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

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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.

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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?