Firefly

I thought I'd jump in on another flash fiction Tuesday Tales over at Stevie McCoy's blog. I know I should be working on something NANOey, but I FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT and found myself in-between projects. :) I'm trying to decide if I should begin my first round of edits (most probable) or start one of my new things (I really want to write my next novel idea, but I think I need to put it off another month or so)... I think I'm going to get another draft in quickly while things are still fresh (and hopefully correct all the major issues that I know of right now) then take a short break and try to write a picture book. Then I'll do a third draft and send things out to Alpha Readers/Beta Readers. I'm interested in seeing how this whole revising thing goes for me... *crosses fingers*

Enough about all that...I'll have a proper post on it shortly (or sometime anyway). Right now I'll let you read my 100 word Tuesday Tales entry with the secret word: Firefly and the following picture as the prompts:




ENJOY!

How am I not bleeding? My hands grope futilely for any sign of the transformation – a cut, a bruise, a scar. I’m whole and more. I peer into the darkness. The vile lies forlorn in the dirt, the last drops staining the ground. I quickly scoop the mud into the vile and cover the spot. A light flashes in the darkness. It’s blinding. I cover my eyes and move toward it. Another flash. I reach out and catch the firefly, marveling at the intensity of the light, or, more accurately, the acuteness of my sight. What have I become?

Grizzly Scene

Hahaha! I couldn't help but enter the 55 word challenge over at Jezri's Nightmares when I saw this picture:



I know I've not actually finished the last scene in my novel...but I really wanted to write this one! I needed a smile! Hopefully you enjoy it! :)

It was a grizzly scene. Cotton stuffing skipped in the breeze. A plastic eye rested nearby. The “fur” shell was sliced from shoulder to hip. It was shameful that he’d been tossed in the street. Ted E. had fought valiantly, but a squirt gun was poor defense from the ravages of a toddler with scissors.

Hehehehehe! Okay, back to NaNoWriMo... :)

Running

Okay, random mid-NaNoWriMo post... I was running this morning. I talk to myself. I decided I would show you a little bit about what that conversation looked like this morning as I did Week 7, Day 2 of Couch to 5K...

--After my 5 minute warm-up—

ME: She said to start running now…pick up those feet.

BODY: Ugh. Fine.

--1 minute later—

BODY: Can we be done now? I can’t breathe. And I’m running slower than I walk. Couldn’t I get more exercise by going faster?

ME: No. Keep going.

--1 minute later--

BODY: How about now? I still can’t breathe. Perhaps today is just not going to work out…

ME: Shut up. No more complaining. Just go.

BODY: *grumble, grumble* Can’t do it.

ME: Move.

BODY: Can’t do it. Don’t wanna.

ME: Shush.

--5 minutes later—

BODY: So…we’re gonna keep doing this thing?

ME: Yup.

BODY: *grumble* Fine. I guess I’ll try to be more efficient…

ME: That’s much better. Breathing really helps.

BODY: Are we done yet?

ME: Nope.

BODY: What about now?

ME: Nope.

--Let Us Love by NEEDTOBREATHE comes on—

ME: Ooooh, let’s pick up the pace now that we’re breathing and all…

BODY: What? I start breathing and now you want to go faster?

ME: It’s NEEDTOBREATHE! You always want to dance to this song!

BODY: Yeah, but…

ME: No buts, let’ go.

BODY: *totally doesn’t realize we’re going faster because it’s jamming*

--1 minute later—

BODY: This is fun, but now we’ve reached the hill again. I’m going to need to slow down.

ME: Nope. Keep going. The song’s still on, remember?

BODY: *gets distracted and jams again…up the hill!*

--Near the top of the hill the song ends—

BODY: Are we done now? Can I stop? *slows a bit*

ME: No. Keep moving!

BODY: But the song is over. I’m tired.

ME: *skips this song* Here, this one’s fast.

BODY: I like this song…it’s fine.

ME: Good. We’re downhill now.

BODY: Good thing. That’s the only reason I’m still moving…

--1 minute later, lady announces we have one minute left—

ME: Let’s sprint the last minute, go!

BODY: What? I don’t think…

ME: *skips song* Here! Happy Day! RUN!

BODY: I love this song! *increases to a full out run* I can do anything for a minute…

--1 minute later—

ME: Keep going. Let’s make it to the end of the block.

BODY: What?!?!? She said I was done!

ME: I know, but we can make it just two more short blocks! It’s only another minute or so!

BODY: But…

ME: No stopping now… Happy Day, remember?

BODY: *jams to Happy Day while finding it increasingly difficult to breathe* Can we be done yet?

ME: We’re not to the corner.

BODY: We’re to this corner. It’s far enough.

ME: Nope, that corner.

BODY: Please? Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe…

ME: Just 20 more steps…

BODY: Can’t breathe.

ME: 10 more…

BODY: Can’t breathe.

ME: 5 more…

BODY: Can’t breathe

ME: Okay, 10 more…

BODY: What? You said-

ME: Yeah, well, I’m a really bad estimator.

BODY: UGH!

ME: Okay, probably 5 more for real…

BODY: *reaches the corner and instead of collapsing Tim Hughes is saying “What a glorious, glorious day! I’ll never be the same!” and it can’t help but smile.*

--One minute later—

I’m singing Light Up the Sky with the Afters remembering how God was with me as he brought the dawn this morning while I was running. It’s amazing how fast my breath comes back to sing…

 

1 Corinthians 9:27a  “No, I beat my body and make it my slave…”

Lesson learned: Perhaps I should just listen to Let Us Love by NEEDTOBREATHE and Happy Day by Tim Hughes over and over again???

What do you think? Am I crazy, or does everyone else do this??? :)

NaNoWriMo FEATURED AUTHOR!!!! :)

For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I'm participating again this year. Yes, I'm crazy. :) Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to point you to a blog where I am a FEATURED AUTHOR! It's over at JuNoWriMo (which I also participated in this year). I really love the community of authors I've met through things like this! NaNo and JuNo as well as all the Flash Fiction blogs I follow have helped me to 'meet' many talented and encouraging writers! I am so blessed!

Anyway, the FEATURED AUTHOR page is just a little about what I'm working on for NaNo. If you're interested in reading it, please follow the link! Thanks for checking in with me! (disclaimer - no, not all the things you read there are actually true...basically meaning that I wrote it in the beginning of October and DIDN'T actually finish the first novel... :( ...I know, many of you are very sad, but hopefully that will change soon because I decided to spend the first week or two of NaNo to finish it before starting on the new one) Don't think worse of me. I tried. This month...it's been...yeah. But here's to a new month and NaNoWriMo!!!! :) Write on! :)

Still Searching

This week I made some time to jump in on Stevie McCoy's Tuesday Tales flash fiction contest. My life has been crazy busy lately and with NaNoWriMo this month, I probably won't be doing a lot of flash. But I'll be back in December... I'm glad I got in on this one because what's really fun is that I won an Honrable Mention! Yay! The secret word and picture are below! Enjoy!

Incendiary -adj

1.used or adapted for setting property on fire: incendiary bombs.

2.of or pertaining to the criminal setting on fire of property.

3.tending to arouse strife, sedition, etc.; inflammatory: incendiary speeches.

4. tending to inflame the senses

I walk with hands outstretched and the beads of condensation (so many possibilities) appear on my hands then flow into tiny rivulets that eventually pool at my feet. I wade through a sea of missed opportunities and wasted dreams. The edge is a scary place to be. Behind is blue sky and sunshine (at least I feel that way), but I’m moving beyond the comfortable. I’m chasing my dream, right? Then why is it like walking through a cloud? I need something incendiary to feel real again. I can barely see me anymore. Am I going the right way? Help.

Recusant

Hey All!

I've been on vacation. I didn't even have internet access for several days. I've hardly opened my computer in a week. I missed writing, but I had a lot of fun visiting old friends and family. Anyway, I'm back. Well...I will probably be MIA for November again (NaNoWriMo and all), so I knew I should get at least one post up before then.

Here goes: Tuesday Tales over at Glitterword, Stevie McCoy's blog, spoke to me. Alas, Menage Monday just didn't give me much to work with this week (which is sad because it's the last week) and I'm judging Motivation Monday, so this may be it this week. Anyway, the word for this Tuesday Tales and the picture:

recusant

\REK-yuh-zuhnt\, noun:

1. A person who refuses to submit, comply, etc

 

 

I'm not usually into zombies or zombie tales (we won't mention my zombie dream that turned into a 55 word challenge - because that was the only other one...), but the word paired with the picture gave me a fun idea. I hope you enjoy it! So, without further rambling...

 

 

 

I may have fallen to the epidemic, but I’m a recusant – I won’t become what they have become. At first I stayed in shadows and ate sushi, but the urges are stronger now. Restaurants are dangerous. I’ve decided to hole up here and order my meat delivered. I hope the carrier leaves it on the porch. I don’t want to risk him. I should take the food and leave. Already my fingers twitch. My neck is most certainly not twitching. I am in control. I will relax, in this chair, not twitching until…

The doorbell rings. I smell it. Meat.



 

Art Gallery

Here is my entry for Tuesday Tales over at Stevie McCoy's blog. This is a 100 word flash fiction contest. The prompt this week was the word Palter:

[PAWL-ter]-verb

To talk or act insincerely or deceitfully

1. To talk or act insincerely or deceitfully; lie or use trickery.

2. To bargain with; haggle.

3. To act carelessly; trifle

And the picture:



Shocker of shockers: I won an Honorable Mention for this one too! Wow! It's been a great week for me! :) Enjoy!

I wiggled my foot to try to get it to stop aching from these stupid heels. My converse would have been much more practical – or better yet, no shoes at all. Why had I agreed to come? Sure, the paintings were beautiful, but I was tired of paltering to this crowd who would see symbolism in every nuance of every brushstroke. Sometimes a tree is just a tree. A beautiful tree, but a tree nonetheless. I watched from the corner as an older gentleman was trying to palter for a lower price. Cheapskate. Matthew beckoned me over. Right. For him.