Storage Wars

No, not the show where people fight to buy the contents of abandoned storage lockers, I’m talking storing your electronic files.

It goes without saying that you should back your work up and back it up often. There’s nothing worse than that feeling you get when you step away from the keyboard for just a second only to come back to find that your toddler erased everything you’ve laboured over for the last several weeks, or the cat jumped up on the desk and knocked your cold coffee onto the keyboard. So you already know to back your work up.

What I’m interested in is what you back your work up to.

In the beginning, I used WordPerfect, which automatically backed my work up as I typed. Then I graduated to Microsoft Word, which has the same feature. Once a week or so I’d back all my files up to a floppy disk or two (or three – they didn’t hold a whole lot). When I got a computer with a CD burner in it (I told you it was in the beginning – we’re talking dawn of time here) every couple of months I’d burn everything to a CD.

Fast forward a decade or two to when flash drives (aka thumb drives) became available. My first flash drive cost $80 and held 2 gigabytes of data – which was a big deal at the time. I could back my whole computer onto it! Not that I did, just all of my files. And I mean ALL my files, photos included.

Walmart currently has 32G USB flash drives with their back-to-school stuff for under $10. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! LOL

I have at least a dozen flash drives now, some empty, some with stuff on it. And I have an 64G SD card with a neat little gizmo that turns it into a flash drive that I can back everything onto. I can’t help thinking there’s got to be a better way of doing this.

Seriously, I’m only working on a few files at once, so most of what’s on these flash drives is storage. I’d like to find somewhere permanent to store some of these unused/finished files, but where? I don’t trust the cloud, and I live in fear of something happening to the flash drives, so I keep copies of everything on flash drives and my computer. I have an external hard drive, but it’s still in the box because my daughter had a bad experience with one and lost everything.

I’ve heard of other writers who don’t trust their computers and keep all of their work on flash drives. When they want to write, they stick the appropriate flash drive into the USB port and away they go. I don’t know that I could be comfortable doing that.

So what’s the answer? I think this will require some careful research.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Wordage Report

Editing – 4 hours
On a little story that has no name yet.

Blood Ties – 1,657 words
I’m getting steadily better.

Blog Posts – includes the post for my regular blog, but not the prompt story.
401 (regular blog)+ 923 + 357 = 1,681 words total

Weekly Prompt – 524 words

Total Words – 3,862

New Prompt
I'm not sure where this came from, it came from my prompts document. And it should go without saying that it's subject to change:
One morning in a restaurant, an old widow and a priest summon a zombie using only a clay tablet.

Goals From Last Week:
I got all my blog posts done, including a short one for my regular blog. The trick is to try and get them done early – so much less stressful!

Blood Ties is progressing nicely, but I really have to work out a Howard scene next and so far my mind is coming up blank as to what’s happening with him. Maybe Anakaron has him under a spell . . .

I was late again with the prompt story, but that was bad timing on my part. I kept putting it off and putting it off, and next thing I know it’s Thursday afternoon and I decided to write a Ghazal for my poetry group meeting that evening. Came home from the meeting and realized I didn’t like the prompt so I picked a new one and only got a bit of a start on it that night. Finished it up Friday and posted it when I was done.

The nameless story I’m editing is only a couple of pages long, and I’m more rewriting it than editing it I think. It was a former prompt story, and I as I was writing it I thought of changes I’d make if I had the time and I was smart enough to write them down.

Goals For This Week:
1. Get that pesky Howard scene done. Actually, I think I need two of them, but one for sure and then I can start making plans for his rescue.
2. New prompt story – and hopefully I’ll get to it earlier this week so not only will I leave myself enough time to get it done on time, but also to find a new prompt if I need to.
3. I actually almost finished that little nameless story, so I want that done so I can find another one.

And there’s what I’ll be up to this week. How about you?

Dream Girl

Prompt: He was stunned – the stranger in front of him looked exactly like the girl he’d been dreaming about.

Roger tossed and turned. In his dream the woman smiled at him, twisted sinuously around him in a seductive dance. She whirled away and then vanished in a puff of smoke. He called to her but she was gone, leaving him filled with longing.

He woke up with a start, staring around wildly as his heart rate began to slow. He was alone in his room, the same as always. With a curse at his own foolishness, he got up and prepared to start his day.

“It’s a little different every time,” he told his friend Ben, “I mean, we meet in different ways and the details change, but it’s always the same woman.”

Ben eyed him for a minute. “This must be some chick to get you so worked up.”

“Yeah, she really is.”

“So don’t leave me hanging, man. What does she look like?”

“She’s tall, but not too tall,” Roger said in a dreamy voice. “Legs up to here and a perfect figure. Long dark hair and eyes you can see the universe in.”

Ben rolled his eyes, but had to ask, “And you have no idea who this chick is?”

“No,” Roger said with a sigh. “But I’d sell my soul to find out.”

The work day seemed to drag on, as was usual in the accounting firm Roger worked for. The end of the day finally came and Roger fought the traffic all the way to his condo.

There was a message on the answering machine from his mother, reminding him of his father’s upcoming 65th birthday party on the weekend. The other two calls were hang-ups, probably telemarketers, he reflected as he fixed himself his habitual after dinner drink.

“What a life,” he mused, as he loosened his tie and make himself comfortable on the couch. “Work, home, the occasional date, and twice a month dinners with the parents.”

The only highlight was the dreams he was having lately. He raised his glass high. “Here’s to you, sweetheart, whoever you are.”

He was working on his second drink when there was a knock on the door. Roger answered the door and just stood there. He was stunned – the stranger in front of him looked exactly like the girl he’d been dreaming about. No, not girl, she was all woman.

“Well, are you just going to stand there staring, or are you going to let me in, Roger?” she asked in a voice that sent a shiver through him.

It never occurred to him to wonder how she knew who he was as he stood back to let her in.

“Who—what—how—” He couldn’t seem to get a coherent sentence out.

“You did say something about selling your soul to meet me, didn’t you?”

He nodded mutely.

“Well, I have your contract right here,” she said, handing him a rolled parchment that seemed to appear out of thin air. Her eyes began to glow red as he eagerly took the pen from her.

Astrology Part Nine - Sagittarius

Quick facts for Sagittarius:
You were born between November 23 and December 22
Your sign is the archer
Your planet is Jupiter
Your element is fire
Your metal is tin
Your birthstone is the turquoise
Your flower is the narcissus
Your color is light purple
Your body part is the thighs
Your Tarot card is Temperance

Strengths:
Generous, idealistic, great sense of humor

Weaknesses:
Promises more than can deliver, very impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic

Likes:
Freedom, travel, philosophy, being outdoors

Dislikes:
Clingy people, being constrained, off-the-wall theories, details

Your best matches are those born under the sign of Aries and Leo and to a lesser degree those born to Aquarius and Libra.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Curious and energetic, Sagittarius is the most enthusiastic of travelers in the zodiac. They enjoy the freedom that travel brings them almost as much as the knowledge they gain from other cultures and philosophies. They can be found traveling all over the world on thrill seeking journeys and make excellent storytellers, relating the tales of their adventures.

The Sagittarian enthusiasm knows no bounds, they possess a great sense of humor and powerful curiosity. With their clear thinking they’re able to see the big picture and are filled with idealism. They can be ambitious, but are able to transform their thoughts into action to achieve their goals and succeed in life.

Sagittarius is honest, optimistic and enthusiastic. They love to socialize and be physically active. Though generosity comes naturally to them, they tend to be possessive. With their magnetic sense of humor they easily attract friends and lovers. They’re inquisitive and witty, loyal and demonstrative in their affections. But they’re often impatient and can be tactless in the way they say or do things. Though they know a great deal, they don’t know everything and sometimes come across as pretentious or arrogant.

Famous Sagittarius include: Sir Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, John F. Kennedy, Keith Richards, Jane Austen, Tina Turner, Mark Ruffalo, Lucy Liu, Jake Gyllenhaal, Scarlett Johansson, Jimi Hendrix, and Bruce Lee.

A Funny Thing Happened . . .

I missed the Monday blog post on my other blog, but other than that my week was going pretty well until I got to Thursday and realized I didn’t have my prompt story done yet. So what did I do instead of working on the story? I spent the afternoon with the daughter and granddaughter up in Peterborough shopping. And then we went out to dinner.

And furthermore, I don’t regret a bit of it. LOL

To be honest, I had a lot of trouble with last week’s prompt and I finally gave up and started looking at other prompts. Nothing that came up in any of the generators turned my crank, so then I started lonking at some of my prompt documents. These were prompts I copy/pasted into a document because I liked them, just not enough to work on right away. The prompt I came up with was: Only the very oldest people remembered a time when humans could see in colour

Once I figured out the basics – how to tell the story, who was telling it, etc. – I wrote it pretty quickly. It ended up around 400 words and I put it up on my blog, scheduling it to appear at regular time on Friday. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

And then a funny thing happened. I realized I really liked this story. It was pretty darned good, if I do say so myself. I liked it so much I thought of where I could send it for publication. So Friday morning, before it appeared, I checked the submission requirements of the e-zine I wanted to send it to and they do not accept stories that have appeared on a personal blog, even ones like mine that have a readership of eight people.

So I deleted the post and later that day I wrote a new story from a new prompt. Don’t get me wrong, I liked that story too (even though it started to run a little long) but not enough to think about submitting it somewhere.

This is actually a really big step for me. I normally just accrue big piles of stories (and poetry) – I write them and then I don’t really do anything with them. I remember I did in the beginning, you know, back in the dark ages when I first started to write. I optimistically sent stuff out on a regular basis and I’ve got the rejection slips to prove it. I don’t think it was discouragement from being rejected that made me stop, I think it was just my focus shifted to other things.

But I’ve been writing flash fiction for several years now and it some of it isn’t half bad. I don’t know why I don’t do anything with it. And the prompt stories – I churn them out and because they’re just blog exercises I don’t really do anything with them either. All it would take is a little polish and some of them would be pretty good too.

Maybe submitting this story, whether it’s accepted or not, will be the start of a new trend. One can only hope.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Wordage Report

Editing – 0 pages
Oh me, oh my. I’m starting to see an unfortunate trend here.

Blood Ties – 1,259 words
I’m starting to gain a little momentum, but it still seems to be a steep upward slope.

Blog Posts – includes the post for my regular blog, but not the prompt story.
0 (regular blog)+ 866+ 388 = 1,254 words total

Weekly Prompt – 402 + 819 = 1,221 words

Total Words – 3,734

New Prompt
I think this prompt comes from Seventh Sanctum but I’m not sure.
This story involves a lonely sprite, a campsite, a dead body, a tea cup, and an old grudge.

Goals From Last Week:
If you read my regular blog, you’ll notice I didn’t have a post up on Monday. I live in a quiet town and don't really get out and do much, so I really didn't have anything to talk about.

Blood Ties is inching its way along, but at least it’s still moving. Maybe there’s hope for me getting this done in time for Christmas yet. Cross your fingers.

I already explained about the prompt snafu at the beginning of this post. I just need to clean that first story up a bit before sending it out into the wild. But two prompt stories in two days – way to go me! LOL

I didn’t so much as forget about the editing, I just never got around to finding something new to edit.

Goals For This Week:
1. I guess by now it goes without saying that I need more new words on Blood Ties. By hook or by crook I’ll get that book done yet!
2. New prompt story – and preferably using the prompt I picked out for the week. For sure I want to start it earlier in the week instead of waiting until the last minute.
3. I’m planning on doing an anthology of flash stories for this year’s book flood book. Maybe I could start editing the stuff I want to include in that – killing two birds with one stone.

And there’s what I’ll be up to this week. How about you?

A Spell of Trouble

Prompt:
One day, a group of students create a strange creature with the help of a cursed cassette tape and an old teddy bear.

“This is going to be the best Halloween yet,” Neville said gleefully. He was standing with his friends in front of the old, abandoned house.

“If you ask me, it’s a stupid waste of time,” Sally grumbled.

“What, you want to go trick-or-treating like a little kid?”

“Well, no.” Yes, that was exactly what she wanted. Who didn’t want free candy?

“My mom says I’m too old to go begging for candy,” Terry said glumly.

“Mine too,” Frankie chimed in.

“Let’s just do this already,” Corrine said.

Since it was Neville’s idea, he was in charge. “Okay, everyone follow me.”

He led the way around to the back of the house where he’d already loosened the boards over one of the basement windows. Pulling the boards off the rest of the way off, he shone his flashlight into the space and swallowed hard.

“Okay, who’s first in?”

His friends just stared at him. “It was your idea, you first,” Sally said. The others nodded.

“Fine.” With more bravado than he was feeling, he knelt down and shone the flashlight into hole. Turning around, he eased into the space backwards, landing with a slight thump.

“C’mon down,” he called to the others. “There’s a box right under the window. It’s a little shaky, so be careful.”

One by one, the others joined him and when Terry, who was last, hit the box it collapsed under him. He sprang to his feet and assured everyone he was all right.

“Yuck! It stinks down here,” Frankie said.

“Don’t be such a prissy baby,” Corrine told him.

“I’m not prissy!”

“Cut it out guys!” Neville said. “You can argue after we do this.”

“Fine. Tell us what we’re supposed to do.”

“First, we sit in a circle.”

They did so and then he continued. “Now, put the stuff you brought into the middle and then I’ll make up the spell.”

There was a large hunk of black licorice from Terry, a white crystal from Corrine, an audio cassette from Sally, and a teddy bear from Frankie.

“A teddy bear Frankie, really?” Corrine said.

“What’s wrong with a teddy bear? I found it behind the old folks home. It belonged to someone who died.” He lowered his voice. “It’s probably cursed.

“My sister said that cassette is cursed, that’s why I swiped it,” Sally said.

Corrine grinned at her. “I swiped the mine too. My sister’s really into that new age stuff. She’s got a million crystals.”

Not to be outdone by a couple of girls, Terry admitted, “I swiped the licorice from the corner store. I’ll bet old man Potter would have really cursed if he’d seen me.”

“You all did great guys,” Neville assured them. “I can work with this stuff. Just let me think for a minute.”

He studied the objects in front of him with great care, then finally nodded. “Okay, anybody know what time it is?”

Terry looked at his watch. “It’s almost midnight.”

“The witching hour,” Neville said in a dramatic voice. “Time to start.”

He picked up the teddy bear. “Behold the vessel for our spell.” Next he picked up the crystal and worked it into one of the holes in the bear. “This crystal will call a spirit to inhabit the body.” The licorice followed the crystal into the bear. “Black food to feed a black soul.” Pulling the tape from the cassette, he started winding it around the bear. “And the cursed music to bind it all in place.”

Setting the bear in the center of the circle again, he looked at the others. “Are you ready for the next step?” When they all nodded he pulled out his pocket knife. Flipping it open, he jabbed his finger and passed the knife to Corrine, who was sitting beside him. The knife made the rounds, Frankie being the only one to make a noise when it was his turn.

“This part we do together,” Neville said. “We hold our fingers over the bear and let the blood drip onto it.”

As they did so, he finished his make-shift spell. “Let our essence bring our creation to life.”

Five drops of blood hit the bear simultaneously. No one was more surprised than Neville when there was a burst of light from the bear. The group fell back away from the circle.

“Whoa. What just happened?” Sally asked.

“Did you see that?” Terry said excitedly. “That was so cool!”

“Guys?” Frankie said. “The box under the window broke. How are we supposed to get out of here?”

“What’s the rush?” Corrine asked. “We can just—” She was interrupted by a growl from the circle. The teddy bear stood, eyes glowing red, and it appeared to be growing.

The screams went on for a very long time.

Astrology Part Eight - Scorpio

Quick facts for Scorpio:
You were born between October 24 and November 22
Your sign is the scorpion
Your planet is Mars
Your element is water
Your metal is iron
Your birthstone is the topaz
Your flower is the chrysanthemum
Your color is red
Your body part is the genitals
Your Tarot card is Death

Strengths:
Resourceful, brave, passionate, stubborn, a true friend

Weaknesses:
Distrusting, jealous, secretive, violent

Likes:
Truth, facts, being right, longtime friends, teasing, a grand passion

Dislikes:
Dishonesty, revealing secrets, passive people

Your best matches are those born under the sign of Cancer or Pisces, and to a lesser degree those born to Virgo and Capricorn.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Scorpio is ruled by Mars, the planet of courage, energy and activity. People born to this sign are passionate and assertive, often uninhibited and impatient. Though they are also known for being calm and cool, they would rather be active than sit around doing nothing. The sign of Scorpio governs the genitals, giving this sign the reputation of being the most sexual of the signs. But they also crave physical closeness, spiritual illumination, and emotional intimacy.

Being very dedicated to what they do, Scorpios make excellent leaders. Their curiosity is vast, making them great investigators. They’re determined and decisive, and have a positive attitude that makes them very thorough. To them, work is a pleasurable pastime and they take offense when anyone tries to turn their work into a burden. They know what they want and aren’t afraid to work hard to get it, although their need to be in control can make them a little overbearing.

Scorpio is great at keeping secrets and if there’s a mystery afoot you can count on Scorpio, with their keen sense of intuition, to get to the bottom of it. Their world tends to be black and white and they have little use for the shades of grey between. They hate dishonesty and can be very jealous and suspicious. Scorpio is always plotting several steps ahead, and like their spirit animal, they will sting when least expected.

Famous Scorpios include: Katy Perry, Christopher Columbus, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pablo Picasso, Katherine Hepburn, Bob Ross, Marie Antoinette, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, and Joaquin Phoenix

What You Know

I stumbled across an interesting quote this week:

The best thing to do is to write about what you know, and if you write about what you know you can always pull those nice little tidbits that hook people, that shows that you know about this world and can bring people into a world that they may not know nothing about.
—Ice Cube

Questionable grammar aside, what I like about this quote is that it doesn’t just tell you to “write what you know,” but tells you why you should do so: to “bring people in a world that they may not know nothing about.”

One of the most popular, and misleading, pieces of writing advice is to “write what you know.” How many budding authors have been discouraged because they feel they don’t “know” enough about what they’re writing about? I don’t have a background in science, how can I write science fiction? I don’t have a history degree, how can I write historical fiction?

The truth is, you know more than you think. You might not know how to ride side saddle like the heroine in an historical romance, or how to rig up an explosive device to take out a train in your thriller, but you know a whole lot of small details that are just as important. You know how a person will react to bad news, how a flower smells, how the fur of a cat who’s been dozing in the sun feels. You know how it feels to have your heart broken, to experience great joy or great sorrow. These are the things you need to know to hook your readers and draw them in. Little details that make your story real.

The rest is just research. Lots and lots of research in some cases. When I decided to have one of my characters sit down to a medieval feast, I did my research to find out how the table was laid out and what food would be on it. When I created a highly advanced alien race who were hiding out on a gas giant, I did research on gas giants so I could describe the colours and the way the gas swirled.

And don’t discount your imagination. That’s one of the reasons you’re a writer, isn’t it?

I write about imaginary countries, alien societies on other planets, dragons, wizards, the Napa Valley in 22002. I know these things. I know them better than anybody else possibly could, so it’s my duty to testify about them. I got my knowledge of them, as I got whatever knowledge I have of the hearts and minds of human beings, through imagination working on observation. Like any other novelist. All this rule needs is a good definition of “know.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Wordage Report

Editing – 0 pages
Umm . . . the truth is, I don’t know where my head was this week, but I forgot all about getting any editing done.

Blood Ties – 1023 words
Better progress than last week, but still not as good as it could be.

Blog Posts – includes the post for my regular blog, but not the prompt story.
349 (regular blog)+ 836+ 345 = 1,530 words total

Weekly Prompt – 675 words

Total Words – 3,228

New Prompt
This week’s prompt is from Springhole (Creepypasta & Supernatural Horror Plot Generator)
One day in an abandoned factory, a woman and an old woman find an insane man after playing with a strange doll.

Goals From Last Week:
Well, I got more words in on Blood Ties than the week before, but still not as many as I’d like. I’m kind of afraid I’m almost at a part where I’m going to get stuck again. I need to do a scene with Howard to show how he’s doing, but he’s being coy and not talking to me.

I had a strange little prompt to work with last week and it produced a strange little story.

So, yeah. The absent minded author forgot all about editing last week. I don’t know what happened, I just never even gave it a passing thought.

Goals For This Week:
1. More new words on Blood Ties. I got over the minor hump of Jessica meeting her father and it turned out to be more long-winded than I counted on. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take for her to mount a mission to rescue Howard, but I have a few ideas I want to include.
2. New prompt story – it took me a while to settle on a prompt for this week so I hope I’m able to do it justice.
3. Find a new story (or two) to edit. Maybe pick a couple so I have one or two on standby. Lord knows I have a large pool to pick from.

And there’s what I’ll be up to this week. How about you?

Love and Insanity

Prompt:
One night, a nurse has a fit of insanity and finds a creature from the depths of the ocean

“Did you hear about Tammy?”

Millicent lowered her voice and Gladys and Rose leaned forward to hear better.

“Nobody’s heard anything from Tammy in three days,” Gladys said.

Looking around first to make sure no one else was within hearing distance, Millicent whispered, “I heard the madness took her.”

There were gasps from her two friends.

“That’s the fifth one in two weeks,” Gladys said.

“I know, that’s why they’re keeping it quiet. They don’t want to cause a panic.”

“How…how did it…” Rose’s voice trailed off, as though she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

“You know how she seemed to be fixated on birds the last few weeks?”

The other two women nodded.

“Well,” Millicent said with the thrill of someone with a story to tell, “The way I heard it, she decided she was a bird and she tried to fly. Jumped right off the roof of her apartment building.”

“Oh, poor Tammy,” Rose said.

Gladys said nothing, but privately wondered how anyone could be so deluded that they’d think they could fly.

“What really worries me,” Millicent said, sitting back in her chair, “is that it could happen to any of us. They have no idea what causes these fits of insanity, never mind how to stop them.”

“It couldn’t happen to us,” Gladys protested. “Tammy never was very strong. I think you have to be strong to fight off the madness.”

“I hope you’re right,” Rose said with a sigh.

When her shift was over, Gladys left Seaside Memorial Hospital and used the private access to walk down to the ocean. It was her favourite way of unwinding after a long shift, a soothing walk on the beach. She removed her shoes and stockings, breathing a sigh of relief as the cool water soothed her aching feet.

So much sadness, so much death. It was only here that she found peace and comfort. Here where she met her lover.

Over the next several days her friends noticed Gladys seemed happier and more carefree than normal. She seemed almost light hearted as she went about her duties around the hospital.

“What’s put the spring in your step these days?” Millicent asked when they took a break together.

“You’ve met someone, haven’t you?” Rose demanded.

Gladys just smiled mysteriously and sipped her coffee.

“Really?” Millicent asked. “You’ve met someone?”

“Must be someone special if you won’t even share the news with your best friends.”

“He is special,” Gladys admitted. “I met him at the beach. We take long walks together in the moonlight.”

“How romantic,” Rose sighed.

Millicent, however, frowned. “I can’t believe you’d be so foolish as to go walking with some beach bum. What do you know about him?”

Gladys looked at her. “I know that I love him.”

“People don’t just fall in love with people they met at the beach,” Millicent stated. “You need—”

“Oh, don’t listen to her,” Rose advised. “I think it’s wonderful. Are you seeing him again?”

“Of course. He’ll be waiting for me when I get off shift.”

“Be careful,” Millicent said. “Just be careful, that’s all I ask.”

Gladys smiled serenely and went back to her duties.

Millicent stared after her, a worried look on her face.

“What is it?” Rose asked, catching her mood.

“It’s just. . . this all happened so suddenly, and after what happened to Tammy. . .”

“You think she’s making this lover up?”

“I don’t know. But I can’t help feel that everything is not what it seems.”

The following day, Millicent’s premonition proved to be correct. In the morning Gladys was found dead on the beach, wrapped in a giant Portuguese man o' war as though in a lover’s embrace. The cause of death was ruled as a fit of insanity.

Astrology Part Seven - Libra

Quick facts for Libra:
You were born between September 24 and October 22
Your sign is the scales
Your planet is Venus
Your element is air
Your metal is copper
Your birthstone is the opal
Your flower is the cosmos
Your color is yellow
Your body part is the lower back and buttocks
Your Tarot card is Justice

Strengths:
Cooperative, diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded, social

Weaknesses:
Indecisive, avoids confrontations, will carry a grudge, self-pity

Likes:
Harmony, gentleness, sharing with others, the outdoors

Dislikes:
Violence, injustice, loudmouths, conformity

Your best matches are those born under the sign of Aquarius and Gemini, and to a lesser degree those born to Sagittarius and Leo.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Libra is the only sign of the zodiac represented by an inanimate object, but the scales reflect the Libra’s fixation with balance and harmony. They are true team players with a strong sense of fair play. Lovers of justice, they have a strong aversion to conflict and are good at weighing issues and reaching a compromise. In a constant search for justice, they always try to see that justified claims are met.

Libras are great at launching new initiatives, however they often struggle with indecision. They have a strong intellect and a keen mind and learn best by using their intuition. One of their greatest pleasures is enriching their lives with music, art, and travel. They are artistic and stylish, fond of expensive things, but when bored they can be somewhat apathetic and lazy.

Those born under the sign of Libra are peaceful, fair, and they hate being alone. Relationships are important to them to find their balance. They’re adept at navigating social situations, resolving conflicts with ease simply by turning on the charm. Libras are exceedingly trustworthy and very sensitive, and are devoted strategists who thrive on organizing groups to get the job done.

Famous Libra include: Pope Paul VI, Mahatma Gandhi, Truman Capote, Angela Lansbury, Will Smith, F, Scott Fitzgerald, Hugh Jackman, T.S. Elliot, Viggo Mortensen, John Lennon, Augustus Caesar, Ray Charles, Matt Damon, and Kublai Khan.

A Work In Progress

I swear, I’m going to become organized if it kills me. And it just might.

I finally had to admit the Kanban board was a bust. It’s not that it’s a bad idea, it just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been in such a dry spell that I don’t really have enough on the go to make it worth the trouble, and I’m pretty single-minded in my efforts to get my creative mojo back in gear – blog posts, prompt stories, and finishing Blood Ties, with a little editing thrown in.

See, the problem with spending all of your time at home is you have all the time in the world. There are no limits or deadlines, just endless time. So I got thinking about all this time, and what I was doing with it as opposed to what I should be doing.

I started with my old friend the list. I listed things I do daily, I listed things I do weekly, I made sub-lists and figured out the amount of time I spend on various tasks. Then I made a list of other things I could/should be doing.

I had the idea to figure out how much time I spend on necessities, like sleep or meals, and how much time I had left over, and then figure out a way to incorporate the other stuff I should be doing instead of spending so much time reading and/or gaming.

Honestly, it makes a lot of sense in my head!

What I’m hoping to come up with is a kind of loose schedule, not so much assigning a specific time for things but an approximate amount of time. This way I’m not stuck in a carved in stone daily routine, but I can be as flexible as I want - maybe spend a little more or less time on something as needed.

I have a nifty ‘to do’ pad that shows a week at a time and I’m thinking that I can sit down on Sunday nights and fill it out, listing things I want to accomplish for the whole week instead of just the day. It just might work.

You know, if I put half as much energy into finishing Blood Ties as I do in trying to get organized, I’d have the book done by now.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Wordage Report

Editing – 5 pages
I ignored Visitation Rites in favour of The Bone Moon, and seeing as I got the story finished, I think it was a wise choice.

Blood Ties – 625 words
Did I say I was over the hump with them having arrived at the castle? Ha! That’ll teach me to speak in haste.

Blog Posts – includes the post for my regular blog, but not the prompt story.
580 (regular blog)+ 894 + 331 = 1,805 words total

Weekly Prompt – 615 words

Total Words – 3,045

New Prompt
This week’s prompt is from Springhole
One night, a nurse has a fit of insanity and finds a creature from the depths of the ocean.

Goals From Last Week:
Not nearly as many words on Blood Ties as I would have liked, but I got a few in and maybe the story’s moving along at a snail’s pace, but at least it’s moving. Maybe, like a snail, it’ll leave a beautiful, silvery trail . . .

The prompt story took me by surprise. I really, really wanted to do a horror story, but it just wouldn’t go that way. And then I thought maybe some kind of origin story about the dreamcatchers, but I didn’t want to step on any aboriginal toes. What I ended up with was kind of a folk-tale, but I incorporated a lot of my research on dreamcatchers in it.

I found the copy I’d started to mark up for The Bone Moon, and just continued to work on it until it was done, adding around 300 new words to it. It’s so satisfying to call a story done!

Goals For This Week:
1. More new words on Blood Ties. I may have got over the sticky part of them reaching the castle, but Jessica still hasn’t exactly met her father. The worst part is, I don’t even know how much of this whole section is going to make it into the final book.
2. New prompt story – This week’s prompt looks a little challenging – I’ll have to try and get an early start on it.
3. Continue with the edits but not, I think, on Visitation Rites. It almost needs to be rewritten, which is fine, but I don’t want to get into that while I’m still working on Blood Ties. So for now I’m going to edit some of my back log of flash fiction.

And there’s what I’ll be up to this week. How about you?

Dream Catcher

Prompt:
Every so often, people have to empty out their dream catchers.

Memengwaa took three deep breaths – one for courage, one for guidance, and one for the spirit. This test of her abilities was the most important event of her life. It would decide whether she was worthy of being a handmaid to Asibaikaashi or merely a failure, good for nothing but weaving baskets.

She gathered the materials herself, as was proper, taking great care in their selection. First was the thinnest of branches from the red willow, bent into a circle to represent the shape of the world. Next, the sinew from a deer her father had killed that she pounded into fibres herself. Finally, the feathers, not from a bird of prey, as most would choose, but from a crow for luck.

Her fingers were nimble and quick and as she wove the webbing inside the circle she hummed under her breath; not, as one might expect, a song of praise or supplication, but a simple lullaby. Carefully she attached the feathers, one by one. At last Memengwaa was done. She sat back on her heels and looked at the five women of the Spider’s Council who stood in a circle around her.

“You have done well,” the eldest told her.

“But now comes the true test,” the youngest said, She took the dreamcatcher from Memengwaa and left the circle, disappearing into the night.

“You may take your rest now,” the eldest said. “We shall see in the morning if you are worthy of Asibaikaashi.”

In the morning Memengwaa was once again kneeling in the center of the circle. The youngest council member held the dream catcher.

“The child who was given the dreamcatcher as part of the test has been having evil dreams for weeks now. Last night he slept peacefully.” She handed the dreamcatcher to the elder.

The elder looked at it closely and nodded in satisfaction. She passed it to Memengwaa.

“Now you must release the dreams, as is necessary for a true web of Asibaikaashi.”

Confident now, Memengwaa ran her hands around the willow holding the web, then traced a pattern within the web itself, following the intricate lines. A whiff of black smoke spiralled up into the night air.

“Welcome, Memengwaa, newest handmaid of Asibaikaashi.”

The council pulled her to her feet and helped her dress in her new, ceremonial garb. The entire tribe was invited to join them in the celebration.

Much later into the night Memengwaa approached the elder who was seated near the communal fire, smoking a pipe.

“Honoured elder,” she began. “I would ask a question of you if I may.”

“Sit. Ask.”

Memengwaa sat down beside her, but found she needed to gather her thoughts first.

“You are wondering what happens if we do not release the dreams.”

Memengwaa looked at her in astonishment. “How did you know?”

The elder chuckled. “It is the question every one of us has asked.” She took a puff of her pipe, releasing the smoke into the night air. “An unemptied dreamcatcher becomes bloated with evil thoughts and dreams. Its purpose becomes reversed – no longer will it protect from ill will and dreams, but instead will attract them.”

“But I thought the sun’s rays dispersed the evil dreams.”

“That was a story made to pander to those not of the tribes. A clever tale to make profit from our traditions.” The elder took another puff of her pipe. “But those dreamcatchers have not been blessed by Asibaikaashi.”

“And it was she who taught us how to release the dreams.”

“And that, young Memengwaa, is the true purpose of the handmaids. To empty the dreamcatchers.”

Astrology Part Six - Virgo

Quick facts for Virgo:
You were born between August 23 and September 23
Your sign is the Virgin
Your planet is Mercury
Your element is earth
Your metal is quicksilver
Your birthstone is the sapphire
Your flower is the aster
Your color is dark violet/navy blue
Your body part is the stomach
Your Tarot card is the Hermit

Strengths:
Loyal, analytical, kind, hardworking, practical

Weaknesses:
Shyness, worry, overly critical of self and others, all work and no play

Likes:
Animals, healthy food, books, nature, cleanliness

Dislikes:
Rudeness, asking for help, taking center stage

Your best matches are those born under the sign of Taurus and Capricorn, and to a lesser degree those born to Cancer and Scorpio.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Logical and practical by nature, Virgos are much like a computer in their systematic approach to life. Their tidy minds are suspicious of abstract ideas and attitudes. They’re excellent fact-finders and usually get things right the first time. They’re cautious, discrete, modest, and practical.

While they can be picky and critical, Virgos are also industrious, methodical, and efficient. They pay attention to even the smallest of details, which makes them one of the most careful signs of the zodiac. Perfectionists at heart, they use their minds and resourcefulness to problem-solve. Their methodical approach to life ensures nothing is left to chance.

Virgos are usually most happy when they’re of service to others, and make kind and supportive friends. They’re genuinely affectionate, but they tend to shrink away from getting too close to anyone. Changeable as well as adaptable, they’re quiet and undemonstrative in their affairs. Although they can be tender, their heart is often closed to the outer world which makes them one of the most misunderstood of the signs.

Famous Virgo include: Queen Elizabeth I, Adam Sandler, Keanu Reeves, Alexander Skarsgård, Freddie Mercury, Sean Connery, Michael Keaton, Jesse James, Mother Teresa, Stephen King, Idris Elba, and Chris Pine.

Covid Ate My Creativity

At first glance last week doesn’t seem much better productivity-wise than the week before, but I again got my blog posts done and scheduled earlier, and I did manage a few words on Wandering Wizards.

I’ve been struggling with the scene where Jessica meets her father for some time now, and Friday (right before bed) it finally hit me how to work it so I quickly jotted some notes down. And yeah, I know the best way to do it just forge ahead and worry about it in the edits, but this particular scene will set the tone for the rest of the book and I really do want to get to the end.

Hopefully the work will go a little smoother now, at least until I have to switch back to Howard and how he’s getting along with Anakaron. Howard thinks pretty quick on his feet, but he’s a little out of his depth here. And is Anakaron going to be content just having Howard as his prisoner? Or is he going to try to sway him over to the dark side?

I think COVID-19 ate my creativity. Not just the writing, but all of my creativity. In the beginning (back in March) I was still doing the odd bit of sewing or stitchery, getting out and taking pictures, but now – nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

I think about my stitchery and the two or three projects I have that are close to being done . . . but I can’t seem to generate any interest in them. And as much as I’d like a nifty, custom made mask – well, I’d rather buy one than make one, but the only ones I’ve seen are a little pricey. I did attempt one a couple of weeks ago, but the pattern needs some adjusting and that just takes too much effort.

I’ll glance out a window around sunset and think how pretty the sky is, but I haven’t once gone down to the beach or harbour to take pictures. In fact, I haven’t been down to the waterfront since March, and the beach is closed anyway. Oh, wait. I went down for the poetry group, but I’ve no urge to go down by myself.

But at least I’m hanging in there with the blog posts, and I’m working sporadically on Wandering Wizards, which I’m renaming Blood Ties. It makes better sense as a title. And I’m finally stirring myself to do a bit of editing, which is a very good thing because after Blood Ties is finished I need to start editing An Elemental Spirit.

And who knows, maybe by keeping busy it’ll bring that creative back.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Wordage Report

Editing – 3 pages
Slow going on Visitation Rites, but at least it’s going. It was kind of a strange horror story to begin with, and I’m not sure at this point that it’s even going to work.

Blood Ties (formerly Wandering Wizards) – 728 words
Actually, it was a lot more words than that, but I didn’t like the words that I wrote so I deleted them all and started over. Twice.

Blog Posts – includes the post for my regular blog, but not the prompt story.
544 (regular blog)+ 792 + 345 = 1681 words total

Weekly Prompt – 687 words

Total Words – 3,096

New Prompt
This week’s prompt is from Reedsy Prompts
Every so often, people have to empty their dream catchers.

Goals From Last Week:
I don’t know the exact count of words I spent on Blood Ties because I didn’t think to count the words I had before I started deleting, I just counted the words I ended up with. This is the transition scene where Jessica finally meets her father, and when you think about it, how could it be anything but awkward? I just didn’t think it would be so awkward to write.

I started the prompt story a little earlier in the week, and I think I got a better story for it. Or maybe it was the prompt that seemed a little more normal that usual. This week I’m trying a prompt from another new source – it looks interesting.

I finally got tough on myself with the editing, but I forgot how much work Visitation Rites actually needed. And then Friday night, when I was looking through my papers for something else altogether, I found the few paragraphs I’d jotted down for Bone Moon. And then, of course, I couldn’t find the copy of it I’d been working on. *sigh*

Goals For This Week:
1. More new words on Blood Ties. Hopefully now that I’m over the hump with that sticky scene things will get better, but I still have Howard to deal with . . . .
2. New prompt story – I didn’t like the prompt I chose, even before I finished this post, so I’ve already switched it for a new one. LOL
3. Continue with the edits on Visitation Rites, and if I lose interest in that I can get back to work on Bone Moon. Heck, maybe I’ll work on it anyway.

And there’s what I’ll be up to this week. How about you?