NOTE: Don't forget Reece's interview from yesterday. I usually don't post on the weekends, but I needed to post this before I forgot.
It's that time again! Are you all ready for another flash fiction? This one was hard but lots of fun. The focus is on showing, not telling. Here are the details from the lovely Rach.
Write a blog post in 300 words or less, excluding the title. The post can be in any format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings, poem, etc. The blog post should show:
that it’s morning,
that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach
that the MC (main character) is bored
that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting
that something surprising happens.
Just for fun, see if you can involve all five senses AND include these random words: "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise." (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one you give them).
With that, I give you...SOOTHER
I stared across the waves as light appeared on the horizon.
“Ember,” Soother called. I heard him searching the house. He’d be here soon.
I yanked at my bracelet, the cold metal digging into my flesh. A sharp pinch brought a drop of blood. I winced, but continued to push. It had to release. There was nothing left for me here. We did the same thing every day. Stared at the waves and spent our time soothing our souls. Mom called it synbatec.
Whatever that meant.
My soul was anything but soothed. More like bored and aching to break free. To run back to Sean, breathe in his musky cologne; feel his arms around me. That’s how I ended up here. Right where Mom wanted me.
What she didn’t know was that Soother had his own methods. Electric bracelets, tecise discipline, and an aroma therapy that made my head pulse.
The door slammed and I heard his footsteps. I bit the bracelet and tugged my hand, the taste of blood filling my mouth as Soother descended the wooden stairs.
I crumpled to the ground and plugged my nose. It didn’t stop his wastopaneer scent from reaching inside, tempting my stomach to erupt.
“Ember,” he whispered, his soft voice grating my ears.
I stood. Turned slowly. And froze.
Sean tiptoed towards us through the sand.
“Come back inside,” Soother said. “No need to hurt yourself.”
“This pain soothes me more than anything you’ve tried.”
He chuckled then went wide eyed as Sean strapped an electric bracelet on each wrist, pushing him across the trigger line.
I squeezed my eyes and listened to the screams. Sean grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. My eyes opened to a loud snap. The bracelet dropped and Sean lifted me, saving me from my torture.
Hope you liked it. If you did, go vote for me here. I'm number 102. And read the other entries while you're there!
Remember Reece Hanzon? The awesome blogger that interviewed me on his blog last week? Yeah, he's cool. And now I get to interview him!
When I asked Reece about himself, he said
"I'm a writer — sci-fi with a side of fantasy — but I haven't quit my day job as a technical writer, at least not yet. I'm one of the many aspiring writers who put in as much time as they can on the side. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't; that's life. As it is, not being able to write all the time makes me enjoy the time I get all the more. I also love editing, especially fiction. It's both a gift and a curse because I can't read anything, anything without looking for errors or thinking of a better way to say it. I have a beautiful wife, but we have not been able to have kids yet."
I totally understand the gift and curse of editing. When I have my editing cap on, it's hard to jump into a book and enjoy it as much. But...enough about me! Let's get to the interview.
Reece, how long have you been writing?
Since I was a kid. Seriously writing? Since 2003. I wrote a space-opera about a young man raised by space pirates but who know piracy was wrong. It's all about the terrible luck he has and the dangerous situations he manages to get himself into just by trying to start an honest life for himself.
(Wow! Interesting. Sounds like it's layered with all sorts of intriguing ideas. Space Pirates. Danger. Honesty. Ooh!)
What made you want to write?
I love stories! Eventually my overactive imagination wasn't content with reading them and started spitting out its own. Seriously, as a kid I played by myself most of the time because I was imagining myself off on some amazing adventure. Yeah...I was that kid.
(Uh, I think I have a few of those here! Nothing wrong with that.)
Do you have any pet peeves while writing?
Being so close to finding exactly the right word and not being able to put my finger on it! I will never forgive Mark Twain for his famous saying about the right word and almost the right word. I will never be able to settle for anything but the perfect word. Ever.
If you could live in the setting of any book, which would you choose and why?
Fantasy: Garth Nix's Abhorsen Chronicles (this is the world of Sabriel), because I want to be a charter mage and have a pet like Mogget. Science fiction: Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series, because it's the best darn space opera I've ever read!
(Confession. I've only read Sabriel. But it's a great world! And there's magic. Enough said :))
What book are you reading right now and what's next in line?
Right now I'm reading Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead (inspiration for the movie The 13th Warrior). Next in line is Warrior, by Marie Brennan.
What's your favorite:
Author- Garth Nix, because he writes original, intelligent fantasy that keeps me biting my nails and turning pages.
Character- Bartimaeus (the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud) because he's freaking hilarious. I wish I were that quick-witted and gutsy!
Book- Sabriel, by Garth Nix
Thing about writing- discovering new places, meeting new people, and learning about new technology a/o magic!
Time of day- evening, from about 4:00 until it gets dark. The light turns golden-orange, the heat subsides (in the summer), and everything starts to calm down (especially while everyone is inside eating dinner) until it's almost completely still and quiet.
And last, but not least, do you prefer fruity candy or chocolate?
Depends on the day and the fruit candy. In general, I prefer fruit candy, but I do love a box of chocolates from See's Candy, or some M&Ms.
(I have to agree with the whole day thing and which fruit candy. Although I'm tempted by most, there are definitely some that would make me hesitate. See's? YUM!)
Thanks for being here today, Reece! It was a pleasure to learn more about you.
Be sure to stop by Reece's blog, Reece Hanzon, to learn more about him and to make a new blogging friend.
Have a great weekend!
By now, you may or may not have realized that I like to post on Tuesday and Friday. Tuesday being my whatever writing day and Friday being the interview's.
I had an awesome analogy post ready to write last night and instead of writing it, I got sucked into...
my critique partners book. So, instead of me entertaining you today, I'm going to let her do it. She always has a great post and if you're not following her yet, well...let's just say you should!
In fact, I just checked Chantele Sedgwick's blog and she posted on the thing I was going to post about anyway! Crazy how we think alike. But I promise my post on series, roads, and bridges next Tuesday!
Have a great day and keep up the writing :)
Cally Jackson grew up in the small country town of Gatton, and now lives in Brisbane, Australia. After deciding at 17 that a Hollywood acting career was sadly out of reach, Cally turned to a career in professional communication and is currently employed by the government.
Her passion for fictional writing first emerged in grade two when she got in trouble for penning her own tale instead of copying directly from a story book as she was supposed to be doing – it was a handwriting exercise, after all.
Cally now lives in Brisbane with the two loves of her life – her husband, Mark, and her dog, Lucy. When complete, Tangled will be her first novel.
And that excerpt was taken from her awesome blog! It's great to have Cally here today. I met her recently through the Writers' Platform Building Campaign and I'm excited to learn more about her.
So Cally, how long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, in one form or another. When I was in primary school, I wrote poems and stories, then in high school I moved on to (somewhat obsessive) diary writing. In uni, I began writing novels and that’s been my focus ever since. Well, mostly my focus. I work in professional communication so I also write newsletters, advertisements and award submissions for work, and then there’s my blog.
When I list it out like that, it makes me realise just how big a role writing has played in my life! :-)
(I know, right? It all contributes to the great writer's we are or are to become.)
What made you want to write?
A desire to express myself and have a creative outlet. When I was in high school, I did a lot of acting and believed I was going to move (from a small town in Australia) to Hollywood, become a star and marry Leonardo DiCaprio. It took one semester of drama at university to realise that was just a little unrealistic. I changed from drama to communication at uni, and my creative outlet switched from acting to writing.
These days, writing is a major part of who I am and sometimes I feel like I don’t so much want to write, but HAVE to write. It’s a compulsion and an obsession - just ask my husband!
(I understand 100%...as my family would most of the time as well.)
Do you have any pet peeves while writing?
Discovering that the whole paragraph/page/chapter I’ve just written contradicts a previous plot point and needs to be changed, especially if I’ve fallen in love with the scene. It’s never fun to tear apart something you’ve created.
Another pet peeve is when my inner critic starts talking too loudly, telling me that my writing is rubbish. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen too often any more. I’ve learnt that if I ignore her and keep writing, she goes back to her corner and shuts up.
If you could sit down and reread any book, which would it be?
Oooh, good question. There are too many to pick from! For now, I’ll choose The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, because it was one of my favourites when I was a teenager and I’d like to revisit it with more mature eyes. I love re-reading books and have read some of my favourites up to five times, so if you ask me this same question in a week’s time, I’ll probably come up with a totally different answer!
Quick, you only have enough time to visit a couple writing blogs/websites, which ones would you choose?
I’d open my Google Reader account and go to my ‘Fave bloggers’ folder, which includes Aimee Salter, Jody Hedlund, India Drummond, Livia Blackburne, Rachel Morgan Writes and Susanna Leonard Hill. I would then read the two most recent blog posts from that group. (I realise I’m kind of cheating here, but there’s no way I could only choose two!)
(That's okay by me. Now I have more awesomeness to choose from! Thanks for the links.)
If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would it be?
William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet is one of my all time favourite stories/movies/plays, and I’d love to see what the man was really like. I’d also love to tell him about how much his work still resonates today, because what author wouldn’t want to know that?
(So true.)
Do you prefer:
Mountains or Beaches? Mountains for adventure, beaches for relaxation. :-P
Action or Romance movies? Romance.
Harry Potter, Peeta Mellark, or Edward Cullen? Oooh a toughie. You wouldn’t believe the amount of thought I put into this! I’ll have to say Harry Potter, because Edward is too controlling for my liking. Plus I’d love to live in a world where magic exists (preferably post-Voldemort). I haven’t actually read The Hunger Games yet, but don’t worry, the series is high on my list of books to read!
(Gah! Get to it! And I agree with the post-Voldemort thing. Just seems like a more peaceful magic world to be in.)
And last, but not least, do you prefer fruity candy or chocolate?
Chocolate. But if you threw a savoury option into the mix, like Dorito’s corn chips, I would choose that over chocolate every time.
(Did someone say chips? Oh man, something salty with something sweet is even better! How about some chocolate and Doritos? Not together in the same bite, but switch off and on to balance the salt and sugar. Yum...)
What a yummy ending. Thanks so much, Cally, for letting me pick your writing brain apart! It was great to learn more about you. Everyone be sure to stop by Cally's blog, Cally Jackson Writes, to become her blogging friend :)
Have a great weekend!
About me? Well then, it's your lucky day :)
Reece Hanzon has an interview with yours truly on his blog today! Stop by and be sure to check out his blog while you're there.
I promise, I didn't reveal anything too embarrassing...but you'll never know if you don't take a gander.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for another Aspiring Author interview.
Have a great day!
Obviously the first in any series has to be stand alone right? I get that, but so many times the second in the series is more like a bridge to the third. And I hate waiting at the end of that bridge for the next in the series.
Here's the problem I'm having right now. I just got the third book in two separate series I had read last year. I've read so many books since then that I can't remember what happened in the first two.
And so far, the story that I'm currently reading isn't interesting enough for me to want to finish. Gasp! How can that be? Well, it's just gone way far away from the original story. It's like things are happening that I didn't know were possible.
Here's my question. Do you think series are all they're cracked up to be? They're more popular now then they have ever been (at least I think they are). I used to love getting into a series, but lately I feel like the second is usually stretching the story to the action in the third book. And then over time I get lost. Does this happen to you?
What do you like to write? Personally, I've written two books that start two different series and one stand alone. In fact, my favorite kind of series is one that moves the story forward but in a different persons perspective. Like the Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale.
Which do you like to read and which do you write? Also, how do you feel about series and stand alone's?
Um, I'm sure this never happens to any of you, but life has caught up with me. I've been a horrible blogger, I haven't written much in the last month, my kids are out of control, and the house has gone...well, I don't know. I can't find it.
So, this week I'll be trying to catch up with everything! I hope to write some more, make it around the blogging world, get a schedule set for my kids, and find my house.
Which means, I won't be here, on my blog, until next week!
Have a great week and hopefully my mind will be more organized soon. If not, well, let's just say that a bigger break will be in order. That can't happen though. I won't let it!
Have you ever felt like this?
