The Dark Lord's Predicament

Wintermoon

Roaming about in the dark room (yes, he was old-school), the Dark Lord checked the results of his latest work. He had recently become obsessed with photographing every unusual scene he came across, the kid next door who stuck his head in the ground looking for haunted beads (no one really knew how he did it and how the mysterious beads got haunted), the elderly woman down the street levitating above the ground and taking off at high speed, and the neighbor’s dog scratching the tree that opened a portal at the back of the garden. When the photos came up, he was pleased to see that they looked great! He thought of offering them to the people who were photographed. Well, the kid was missing, the elderly woman too and the dog was nowhere to be seen. By taking a photo of them, the Dark Lord had deleted them by accident. 

“Umm…,” he thought, “must’ve been those darn haunted beads the kid gave me, all nicely arranged in a cool little bracelet. Why did I put them in the bag where I had my camera?”

Fix-and-Flash hosted by June Faramore

Prompts: The Dark Lord rides in force tonight and Accident

Interview!

Today was the day! My first interview as a writer promised to be a lot of fun!

Sezoni Whitfield, the lovely interviewer (I'm biased, I know, I'm a fan; she does an amazing job as the host of the #WritersKaboodle on Twitter promoting so any authors) had a lot of interesting questions prepared and, as always, she created a very friendly mood so that authors (in this case, moi!) feel comfortable.

We are usually quite nervous, although we'd never admit it! 

Just kidding! Or not...! :)

Before the interview, here are a few interesting links you might want to check:
Writer's Kaboodle
Authors Interview Process
Writer's Kaboodle Tweetchat

And here we go!

@SezoniWhitfield Hi Liz! Thank you for joining us today!

@LizzieGudkov Looking forward to our chat in an hour!

@SezoniWhitfield Would you like to move it up to now? I had a cancellation.

@LizzieGudkov Sure, why not!

@SezoniWhitfield That's the spirit! Please tell us a little about It Takes a Village. http://t.co/rwWpwkLtNa

@LizzieGudkov It's a story about how a community sticks together when strangers are stranded in their village. It's a mystery/thriller. It was a lot of fun to write!

@SezoniWhitfield Liz, what made It Takes a Village fun to write?

@LizzieGudkov Well, the locations of the story were inspired by "real" locations in a virtual world called Second Life. So, if you're a Second Life resident, you can visit the locations where the story takes place! My fiction is very connected to virtual reality. :) I get a lot of ideas from VR.

@SezoniWhitfield What are some of the real locations where the story takes place?

@LizzieGudkov This particular story takes place in Goatswood, which is actually a roleplay sim. Virtually real, that is! :) Virtual reality is the beginning, the trigger. Then come words, and a story is created. :)

@SezoniWhitfield Ahhh! Which character would you like to introduce today?

@LizzieGudkov Oh dear! It's difficult to choose one! The one I had the most fun writing is Ernest, the stationmaster! Just because he's the exact opposite of who I am. He's picky and nervous and stressed! lol

@SezoniWhitfield Haha! He sounds like a funny little chap.

@LizzieGudkov Very goofy! He's the kind of man who drives everyone crazy!

@SezoniWhitfield LOL That's what I thought! Does he wear his trousers up to his man boobs?

@LizzieGudkov LOL no no! *hopefully not by now that a bit of time has passed* I think that characters probably have a secret life that they lead when we're not looking!

@SezoniWhitfield Liz, what do you think readers will find most interesting about It Takes a Village?

@LizzieGudkov It's a fast-pace story with fun, intriguing, unusual characters. There's also a bit of food for thought about friendships, loyalty and a mystery

@SezoniWhitfield What is your genre, or do you write multiple genres?

@LizzieGudkov I think I tend to write mystery/suspense a lot more than other genres, but I must say that I am still looking for my "voice", I'm experimenting a lot both in short fiction and flash fiction.

@SezoniWhitfield Liz, Do you have a ritual when you write?

@LizzieGudkov I write very early in the morning or way late at night. I just need no interruptions. Then I'm good to go!

@SezoniWhitfield What’s the strangest length you ever went to research your book?

@LizzieGudkov Ummm...! Apart from wandering hours on end in the location that inspired this story, I don't think I did anything unusual... yet! lol

@SezoniWhitfield Do you treat writing like your own business? Is it your career?

@LizzieGudkov I was a teacher for several decades... aham, showing age... Now I write fulltime. :)

@Oceaxe111 Hi Liz. Do you have it fully plotted when you start or does that just develop as you go along?

@LizzieGudkov Hi @Oceaxe111 :) I tried both paths and found out that the best is to have a general idea. If I plot too much, I end up changing everything anyway...! So discovering a bit is good

@SezoniWhitfield The question everyone wants to know, where can we buy It Takes a Village?

@LizzieGudkov Thank you for your question @Oceaxe111 :)

@LizzieGudkov Well, it's free! Just go to my blog and check tabs at the top of page. I'm working on formats, but for now, it's in a "blog platform" format!

@LizzieGudkov @Oceaxe111 sent me a question. I'll just copy/paste here. Do you find that a character can unexpectedly hijack the plot and take it places you hadn't anticipated?

@Oceaxe111 Sorry! Haven't completely got the hang of this # business!

@LizzieGudkov No worries! YES, a big yes! It happened to me with It Takes a Village. They usually get more "extreme". At the planning stage they are milder!

@LizzieGudkov It's fascinating! It opens up so many possibilities for the story when a character takes over!

@Oceaxe111 But is it sometimes a development that you don't want and you try to resist it?

@LizzieGudkov Usually unplanned! I'm fortunate. So far the developments have been good for the story! I try to understand where it could lead me. My first approach is always "umm, let's see!" :)

@Oceaxe111 Well, it's only right that you have SOME influence ;-)

@LizzieGudkov :) true! But stories do tend to slip through your fingers sometimes, and that is fun!

@Oceaxe111 I very much look forward to reading this Lizzie

@LizzieGudkov Aww thank you! Looking fwd to your comment! And don't hesitate to say what you think. That’s how we learn!

@SezoniWhitfield Liz, do you plan on telling us where we can buy your book? :)

@LizzieGudkov I did, I did! :) It's free! Go to my blog and check tabs at top of page.  I think #WritersKaboodle is getting tired of me and is eating messages! ;)

@SezoniWhitfield Geez, I guess the stream was moving so fast I missed it! LOL

@LizzieGudkov Let me know if it went through this time! No worries! :)

@SezoniWhitfield Got it! We're good. LOL Liz, thank you for discussing your book today. It sounds like a fun read!

@LizzieGudkov Thank you for having me! It was a lot of fun! And thank you to @Oceaxe111 for your questions! And @monaeberhardt for your RT! [ I was remiss in thanking @BabsLakey1 for the RT. Thank you so much.]

@Oceaxe111 This is my first # discussion. It's a great way of doing it!

@LizzieGudkov It is!

@SezoniWhitfield Indeed it was! Thank you again!

@Oceaxe111 Thank you for sharing your thoughts :)

@LizzieGudkov I forgot to share my About.me page just in case you would like to know more about my writing!

Important: I must state that to increase legibility I have edited typos and have written shortened words properly. All of the Twitter “clatter” was removed, and a few lines were reordered, making sure the content of what the participants said remained absolutely unchanged.

Thank you to @SezoniWhitfield for the opportunity. And thank you to @Oceaxe111 for also asking really interesting questions!

To share what we create is an enriching experience. When we are fortunate enough to do that amongst interested people who are eager to get to know your work, that's truly amazing!

What a fun first interview!

It is certainly something I'll cherish!

Just

Borgatti

After the police showed up, there was nothing else that could be done. They found a whole room filled with photos covering the walls all the way up to the ceiling. The first time she spotted him, he was standing in his veranda, holding binoculars. “What a perv,” she thought. Months of multiple complaints followed. All got lost in a torrent of paperwork. His last words were “I was just…” He kept a diary, the police found out later. He was in love, fatally in love. Her destiny also had a fatal twist to it. She was convicted to life.

100 Word Stories

Grace

Goth

Grace was the sweetest girl. Every time she smiled, and she did smile a lot, you could see her pink braces. Grace thought it was cool to wear braces. Hers were nice and shiny. Peter thought braces were stupid and started picking on Grace. The more Peter nagged Grace, the less she smiled. One day, Peter got into a fight and lost. Grace was the only one to go to him. She curled her hand inside the sleeve of her pink jacket and cleaned the blood off of his nose. Peter smiled. She did too. Braces aren’t that bad, thought Peter.

(text written with a prompt word of the 100 Word Stories Weekly Challenge, unpublished there)

For 100 Word Stories of other writers on the same prompt and the weekly podcast, click this link.

Billions

Innsmouth

Billions was a great name for a book, he thought. It was easy to say and easy to remember. He was writing about the crisis, so it seemed appropriate. When he sat before the blank screen, the cursor blatantly mocking him, he felt the weight of not knowing where to start. Define billions, he thought, that should work… not. Billions of seconds ticked away, increasing his frustration. So, he took up drinking instead of writing. One day, being quite drunk, he hastily crossed the busy street. That’s when billions of atoms hit him. He never even saw the truck coming.

100 Word Stories

Spark

Borgatti

“Perish the thought!” said his mother alarmed, when he showed her the website. But the thought refused to perish. This particular thought seemed rather appealing to Johnny, the geeky kid. He always wanted to be one of the cool boys. The expectation of partying all the time made him walk boldly to the pub where the cool boys hung out. There was a bit of pushing and shoving, which he thought was quite inconsiderate, but, after that, all he could remember was seeing beautiful sparks flying in the air and not so cool boys screaming. It was an explosive party.

100 Word Stories

Pork

Roche

The swineherd was tired of having to deal with the increasingly frustrating low profits. Intermediaries drove him crazy with inconceivable demands. Before, he sold everything, that’s what was good about pork, no waste. Now, only certain parts were favored. So, he decided to give away “the waste”, roasted and with a “twist”, as a personal gift to the intermediaries, who eagerly took it all. They asked what the “twist” was, but he never gave away the secret to the other tasty bits of meat in the inviting roast, especially when the headlines said “Business man of pork industry vanishes mysteriously”.

100 Word Stories

Original

Hazardous

The original was sold for millions to a flamboyant millionaire. It was on the news for days as the biggest sale ever of an artwork piece. Photographers snapped hundreds of photos, journalists wrote dozens of articles, made countless interviews. Everyone wanted to be a part of this extraordinary event. So, thousands of copies were made, numbered and sold as a limited edition. After the whole commotion cooled off, he opened his safe and unrolled the painting. It was his, only his. That millionaire had paid a fortune for the perfect fake and he’d never ever know it, the original loser.

100 Word Stories

Why Do You Write?

I write stubbornly and often imprudently, because I must. Writing is like breathing. How could we stop breathing?

Women Writers

You're a Great Writer

Whispering Wind

… when you’re addicted to reading! 

Lazy? Never! Compulsive? Always! Great writers read everything and I do mean everything, books, reports, brochures, political statements, interviews, magazine articles, newspapers, ads, e-zines, anything!

… when you’re annoyingly stubborn! 

You write regularly and feel bad when you skip a day. If you usually write in the morning and your schedule gets messed up, you stress over being late for your writing session. If you write in the evenings and visitors drop by unexpectedly, you feel restless and end up writing till 4am after they leave!

… when you hit your inner editor in the head with a ream of paper, leaving it unconscious for days!

Your inner editor is bossy, intrusive and a control-freak. You, on the other hand, need peace of mind to simply write. When he wakes up, just hit him on the head again, until you’re done. Then you can let him get all hyper!

… when you take the Zen approach! 

Are you done editing and re-editing? Then don’t think about what you wrote anymore. It’s done, finished. It’s time for others to enjoy it! Let go! Move on!

Sotto Voce

Silent Hills

His heart pounded frantically, a cadence of horror, of unending urgency. The others waved at him showing the way, while a storm of eyes chased his will away. He didn’t give up, he wouldn’t give up. He ran at the pace of his heartbeat, one step after the other, relentlessly. Despite his struggle, it seemed his destiny was farther and farther away, the others nothing but a shadow of indistinctive contours. He looked back. They were closer. He made one last effort, one last push forward, one last step, one last thought. The others were no more. He was lost. The snowstorm covered everything. He fell on his knees and made peace with himself, his life a row of smiles and happy recollections. The eyes would reach him and kill him, but he heard his son’s voice murmuring sotto voce a song he used to sing to him when he was a baby, the song his heart needed. He closed his eyes and departed.

Writer's Dash

Flash Fiction Writers Challenge

Anonymous

LEA6 Rebeca Bashly (2012)

“All I want is to be anonymous,” was the last line in the short note he left behind. His phone was tapped, his Internet access logged for future reference, the front door barred by police tapes, his windows closed to the curious eyes of unfriendly neighbors. He was the outcast everyone knew, all because he spoke up against the Registry where all details of people’s lives were available publicly. When he terminated his life, an option provided by law to those who refused to follow the Code blindly, he hoped for peace and quiet for his family. That didn’t happen…

100 Word Stories

A Vivid Reminder

Cica Ghost - LEA13 - 2013

The cloud of dust settled down around him. The war was over, finally. Many lost their lives. Many lost their homes and families. He was still alive, unharmed. John seemed to have been immune to persecutions, aggression, bullets, and rockets. He was also immune to fear, a paradox that would challenge anyone else’s survival instinct. He looked around, took a deep breath and stood in the middle of the rusted debris. He gave himself the opportunity to think about the future. He put down his weapon and bullet belt, and grabbed a rusted iron chain as thick as his wrist and as long as his arm. He decided he would carry it for as long as there were people who needed to be freed. He became known as the chain man. John didn’t know it yet, but his future had many more cloudy dusty wars ahead when he became the President. On his desk rested that chain, a vivid reminder of his struggling past.

Flash Fiction Writers

Deciduous

LEA11

They stood motionless, looking at the sun, seriously, attentively, concerned. Desperate, they thought of the children, their futures, their bodies shedding fatally, their skins peeling from the toxic air. Somehow, this critical sacrifice seemed to be their last resort. There they stood in the white water, motionless and waiting, a world of beliefs about to be tested, a perfect sculpture of life, naked, fragile, lonely. They had never felt more alive.

Writer's Dash

Note: The picture (above) that triggered this text was taken during a virtual art performance I took part in organized by Vanessa Blaylock. For more, click VB49:SPF50.

Yellow Future

Tim's Dreams by Romy Nayar

A yellow line divided the town in two. On one side lived the blue-eyed, on the other the brown-eyed. No one remembered why this division was implemented, yet everyone remembered who had used the yellow paint to draw the line, McAllister. His descendants retouched that line every year, perpetuating its forgotten meaning. One day, yellow was banned from the market due to a toxic component of the color. McAllister’s descendants tried a red line that year, but the result was disastrous. Blue-eyed and brown-eyed crossed the line defiantly, back and forth. The town completely forgot the line. The McAllisters didn’t…

100 Word Stories