from the one that tackled me from behind burned down my body.
I turned my eyes to the full moon. The bats swirling and diving were easy to see in the dark sky highlighted by the moon. I squint at the brightness, an attempt to forget the screams of my village as it fell to a distance.
I groan, curling into a ball. My stomach is turning with the rocking of the water. The few bites of dinner I had before the village was attacked find their way to the bottom of the boat. A strong metallic taste hits my tongue. I remember the taste hitting my mouth when I was running through the town. The air was thick with the slaughter of my friends and family. I try to relax and maybe rest, as this is all I can do. But I can't.
The pain hits me like a wave of rocks again causing my body to shake. The physical pain compacted with the horrors of what happened to my home, my friends and family I whimper but no tears fall. I feel drained. It's all I can do to crawl to the back of the long boat, away from my stomachs rejected contents that I can't stand the smell of.
The swish of the water at the side of the boat drains the energy from my body. When will the pain end?
Just when I can't take it anymore the boat thumps to the shore. I'm too weak to rise from the boat. The fight and now small journey has drained me. But the hunger that ravishes me is growing. I'll try to rest and rise in a bit to find some food. A fresh venison sounds nice, raw and juicy.
*****
"Oh my heavens! Ryan, there's a woman in that boat. Come lift her out. I don't know if she's alive. Oh... the blood." A woman's fear filled words fill my ears. I can smell her switch from worry to fear. But she smells so delicious.
"Step back dear. Let me get her on land and you can look at her." A man, Ryan, says. I can smell his pride and strength as he approaches me.
My teeth ache with the hunger I feel. How long have I been lying here? I don't feel the sun. It has to still be night.
"Oh, so much for our alone time tonight. We have to get her to someone for help." The woman spoke.
"We will. Don't worry." He was closer.
I can hear his steps in the water. The boat tips as he puts his hands on the edge, and leans in swooping me up in his arms.
My jaw drops as my eyes open. He jerks back, stumbling in the thigh high water. But it's too late. He has me in his arms with my head on his shoulder. And now I'm on top of him with the moist ground at his back. I snatch his head and pull him near me. My teeth slide through his skin finding the sweet spot as the thick lush liquid hits my tongue. I groan at the delight of his taste, until I hear the woman scream. I release my grip on his neck laying him down at the edge of the river. Her eyes are wide and I can smell her fear and urine. She's frozen watching me, and I smile showing off my teeth. I will feast like a queen tonight and move on.
Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By: Melissa Hayden
I lie here growing weaker and weaker from the wound at my neck. I clutch my ears trying to stop the pain of the running water roaring in my ears. I don't ever remember the sounds of the river being this terrible. I use to love boating up and down the river. But today... my head and body throb.
Pulling my mind from the pain I remember the last feel of Seth's warm hands as he placed me in this small wooden boat and pushed me into the river. I peered over the edge seeing the sadness in his eyes and then fear as the monsters pounced on him like cats of the night. I listened to his screams as the water pulled me away. I wanted to go back but I hurt too much, and felt ill. I couldn't move far from the spot I was in. The ache of the wound from the one that tackled me from behind burned down my body.
I turned my eyes to the full moon. The bats swirling and diving were easy to see in the dark sky highlighted by the moon. I squint at the brightness, an attempt to forget the screams of my village as it fell to a distance.
I groan, curling into a ball. My stomach is turning with the rocking of the water. The few bites of dinner I had before the village was attacked find their way to the bottom of the boat. A strong metallic taste hits my tongue. I remember the taste hitting my mouth when I was running through the town. The air was thick with the slaughter of my friends and family. I try to relax and maybe rest, as this is all I can do. But I can't.
The pain hits me like a wave of rocks again causing my body to shake. The physical pain compacted with the horrors of what happened to my home, my friends and family I whimper but no tears fall. I feel drained. It's all I can do to crawl to the back of the long boat, away from my stomachs rejected contents that I can't stand the smell of.
The swish of the water at the side of the boat drains the energy from my body. When will the pain end?
Just when I can't take it anymore the boat thumps to the shore. I'm too weak to rise from the boat. The fight and now small journey has drained me. But the hunger that ravishes me is growing. I'll try to rest and rise in a bit to find some food. A fresh venison sounds nice, raw and juicy.
*****
"Oh my heavens! Ryan, there's a woman in that boat. Come lift her out. I don't know if she's alive. Oh... the blood." A woman's fear filled words fill my ears. I can smell her switch from worry to fear. But she smells so delicious.
"Step back dear. Let me get her on land and you can look at her." A man, Ryan, says. I can smell his pride and strength as he approaches me.
My teeth ache with the hunger I feel. How long have I been lying here? I don't feel the sun. It has to still be night.
"Oh, so much for our alone time tonight. We have to get her to someone for help." The woman spoke.
"We will. Don't worry." He was closer.
I can hear his steps in the water. The boat tips as he puts his hands on the edge, and leans in swooping me up in his arms.
My jaw drops as my eyes open. He jerks back, stumbling in the thigh high water. But it's too late. He has me in his arms with my head on his shoulder. And now I'm on top of him with the moist ground at his back. I snatch his head and pull him near me. My teeth slide through his skin finding the sweet spot as the thick lush liquid hits my tongue. I groan at the delight of his taste, until I hear the woman scream. I release my grip on his neck laying him down at the edge of the river. Her eyes are wide and I can smell her fear and urine. She's frozen watching me, and I smile showing off my teeth. I will feast like a queen tonight and move on.
Flash Fiction (11)
Jackie, Blodeuedd, and I are back to working up some Flash Fiction fun. We will do flash fiction posts every two weeks, give or take due to holiday's and such. I will post my complete story here. Jackie will add the beginning and a link to her flash fiction on her Live Journal and Blodeuedd will be posting on her blog.
Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By: Melissa Hayden
I jumped. I didn't even hear my feet slapping the metal floor over the alarm beeping as I woke from my daydream. I starred at the lights lit on the panel before me. It was impossible, or so the few of us left had thought.
We lost many of us that were left when we returned to the dead planet our ancestors once called home. My parents were part of the many we lost when they went out in search of any long lost survivors. When the scouts did return, it was always with the same news. No sign of life.
I tapped a few buttons on the panel before me to zero in on which beacon was picking up a life force. The screen was fuzzy but there it was. Someone, or thing, on two legs walking across the sands. The dry winds blowing the cape it wore behind it and the hood from it's head. A gas mask covered their face so I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman let alone if it was human. Lieing in the sandy ground behind it was a large sphere it must have used as transportation to get here. But from where?
Drat. I was going to be in trouble for not paying attention to the monitors, but who would have thought after these long ten years someone would show up?
I left my seat spinning as I darted for the door. I had to let the others know. I jumped on the elevator that took me down the antenna building I was in. I hustled down the moving steps, their speed to slow for this news, of our spiral metal surveillance center that petruded out of the rock cliff we lived in. I crossed the threshold into the rock mountain we lived in.
"Heeme!" I saw her at the end of the rock hall as I came running. She turned to me, "Get the others! You're never going to believe this. There is someone walking toward us!"
I raced down the hall to gather the elders before Heeme could ask a question.
Panting as I hit the override on the door to enter I stepped into the room, "Geeno! Are you here? You have to come to the meeting room. Immediately!"
"I'm here child. Calm down." Geeno walked into the room drying his hands. "What..."
"There is someone outside. Walking!" I blurted.
Geeno eyed me, "Are you sure you weren't daydreaming again? Maybe all the stories we passed down to you children are too much. There is no way someone can be out there."
"No, Geeno. Sir. I mean, I was daydreaming, but there is no mistaking those alarms. I saw a humanoid walking toward us. I did." I was breathing heavy from the run and adrenaline spike.
Geeno must have seen the truth in my eyes as he picked up the pace, put on his vest, and answered, "Very well. Lets get to the meeting room and see what's going on."
"I told Heeme to find the others." And the door slid shut behind us.
I was curious what news this being could be bringing us, and from where. But how would the elders handle this new being and information? We'd been stranded here for so long.
Enjoy our quick glimpses into worlds of the unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~
((Untitled))
By: Melissa Hayden
I jumped. I didn't even hear my feet slapping the metal floor over the alarm beeping as I woke from my daydream. I starred at the lights lit on the panel before me. It was impossible, or so the few of us left had thought.
We lost many of us that were left when we returned to the dead planet our ancestors once called home. My parents were part of the many we lost when they went out in search of any long lost survivors. When the scouts did return, it was always with the same news. No sign of life.
I tapped a few buttons on the panel before me to zero in on which beacon was picking up a life force. The screen was fuzzy but there it was. Someone, or thing, on two legs walking across the sands. The dry winds blowing the cape it wore behind it and the hood from it's head. A gas mask covered their face so I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman let alone if it was human. Lieing in the sandy ground behind it was a large sphere it must have used as transportation to get here. But from where?
Drat. I was going to be in trouble for not paying attention to the monitors, but who would have thought after these long ten years someone would show up?
I left my seat spinning as I darted for the door. I had to let the others know. I jumped on the elevator that took me down the antenna building I was in. I hustled down the moving steps, their speed to slow for this news, of our spiral metal surveillance center that petruded out of the rock cliff we lived in. I crossed the threshold into the rock mountain we lived in.
"Heeme!" I saw her at the end of the rock hall as I came running. She turned to me, "Get the others! You're never going to believe this. There is someone walking toward us!"
I raced down the hall to gather the elders before Heeme could ask a question.
Panting as I hit the override on the door to enter I stepped into the room, "Geeno! Are you here? You have to come to the meeting room. Immediately!"
"I'm here child. Calm down." Geeno walked into the room drying his hands. "What..."
"There is someone outside. Walking!" I blurted.
Geeno eyed me, "Are you sure you weren't daydreaming again? Maybe all the stories we passed down to you children are too much. There is no way someone can be out there."
"No, Geeno. Sir. I mean, I was daydreaming, but there is no mistaking those alarms. I saw a humanoid walking toward us. I did." I was breathing heavy from the run and adrenaline spike.
Geeno must have seen the truth in my eyes as he picked up the pace, put on his vest, and answered, "Very well. Lets get to the meeting room and see what's going on."
"I told Heeme to find the others." And the door slid shut behind us.
I was curious what news this being could be bringing us, and from where. But how would the elders handle this new being and information? We'd been stranded here for so long.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Writing Update - September
Melissa:
And another month bites the dust. I made a huge promise last month, to get through the story I was working on. I'm slightly disappointed to say, it didn't happen. But! Only slightly. Between being sick for a few weeks and only sleeping and ending the month at a funeral, I just didn't do much. I didn't even get to do much with Flash Fiction this month. Now you know that's bad if I don't get my Flash Fictions up.
However, I did get an amazing opportunity I could NOT turn down. A brainstorming session at The Roundtable Podcast with three AMAZING!! authors - Michael R. Underwood, Janet Morris, and Chris Morris. And the amazing host Dave Robison. So I might have been fretting and panicking over the pitch I was to give. I think I rewrote the thing... I don't even know how many times. I don't think I've been that nervous and stressed over anything since high school. Really!
The session came and went so fast. It was amazing! I left the brainstorming with amazing notes and twists I can easily implement in the story to smooth the holes that were there. Sometimes you need that extra brain, or four, to help you along. I will share the link here when the podcast session goes live.
This is something I haven't taken advantage of before - the help of throwing ideas at someone to curve them. I need to do this more often and not try all on my own. I know this but haven't taken that step. I need to do this.
I did get some new words in rewrites at the beginning of the month:
With writing and deleting: 823 words
Flash Fiction: 510 words
I didn't get to the second flash fiction as life took over and I was planning for the brainstorming session.
So what does October hold? Goodness, I hope more time. lol. I want to get back to the story I want finished and to prepare for NaNo of the story I brainstormed with four amazing people. A lot to do and October doesn't seem to want to give me more hours. Bummer.
Jackie:
I can't wait to hear the podcast to see how the whole process worked! Getting the ideas to unfold enough to work with is definitely something I struggle with, so I think Melissa's recent venture would be something all writers would benefit from :)
I suppose that's kind of what's happening with me right now also, as I've delved back into the scholastic side of writing. I'm taking the intermediate prose workshop this year as well as a course that analyzes prose narrative from across the ages and different continents. I'm hoping this will help me hone my work further (and not send me off on tangents with everything cool that I read :p )
For Creative Writing, the focus is on short stories, including Flash Fictions, but also MicroFictions and Postcard Fictions, which all just fit into different word count maximums really. Between in-class work and assignments, I've actually accomplished quite a bit this month.
Here are what my totals look like:
Flash Fiction #10 824
Flash Fiction #11 440
In-class writing 1276 (includes an approximate for hand written stuff too)
1st Assignment 254
Short Story 2203
Total 4997
Heading into October, the CW class will be reading everyone's work and offering critiques. I'm definitely looking forward to getting input from my fellow writers on how to make that final short story on the list better. I have another short due for the beginning of November, so I'll be working on that as well as weekly in-class stuff and the revisions that need to be done too. I know right now I'm struggling with coming up with unique ideas and attempting to elevate my language in my work so those are the areas I'll be working to improve most over the next few months.
What does October hold for you?
And another month bites the dust. I made a huge promise last month, to get through the story I was working on. I'm slightly disappointed to say, it didn't happen. But! Only slightly. Between being sick for a few weeks and only sleeping and ending the month at a funeral, I just didn't do much. I didn't even get to do much with Flash Fiction this month. Now you know that's bad if I don't get my Flash Fictions up.
However, I did get an amazing opportunity I could NOT turn down. A brainstorming session at The Roundtable Podcast with three AMAZING!! authors - Michael R. Underwood, Janet Morris, and Chris Morris. And the amazing host Dave Robison. So I might have been fretting and panicking over the pitch I was to give. I think I rewrote the thing... I don't even know how many times. I don't think I've been that nervous and stressed over anything since high school. Really!
The session came and went so fast. It was amazing! I left the brainstorming with amazing notes and twists I can easily implement in the story to smooth the holes that were there. Sometimes you need that extra brain, or four, to help you along. I will share the link here when the podcast session goes live.
This is something I haven't taken advantage of before - the help of throwing ideas at someone to curve them. I need to do this more often and not try all on my own. I know this but haven't taken that step. I need to do this.
I did get some new words in rewrites at the beginning of the month:
With writing and deleting: 823 words
Flash Fiction: 510 words
I didn't get to the second flash fiction as life took over and I was planning for the brainstorming session.
So what does October hold? Goodness, I hope more time. lol. I want to get back to the story I want finished and to prepare for NaNo of the story I brainstormed with four amazing people. A lot to do and October doesn't seem to want to give me more hours. Bummer.
Jackie:
I can't wait to hear the podcast to see how the whole process worked! Getting the ideas to unfold enough to work with is definitely something I struggle with, so I think Melissa's recent venture would be something all writers would benefit from :)
I suppose that's kind of what's happening with me right now also, as I've delved back into the scholastic side of writing. I'm taking the intermediate prose workshop this year as well as a course that analyzes prose narrative from across the ages and different continents. I'm hoping this will help me hone my work further (and not send me off on tangents with everything cool that I read :p )
For Creative Writing, the focus is on short stories, including Flash Fictions, but also MicroFictions and Postcard Fictions, which all just fit into different word count maximums really. Between in-class work and assignments, I've actually accomplished quite a bit this month.
Here are what my totals look like:
Flash Fiction #10 824
Flash Fiction #11 440
In-class writing 1276 (includes an approximate for hand written stuff too)
1st Assignment 254
Short Story 2203
Total 4997
Heading into October, the CW class will be reading everyone's work and offering critiques. I'm definitely looking forward to getting input from my fellow writers on how to make that final short story on the list better. I have another short due for the beginning of November, so I'll be working on that as well as weekly in-class stuff and the revisions that need to be done too. I know right now I'm struggling with coming up with unique ideas and attempting to elevate my language in my work so those are the areas I'll be working to improve most over the next few months.
What does October hold for you?
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