The teenagers sat side by side. "What is it like to live with a dead person?" he asked. She looked down. Then she looked up again and stared at the horizon. He knew what she meant. He was living with a dead person too but had never admitted it to anyone else. He sat closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not crazy," she said. "I know..." he whispered. "She's just dead inside and she doesn't know it." He nodded. That's when he knew he would be the one to take her away from it all.
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Pick One
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| Time Remains |
Pick one, they said. Yeah. Easier said than done. There were so many wonderful pieces available and he just couldn't choose one. So, he decided to do what anyone else would. Flip a coin, right? He smiled. OK, that one will do fine. Everyone said he was always distracted and this time he would prove them wrong. This was just perfect. A March! There! When he was kicked out, the groom's father was foaming at the mouth and roaring "This is the bloody Funeral March, the Funeral March". He just whispered "Well, the poor bride didn't look that happy anyway".
Monday, December 14, 2020
Still
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| Milk Wood |
He looked outside. Nothing... He squinted and felt trapped. The river was still there, flowing freely. But where were they? No boats, no whales, no dragons. They weren't coming after all, were they? He squinted again and thought he saw a... No, nothing. The people here mustn't know he was expecting them. Then the horn sounded. Alarm, alarm. He rushed back to the window, but... "Ronnie, what's going on?" He shook his head. "Come on. It's time. Let's get you bathed." He knew one day they'd come and rescue him. "And don't forget to take your pills," said the nurse.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Puppet No More
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| Gehena Vampire Clan |
She hated being a puppet in his hands. What gave her some peace was walking down the pathway with the old trees. One day, she noticed something shiny to the right. A marble perhaps? The next day, she brought some beads and left them there. And that's when the gifts appeared on the pathway. First a bit of glass. Then, a button, an old key. It made her smile. It gave her strength. And she said "no more". She walked away from him, for good. Today, she still walks that pathway, exchanging gifts with her new friend, a very generous crow.
Friday, December 4, 2020
NaNoWriMo Pep Talk
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| Milk Wood |
NaNoWriMo 2020 Pep Talk for the Virtual Writers blog. Posted here for my future reference.
Milk Wood, Virtual Writers
Lizzie Gudkov
November 7, 2020
Time usually flies pretty quickly when we're immersed in a writing project. Yet, it seems to fly even quicker in November! After the fast-paced, highly motivated writing happening at the beginning of the month, your writing pace seems to be slowing down. And you're panicking, right? I know I am... What can we do?
I'm sure you've heard it all before. Write this way, don't write that way, take notes, don't take notes, keep going, take a break. What?! Get me out of here!!
No! Don't go! You cannot give up. Writing is tough. Yes, it is. Life happens. Yes, it does. However, giving up is not an option.
So, here are five ideas to get you unstuck during NaNoWriMo®!
And Then What? – if you go beyond the end of your story, what happens then? What can you bring into your plot from what happens outside its framework?
You Are a Character in Your Own Book Now! - What if YOU waltzed into your own story? Would you admonish one of your characters? Would you encourage anyone? Would you rearrange the furniture? *grin* Would you get annoyed and go wash those dirty dishes in the sink yourself? Get your characters moving around you, and *evil grin* eavesdrop on what they are saying about you behind your back!
Upside Down – what if the good became bad and the bad became angels? How would your terribly evil character act as an angel? What would he do if you told him he has to behave? You can even sneak inside your story again and tell him yourself. How would he react? Would he throw a tantrum? Ha!
A Wombat? A Shoebill? A Glass Frog? - transform all your characters into animals and see how they would relate to one another. Try to think of unusual animals. Make one hate the color of the other! Or love it, and be extremely annoying because he wants to take a photo for his social media!
Who Are You?! – what if a character from your favorite author decides to waltz into your story? How would your main character react? What kind of impact would it have on the other characters? Would all your characters, friends and foes, unite to expel him from your story? And how about the story itself? How would it change? Could there be any secret alliances in the making after this unexpected intruder was kicked out?
These are only a few fun activities that will trick your brain out of being stuck. Will they help increase the word-count? I don't know. Will they trigger fresh ideas for your plot? I really don't know. But one thing will happen for sure. You will not give up!
Keep writing. You can do this!
See you at Milk Wood. :)
Lizzie
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Lizzie Gudkov is a fiction writer born in Portugal. After a career as a teacher of English, she rediscovered writing. In her blog http://lizziegudkov.blogspot.com, she features fiction mostly (micro, flash and short fiction), but also poetry and a few opinion articles. She is also a six time winner of the NaNoWriMo and a five time winner of the Camp NaNoWriMo. As part of her writing path, Lizzie hosts and takes part in multiple writing events, largely in the virtual world of Second Life®.
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