Quote of the Moment

"What's Past Is Prologue." - William Shakespeare

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

What Am I Writing? 5/28/14 Snippet - "Rabid Unicorns"

Below is a snippet of something I am currently working on. Be warned, it will usually be rough draft material. Please let me know if you like what you read! It'll encourage me to keep going. <3

I sprinted across the field, the pack of rabid unicorns thundering behind me in pursuit.

Now, I bet you're wondering why it's a pack and not a herd. No? You're wondering why I have a pack of rabid unicorns pursuing me? Funny story, but I'd rather tell you why it's not a herd first.

You see, these unicorns don't act much like equines. More like dogs. Right down to the saliva dripping from their mouths. Mongrels, the lot of them. The fury in their bloodshot eyes, the steam puffing up from their nostrils, the pawing at the ground when one gets you in its sights--it's all so dog-like, you'd think it wasn't a horse at all, until you see the deadly spiral reaching up to the sky from its forehead. Oh, and the glitter lacing its saliva. Can't forget the glitter. It is a unicorn after all.

Sometimes it's hard to notice the glitter, though. The dried blood on the muzzle and in the mane draws the eyes more than little sparkles. When you see the blood, you know you're in trouble. This unicorn isn't a happy, frilly, munches on grass and rainbows kind of creature. Oh no, that blood is from its past victims.

And then you start running and hope you don't become its next victim.

From my short story (or maybe something other, not quite sure yet) "Rabid Unicorns" (placeholder title) - rough draft

NEXT UP: What Am I Reading?

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Caffeine--Stat!

It took its sweet time getting here, but I think spring has finally arrived! Which is great because I need the sun and warmth to recharge. I'm always more productive in the spring and summer (so say my graphs!).

I can't say much of my productivity for cleaning my house. *coughs* Well, if my husband doesn't like it, he can clean it - lol. Not that he complains--I can happily say he wouldn't ever tell me to clean if he saw me writing, since he knows how important it is to me.

But I doubt anyone really cares about my messy house, not unless they have to come visit (it needs to be clean by June 28th, yes, must clean for a cookout...it'll happen the week before when hubbie takes off of work just so we can clean the damn thing). I hope some of you care about my writing progress, though! If you don't, that's OK too. You can pass this post by then, and eagerly await my next post instead. ;)

I am going to answer a series of questions (so what if I'm interviewing myself--no one said writers aren't crazy).

Have you been writing the last couple months? Yes!

Have you been revising? Well, no, but--.

No excuses. Have you been focusing on one project? Um, that's a no too. I can explain, though!

I said no excuses! Have you been happy with your productivity and what you've been working on? Oh, I can answer this one with a yes!

Do you feel you've succeeded at your general writing goals? Yes, yes, yes! And that's what matters, isn't it?

What is your main goal? To keep the writing gears oiled, like I mentioned back in January. Any writing counts! I've been working on this fun short story (well, maybe it's a short story) that has rabid unicorns in it, and the baby blows raspberries with squirrel blood, and these things called blurberries--.

Slow down, slow down. No, not going to slow down I don't want to! Time for you to shut up. I haven't put any goals or constraints on what exactly I'm working on because I need the freedom to dabble right now. And I will mention an excuse--I have a 6-month-old who depends on me to take care of her. As a matter of fact she's wiggling on my lap right now while I type one-handed.

Uh, well. Don't you "uh, well" me. I've also been working on another contest entry for Valley of Unicorns. This one is a role-playing campaign. And I'm having a blast doing it. I wrote 1500 words on just one scenario last night. Is it something that I can publish? No. But I am keeping my creativity flowing, plus all writing is practice. 1500 words in one night! Think of how that will translate when I can focus again on material I intend to seek publication for.

And the main point is I'm pleased with my progress. Happy I'm having fun romping with words. There will be more time to focus on revising and such when my baby decides she's going to finally sleep through the night (and not grab at my face and hair when I'm just trying to type up a blog post), or maybe when I can get a constant IV of caffeine without all the unhealthy negatives of soda or sweet tea (which I'd seriously be sucking on all day if I could stop thinking of the acidity and empty calories).

OK, maybe I do need to slow down a bit. I shouldn't have drank that sweet tea.

Clearly I've been productive by my standards. All writing is practice and the more you do it, the more you'll improve.

I've also been running Writing Quest every month still. Don't forget to join in if you have some writing goals!

That's pretty much all I have for updates. Now get me more caffeine, and hurry, or I'm going to crash!

UP NEXT: What Am I Writing Now? -- A snippet of what I'm currently working on.