I’m a lost girl now!

It’s been a loooong time since I posted.  Too close to a year for my comfort. I do have reasons, but they have become repetitive and are beginning to feel more like prison bars. And  I waant tooo break freee, free from these bars. I’m not satisfied, I don’t need these. I’ve got to break free.  ‘Kay, that’s enough butchering of Queen lyrics for now.  😀  I haven’t stopped writing. I’m just finding very difficult to focus between uni, seizures, pain and side-effects of meds.  I look back at Susan McCloud and feel a mixture of happiness that it worked out so well and slight annoyance that I struggle to write in bulk.  Even 10 months later she still feels like a dynamic character whom I’d love to continue writing.

Here’s an early version of an as yet untitled fic I’m working on with my sister utilizing Inklewriter.  Cerberus was a character she came up with, but it was my job to bring him to life on virtual paper.  I wanted to post the text here but that would require the creation of multiple pages to achieve the interactive effect.  Please ignore the bit at the end. I put text there as a place holder and my sister thought it would be funny to see how long it took me to notice she’s changed it.  And what kind of sister would I be if I didn’t respond back.  We are also describing our dog… A chihuahua mix.

Saturday Six

I have pulled out a second piece today. I really was not expecting to manage another short with my headache but I’ll take it as good occupational therapy today.  The prompt I have used for this one has be borrowed from Saturday Six run by Kristi Simpson. The prompt I used for this one was to write a description about a major character from another character POV.  As you will probably tell from the following the novel I am writing is a supernatural romance.  The protagonist is Susanne, and from her POV the plot makes a hell of a lot more sense.  If you are having trouble writing a scene or element I really do recommend a change of speaker.  Through using my lead male voice for this section I had realized aspect of their relationship that I was unaware of before – key points of which could trouble for my protagonist down the line. I actually feel sorry for her… Her love interest is idealizing her for doing her job.

Chris let out a sigh.  He was in a very awkward position. Susanne’s deep, rhythmic breathing was causing warm puffs of air to caress his neck as she relaxed into his shoulder.  Her palm was warm against his where their fingers were intertwined. It was a bad combination. He could feel his palms begin to sweat as his temperature shot up a 100 degrees.  His eyes traced over her neat, angular features, admiring the look of intense concentration she wore even in her sleep. There was an uncomfortable shifting from Mark, on her opposite side, who bore the look of the third wheel. Chris cast his friend an apologetic look, bringing himself back to reality.

Chris knew they had word to do, but he found himself in a complete state of disarray where Susanne was concern.  He was slipping dangerously close to idol worship but it was not something he stop.  It was through her that he had gained a life again. His talent had left him unable to interact normally. He had lived in a constant state of anxiety; he could so easily bring harm to others. He knew Mark felt the same; the two of them had lived a lifestyle on the run for fear that they may be discovered for the monsters they believed themselves to be. It was a great irony that in fulfilling this very fear Susanne had saved the pair.

Susanne, in discovering Chris and Mark, had opened a door for them they had not known existed. With a gentle acceptance she had washed away the shame and fear the pair had carried and enfolded them into community of fellow talents. For two isolated individuals as themselves, this sense of community was far move then they ever expected, but Susanne had taken it one step further and found them teachers to aid in the mastering of their individual powers. The control he had learned had opened up his life in ways he had long since given up on. However, mastering his ability had led him to a discovery he had not expected.  His power far outstripped that of the capable woman at his side. This realization had caused an up-welling of concern for Susanne, who’s job frequently put her in danger. It was as the sleep net Susanne wove pulled him into a state of unconsciousness that he realized equally important: his power was nothing. The ease in which Susanne had pulled him unknowingly into a sleep state made him painfully aware that power was nothing to her delicate skill. As she held out her had in the dreamscape she had created she soothed his helplessness with the words, “Ready to lend a hand?”

The strength in a Smile.

Today’s writing challenge comes from Athelas Hale of Red Lettering.  Unlike most of the writing challenges in which I participate this one does not have word limit, so I guess I could have done a longer piece.  However, I have a bastard of a headache today; thanks to poor sleep and the after effect of my craniotomy. Therefore I have left it short and sweet. Please feel free to leave a comment on constructive criticism.

The strength in a smile.

“How do you wish your Father to remember you? A girl weeping in sorrow? Or a young woman bearing pain with a smile of hopeful joy?” The woman whispered to her daughter who clung to her waist as though she might be taken too. As the girl wiped snotty tears on her mother’s dress she was aware of how young her child was. She was aware of the trembling shoulders; aware of the stifled sobs. Her child turned towards marching knights, face now tempered with a forced smile. Her resolution was clear as she waved to the knights, as though her Father was simply off to market, rather than the bloodshed of battle. Then as she watched her husband leave, a surge of solemn pride welled up within. Her husband with his fears aside and the strong woman they had raised.

Kick her to curb

This flash fic was written for Jeremy’s daily challenge. I was attempting to get in as many references to the prompts as possible.  I feel 50/50 about this piece, I been having difficulty concentrating today and it’s affecting my feeling for prose.  However, that precisely when I should be practicing my work ethic towards writing. 🙂

Majestic. Not a word he used often. He had not seen snow before. A pure white blanket blazing in the sun; glittering from branches and creating shimmering halos on distant mountain tops. The man stood leaning into the car door, engine thrumming as it idled away. This was truly worth the long haul, he thought, trapped in his private reverie.

POP. He glared his companion. Chewing gum. A cow chewing cud made less noise. He felt a vein throbbing in his temple as he watched her play disinterestedly with her phone. He had lost count of the sights that had passed her by as she bitched about lack of sockets for her straightener or begged to be taken to nearest mall. The woman had shined like Aphrodite in the suburban streets; with her bleached hair, smart blazers and jewellery as colourful as peacock feathers. Weeks on the road had shattered that illusion. Out here, she is sewage in the snow, he thought with a terse step into the car. As he griped the steering with his fingerless driving gloves he decided that the question was not ‘why did I bring her along?’ but ‘where can I leave her?’

The blackout – Friday fictioneers

Writing challengers, I’m Baack! (Okay, little hyper right now, please forgive me.) It’s a while since my last attempt at a challenge so I thought I would start off with Friday Fictioneers, a personal favourite, courtesy of Rochelle. The photo prompt provided is copyright to Jean Hays, for reference, and the word limit is 100 words. Perfect practise for concise, targeted writing. Actually wish I had started these challenges before my degree; would have helped so much with the assignments. Okay tangent over, on with the post: The Blackout.

Illinois, USA. Stacey stared at the sign. “What. The. Hell?”
Stacey paced, wide berth given despite the noon crush.
“Pockets… …!” Passport… Flight ticket?! Stacey held the last item up. “The hell?”
…I should check my phone!
No carrier… Ah! Latest text! Mum: Pull the other one, it has bells on! Eloping?!
…
… …
! I eloped?!
She strained to remember the day before. “So. Much. Alcohol.” Stacey shuddered.
“Stace, you okay?” Stacey iced up as a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around to see… Her younger brother’s best friend, Ryan. “Well, at least I nabbed someone cute,” she remarked numbly. Nice; he should blush more often.

As you can probably tell I was experimenting with punctuation use here. It was fun.

The lion and wolf.

This one got re-written so many times. But I feel it was worth the effort. I’m actually kind of proud of this one now. Ironically, the inspiration for this was from a rather sad dream I had. Seriously, almost woke up in tears!

Lion and wolf

Tip of an iceberg
Feelings unknown.
The lion roams far from home.

Lion, he spoilt the kit,
Left the fridge neat and labeled,
But forgot the food on the table.

The wolf howled,
Feelings flung to the moon,
For her, a bitter farewell.

Though the parting was long pass;
The lion roamed in the grass
And the wolf followed the moon,
Both believing their meeting inopportune.

The wolf watched an iceberg drift
lion’s feelings buried deep with in.
That which she would never know,
only descendants could ever show.

No longer bound
By love and label
The wolf left the kitchen table.

The kit, now a cub,
Grew wild and free,
Lion but a distant memory.

Ill-fated meeting
As planets aligned
Too different in nature
For paths to remained entwined.

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12 lumps of coal

(card avaliable here)

 
I don’t know what to say… This was supposed to be satirical but instead it’s jaded bah-humbug. But, here we go the 12 days of Christmas: coal version. It’s important to remember that a lot of nasty surprises still occur over Christmas, like any other time of year.

12 lumps of coal.

On the first day of Christmas,
Santa give to me
A list of medical fees.

On the second day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On third day of Christmas,
Santa gave to me
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the fourth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the fifth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the sixth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Six people fighting,
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the seventh day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Seven children a sneaking,
Six people fighting,
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the eighth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Eight cars a crashing,
Seven children a sneaking,
Six people fighting,
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the nineth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Nine laced drinks,
Eight cars crashing,
Seven children sneaking,
Six people fighting,
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the tenth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Ten cracked ribs,
Nine laced drinks,
Eight cars crashing,
Seven children sneaking,
Six people fighting,
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

On the twelfth day of Christmas
Santa gave to me
Twelve lumps of coal,
Eleven missing teeth,
Ten cracked ribs,
Nine laced drinks,
Eight cars crashing,
Seven children sneaking,
Six people fighting,
Five bloody noses,
Four weeping wives,
Three fractures,
Two broken legs,
And a list of medical fees.

Long long ago

And low, I had a childish moment. 🙂 Musing behind this moment can be found here.

Inny meani miney moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If it weeps
Let it sleep
For the mindless days
Of childish ways
Have lost their attractive glow.

21:00 Coffee time!

I have been more then a little lax in updating recently. After months of silence because of plain-crazy work schedule I had hoped to start posting regularly again. At the moment, though, it does not seem to be happening. My brain simply does not want to cooperate no matter how much coffee I give it. It just want to remain in lethargic, cognitively deprived state. Even if I feel inspired I don’t have enough brain power to get the inspiration down in written form. Unfortunately, there is a ridiculously good reason for this.

At the end of august I began to have seizures. Not little ones; nice, aggressive grand-mals. An MRI later and I was told I had a lovely tumour growing in my brain. In addition to starting anti-convulsants in August, I had the tumour removed in October. My brain has been through a lot, and I seem intent on not resting the poor thing. But, hey, no rest for the wicked, right?

Chocolate

Here’s another from my other blog. This is the last to transfer. Now I actually need to start writing again. Damn.

Cocoa, so simple
Heady and sweet
Our little treat
Cocoa, so nicely sweetened
Our little sweet
Late in the night
A welcome site
To be received
Every eve