Dreams of the Dead

Last Wednesday for the ROW80 blog, I challenged my fellow ROWers and myself to share an image or paragraph of what sort of writer I aspired to become during my ROW80 journey.  I didn’t think of how hard this might be for me (and likely others).  Hitting a moving target tends to be more difficult than not, even when the target is barreling upon you.

Sometimes you just want to jump out of the way…

Still, I have a picture (or two) that might somewhat fit within the parameters I’d set.

Here’s the first, a picture from AnthronCon 1998 (our second convention and that last held in Albany, NY).  Taken during the panel where we were passing along the crown from Aloyen to Uncle Kage, this picture, while a horrible one of me (I’m the giggling one not really in frame), it shows joy, playfulness, an interest in sharing ideas with others, and being part of a vibrant community.

All Hail Uncle Kage! (photo cred Aloyen)

This second fits my other half…  the person who looks at what was and tries to picture the stories that lived during those time.  My husband took this in 2005 at Audley End House in the gardens (which are magnificent).  I’m listening to the audiotour for the site and looking up at a large plinth (the stature on it long-since toppled and broken) and trying to figure out why the inscription was done in cuneiform.  So many stories there… not the least being my ubiquitous Reebok sneakers and the long-suffering jean-jacket that’s been to England every time I have.

Lastly, this blurry, but all-the-niftier-for-that image my son took of me in Bristol Cathedral this fall.  I like it because it’s vague; being a black & white image, it evokes something “old” while oddly being one of the more recent photos I have of myself; and I’m looking up at the beauty and wonder around me, almost breathing the ghost-like memories of the multitudes that walked through these cloisters with me.

Cloisters, Bristol Cathedral (cred Marcus Mabee)

If nothing else, I hope these images show that I aspire to continue growing and learn, discovering and experiencing.  The writer I wish to be is based on the person I am now, a bit of a dreamer, a bit social, a bit of an introvert, the kind of person who finds and develops wonder in the world around her.  You may notice there aren’t any pictures of actual writing here.  That because the words on the page need inspiration…  they need stories to be recorded.

These pictures are about where the stories come from and hopefully where they will go as well.

ROW80 check-in

Nothing exciting to report here.  The daily writing has gone well.  I also got some photos edited and even tried a new technique [new for me that is] of creating and combining layers for an HDR-like image of the moon (for those of you who’ve seen it posted to FB already, apologies).

An HDR test

Something that’s been bothered me since this Round of Words started is how hard it has been to get my head into a space where I can finish my Futurelearn classes.  Something always demands my attention these days (usually househunting stuff, but sometimes story ideas).  This may be a goal that needs to be set aside until the move is over.  I’ll probably replace it with reading more library books since I can do those in the car or away from my PC and we have a lot of traveling coming up.

WIPpet

Lastly, here’s the next bit of this opener to my Ice Queen Beyond fanfic.  It’s not a big snippet, but next week the scene changes to the crew of the Pride of the Skies in another part of the galaxy.

Five sentences (or two paragraphs) with a repeat of the last paragraph from last week’s post, Safe:

He waited the count of twenty then nudged the door, cracking it enough to hear the sounds of water running from Brüan’s bathroom. In the line of light from the hall, he finally saw the few folds of black cloth and gold braid laid out like a tease on the back corner of the sofa. ‘Listii weighed his chances, then darted in and grabbed up the pile. Not doing more than step into his breeches, he snuck back out with the rest of the pile under his arm.

*

Opening the door to his own quarters let enough light in to remind him of why he’d taken Brü up on her offer to spend the night. Still, better to not miss morning rolls again just because he’d hoped to miss Chaz snoring.

Quietly, but not so carefully, ‘Listii stepped over to the closet and gathered a few spare blankets and pillows. These he draped over the chair as opposed to the sofa bed. There, he settled back in and tried to recover his dream and maybe find out why, so many years after her death, he was dreaming about Atyr again.

If you enjoyed this, why not head over to the WIPpet linky and visit some our other awesome members? WIPpet Wednesdays are hosted by Emily Wrayburn at Letting the Voices Out.

Safe

 

Hey Hi!, Not even going to make a separate section for my ROW80 check-in today.  Not a lot to report there, just same old, same old, steady progress.  Taking the kid to Dave & Buster’s in an hour.  Maybe the chaos of the place will wash over me and I’ll find my brain transported back to the cozy of my story worlds where words just wash over me.

I’ll also bring my art supplies, since I started a new drawing and would like to refine that some.

That’s about it.  Onto the….

WIPpet

Sorry for the long entry today.  You know how you sometimes get to that point where things just “feel right” before you need to transition to the next part of the scene?  I was one paragraph away from that here, until I realized I could just add that paragraph and get the date as my maths.

So, here you go, 16 sentences for the 16th of January from my Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors fanfic Beyond Ice Queen.

‘Listii didn’t feel like explaining to Brüan’s son yet again why he was coming out of her room naked.

Taking slow, cautious step by slow, cautious step. Touch in with toes, lean in, settling on the ball of the foot, ‘Listii never fully placed his weight on one foot for long. A hint of a rustle in the carpeting might have marked his passing. The doors to the bath and the hall closets may have made some noise as he opened them though he held the latches an knobs from clicking back into place. He couldn’t hear himself though and figured he was safe.

He resisted surrendering to the frustration that threatened to break free of his training as he slipped from room to cabinet to box and corner nook and only managed to find a towel to wrap around himself beyond Qorith’s robes. Beyond running a finger over the cloth a few extra stokes, ‘Listii left them as his friend had the day he’d died.

Sparing a glance down the hall he’d just left at Kainan’s room, he noticed the glow of the boy’s reading light flicker as the youth walked past his door. ‘Listii slid to his left and grabbed the handle of the apartment door. The knob clicked under his hand. Down the hall, Kairun opened his own door. Careful to not let in too much light from the barrack’s hall, ‘Listii eased himself out, quickly wedging a ball of the towel corner into the latch plat before closing the door behind him.

He waited the count of twenty then nudged the door, cracking it enough to hear the sounds of water running from Brüan’s bathroom. In the line of light from the hall, he finally saw the few folds of black cloth and gold braid laid out like a tease on the back corner of the sofa. ‘Listii weighed his chances, then darted in and grabbed up the pile. After not doing more than step into his breeches, he snuck back out with the rest of the pile under his arm.

Hope you’re enjoying these snippets.  If you’re interested in more (or would like to add your own work to our little bloghop) head over to the WIPpet linky.  And don’t forget to visit some our other awesome members.

WIPpet Wednesdays are hosted by Emily Wrayburn at Letting the Voices Out.

Principles and Decency

Welcome back to another ROW80/WIPpet Wednesday post where I share the progress I’ve made towards my goals in the Round of Words in 80 Days challenge and snippet of my most recent Work In Progress with some other fellow writers for the fun of it.

ROW80

Small gains would be how I’d describe my progress since Sunday.  I’m in a bit of a tizzy in some ways.  I adjusted my goals somewhat since they were making me feel pressured to do too much at once, and yet…  what do I do once I know I have a lighter load?  I relax more and accomplish even less.

Maybe I need the pressure of having too much on my plate to get moving?  Maybe I needed the recuperation time?  Dunno…  a few days won’t make or change things in fulfilling my One Goal to Rule Them All.  And maybe I’ll learn something about myself on the way.

It is rather frustrating though that I haven’t started a drawing since last year 😉 and beyond looking at my assorted directories full of photos to upload two older drawings to my Deviant Art profile, I’ve not touched the non-writing creativity bits.

At least exercise and eating are improving.  And my average daily wordcount has rounded at 900 words…  though not all of it has been worthy of even story consideration.

WIPPET

Today’s WIPpet follows on Wrong, my post from last week.  Right now I’m trying to figure out what direction I want this piece to take (I’m totally pantsing this Jayce & the Wheeled Warrior fanfic).  For a few days I went on a huge “why does this have to be a fanfic at all” binge and wrote pages of character motivations and history to see if I could justify making it one (or not).  The fanfiction elements won out…  but we’re not touching it yet.  We’re still with ‘Listii in the middle of the night…

I offer you 10 sentences for today,  for January (1) and the day (9th).  And I gave you an extra paragraph of last week’s entry for context.

Before he dwelt to long on his lover’s actions, he set his feet on the floor. How? he wonder as he curled his toes. Two centimeters of wool pile and it still felt like he was stepping on ice.

Mincing his steps, he felt around for where Brü had hidden his clothes this time. Woman never could leave well enough alone. Didn’t even have the decency to apologize for making him late for classes. More than once she’d done that, and twice on an alarm… And ‘Listii refused to wear her husband’s old robes, even for a quick walk from her apartment to his.

There were some principles he hadn’t given up on yet.

After some searching and shuffling in the brisk air, he left Brüan’s room, expecting to make a mad dash to the bath. Instead, he paused, letting the subtle warmth of the hallway envelop him and melt into his chilled bones. He only moved when he heard a rustle from three doors away where Kainan looked to still awake, maybe reading or studying.

‘Listii didn’t feel like explaining to Brüan’s son yet again why he was coming out of her room naked.

I hope you enjoyed this sample of my writing.  If you’d like to see some more snippets from other authors  head on over to the WIPpet linky. WIPpet Wednesdays are hosted by Emily Wrayburn at Letting the Voices Out.