AYWN beginings

It's the last day of February! Which means, of course, that it's time for the first ever post of Are You Writing Now?. Which means I have to think of writing goals.

Goals are kinda hard for me, as I usually don't think of anything definitive and instead think thoughts like 'I would like to do this by this'. Which of course means lot of unedited and unfinished projects sitting around on my harddrive.

So, I'm bound and determined this month to:

• draw out the ending of Flicker
• finish the last chapter of my NaNo novel and start rereading it (not finish mind you, just start)
• seriously start looking into self-publishing avenues (I know, I know, I said I wouldn't do that to a piece until 50 rejections, but life has changed a bit since then, I'll write about that later)
• finish reading a book (any of my current 5 reads will do, I just have to pick one and focus on it!)

Ug, I've been sick for the past day and have done nothing but lay in bed or on the couch. It's at times like these I need a cat to cuddle with, but as I don't have one I've been watching videos of Maru. Isn't he cute?

Preping for April

April begins the A-Z Challenge, and to help get us in the mood (and not forget we signed up) there's another (albeit shorter) game of tag going on.

Are you signed up for the A to Z Challenge?

Why, yes I am!

What is your sign-up number?

...We have sign-up numbers? *goes to check* #461 I thought though this past challenge for the Platform Building Campaign was humungous. (I tried to read all the entries, but I don't think I managed half ;_;)

Are you ready? If yes...explain yourself.

Um, kinda. Maybe over prepared. Cuz I think of a blog post, think 'oh, I'll write that for April!', write the post, and then March is going to be dead. I don't have many written though, just planned. I get lost thinking 'oh! what a great post for 's'', but then don't know what day 'S' is and so I don't write and schedule it cuz I'm too lazy to find out XD

If you’re not ready...what’s your excuse?

Um, it's really hard to come up good tongue twisters. I'm planing on including one each post, but it really hard for letters that don't have a lot of words.

Fellow A-Z Bloggers, consider yourself tagged to answer these questions yourself.

Fellow bloggers who have no idea what this challenge is, go sign up ^_^ It'll be fun.

Tainted Sanctuary - Flash Fiction

Ooo, my first ever Campaigner Challenge. What fun! I do like writing challenges.

Today, the goal is to write a story in 200 words or less, not including the title. It must begin with "Shadows crept across the wall".

Optional challenge points include:

• end with the words "everything faded"
• use the word "orange" (check!)
  
• write in the same genre you normally write (check!)
  
• hit 200 words exactly! (check!)
  

Hoho, guys. My mind comes up with crazy things, I'm sure a couple of you will label this as 'creepy' again.

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Shadows crept across the wall of his sanctuary. No one was supposed to be here but him, it was his hiding place, his. It was where he could escape the screaming and yelling, the insults and pain. No one else was supposed to be here.

And yet the shadows still crept across the wall. They wiggled, moved, so that every time he retreated to this safe place in his mind, more of the sunset orange walls were swallowed by the inky shadows.

The fact that they moved kept Allen away from them, but playing in the opposite corner, he could still hear them. They hissed like snakes, grunted like wild boars, and crackled like fire. They scared him. But they didn't harm him, unlike those he lived with.

Devil-child, his mother called him. His father never said anything against it, just hit him. And as the shadows crept closer to him day by day, as they moved like flames and began to give off heat, Allen wonders if she is right.

Tentatively, he reached to touch a shadow, they are so close now he didn't have to leave his corner. The room disappeared, swallowed by shadows, and so was Allen.

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Now, I really should go study for my Calc test that's in a hour, but I'll read other entries soon. Promise!

Tag, You're It!

I haven't played tag since elementary school, but I remember there were so many versions. Color tag, TV tag, freeze tag. To bad I only remember the latter one. But I was introduced to a new version recently, Campaigner Tag!

I've been tagged by Jennifer Baker and Vikki, to answer 11 questions. Except, they've each given me 11 questions. Sorry guys, but you're in for a long post. You might want to make popcorn.

From Vicki

1. What thing have you written that you’re most proud of?
This changes a lot. I'm usually most proud of my most recent work, as I feel it's better than all the previous ones. In this case, a ghost story titled Flicker.
2. What are you working on at the moment?
Flicker. It's about a young girl in rural Wisconsin who has the ability to see ghosts, though the only that hang out near her house are those of animals. So she goes searching for human ghosts, with unexpected results. (Bah, I suck at summaries)
3. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years time?
Hopefully with a book/novella in the market and a career. I want to move out of my parents' place XD
4. You buy an old lamp, whilst cleaning it a genie appears…you know the rest lol. Your 3 wishes are?
Oh, I've had this one planned for ages. 1) To find 20 dollars under my pillow everyday (cuz it's too small of an amount to garner much attention, and I can totally live off of $20 a week for non-necessities. I'd slowly get rich ^_^) 2) To be able to speak, read, and write five languages fluently other than my native tongue (Greek, Spanish, Japanese, German, Elvish) 3) Fix my teeth, permanently. All nice and healthy with no problems in the future. I have such weak enamel it's crazy. I even use prescription toothpaste.
5. List 2 of your bad habits? Come on, we all have some.
I keep my laptop next to my bed. This means I stay up later than I should. I also have a hard time saying 'no' to sweets in front of me. Or rather, I can say no, but once I slip up once half of those truffles will find their way into my stomach.
6. If you were a superhero, what special power would you have?
Shapeshift. I always wanted to be an Animorph.
7. Tell us the name of one of your characters, one you really like?
I really like Shina, a character whose story is on hold. But Cydelle, who stars in Flicker, also has a name I like.
8. What scares you?
Honestly? ...drifting away from my friends when I move and not being able to make new ones.
9. Sum up your personality in 3 words?
Vibrant, crazy, and stranger shy. (let's call that last one a space compound word, shall we?)
10. Name 2 of your vices?
Selfish (I do NOT share my chocolate), lazy
11. Do you have a pet peeve/hate? What is it?
Repetition, on my end. When I have to repeat things, not so much when things are repeated to me. Depending on who's talking, of course.

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And from Jennifer

1. What literary character (any genre) can you most relate to & why?
Um, man that's tough. I can't say I have one, I don't really pay attention to stuff like that alot. Instead I tend to homogenize characters, as it I give them similar attributes to me in my head until I'm reminding otherwise. Even if the character is a 48 year old male, I usually don't think of him more than 5 years my senior unless there's a reason on the page to change that.
2. If you could choose between having six months to yourself to pursue your art in a great area with beautiful landscape to write and no worries on money, food, living arrangements but would not be able to have any communication with the outside world whatsoever, would you do it?
Yes. Writing and nature are two things that make me happy, and I've always believed that you have to rely on yourself for things before others. I could totally do it without much issue - I've been isolated before, but when I get back I would socialize like crazy.
3. What do you think is more important: true love or success?
At the moment, success. But that could be because I've never been in love.
4. What is usually the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
Hit the snooze button and roll over XD
5. Of all the books pubbed that you have had the pleasure to read which one to you most wish you’d written?
Well, Harry Potter, because it made a bunch of money! Lol, actually, I recently read The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle and fell in love with his prose. I wish I could write like that, with amazing, vivid prose, and still be remembered 40 years later.
6. Why do you write?
Because I have no choice. In all seriousness. Plots and idea invade my head to the point where I can't concentrate on things I should be doing, like studying, working, or even driving. (No joke, I totally didn't give a woman the right of way early this week). I find that more my sanity, I have to write. It gives me great joy, and awesome God powers.

But once a story is written, I find that I equally write to share. I get so much pleasure from posting a story, and receiving reviews along the lines of people's feelings towards the characters. I write to get a reaction out of people, to touch them, just as writing as a craft has left it's mark on me.
7. If you had to lose one of your senses which would it be? (And yes, I include taste in this.)
Would you believe me if while thinking about this, I kept on getting stuck on four senses? I couldn't remember the fifth! But then I recalled it was smell, but since I forgot at that one, I'm gonna say I can live without it.
8. What is the best memory you have? Have you ever used it in your writing?
What's your definition of 'best memory'? Something you think of and it causes you to smile? In that case, some of the ridiculous Skype conversations I have with my sister and our friend in Germany.
9. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I have a personal goal to visit all 7 continents, minus Anartica because I have no desire to go there. I've two short, but have plans for the one, and so I'd have to say someplace in Asia. Most likely Japan, because I'm a manga/anime fan.
10. What is your favorite thing to do before you write?
Turn on itunes. I love music, and can't imagine writing without it.
11. What is the food/drink item you go to most when stressed/upset/irritated? What is the food/drink item you go to most when happy/exuberant/celebratory?
In both cases, chocolaty treats. Brownies usually when I'm happy, cuz then I don't mind cooking, and just the bags of chocolate around the house when stressed.


Slag, that was more intense than I though it would be. And now, because this is a game of tag, some of you are the new 'it'! Normally, I'd say run away from them, but this was quite fun. While this started as a Platform Building Campaign pass-along (what do you call these these, blogging memes?), I've expanded it a bit because many people in my Campaign group have already been tagged.

Kaylie Austin
Jamie Dement
Sarah Pearson
Rebecca Bradley
S.M.Hutchins

(That's a rather pitiful short list to my eyes. I need to get out on the Webbernet more)
And now, the 11 questions you, if you choose to accept this mission, shall answer.

1) Star Trek or Star Wars, and why?
2)What book are you most excited about being released soon?
3)What childhood franchise do you wish would be rebooted?
4)How long have you been blogging?
5)What was the first story you ever wrote?
6)Describe in 3 words a character you're currently working with.
7)Favorite Disney movie?
8)Favorite family recipe?
9)Favorite TV crime drama?
10)What's your favorite thing to wear when writing?
11)What do you give up in order to have time to write?

Could I live with the Muppets? ...Nope. Don't think I could.

I wouldn't say I'm a gym bunny, but I do try to work out. Mostly it's in my basement (cuz it's free XD) but on Tuesdays I like to go to the gym on campus after class for a change in pace.

To be honest, it's not that spectacular of a gym. The tiny track (and I mean tiny, 16 laps = a mile) encompasses it all but the locker rooms and a room for classes. But the guy you check in with always makes me smile.

Yesterday, he asked everyone who walked by 'What movie would you like to live in?'

I was all prepared to answer with my favorite, Lord of the Rings, when I realized that if I actually lived in Middle Earth I'd probably not last very long XD

So then I thought, oh Harry Potter wouldn't be bad, but while my survival rate would be higher I'm not really that confident with it. I find Wii remotes really sensitive, I don't know if I could master the 'swish and flicker' motion need for certain spells. Also, I'd probably mispronounce all the spells.

To be honest, I still can't think of a good movie I'd like to live in. One adventurous, but not overly dangerous. Or maybe a romantic comedy, because they have a high survival rate and the possibility I'd actually find a guy is also good. But I don't watch rom-coms and thus have no idea which one is good for me.

Hopefully, you guys aren't as indecisive as me. What movie could you spend the rest of your life in?

Also, congratulations to Rek from A Chronicle of Dreams for winning a copy of Annalisa Crawford's Cat and the Dreamer!

Interveiw with Annalisa Crawford

I want to introduce you all to Annalisa Crawford, a fellow short story who blogs over at Wake up, eat, write, sleep. Today is a very special day for her, Valentine's day aside, as it's the digital release date of her novella Cat and the Dreamer!

As a teenager, Julia survived a suicide pact, while her best friend Rachel died. Julia’s only escape from her guilt, and her mother’s over-protection, is her imagination. When Adam arrives in the office, Julia’s world takes a startling turn as she realises reality can be much more fun than fantasy. Finally she has someone who can help her make the most of her life. But can she allow herself to be truly happy?

It's being published by Vagabondage Press.


What's your writing process like? Do you outline and then write at a set time everyday, or are you a discovery writer who goes on word binges?
I'm very spasmodic when I write. I'd love to have a set pattern, but then I also think that would be too much like 'work'. When I have a new idea, I write long-hand with a fountain pen, great splurges of words falling onto the page. That's the time I need to sleep with a pen and paper beside the bed, because sentences jump out of my dreams and I have to get them down or I lose them. Even on my subsequent drafts, I'll work myself into tiredness and headaches. Then, when I'm finished, I need weeks sometimes to recharge for the next project.

'Cat and the Dreamer' deals with a serious, not often heard about concept (suicide pacts). How did you come up with the idea? And what did you have to research the most?
There was a spate of news reports about people in suicide pacts, which unfortunately all ended tragically. I have a 'what if...?' mind, so I wondered what happened if someone didn't die, I wondered how they would reconcile themselves. I already had the main character Julia in mind, I just wasn't sure what her story was. She fitted perfectly into this story.


Where you always planning on this to be a novella, or did that just sorta happen?
I write the story I want to tell and don't consider the length at all. I have a very concise style - even at school I struggled to write essays to the required length - so I'm a short story writer at heart. Because of the length though, I assumed this story would never get published, so I'm really excited.

What surprised you about the publishing process for this story?
I don't think I'm surprised by anything, actually. E-publishing is so new to me, that when I'm told something, my response has been 'Oh okay.' I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing!

And just for fun, if you had the courage and funds, what crazy adventure would you go on?
It's not that crazy, and I wouldn't need courage, but I've never travelled, and would love to have a middle-aged gap year. If I took a notepad with me, I could call it research, I suppose.


So there you have it, the wonderful Annalisa! I wish you tons of luck today dear!

Edit now that I'm up and this is been live for half the day (I need to start waking up before 11 o'clock on school days) - Annalisa also has a copy to give away! The winner will be chosen at random from those who comment ^_^

Welcome to the Sleeping World

The last and final day of the I'm Hearing Voice's Character Blogfest. Thanks so much Cassie and Angie for hosting! It's been fun.

Today, we're supposed to display an emotion in 250 words or less. Tough challenge, so here goes! It's a very important moment for Lina - her first foray in the Sleeping World.

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She opened her eyes and was greeted by pain. Her vision went white because of it, a startling and unsettling change from her normal sightless blackness. It was too much, Lina collapsed backwards onto something soft. (Since when had she been standing? When had she collapsed onto anything softer than a wooden floor?) She closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away, but the whiteness followed her and if she wasn't already blind she surely would be now.

Lina gritted her teeth and opened her eyes for the second time. The whiteness was less harsh now, dimmer. And there were fuzzy black lines criss-crossing in the sky. Lines?

While blind, she had some sensitivity to light. She could tell when it was day and when it was night, her sight varying from a velvet black to a charcoal gray. But she had never seen shapes before, never seen two colors at once. Could she...could she see now? Was this what others saw, blurry shapes and dull hues and it was just lots of practice that allowed them to not walk into things or each other?

The lines above her head blurred and she panicked, she didn't want to lose this! Lina closed her eyes to rub at them and felt tears on her lashes. She paused, and slowly opened her eyes. There was a larger black blur, with thick lines radiating upwards from a round bottom. Hoping, but not expecting, she wiggled her fingers.

The thick lines moved.

She was looking at her hand, for the first time ever, and couldn't move it out of her line of vision to wipe at the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

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I want to thank all the wonderful people who've stopped by for coming over, and if you're looking for a writing accountability partner, the Are You Writing Now? group starts at the end of the month.

Lina rushes into a bakery, barely avoiding the door

Time for the second day of the I'm Hearing Voices Blogfest! Today, a brief introduction of characters, told (ideally) only in dialog. I...might have gotten carried away. Most things I write tend to become longer than I expect.

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Lina pressed her arms on the counter of the bakery and breathed in the scents with her eyes closed. There was bread, and pie, something chocolaty, and something with lemons. "And who are you, fille, to come staggering into my shop?" The voice reminded Lina of the tiny bells in the church in Barcelona.

"A spoiled brat," a gravelly voice snarled, Von. His voice always reminded her of the sound of pebbles landing on the cobblestone streets. "She charges into every bakery she can smell, and then makes this pout and the only thing I can do is offer up money for her snack."

"It's because you have no willpower." Lina opened her eyes and turned to face him.

"It's because you're a Spanish devil."

"And you're a Swedish angel?"

"Of course flicka, didn't I ever tell you about how I saved a man from drowning?"

"Really? I thought you actually-" there was a hand over her mouth. She ran her tongue over the fingers, and the calluses told her it belonged to Von. He had long since gotten used to her tongue treatment, and didn't remove his hand.

The baker laughed, and Lina turned her head to catch the sound better. "What would you like?"

Von lowered his hand, allowing Lina to speak. "What's the one that smells like lemon?"

"Is it too low on the shelf - oh." Ah, she had noticed Lina was blind. Took her long enough. Well, she did come in with her eye's closed. "It's a danish."

"I'll take that one."

"And you, sir?"

"We have to to work tonight, so he wants a meat pie?"

There must have been a visual communication between the two adults, for Lina didn't hear anything about Von getting one or not, but she heard two things being placed on the counter.

"Work?"

"I...work with lanterns." Von offered. It was close enough, Lina assumed. "We just came from Colmar."

The silence that followed was very heavy, and Lina could hear the woman hastily step back. "We just got word that the town was all taken by the Plague. No survivors."

"Yes, we walked around it, of course."

"Through it," Lina whispered to herself, and was going to follow with 'killed it' but Von's hand over her lips again stopped her.

"Of course," but the bell voiced woman was still wary of them. Von quickly paid and they left, his hand on Lina's right shoulder to steer her.

"Just because you don't mind out job, doesn't mean others won't." He hissed in her ear as they walked along. Lina pouted, more from a lack of danish than his comment. But he'd give it to her eventually, he always did.

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Gah, really had to reevaluate her character and story while I was doing this. I originally had souls as lightbulbs, but I'm pretty sure those didn't exist during the Dark Ages. Also, really need to start listening so I can incorporate hearing more. The first draft of this mentioned Lina looking at something, and then I remembered she's blind.... XD

Also, I kinda like this idea of having a blog topics picked for me, so I signed up for the next Writer's Platform Campaign. Plus, I've been thinking of blog post and writing them for the A-Z challenge in April and needed to write you guys something during March.

Proof Lina's a keeper

I have never, never won anything for my writing. I've entered contests to no avail, and to be honest didn't feel that bad about not placing. I entered, and that's more than some people do. So I was really, really tickled (actually, enthusiastic and getting sushi to celebrate! I swear, people are giving me strange looks in the lab as I smile at random intervals) to see that I placed for the flash fiction blog hop I wrote for last month. Kinda funny how it was Lina I wrote about, and now I'm blogging about her in the I'm Hearing Voices Blogfest. Maybe it's a sign, that I really do need to write her story. First up though, get rid of the kinks!

Thanks very much Lille, Angie, Daniel, and Angela for creating such an awesome blog fest!

Lina on a Couch

It's the I'm Hearing Voices Blogfest!

I have to admit, I had no idea who to blog about when I first signed up, but when Lina appeared late last month, I knew I had to get to know her better and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. So, without further ado, I bring you Lina (last name as of yet unknown)!

Today's session is a Q&A.

So Lina, what's your biggest vulnerability?

Well, being blind doesn't help me, nor is it a secret. It's hard to get around, but Von's been helping for a bit now and that's nice of him.

What do people believe about you is false?

For some reason, when people see that I'm blind they also think I'm dumb and deaf. I heard 'she's blind, she can't tell anyone anything' several times when I lived on the streets. I always found it funny.

What would your best friend say is your fatal flaw?

Von says I don't have ambition, that I'm like a lamb doing what the Order tells me to do. He's always breaking rules and doing his own thing, while I just sit tight until we have a mission.

And what would he say is your redeeming quality?

When I'm in the Sleeping World, I don't shatter the souls of the people I kill like the others. Von always smiles at me when he sees how my collection of souls has grown, says I'm too good of a person, too kind. I think that's the only thing he likes about me. Most of the time he just calls me a little kid and grumbles about having to take care of me.

What do you want the most, and what will you do to get it?

I don't want anything. I mean, I'm happy where I am. I used to live on the streets of Barcelona, but now that I'm with the Order I always have food, a bed, a roof. What more should I want? Though, I do like sweets. I always beg Von for a pastry when we walk by a bakery and I'm not above shedding tears to get one.



Gah, my answers are two words over the word count. Please don't be angry, super awesome hosts Cassie and Angela!

Come back Wednesday for more!

Also, for those of you who were interested in joining the Are You Writing Now? accountability group, sign-up is now open!

What do you want from a beta reader?

I recently beta read a book for a friend, and now comes the difficult part - writing about his work. I left comments in the document as I went along, but I'd like to include in my e-mail a basic overview of what I found. But it's really, really hard to write. What should I mention first, what tone should I use? Plus, while I loved the book, I read it with the mind set of critiquing it so what's stuck in my head more has been what could be fixed than what went right. But I don't want to give this big list of what's wrong. I want to be balanced, and supportive.

So, what would you guys as authors like to see from your beta readers? Do you even want an e-mail, or maybe just the marked up copy? Do you want lots of details? (in a creative writing class I took, we had to list three faults and three good things and the later tended to be things like 'the imagery was great, especially this line: line) Or just an overview? Funny little comments? What would make you feel better about opening an e-mail you've noticed the last three times you logged onto hotmail and decided again opening?