Mini-Vacay

My schedule today has consisted of this....

7:45- Up, feed chickens, walk Indy, do chores
8:45- Breakfast for me and Indy (Reese Puffs)
9:00- Watch episode of Star Trek
10:00- Write
11:00 Job search (I had to do some stressful work)
12:00- Lunch
1:30 to 4:00- Star Trek
4:30- Write

Wow, I feel like a total bum but it is somewhat liberating not doing...Anything.

Hey Old Friend

"It has been too long since you've visited. Here, let me grab the door, invite you in, offer you coffee and toast. Our conversation will be formal at first. You'll loosen up after the first mug you finish. I'll share the developments in my life since we last spoke. We'll laugh after that. We'll reminisce and swap stories and talk too much for too long.

When it the sun begins to set across from the front porch where we sit, you'll mention that it's about time you depart. The moment I've been dreading for a lifetime will come and, strangely enough, I no longer fear it. I guess that's what happens when you spend years gnashing your teeth about it. When that moment finally comes there's just no point fighting it anymore. You have to stand up, look it in the face, and give in to what must happen.

So you knock back one final swallow of the joe in your cup and get to your feet. Me, I take my time. Not because I'm scared. Because I want to revel in this moment and remember it.

But the time for dilly-dallying is over. I'm ready to walk on. I'm ready to visit another home. I'm ready to shut this door and move on to something new. So let's go, old friend, and find ourselves a frontier only you can show me."

There was no hesitation on the visitor's part. He only nodded and pointed down the gravel road leading away from my house. That was our destination.

It would be an awfully long walk.

At least I had a companion for the journey, even if Death wasn't the ideal partner.

Writer's Angst

*These are all unedited, raw samples from Book 4. Errors are to be expected :)


-            He nodded at the city stretching toward the horizon. “When I sit up here I wonder about all the people down there. They go about their day, driving, walking, talking, working. From up here, it doesn’t look like they even understand what’s going on in the world. It doesn’t look like the war and deaths affect them. But that’s the thing. You can’t see how people suffer when you’re looking at them from far away.”

            Turning his eyes from the street to the endless buildings, offices, parking garages, and apartments stretching over the land in a myriad of colors and lights, he motioned toward the horizon. “All these people are terrified. They don’t know what’s coming. They hear stories of what’s happening in the other world. They all know it’s just time until it starts happening in their own backyards. The only thing that can protect them from this disaster is a kid who can’t even prevent his closest friends from dying.”

-            “You know, Roan,” Tuck began. Roan looked at him. “There are times when you can’t find the answers to your questions in the world around you. Sometimes you must be silent in order to hear the whispers of God. Perhaps this is one of those times. Perhaps you don’t need to speak to Cal’adahin. Maybe instead you should just listen for him.”

-            His powers exploded in a flash of green light bright enough to light up the arena. The magic soaring through his hands morphed in his grasp. The mix of magics was overwhelmed by a new power. one coursing so viciously that it crashed against his skin and slammed against the shields holding it in. it was warm enough to power him but just cool enough that it rejuvenated his body and energy. Within seconds, a green aura was smoking around his hands.

            Roan knew as soon as he saw it that this was no newly discovered spell. This was a newly acquired magic.

            This was his earth magic.

A Break and Broken

Sometimes I think I don't let things really sink in. As in I'm too often sitting here comforted that eventually God will show me the path he intends on me taking. I'm cool with that and I'll be as patient as he needs to be.

But damn.

Some days, I just want to cry. The downside is I don't cry (relatively that often) and so I don't do it. Instead, I hunker down in my room with my warm dog and listen to music that fits my mood. Those select days are the only time I actually let myself feel sorry for me. I don't enjoy whining that much and, with being who I am, I hate admitting I'm struggling. So when I do, I take full advantage of it.

But tomorrow will be another day and I know that when I wake I will once again be confident in God's plan and the fact that, eventually, things just seem to work themselves out in a way that makes sense. Until then though, I think I'll keep my music on repeat and escape into my comfort zone.

And So the Plot Thickens

Today means Book 4 gets its first dream sequence. We haven't had a dream sequence since Book 2 so it will be nice to revisit them. Writing an effective dream sequence in a fantasy/adventure book takes a lot of work but I was able to perfect my style with it during Book 2.

The best part about dream sequences is that you can use them to almost any end. From describing an innate weakness your character has to a fear he can't help but ignore, they are one of the most versatile tools a writer can use. Book 2's sequence mainly served to reveal to Roan where the climax would take place. Book 4's sequence is pretty close to 2's but this one actually shows Roan the end of the book before he even fully encounters the main plot. Plus, I've been looking forward to writing this plot for years now. It's been simmering in my head, waiting for the ideal moment to use a scene that lasts only a few seconds. Needless to say, I'm very excited.

Random Tangent: Book 4 is proving somewhat difficult to write. While the plans I had in store are certainly being used, my characters are proving to be a little stubborn. They refuse to do as I ask and are instead acting abnormally. I'm sure their behavior will made sense in the end and I know the beginning of a book is always iffy for characters (and writers) as they find their footing in a new world but until then I'm stuck trying to make sense of things.

Here's to hoping it looks a little better in the coming days.

Looking Back at All My Friends...

And I realize that they are all getting hitched, married, starting careers, and looking at beginning a family.

Me?

I'm here living on a farm with family and no job.

How does a girl tell herself that what she does in life isn't a bust?

How do I not compare myself to my peers?

Some things you just gotta ask.