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 A new year, a new blog, same mess of a writer. |
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It's been a while, but since the world is a mess, I might as well take a crack at this writing thing again.  I Write in 2019 ▼ 12 Stories in 12 Months ▼  |
| Date: 07.31.17 -- Day 47 Music: "Take Me As I Am" / Henry Ford So I'm doing that thing again. I had a short story I am in the stages of writing, which incidentally matches with one of the worlds I created long ago. That story was going to be a one-off. But then I thought of another story, which is probably going to end up be a novella. I mean, I should have known this was going to happen. Outlining is about asking questions. A writer is poking and pushing at the plot and the characters to understand what's happening. A push can get a scene to unfurl in the mind. At least that's what happens to me. So I pushed a short story, which spawned a novella, and poking that novella spawned another novella, and that novella spawned a campfire with my favorite writing partner in the world. At first, I was fighting it because I had a goal, damn it. But now it's about letting that goal float away for another time because, honestly, my brain could use a little love. The thing is I love world-building. Probably a little too much. If you ever have trouble with that aspect of writing, I'm your girl. There's just so much potential. Doing these stories is bringing me back to this world that is complicated and strange and complex, yet it is all too familiar. One of the biggest reasons why my brain decided that this was the time to come back to it was the fact that I have better questions than I did eight years ago. I've written more, I know more about the craft of writing, and I understand some of the pitfalls I had before. So tackling this again feels nice, different. I feel like I can do this story justice. If only I could chill with the new story ideas... |
| Date: 07.22.17 -- Day 46 Music: "I Found" (Mahogany Session) / Amber Run featuring London Contemporary Voices This particular song haunts me. Maybe it's the chapel or just the atmosphere, but this is just a lovely, lovely song. I found myself missing choir practice, which is strange because of my love/hate relationship with choir, but the arrangement of this song is beautiful as anything. If you're into acoustics, a cappella, or just striped down versions of songs, I cannot hype Mahogany Sessions  on Youtube enough. You might be surprised what musicians and singers have done a gig or two on there. Definitely worth a listen.  Life is funny. Sometimes in the humorous ha-ha jokes kind of way, and sometimes in the bitter laughter kind of way. This past week has definitely been the later. In these trying times, as my grandfather use to say. Sometimes I wish I could jump off this ride of life and catch my breath because there is only so much bitter laughter one can do before things get to be exhausting. And trying to find that balance in life, through the ups and downs of chaos, can be a pretty big challenge. Let's be honest, it just kind of flat out sucks. I try to remember it's the little things that help sometimes. I made a few jars of overnight oats, experimenting with a consistency that I liked. The recipes are meant for flat oats, but of course, there were only steel-cut on hand. Sometimes you just got to roll with what you got. I like them. It's covered me for meals that I would have just skipped because the physically pain of standing and cooking was just too much. I have this tendency to not eat when I'm in pain; it's a bad habit I've trying to work on. So I'm going to count that as a win. My father's hip surgery went well. Hopefully, it'll be his last. He's upbeat, hasn't had to shave for work in a minute, and is catching up on shows he missed. From the texts he has sent me and brief conversations, he's actually seems...happy? For a person who isn't necessarily the most jovial of people and just under the knife, he's doing well. So that's definitely a win. My mother wants to go to Norway in a couple of years. She starts a new treatment to help with her lungs in about a month, so the hope is that in 2019 she'll be much better, and that my brothers and their families and I will hop on a plane and head for Norway. I'm excited because she's excited. She's making plans, trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel in what have been the roughest years of her illnesses. It's a big win. My niece got her driver's permit. Two of my students got back from their family road trip safely. I got some new tea that tastes quite lovely. Some rain might be coming in, hopefully it'll help the fires up north. I still have two months before I need to head back to life in academia. All wins, big and small. There is point where the pain of life seems never-ending like a continuous wave that never seems to fully crest. But there is happiness there, too. Maybe it's not constant. Maybe it's just moments. But it's those moments that shine the brightest. And as balancing life becomes more difficult, one must pull out those moments, those memories to get through the next trial. So I'm going to hold on to these wins, try to remember them when things get tough, and continue forward, one step at a time. |
| Date: 07.20.17 -- Day 45 Music: "Skin" / Rag'n'Bone Man It's kind of amazing how things can change so swiftly in such a short amount of time. I was suppose to do a bunch of errands today, including a trip south to see my rheumatologist. However, in a snap, the appointment needed to be rescheduled. Then the order I was going to pick up was pushed back a day. And then someone I admired died this morning, taking his own life. Talking about any of that really isn't in the cards though. There is only so much rawness of being I can handle today, so I'm going to tackle that later on and divert my brain a bit; it seems like the kindest thing I can do for myself right now. This past month has been me trying to get back into short story writing as I've primarily dedicated myself to longer endeavors theae last couple of years, nothing of which is anywhere near finished. If anything, things seem to be getting bigger, broader, and longer, lol. My love for world-building can get the best of me sometimes. So my hope has been to get one short story finished by the end of the month. The original expectation was five, which I whittled down to three, and has finally rested at one given how fast I'm writing. (It's so slow, it's nonexistent.) The big problem, if you haven't guessed it, is that I will get an idea for a story and my brain runs with it a bit too much. The first short story, "Caught A Long Wind" , was suppose to be for a fantasy contest that is due today. There's just no way I'm going to finish on time. There's still too much to get all the parts done. I simply built the world too big. My second short story, "Blue Moon's Folly" , for a supernatural contest is ending up as a small part in a bigger universe I first started engineering back during my first NaNo in 2009. Needing to get the details right, I'm going back through files, trying to lay down all the pieces. It's kind of becoming absurd.Realizing how ridiculous this was, I took a break yesterday and watched a couple of movies I've been meaning to catch up on - Warcraft and The Last Witch Hunter. The first had potential, but the editing was a mess and all the emotional payoffs they were hoping for fell short because of it. The latter was actually pretty decent? I went in with low expectations, but the production was smooth and beautiful, and the story as a whole, until the end, was actually quite nice. It was a pleasant surprise. A surprise that my brain took as permission to ask questions, to make fresh stories, to create something new...and big. Why is it always big and grand? I should let it go. I mean, really, I should let it float away. It's not like a need a new idea or a new story that is wide sweeping and needs a boatload of tinkering. Yet here I am. I'm just not the kind of person to let stories slide through my fingers. At least not yet. So I'm going to arch it like I've been doing the others and just roll with the progression of everything. Because it's summer, and one of my few happy places, and this is what I do? Honestly, I want to see where it goes. I want to see what my protagonist can do with the lot she's been given. Maybe it'll take my mind off things and potentially help me process everything else. For a while I'll be in another world with different rules and potentially happier endings. I can live with that for today. |
| Date: 07.14.17 -- Day 44 Music: "Afraid" / Amel Larrieux Looking back on older writing can be a bit of trip. I've been going through my old portfolio and searching through different writings, some of which I've been deleting or making private because they're either really rough and problematic or just notes for a project I never finished. Oh boy. Some of this stuff is just...so much, lol. One of the things I've been trying to come to terms with is the ability to grow as a writer. You're most likely going to have cringe-worthy stuff. It's inevitable. It's necessary to work out what your voice is. This is where "it's the journey not the destination" truly proves its worth. The one that made me cringe and chuckle was a contest entry for "14 Days, 7 Prompts, 1 Story Contest" from back in 2009 -- "Harvest Lake" . (Full confession, I renamed it after reading through it.) My original intent to reading it again was to delete it. Out with the old, in with the new. I mean, it is pretty rough. I can be a concise writer, but this was moving at tremendous speeds for the characters I was writing, particularly the main character, Norah. Now, she sounds more petulant than a fully-developed character with any real dimension. And the tension between her and her ex-husband was a bit forced. It was really something that need more space than I gave it. Plus, the gotcha moment in the fifth entry, while trying to be subtle, can completely go over the readers' heads because I'm not that good of a writer to make that work.I say all of this, yet I couldn't delete it. It is a reminder of where I was as a writer eight years ago. It is a reminder that I want to get better. And maybe, just maybe, I can make it better. "Harvest Lake" has some potential. Maybe a revision project? (Some things never change, do they Batman is at 2343485  ?) Or maybe I leave it as is to remain that reminder that I was a different writer than I am now. There was points of potential in that story. May even have some of that potential left. Who knows? If I could recommend one thing, it would be to go through your archives and remember the writer you once were. Take that journey down memory. Wallow yourself in nostalgia. You might even be surprised by what you find. |
| Date: 07.12.17 - Day 43 (10th Anniversary!) Music: "24k Magic" / Bruno Mars Traditionally, the 10th anniversary is celebrated with tin or aluminum, but I think it's a gold kind of moment. It's kind of mind-boggling that I've been on the site for ten years, more or less. Writing has been a large part of my life, both on and off WDC. It's an uphill climb to be sure, but I do love it. It has become a part of me. Thank you so much to everyone who sent me a note or kind word today! Everyone here has been so kind and considerate over the years. No matter what page or story or shop you visit, you can see the hard work and cooperation of many who try to make WDC the best, from fostering new writers to commemorating the veterans. So here is a special thanks to all the Moderators, the contest runners and writers, the signature creators, the award coordinators, the workshop facilitators, the writing mentors, and most especially to The StoryMaster   & The StoryMistress  for such a lovely site.    Here's to ten more years!  |
| Date: 07.07.17 -- Day 41 Music: "The Chain" / Fleetwood Mac Learning how to outline a story has always been a problem for me. In the beginning, I simply didn't do it. My writing was all about free-thought and free-flowing ideas. As my disabilities began to kick in, I couldn't do that anymore. The brain just didn't have the power, captain. So outlining and I have attempted to become friends. Weird friends. Friends that do not always talk with each other about changes. However, practice makes perfect, and I definitely need the practice. Here are some tidbits about the short story I'm working on. Main Character: Merula. A traveling jester, once a great warrior in a far-off kingdom. Potential Characters: Aloma, Chelidon, Fiach, Lonan, Manu, Vireo, Gawain, Akos, Kestrel, Aderyn, Lark, Halcyon, Gwennol Sirins: "The Siren is essentially associated with sorrow and darkness—records tells us that a Siren would arrive on Apple Spas in the apple orchard full of sorrow but in the afternoon Alkonost emerges to rejoice and laugh. She also sang beautiful songs to the saints and foretold future joys, but they charmed humans (especially merchants) with their exquisite voices until they forgot everything related to earth, followed the divine creatures until they died of lethargy and perished in the sea." Gamayun: "The Gamayun, like the Alkonost, is illustrated as a large bird figure with a woman’s head. Her iconic image represents happiness, prosperity and harmony. She is essentially a messenger for peace and sings beautiful melodies. She is considered to be prophetic in Russia as she is aware of everything that occurs within the world including man and animal, and she knows all amongst the gods and heroes. She lives on an island in the East near the Euphrates River or Eden. The Pythoness is not usually depicted with the Alkonost nor Siren, she is permanently alone knowing the secret fate of humans and the world." Alkonosts: "The Alkonost exudes beauty and docility and, filled with contentment, flies around projecting a sound that is both exquisite and hypnotising. She enamours those who hear her voice and mentally immobilizes them until they disregard everything in order to hear her delightful melodies. Her eggs are laid on the sea-shore and then placed in the ocean. According to one version of Slavic folklore, she is able to regulate the weather to her liking; there is a calm before a storm for seven days until the eggs fully hatch." All of this information and more can be found at Ancient Origins . So my hope is to combine some of these myths in a fantasy setting, talk about how the set of these mythical creatures were banished, learned to survive on their wits, then were offered a chance to go home. It'll be a while, but this should be interesting. |
| Date: 07.06.17 -- Day 40 Music: "Overcome" / Laura Mvula featuring Niles Rodgers Finding inspiration for a story hasn't been a problem for a while now. Sometimes my brain has a tendency to create grand things out of the simplest of interactions, lyrics to a song, or the color of the sky if I happen to catch just write. I love my imagination for that, and I kind of...hate it, too. Trying to slam the breaks on something like a new story can be both frustrating and heartbreaking because I cannot give it the full attention it deserves. As it is, I know I will not be able to write out all the things I've imagined. There are simply not enough years in my lifetime. Idk if that's a "with great power comes great responsibility" issue or "all things come with a price" issue, but it's definitely an issue. To try and curve this problem, I've been writing in the different storyverses I've created for several years now. These are projects with at least five books, usually more, estimated within the series. It's a long, sometimes tedious process as my brain ain't what it used to be. However, writing those has left me no time to write poetry or one-shot short stories. The funny thing about this is that I used to hate reading novel series and promised myself never to read them. So my hope is to carve out some time while I'm on break from school to write some short stories that have no connection to each. Try to unhook the grand plan part of my brain and just write for the exercise. Maybe even attempt some poetry! To do that I've looked up some contests to get some writing inspiration. A quick shout out to all the contest runners and writers on WDC because all of you are amazing for dedicating your time to a contest. The ones I've been thinking about are:  "Fabulous Fantasy Contest " by A E Willcox  "Rhythms & Writing: Official WDC Contest" by Writing.Com Support  "Supernatural Writing Contest - Closed" by Jayne  "Paranormal Romance Contest" by Phoenix McKnight is 10  "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor "The Grim Reaper Contest - Closed " by Fictiøn Ðiva the Wørd Weava  Knowing me, I probably won't make it the finish line, although I would love to do just that. The main goal is to get that momentum flowing again. Dust off the cobwebs, crack my knuckles, and find some room for something that will not take volumes to finish. Let's see if I can stop myself from being me, lol |
| Date: 07.05.17 -- Day 39 Music: "Now We Are Free" & "The Rains of Castamere" / Tina Gao Travels update. I made it back. Kind of in pieces, but it was worth it. The experience was a life-changing weekend. I got to meet some of my distant cousins on my father's mother's side. It gave me a window into her life a bit, making her a bit less elusive. The amazing thing about DC is that I got see the National Museum of African American Culture and Heritage. I have no worries to explain what walking through the museum meant to me. So many emotions of pain, pride, and a small sense of peace. Like a part of myself settled into its rightful place. These are my people, and that I was able to share that experience with family made it more of a momentous occasion. I cannot recommend going and experiencing this museum if you're ever in DC. I was also able to spend some time at the African American Civil War Museum, which one of my cousins serves on their board of trustees. I was able to see the names of my ancestors on the monument standing in honor of the soldiers who fought during the Civil War. To be able to circle back and acknowledge them, even in a brief, silent moment to myself was something I still do not have words for. More than ever I wanted to let them know that we made it, that we remember them, and that they will not be forgotten. DC as a whole was not what I expected. Honestly, I had this image in my head that it to be taller, LOL. The heat and humidity were something else. It was already too hot before dawn arrived. But it definitely a place worth more exploration. I'd like to go back some day, walk the city more, get a better feel of everything. I'm not city person by any stretch, but if I had to choose a city to live, I think DC would actually be a place I wouldn't mind (except in summer because dear me that was intense; and I've done my time with extremely hot summers long ago). So I came, I saw, I experienced, I returned. Should be grounded for a while.   |
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Week 1: December 31st - January 6th:
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