Dialogue Only Writing Exercise #2

"Vivian, where are you going?"

"To the grocery store. Why? You want to come along also?"

"I guess. I need to get out of the house. I haven't been out in weeks."

"Well, I'll get your clothes out for you and help you with them once you get washed up."

"Thank you, for doing this, Vivian."

"Anytime, Brena. I don't mind helping out a friend."

"You're probably the only one."

*dusts off* Dialogue Only Writing Exercise #1

I haven't been here since September. Sheesh. Well, I have something that I did over in my Inksome journal (irksome is more like it)...

"There is something I value more than my life."

"But you know that there is a price to pay."

"I'm aware of that. I'm aware of the price. I know what I have to sacrifice and I'm ready."

"You aren't ready. You say you are, yet I can hear the quiver in your voice. You aren't prepared for what you really have to lose in this."

"If I told you that I didn't care?"

"Then I'd tell you that you are stupid and wasting your time. This is bullshit. All of it. You are only doing this because you've been misled by those you call your friends. They aren't your friends. Where are they now? Have they come to your aid when you needed them. See, you can't even answer that. I'm done with you. From here on out you are on your own. Good bye."

Sweet Tea & Art Supplies

Yes, I do love Chick-fil-A's sweet tea. The Southerner that I am can not tolerate tea that is unsweet or overly sweet. Chick-fil-A's tea (this particular one) is just right. *is on cloud nine*

Now on to the true nature of this post. I have been itching to start creating art again. I miss it actually. I thought art school had effectively killed my desire to create art but I guess it didn't. It only makes me want to work on stuff to my own satisfaction. So now I'm drooling over Utrecht's site and jonesing for some art supplies. I need to get cracking on the painting that I keep going on about. It would be the perfect way to de-stress over the holidays.

I'm still writing but not at the speed I was. I think I'm just trying to rest up before Nano '08. Sheesh, it's almost time for that. Next month is October and then BAM! There's November staring down your front door and trying to drag you out of your hiding place. At least in my case.

Anyhow, I'm going to go now and upload some pictures I have on my camera to my computer and I may post them here or on my LJ. One or the other.

Project Desert Destination

It isn't my Nano novel but a story I want to tell using Sims 2 or maybe it will be my Nano novel. We'll have to see. Let's just say it'll be set in the city, in the country, in the fields, in the desert, in a cafe in the city, inspired by lots of strange music, feature a character named after a certain bassist and consist of strange going-ons that focus around fake religions, magic and love (among other things).

This will be my break from IOT until I get Seasons (which I plan on doing soon...I really want Seasons back. I don't care about the other EPs...I just want my Seasons back). I need something to think of that doesn't consist of Cambria and Eric vying for my attention and me not getting a word out.

Aya Kato

Much like music, art inspires my writing. I'm a visual person so I'm always thinking of my stories in terms of songs, movies, comic books, or paintings. I don't know why I do that, I just do it.

Right now I'm very much in love and inspired by the work of Aya Kato. Her work reminds me of Yoshitaka Amano a little. There's that beautiful ethereal surrealism there. Her work is pretty popular. She did the drawings for Tori Amos' "Sleeps With Butterflies" video (which is simply beautiful). I have to give Coilhouse's Zoetica Ebb a big thank you for bringing her up and reminding me about her. I would hate to let her work go unnoticed.

Oh, Twilight....how you suck

I'm listening to the audiobook of Twilight and I'm not sold on it. I could be biased because I didn't understand the hype before. But I wanted to see what it was all about. It's not about much. Honestly. Bella is dull, clumsy but loved by so many boys, can't be assed to remember the names of people who are dumb enough to befriend her, is so in love with Edward that in one sentence I swear she uses about 5 adjectives signifying that he's beautiful. Oh, blah blah blah blah...Bella, shut up. I like vampires. I actually love them, but Stephanie you're making me want to stake my own in the heart. Your Mary Sue is making me blue in the face.


Anyhow, I'm working on the brainstorming process for Nano 2008 and I'm writing a vampire story. I tried my hand at steampunk vampires last year but it didn't pan out. So a vampire story straight and true is what I'm going to pen. I'm already writing up my mythology and have my character names. It's going to be a fun November.

To Use Japanese or Not To

When I write fanfiction for anime I find myself debating if I should use Japanese words while writing the story. Most of the time I give in and use a Japanese word or two. Sometimes I don't mind using the Japanese because it feels like the respectful thing to do then I think "Damnit, I'm a gaijin. Why am I using Japanese when I'm not even Japanese? That seems disrespectful in a sense." Basically I don't know. I could just do a coin toss and see what I come up with from there. That wouldn't be a bad idea actually.

Speaking of Japanese. I plugged "Weight of Heaven" into Babelfish (unreliable translator that it is) and got this: 天の重量.

It makes me want to learn Japanese badly. I need to and I was starting to. I know how to say "I eat bread" and a few other words, other than that...my Japanese wouldn't get me far if I took a trip to the country in the next few months. :P

The Sound of Autumn Crashing Down

I love subject titles that have shit to do with what I'm actually going to talk about. ;D Isn't that sad? Oh well, don't care. :P

Anyhow, I've been really thinking about IOT and its universe. The fires are still burning but IOT isn't going to be this epic serial that I had once thought it would be. The end is inevitable with this baby and at least not until Chapter 9 or 10. I don't want it to turn into something that is long, drawn out and painful for me to write after awhile. I'm doing all this talking and I haven't even gotten to Chapter 3 yet. Sheesh. Yet I need to get it all out before I sit down, open Word Pad and have a go at writing. I'm seriously thinking of scrapping the first 2 chapters and the prologue because I now have Eric and Cambria set up the way I want them, but I could probably just go from where I'm at now and fly by the seat of my pants. That sounds like as good a plan as any.

As far as thinking about the IOT universe, I was thinking of doing a spin-off story (not the one I was talking about on LJ...that just sounds like a bad manga waiting to happen or even a good manga, but a manga nonetheless) involving a former Guardian, Masaru Kurotsuchi and a current Guardian, Farrah Tseng-Nakamura (who is related to a character in IOT who has not been introduced yet). It would center around a young child who has gone missing (maybe Mara, maybe Mara's child) and is being searched for by members of a cult that worship Alice (you'll see why in due time if I ever get over this writer's block) who want to sacrifice the child. Masaru and Farrah are trying their damnedest to find the child, stop the nefarious plot, and just survive in a city that is out to get them.

That would be the gist of it. I don't know, I really should think these things over but I find that over-thinking causes me to not want to do a story at all. Then there's the whole "no one is really reading it except for a handful of people" thing that I want to get in to, but won't because whining about it isn't going to up the readership. I may need to expand my advertising to outside of LJ. Yeah, that would probably be the thing to do.

Anyhow it's back to the drawing board for me. Even though right now I want a glass of merlot, some vanilla candles, and someone to cuddle up with. The boy is at home, there's no wine here, and those candles? Still at the candle store. I'll just have to face the drawing board with a clear-head. Damnit.

Fiat Nox: In Regards To S.M.*

*S.M. = Stephanie Meyer

I just read some reviews for her latest book, the final book in the Twilight series, "Breaking Dawn". The number of bad reviews on Amazon almost equal the number of 5 star reviews. I have to say most of those 1 star reviews are well-written. Excuse me, not "most", some because there are some that are just drivel. Anyhow, the point of this is...where can I find S.M.'s publisher and her agent? I may have a chance yet if I can craft a YA story that is as badly written as hers. I read the excerpt for Twilight and my head hurt so bad just from listening to what was going on in Bella's head. If I had to compare Bella to Clive Barker's Candy Quackenbush from Abarat, Bella would be a dust mite. She comes across in the excerpt (which was Chapter 1) as lifeless and flat. She's not a heroine I'd want my daughter's looking up to and I don't even have daughters. I have sisters and trust me I would probably hide the books from them if they owned them. I had thought about reading this series because I have an appreciation for anything dealing with vampires. They're the one mythical creature that gets me all worked up and happy. But it just seems like S.M. took the fun out of them like Anne Rice did with her less than stellar books after the main Vampire Chronicles (why, Anne? Why?)

Oh *sighs* let me stop complaining and go do something slightly constructive.

Seventh Sanctum Story Generator

Thank you, Anghard, for reminding me how great Seventh Sanctum is. :D

I just used their story generator and got this little niblet.

This is a story about jealousy and our struggles against ourselves. The story is about a gladiator. It starts in a manufacturing city on an arid planet. The threat of terrorism plays a major part in this story.

I have to do something with that. It's screaming for me to not ignore it.

Weird Magic

I have never been to Los Angeles. I grew up wanting to live in NYC, thinking that I craved the dirty polluted city air and the late night life. I still believe that to some extent. Then I discovered the work of YA author Francesca Lia Block. She's an L.A. writer and the way she writes L.A. makes me believe that that place is infused with weird magic. Like it seeps it. The celebrities are just there. L.A. is really a city for beautiful freaks. That would explain the large population of goths there, plus magicians and freaky artists and writers. Okay, maybe not, but it would probably be close.

This leads me to want to write about L.A. Not "Hollywood" or "Malibu" but L.A. and its supposed weird magic. I may end up making this my Nano story this year. I've been plotting and thinking about that and I've ended up with nothing until just a minute ago. I have something or it could be absolutely nothing. Time will tell.

The Desired Constellation

Music has always been a major inspiration with my writing. Whether it's been a song or just a lyric, music speaks to my muses. Especially Bjork's music. I don't know why but ever since I started listening to her in the 90's, I can write to her music or come up with a story. This also happens if I'm listening to Tori Amos, but mostly Bjork.

Anyhow, I'm rambling. Music has been a driving inspiration along with things such as comics, manga, anime, movies, people around me. It's been the most quiet and subtle one too.

Wordle is Love

I've seen the Wordle images crop up twice on LJ and they're addictive.

For my Bleach Renji/Yachiru & Kenpachi/Yachiru fic- The Stray Dog, the Lioness and the Lion




For my Sims 2 story In Our Twilight




And one random one

Prompt #186

#186 from promptdujour:

...I only knew what hunted thought
Quickened his step, and why
He looked upon the garish day
With such a wistful eye;
The man had killed the thing he loved
And so he had to die.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!

Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold.

Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does not die...
~Oscar Wilde

It was never Lord Islington's intention to kill Verity. He had merely wanted her to feel threatened, as if he could at any moment take the breath from her body with one fell swipe of his sword. Yet it was his ignorance that led him to believe that small lie. He knew not what else to do. If he informed the proper authorities they would only arrest him being he was the prime suspect (and the killer). If he fled then he could go far away, change his name and start a new life. The idea was tempting, but Lord Islington knew that he deserved to die for what he had done. Even if he didn't want to die, he deserved it.

Fanfiction Talk

I ran across my first shipping elitist on the cesspool of fanfiction, FF.net, and I handled it better than I would have in the past. I don't understand shipping elitist, like I don't understand people who get pissed off when you warn them that the content may not be to their liking. Shipping elitist honestly have nothing better to do than hound you about a pairing you chose to use. I've noticed I don't give a damn what pairing a person uses. If it intrigues me and is well-written you could be writing a crack pairing of Kurotsuchi/Ichigo and I would love it.

Shipping elite be damned. .

Prompt #1: Drugs

from myself.

Kent hated surrounding himself with the pill-popping denizens of the area. They were all so addicted to the meds they were plying themselves with yet they would say they weren't druggies. Kent would think to himself that they were no better than the pot smoking hippie kids that lived on the 5th floor or the junkie who always asked for a fiver to get his fix. Just because their dope had exotic names like Prozac, Percocet, Vicodin, or Viagra didn't make the addiction any different. It just made it trendy and acceptable.

He watched a couple of Botox blondes writhing on the dancefloor to some techno track that the DJ thought would get everyone up and moving. They were nothing but meat to him. They were trying to catch his eye but he was ignoring them. They were disgusting. Even if they were size twos with 46DDD breasts and full lips they were scum.

Prompt #194

#194 from promptdujour
Of all the people who survived the apocalypse, Bob was my least favorite.


Of all the people who survived the apocalypse, Bob was my least favorite. He was rude,
smelly, and had been a thorn in my side at every company event. You'd think when the zombies started showing up and nicking people off, he'd be the first to go. Like hell he was! Somehow that bastard survived and now I'm stuck with him. Thinks he knows every goddamn thing there is to know about surviving a zombie apocalypse. Movies don't count, Bob! Movies don't fucking count!

Been So Long

It's been a long time since I posted here. I've been busy in RL, posting over at LJ, and just being a nuisance to myself. Which I seem to enjoy. I've been more productive recently which is nice. I've been doing every from working on my original simmed story to writing fanfiction. It's really nice. Now I just need to get out and stop being a hermit.

Prompt #192: Beg

from promptdujour


It wasn't going to be easy. Really it wasn't. This much Emi had learned when she first met him. He preferred to be in control while she languished for some footing in their bizarre relationship. He liked keeping her on edge and she sometimes enjoyed it. It was always easy for her to beg. It was who she was. Who he had made her into over a matter of months.

A Letter: Everything Dies

X-posted over to my LJ

Author's Note: It is a letter from Eric's mother, Victoria. Eric is the main character of my story, Gramercy, which is getting a complete makeover from a vampire story to something quite different.

This was written while listening to NIN's "The Persistence of Loss" and "Leaving Hope" from Still.

~~~~~~

Dear Eric,

When you receive this letter I will already be dead. Everything dies, so don’t be too sad. I will probably have killed myself because this world is too much and I am so tired, honey. You’re with your aunt so you’ll be safe in the country. You’ll be fine. You’ll grow up to be something great. You won’t end up like your father and me. You won’t end up in an asylum. Baby, I am so sorry I didn’t give you the life you deserved. I could have and I should have tried harder. I failed you then but not now I won’t.

This is my last moment of clarity, Eric. I decided to not take the pills this morning. They make me groggy and forgetful. They cloud my mind. I don’t like taking them, so I didn’t this morning. It’s amazing how clear everything is as I write this. I think the pills make me complacent. I hate that feeling. Anyhow, I’m digressing. Listen to me and listen to me carefully. Whatever they do to you after I’m gone don’t let them take you from your aunt. Don’t let them take you from your last connection to me. I will always be with you through her. I will always be with you.

I love. I love you so much. As much as I loved your father, Eric. You are my heart and my light. I’m sorry I’m doing this to you, but I can’t bear to be here and let them run tests on me. I can’t let them drug me anymore. I’m tired of being a guinea pig. Don’t let them make you one, Eric. Stay strong. Stay clear-headed. Stay above the water they try to drown you in.

I am so sorry.

Love Always & Forever,

Victoria

Writing Exercise: 5 Minutes

12:59AM

The cold sterile blue of the room felt as if it was seeping into her skin. Snow closed her eyes quickly against the harsh glare of the flourescent lights. She could see a glass across from her and knew that on the other side someone was watching her, observing her like an animal at the zoo.

She struggled to get up, slipping a bit on the freezing concrete floor. With a sweeping glance she took in her surroundings. They had stuck her in a room that only contained a tiny cot in one corner and a chair in another, along with a portrait of the High Minister when he was young. She knew where she was now. She had heard of this place.

"Welcome to Zone 47, Snow. Or should I call you by your real name, Victorie?" said a smooth male voice.

Snow looked around for the source. She spotted in far right corner of the room a black intercom speaker. "Who the hell are you? Why am I here? Why am I in Zone 47?"

The man chuckled lightly. "My dear, you are a threat to society. You are what we call an 'undesirable'. You use terror to cause strife and chaos. You use cowardly methods to incite situations that you have no business getting involved in to begin with."

Snow shook her head. "Cowardly methods? Our methods are not cowardly. They are the only means that you people understand," she retorted. She turned to the glass and walked over to it. She could feel a multitude of eyes upon her. They were on the other side watching her, mocking her.

12:04AM
~~~~~

This story will be inspired by current events, past events, V for Vendetta (the graphic novel), 1984, A Clockwork Orange, and Year Zero. For some reason I feel more than ever there needs to be more stories like this in the world. I could be wrong, but then again I could be right. Only time will tell.

Weight of Heaven: Empire, a story

So I'm sure that you remember me squawking a while back about doing story set in a dystopian future in which America is a superpower again (using means of silent Imperialism and lots of money) and ruled by the super-conservatives that so desperately want to rule this country right now? Well, I have a title. It's actually the name of the journal. It just sounded nice and suited the story in a way. We'll see if I stick to it.

I'll probably still post my writing over at LJ but not as much. I like LJ but I want to try blogger out also. Only thing is I can't "friend" anyone. :(

Anyway, I've been thinking about the characters of WoH:Empire and wondering who they are, what they do, who they love, who they hate. You know, typical character development stuff. I realized that Rosso, a young woman who is a graffiti artist, is a little bit me. I normally hate writing myself into a character but it happens (Isabel before the scrapping of Gramercy V.1 was a prime example...she *was* me).

The prospect of doing a story that isn't tied to the Sims 2 is pretty nice. I've been living in the Sims world for so long that I just needed a change from it. What better way than to open a journal on another blog site and post snippets and bits of my writing. :D

Damn, do I sound full of myself. Enough back-patting. I'm not tired and I'm feeling a bit creative so I think I'll fire up Word and let my fingers do the talking.

The Weight of Heaven Coming Down

Is a blog that will be hosting most of my writing tidbits. I'm tired of having my writing on my LJ and besides lately I realized that half of the people I seem to love have bloggers. Way to be a sheep, right?