Game Night!

Well, seems my thawing isn't quite complete when it comes to breaking out of my Winter Writing Freeze.

To be completely fair to myself, though, it was largely in part to an overwhelming amount of socializing this week. Last Tuesday was one of Hubby's work friends' birthdays. So, after our normal Tuesday-run-around, which included a Walmart run during laundry to save time instead of me writing during laundry like usual, we spent the late afternoon until close to midnight hanging out at his friend's house. Table-top game nights are such a great thing!

So great, in fact, that Hubby also hosted his own gaming night this Thursday. Another coworker of his, her boyfriend, along with Quarthix and his fiance, all came over to hang. Another really fun time, but also another night going until close to midnight. If that wasn't enough, Quarthix and his fiance had asked Ronoxym to officiate their wedding. Since their apartment is far from being kid-friendly, it was decided that Ron, Cyhyr, and their daughter would come to my place for a mini-meeting about the upcoming nuptials for the future Mr. and Mrs. Quarthix.

Since Ron and Cy live a little out of the way compared to everyone else, it always ends up a big thing when we know the two of them are coming to visit. So that meant that Shadow came off his mountain to also hang out.

Now, our house was clean for the Thursday game night - sorta - but we slacked on putting the games away, which snowballed into the rest of the house just being a wreck. On top of which, I needed to figure out how to baby-proof as much as possible. You never realize how many small things - and how short all your shelves are - until you try to baby-proof.

It was a full-weekend experience. If we weren't at work, we were cleaning the apartment. Really no down time for writing.

People left fairly early in the evening Sunday, about 7 or 8 at the latest, but I was so exhausted that Hubby and I just crashed on the couch, caught up on Facebook, and watched TV.

I wanted to get SOME writing done this week. Especially with writing group tonight. So, I figured I'd go back to Please, Let Me Explain. Everyone likes the story thus far. They like that I'm sticking with something, I'm even getting critiques on it. The change is probably the thought process of "why critique a one-off? Save that for something that is going to be a project."

All-in-all, it's really driving me to actually FINISH a longer writing project. Still a bit stuck since my co-writer Ron is finishing up his semester of college while working full time so Cy could stay home and raise their daughter. Doesn't exactly leave time to get writing done for either of them.

So I'm trying to do as much as I can while Ron is still on writing hiatus. I thought, Maybe I could write a prologue, or a flashback nightmare to let the audience know the details of Devon's leaving. That way it doesn't need to be explained via dialogue. I mean, sure, I'd like to think I did a good job at letting the reader know everything via dialogue without it seeming too heavy-handed. The problem, though, is that it's a bit long-winded instead. They just talk for PAAAAAAGEEEEEES. I need a way of tightening it up, and I can only do that if the readers know what the background story is.

I have two ways of doing that: prologue leading into Devon in his cell, or Devon having a flashback nightmare. The problem with the latter is that the audience might be a bit confused during his and Willow's argument, but that should be fine since it's all better explained about three pages later, right? The second problem is that it will all be from his POV, and most of the dialogue is Willow letting him know her POV.

So, maybe the flashback nightmare should be Willow's? Her driving force to see Devon in the holding cells? But the rest of the story - outside of Devon's head - is from his perspective, so starting the whole thing with Willow having the nightmare might be a bit jarring.

More jarring than neither POV for a prologue? Just a straight omniscient third-person narrative before giving the story over to Devon?

I was so stumped as to how to put in the backstory, and where, that I instead went back over the first two scenes that I already read at group and just tore it apart. This is just the first eight pages of a currently twenty-seven-page story. Anyway, I sent Ron the editing notes last night. Nearly every paragraph has something.

The problem is that the bulk of the story - pages nine through twenty-three - just go on forever; obviously, it's an argument that goes on for over fourteen pages! Granted, there's movement - from the hallway into Willow's room, back out into the hallway, back into Willow's room, things are thrown, people calm down - but it's still friggen FOURTEEN PAGES!

Any long-time readers of this blog know that I've been fighting with this section for about two years or so. I don't think I want to read it off to the group tonight. Just reading and discussing all the ways I should tighten it could take up the entire meeting. Yet, I also don't have any edits actually done on the first eight pages, and I don't have the prologue/nightmare written yet.

So, much to everyone's dismay, including my own, I guess I'm going back to reading off more of my practice writings. Reading them, along with typing them up to share with you guys each week, might get me back on the ball. I'm still back in January's prompts and it's nearly May!

Anyway, below is January 11th's prompt. A coworker of mine had recently told me an office anecdote, and I couldn't resist recreating it with some creative-licensing flair for this prompt. Thanks to that coworker, I was able to do an actual flash fiction this time. I think. I feel like it's a complete story and not just a scene....

"Yawn Immunity"

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I DID IT, RON! I HAVE A STORY UNDER 1000 WORDS! That's what? My fifth successful attempt since last October? I'm so good at this.

On the super plus side of all the baby-proofing, the house is still fairly clean. It's a lot easier for me to keep up with everything now, as long as I don't slip. With a clean house, I'm also less stressed. I don't feel so guilty reading and writing instead of cleaning. This might be the key. I may actually have my head uncluttered with my house. If it still doesn't work, it's at least nice enough weather to start some official Spring Cleaning. I'll just keep cleaning to clear my home and my head.

Plus, it's starting to be beautiful and pleasantly warm outside. I sat on my front porch yesterday, enjoying the air and typing up my editing notes for Ron. I'm going to love being able to do that again, as well as maybe getting back into exercising. Between a finally clean living room and being able to walk around outside, perhaps I can refocus on being healthier once more. The exercising last summer/early fall really did help me become more energized and excited to write.

I'll keep trying things out until I find the key. I am determined to figure out what exactly I need to do to stay on top of my writing!

Thawing the Last of the Winter Freeze (Hopefully)

It's been a sad, pathetic road the past month or so, but I finally did it. Aside from this blog post, the new D&D sessions with Bear, and the one time I updated on the now-dead X-Future boards, I finally wrote something! It was only yesterday, but it was still something! The non-writing streak is over. And I hope it stays that way.

Things have finally leveled off at work, and I'm getting my down-time again. Still need to sort through home-life some more to get back on track there, but one step at a time. I plowed through my third book of the year, and I hopefully have enough time to get another one in before the end of the month to get back on track.

So, before I go any further, let's catch up on that reading challenge, shall we?

Challenge by Reading Books Like a Boss

I already have something for either "outside comfort zone" or "recommended." When I visited my father-in-law for Easter he handed me his "lending copy" of "Atlas Shrugged" and told me he expected it back, and read, in about two months.

I doubt I can charge my way through that book before the end of the month, so I think I'm going to purposely avoid it for a few more days. We'll see if I can manage to get through it in the 31 days of May, or if I'll have to ask Professor FIL for an extension.

That does mean that I need another book to finish this month off with, though. Perhaps keep going with my Nikki Heat series? I still have the "name in the title" book to read, and the Heat Series are all titled with a play on word of her last name, which was why she was given the last name Heat.

OK. So, I finished reading the novel I started mid-March. I've written something quick - like, forty-minutes off-and-on quick. As per usual, I don't have it typed up to share, but it is the January 19th prompt, and I do have the January 10th one to share this week. So, I'm catching up. Would be nice if I could actually do multiple prompts in order to get back on date, so that the prompt is actually written on the day listed. Maybe next year I'll get the rhythm to do so.

Anyway, without further ado, my January 10th prompt. It's super short at under 800 words. I wasn't really sure where to go with it, and I wrote it while waiting for my clothes to dry. Going from complete zero and only allotting myself about 40minutes to write seems to be the key to me getting short stories out.

Still haven't made it into an actual flash fiction skill level yet. I'm still pretending with these vignette scenes. Sure, there's dialogue and minor action, but there's no beginning, middle, end or character arc, so they aren't really stories, are they?

*Ahem* So much for "without further ado," I'll just let you read....

"Seeing Stars"

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I'll probably fall behind again, because I really want to work on Please, Let Me Explain before my next writer's group meeting next week. I know the next section is both mindnumbingly long and oddly interesting at the same time. There's arguments and character advancement and it seems to at least keep me and Ronoxym drawn in, unable to break away from the drama. Therein lies the problem. We can't find a clean break. So their argument just goes on and on and on forever!

I need to figure out a way to tighten it up. A way to break up the action. Maybe have the arguments sprinkled within different interactions throughout the weeks since Devon's return? The problem there is that neither of them want to let the other have the last word. They chase after each other to explode more and try to guilt the other into shutting up. If either of them succeeded in walking away, would a conversation continue? There would have to be some sort of inciting incident. Would it get too boring for the reader to see them blow up at each other. Then do so again. And again. And again. All before Devon FINALLY convinces Willow to use her powers to get past their communication barrier; seeing things from his POV to better comprehend his pain. Maybe even have her leaving some of her POV for him to understand her too?

I think how we redo the opening will help a lot. How do we inform non-X-Future players the background of Devon's "defecting"? I am, supposedly, seeing Ron this Sunday. However, we're doing so to discuss him officiating a wedding for a friend, and I kind of don't want to hijack that conversation to bug him about PLME. Maybe I'll just do that online.

I think what's holding me back lately is an unclear direction of where to go with my writing. I have so many different paths I could travel, and I'm stumped.

I could edit the main body thus far written for PLME. I could redo the opening so I know how to better condense the dialogue. I could write the next part of the story since I have Ron's outline. I could update the outline so we don't have to do so many revisions.

And that's just with PLME.

I could also say "screw it; I'm playing catch-up" and just tear through multiple writing prompts. I could finally write out Jynna's backstory. I could figure out the backstory for my new D&D character Gevin. I could deal with the first major trauma that Jolene had to suffer and write the next chapter of "Lost Loves and Paramours." I could go back to "Ready. Set. Novel!" and work out more plot for Jolene's post-LL&P story. I could focus on finishing world building for "Glitches." Figure out such things as Cody's connection to the orphanage, or even what to call the damn place! I could even put in some "Hey, Arnold!" DVDs and get back to my post-college roots: finally finish, or at least write the next chapter for, What Is Truly Meant To Be.

There's so much I could do. I'm so overwhelmed by options that I think that's what's been shutting me down. I have no direction, so I wait to see which of my WIPs grabs me and goes "Work on me! Now!" yet none of them do. Without a demand to work on one project specifically, and without the desire to work on one project specifically, I'm frozen.

I need to become unfrozen. I need to pick a direction. I need a drive.

I need a fire under my butt. I preemptively apologize to my future agent/editor/publisher, who is/are going to have to really keep on me to keep going with my project in order to finish it.

Easter: yet another chance for new beginnings. Here's hoping my writing yesterday proves fruitful this time.

A Much Needed Discussion

I've completely fallen off the horse. I thought I got enough of a fire lit under me to charge forward, and yet nothing happened. The week was such a blur, I don't even really remember what I did instead of writing.

The one thing I do remember? Watching the latest Netflix "it show": "13 Reasons Why"

While it's not quite perfection, it's pretty darn close to perfection. It sucks you in with a mystery: high school junior Hannah Baker just committed suicide, and no one knows why this formerly perky and crafty girl would do such a thing. This opening shock is quickly followed by the main character Clay - played by the same kid who was Percy Jackson in the two movies, and I have to admit, he's the main reason I wanted to watch the show - receives a series of cassette tapes. The tapes were recorded by Hannah as her version of a suicide note, stating that each side of each tape is dedicated to a different person who created yet another reason why she decided to commit suicide. Then comes the gut-puncher for the viewers, who have already taken a liking to Clay so early in the show: "if you are listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons..." Hannah dictates at the very start of her recording.

The viewers are instantly dragged into the mystery of Hannah's downfall, as she seems quite the happy, albeit loner, teen when we first meet her. We are also nervously curious about what Clay could possibly have done to be on the tapes, how his mysterious friend Tony is involved, and who is the mystery trustee of Hannah's second set of tapes - a blackmail guarantee that the teens play along with her game of listen-and-pass until all thirteen people have heard her full story.

The show has funny moments to lighten the load of watching. Sweet moments that make you scream at Clay for being an idiotic, dense teenager. Frustrating moments when you realize that the socially underdeveloped brains of teenagers just made the situation so much worse than it needed to be; in fact, if people were just open and honest most of the issues wouldn't even have occurred.

Then the second half of the season begins. Things get massively intense and uncomfortable; purposely and masterfully so. The show doesn't let up. It doesn't allow you to come up for air until the end of the episode, and even then, if you're like me and Hubby and you binge watch it, there's no escape. Your heart breaks. You want desperately for Clay to save Hannah, and are just as devastated as him to know that there's no way he can. Most people will probably be like me and Hubby and run for the tissues, or at least tear up, as you watch the downward self-destructive spiral that not only Hannah, but most of the main cast goes through. You feel the anguish and confusion of Hannah's parents, more importantly, Hannah's mother, who is desperate for answers that Hannah, unintentionally cruelly, neglects to leave behind for them.

This show isn't just fantastic entertainment. It is a stark mirror to the tragedies that befall far more teens then should ever have to endure them. The show becomes so much more than a mystery about a girl who committed suicide and the people she held responsible for her decision. This show is about bullying, stalking, a wide array of abuse - from physical to emotional, self-medication, lack of or underdeveloped empathy, opposing truths, the list goes on.

It is intense. It is heart wrenching. It is painful and uncomfortable to watch towards the end, as it should be. It is a show that brings forward so many elements of discussion that should have already been open dialogue decades ago, but still manage to be swept under the rug as "Typical Teenage Stuff" and "Something Everyone Has To Go Through."

So, I'm opening up the dialogue.

If you, or someone you know, needs help, here are some places you can go. I apologize for any international readers I might have, these are all United States hotlines, but please, just do a quick Google search. I'm sure you'll find help. Please, look for it.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- You can also call directly at 1-800-273-8255.
Remember, you may not feel it. You may not think it. You may not believe it. But you ARE loved. People WILL miss you. It may take a few years, and that might be a painfully slow process I could never comprehend, but life WILL get better. Your death WILL NOT improve anything. Please, get help.
YOU CAN SURVIVE THIS.

RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline
- You can call at 1-800-656-4673 or talk online.
Sexual assault is NEVER YOUR FAULT. It has nothing to do with how you talk, how you dress, where you were, if you were drunk, if you were flirting, if you've said yes to sex before, NOTHING. Please, talk to someone. Get help. Remember that YOU ARE THE BRAVE ONE. Your attacker is the coward.
YOU CAN SURVIVE THIS.

StopBullying.gov
- You can call their lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
The site also gives information on how to prevent further bullying.
Bullying has always been around, but that doesn't mean it isn't cruel. DO NOT let anyone tell you "it's just a part of growing up" or "it means they like you." If you are being bullied, talk to someone, especially with the new, cruel age of cyber bullying. It may not feel like anyone can stop it or make it better, but please try, and if it doesn't get better, try again, and again. You WILL find a way out.
YOU CAN SURVIVE THIS.

For a complete list of the above hotlines, as well as even more places where you can find help, please go to NoBullying.com.


Let's try for a slightly more pleasant note now. But first, seriously, if you have access to Netflix, watch "13 Reasons Why" or at least read the book it's based off of: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This is one of those life-changing stories that really puts a lot of things into perspective, as well as shows people who haven't been through these types of trauma how damaging they truly can be.

*Ahem* OK, for realsies now. Happy thoughts.

I haven't written anything new, but I did manage to hop onto Google Docs briefly yesterday to re-read and do minor edits to the second scene of Please, Let Me Explain. That way I'm set for tonight's writer's group. I can't wait to floor them when I come back with a continuing story instead of another short or the start of another WIP.

I also wanted to give you guys a new piece to read to make up for my fumbling around lately. So I finally forced myself to sit down and type up another of my prompts. Slowly chugging away at January. We're up to January 9th, which proved to be unintentionally impactful for me.

My father passed away 19 years ago on January 9th, and, without even thinking about what date's prompt I was working on, I spent the day thinking about my dad simply based on the prompt itself: "The Sound of Silence."

"Hello"

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Hubby and I also started up Bear's latest Roll20 campaign this past Wednesday, and we're continuing on tomorrow night. It was a fun, although slow, game session as everyone tried to get their barrings. I guess it was beneficial to have jumped in on Game Three of the campaign with Jolene; everyone else had the time to get the rhythm of the game and I just fell in place.

Anyway, when we last left off, our characters were all gathered in a tower to have a private discussion about who we are and what our skill masteries are as we prepare for a perilous journey to find a mystical island that may or may not exist.

The key here, is that tomorrow we're supposed to have our characters talk about themselves. Both Hubby and myself have little to no clue what our character backstories are, so perhaps that's what I'll conquer today. Have something ready for tomorrow, as well as pretend to be writing something.

At the very least, I'm going to kick my butt back into gear and start typing up at least one prompt a week again for you guys. Once I start catching up to where I am in the prompts - which isn't that far in the grand scheme of things - maybe it will push me to start doing them more frequently.

Start of the Second Quarter

Figures that as I was falling asleep last night I thought of the perfect start, and most of the body, for this week's post. Now that I'm awake and capable of typing it all up, I can't think of what to say. Which is about par for the course when it comes to this week's writing.

The collective writing whole was made up of some parts more brewing; some parts "not capable of writing right now" when I come up with something I like, and then forgetting what I came up with later; and some parts skeleton building. I was kind of all over this past week. Just none of it on paper....

A lot of missed opportunities, so I'll go in order to make sure I don't get off-track. First up was the remainder of last Tuesday. The day went in a blur, as it usually does, concluding with Writer's Group and then laundry. As I mentioned last week, I went with reading the opening chapter of Please, Let Me Explain. As is true with most of my stuff, I had a lot of positive reviews. The usual "you really paint the picture; I could see every wall of the scene and exactly what each character was doing." However, it was followed by "I had no clue how to picture the actual characters, though." Whoops. I put so much over-the-top amount of detail in the X-Future backstory to PLME, so people won't get lost, that I forgot that people don't know what Willow and Devon look like. No one even knew what ages to picture them at. Since Ronoxym and I know so much about our characters it didn't even occur to us via our read-throughs that we needed to DESCRIBE Devon and Willow.

On the "over-the-top amount of detail..." bit, well, yeah. We need to figure that out too. It was kind of an overwhelming amount that made the dialogue really drag. As I was reading the chapter to them I was mentally saying "Dear lord, I'm not done yet? I've been reading forever!" So, two key things we need to focus on: find alternative ways to insert the backstory of Devon's leaving the institute, and DESCRIBE WHAT THE TEENS LOOK LIKE.

I've talked to Ron about my group's notes and how we need to revise yet again. He laughed as he tried to remember the last time he looked at the story. He then laughed again when I commented about the outlines we put together for the story about two years ago. He didn't remember we did so. He's such a pantser, he can't even recall planning ahead. Either way, he agreed to give it another read over to catch up. Although, at nearly 30pgs, it might be a bit before he has the time to read through it.


Another critique from my group? I never stick with anything. Ironic, since I'm constantly yelling at Ron for the same reason. Guess he truly is my Wonder Twin.

DC Comics' Wonder Twins
Originally created by Norman Maurer

I was told that I write "such great and intriguing stuff," but I never seem to stick with any of it; grow any of it. I always bring in something new to group each time. So.... I guess I should work more on PLME? Kind of the reason why I wanted to read it in the first place. Get a bead on how outsiders feel about the story without knowing anything about X-Future. I wanted to hear that positive feedback to stoke the fire and get me to want to return to this project. I want someone to push me to advance the story; finish it. I need people to get me to finish a WIP. I always have, be it readers or teachers or bosses needing a script.

Aside from talking to Ron, though, there hasn't actually been real progress. I have thought of different ways of reworking the information from the cell scene so it doesn't all need to be expressed via dialog. Still not sure if we want to go with a prologue, or if we want to have Devon dream about the day he left after passing out from Willow's visit. The problem with the prologue idea is figuring out which perspective we want to use, since the first half of the story is Devon's and the second is Willow's. Do we go complete omnipotent 3rd-person for the prologue? The problem with Devon dreaming about his leaving while passed out is two fold. First, the reader will probably be temporarily confused as to what Willow and Devon are yelling about, only getting vague hints until the chapter where Devon dreams the explanation. Second problem is that the reader doesn't get Willow's POV about the event. Her side of things is still a mystery. Besides, we get to see Devon's side of things, and Willow's reaction to it, in the second half of the story. We need Willow's POV, which is the part that bogs down the pacing, and I'm not sure how to insert that if the first half of the story is Devon's POV.

Lots to think about still. At least I can still read at group what we have written thus far. Fill in the lag it will take for us to catch up on editing and revisions this month. Hopefully, by the time I'm done reading our story thus far, and taking notes on potential edits, we can finish the first draft of the second half of the story. Then we can start our third draft of the whole thing.


Getting rejuvenated with PLME also gave me the driving force to finish up my writing prompt about Devon and Willow that I started. It's a pre-Devon-defecting story that's probably shortly after the duo meet and begin bonding. Devon is playfully teasing Willow. She's immaturely teasing back. Like true seventeen and fifteen year olds? Honestly, I think I need to get back to studying the different age groups because I don't believe I remember how teenagers, preteens, children, or toddlers naturally act anymore.

Switching gears, Bear is starting up another campaign. It has enough of an intriguing concept build that even Hubby has joined in this time. He's super excited about the character he built, and can't wait to cause shenanigans with him. Mostly, I suspect, he can't wait to see people's reaction to the build. Hubby always creates the most off-the-wall characters that just become a fan-favorite, as it were.

Me? Well, I'm still struggling to build my character. Hubby's supposed to be helping me put on the finishing touches today, so we'll see how it goes. I always give you guys a look into my RPG characters, and then they sort of die in a corner. So, I'll probably hold off on really talking about this one. At least, until I have something completed: PLME, or "Lost Loves and Paramours," or anything dealing with Amara or Elymoxa or Jynna or Artie or any of the many RP characters I have stockpiled.

Just for a taste, though, here's my intended character: Gevin Denthakt, a 23-yr-old spear-man who cannot be harmed by electricity.

Zhao Yun from the Chinese mobile MOBA game "King of Glory"

Aside from that little intro, I know a bunch about him, and yet nothing at all. Plus, the bit I do know about him may not come across properly in D&D, it might be more of a "narrative character" build. So, I'm keeping him hush-hush as Hubby helps me with the mechanics of building him, and then we'll see what ends up on paper as I play him in the games.

This weekend was a bit of a wash in regards to writing, though. It's mostly where the "I can't stop to write, but my brain is going a mile a minute with ideas" part of my week went. Lyonish had to move out of her apartment. So I helped her with the last-minute cleaning. Let me tell you, spending the better part of three hours helping scrub hard water stains out of a bathroom is a great time to let your mind wander for story ideas. However, much like with driving, it doesn't lend itself to jotting those ideas down easily.

Because my year hasn't turned out as disciplined and productive in the writing field - or much else, to be honest - I was a bit hard on myself. I've also been a bit hard on Hubby for NOT being so hard on me to make sure I was writing. I lamented some more about how little frequency I've been writing lately. That's when the lovely ChibiSunnie stepped in by sending me this photo:

Chibi: I...thought you might find consolation in knowing that even authors who are so famous that their works are required reading for all high school students struggled to write every day.

It was a consolation, Chibi. Thank you for always knowing how to put my writing woes into perspective. 

Now, to put some words on paper this week so I don't need people like Chibi to lift me up.

Hideki and Chii from Chobits
by Akira Toriyama and Clamp publishing