Today's excerpt is an interesting one for me as a medical student. On one hand, I have to go with the plot. On the other, I feel that by writing this, I am furthering a misconception about the concept of brain death. As such, this excerpt will be followed at the end of the post with some information pertaining to said topic.
"And on today's broadcast, we bring you the unusual story that seems to have caught everyone attention. A local man, previously declared brain dead, is now sitting up and talking to his family. This is the latest in the string of incidents that many are calling miracles at St. Christopher's hospital downtown," the anchor reported.
Sophia raised her eyebrow and focused on the story as the picture changed to a scene in front of the hospital.
"The doctors told us he was dead, that his body was only functioning because of the tube down his throat. They took out the tube, and he stopped breathing, for a full five minutes. Then, all of a sudden, he's gasping and sitting up in bed," a younger woman explained, clutching a tissue in her hand.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 20
Words Today: 1721
Total Words: 24,175
Words Remaining: 25,825
Average Words/Day: 1209
Educational Information:
There are two ways in which physicians can declare someone dead. The first is the traditional cardiac death, when the heart stops beating. After all, if the heart isn't beating, blood isn't flowing through the body, and thus your tissues die. Technically speaking, the heart needs to have stopped for a certain period of time before death can be called, as people's hearts stop quite often and this can be reversed, either naturally (someone passes out because their heart stops for 2-3 seconds, then restarts), or by us (CPR, or a pacemaker/defibrillator).
However, the second way in which physicians can declare someone dead is by declaring them brain dead. It's actually a fairly involved process to declare someone brain dead, and requires several tests to be performed by two separate physicians. It is not something that is taken lightly. Basically, the person does not have any signs of consciousness (withdrawing from pain, for instance, or eyes that follow a target), nor can they have some basic reflexes, including the drive to breathe. The final test for someone who is brain dead is removing them from the ventilator that is by definition keeping their body functioning, and, ultimately, their heart stops beating. These people can have bodies that are kept alive by the ventilator and medications, but are dead. They are most often put back on the ventilator after 5 or so minutes, and donate their organs. These organs are generally the most likely to survive being transplanted, and are considered better than organs given by those who die from cardiac death.
Bottom line, brain death = death. It is not possible to recover from it, and people do not make miraculous recoveries from it. It is not akin to a coma, where someone is unresponsive, but still dead.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 19
Sophia's getting more and more confused now. Things are happening and she's once again struggling to figure out what they all mean. But she'll get there eventually. I think within the next couple days, I'll be writing the reveal of the main plot. Should be interesting.
Excerpt for today:
She took a deep breath and turned to him. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you this, but I've spoken to my Nana."
He raised his eyebrow. "And this is special because...?"
She blew out a frustrated breath. "She's been dead for five*** years. And as far as I can tell, she hasn't been walking the Earth like you during that time. She's been moved on."
He stared at her for a full minute, trying to process the information. "How were you able to do that?"
NaNo Stats:
Days: 19
Words Today: 2045
Total Words: 22,454
Words Remaining: 27,546
Average Words/Day: 1182
Excerpt for today:
She took a deep breath and turned to him. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you this, but I've spoken to my Nana."
He raised his eyebrow. "And this is special because...?"
She blew out a frustrated breath. "She's been dead for five*** years. And as far as I can tell, she hasn't been walking the Earth like you during that time. She's been moved on."
He stared at her for a full minute, trying to process the information. "How were you able to do that?"
NaNo Stats:
Days: 19
Words Today: 2045
Total Words: 22,454
Words Remaining: 27,546
Average Words/Day: 1182
Monday, November 18, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 18
Our new character, Neal, is making quite an impression. Sophia's taken a bit of a liking to him. Hopefully he doesn't do a 360 and betray her.
Today was fairly productive.
"Should I be nervous about getting in a car alone with you? After all, that ruins my escape route..." She fingered her phone in her pocket absently, smiling slightly as she walked with him to his car.
"Now why would I want to put someone as beautiful as you in any danger?" he smiled sweetly and opened the passenger door for her.
She blushed and slid into the car, rubbing her hands together to keep the blood flowing to the tips of her fingers. Despite Michael's many warnings, she could see nothing unusualor dangerous about Neal, and was honestly looking forward to the night ahead.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 18
Words Today: 2870
Total Words: 20,409
Words Remaining: 29,591
Average Words/Day: 1134
Today was fairly productive.
"Should I be nervous about getting in a car alone with you? After all, that ruins my escape route..." She fingered her phone in her pocket absently, smiling slightly as she walked with him to his car.
"Now why would I want to put someone as beautiful as you in any danger?" he smiled sweetly and opened the passenger door for her.
She blushed and slid into the car, rubbing her hands together to keep the blood flowing to the tips of her fingers. Despite Michael's many warnings, she could see nothing unusualor dangerous about Neal, and was honestly looking forward to the night ahead.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 18
Words Today: 2870
Total Words: 20,409
Words Remaining: 29,591
Average Words/Day: 1134
Sunday, November 17, 2013
NaNo 2103: Day 17
Keeping the progress going today. I had an interesting twist present itself. A new character. He seems rather interested in Sophia as well. Too bad I don't know much about him. I will have to figure it out as time goes on.
To share him with you now, here's today's excerpt.
Sophia leaned back and shook her head quickly. “Of course not, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble at your job. But if you could maybe read the report, and let me know for sure, I’d be very grateful. No need for the report to even leave the station.”
He watched her for several seconds before he nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it for you. On one condition.”
She smiled and raised her eyebrow. “And what might that be?”
He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the back of the chair. “You go out to dinner with me. Tomorrow night. After I deliver the information, of course.”
NaNo Stats:
Days: 17
Words Today: 1953
Total Words: 17,539
Words Remaining: 32,461
Average Words/Day: 1032
To share him with you now, here's today's excerpt.
Sophia leaned back and shook her head quickly. “Of course not, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble at your job. But if you could maybe read the report, and let me know for sure, I’d be very grateful. No need for the report to even leave the station.”
He watched her for several seconds before he nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it for you. On one condition.”
She smiled and raised her eyebrow. “And what might that be?”
He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the back of the chair. “You go out to dinner with me. Tomorrow night. After I deliver the information, of course.”
NaNo Stats:
Days: 17
Words Today: 1953
Total Words: 17,539
Words Remaining: 32,461
Average Words/Day: 1032
Saturday, November 16, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 16
Despite having several hours to myself, it took me a really long time to get into the swing of writing. I really think the setting has a lot to do with it, because I tend to be a lot more productive when I'm back in my bedroom than when I'm sitting in the living room with some background noise.
I had to skip over a chapter today, which is almost a first, because I had so many ideas for the following chapter that I didn't want them to flee out of my head. Of course, now I"m going to have to go back and add in a whole chapter, which will be difficult from a formatting perspective, and I'll probably throw something off in the subsequent chapters, but whatever. That's what editing is for, right?
Here's today's excerpt:
Deedee shrugged. “It’s your dream. You can either wake up, or we can risk staying in the dream world and just leave this… place.”
Sophia took a deep breath and imagined being back in her bed. She opened her eyes and frowned at Michael. “I’m not entirely sure how to wake up. I’ve always just… woken up.”
Michael and Deedee exchanged glances, then Michael pulled out a gun, pointing it at Sophia’s heart.
Sophia held up her hands slowly and started to back away, only to bump into one of the large wooden crates being held in the warehouse. “What are you doing?”
Michael shrugged and cocked the gun. Sophia closed her eyes tightly, her heart pounding loudly. A loud bang sounded and Sophia bolted upright in bed. She felt down her body quickly to assess for injuries, then slowly let out a breath. Deedee woke up gracefully, and Michael materialized before her. She glared and slapped him.
“The hell were you doing pointing a gun at me?” Sophia demanded,folding her arms across her chest.
I half did that scene for comic relief, and half because I couldn't figure out another way to have Sophia wake up from a dream without it seeming like she was capable of doing everything on her first try.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 16
Words Today: 2568
Total Words: 15,586
Words Remaining: 34,414
Average Words/Day: 978
I had to skip over a chapter today, which is almost a first, because I had so many ideas for the following chapter that I didn't want them to flee out of my head. Of course, now I"m going to have to go back and add in a whole chapter, which will be difficult from a formatting perspective, and I'll probably throw something off in the subsequent chapters, but whatever. That's what editing is for, right?
Here's today's excerpt:
Deedee shrugged. “It’s your dream. You can either wake up, or we can risk staying in the dream world and just leave this… place.”
Sophia took a deep breath and imagined being back in her bed. She opened her eyes and frowned at Michael. “I’m not entirely sure how to wake up. I’ve always just… woken up.”
Michael and Deedee exchanged glances, then Michael pulled out a gun, pointing it at Sophia’s heart.
Sophia held up her hands slowly and started to back away, only to bump into one of the large wooden crates being held in the warehouse. “What are you doing?”
Michael shrugged and cocked the gun. Sophia closed her eyes tightly, her heart pounding loudly. A loud bang sounded and Sophia bolted upright in bed. She felt down her body quickly to assess for injuries, then slowly let out a breath. Deedee woke up gracefully, and Michael materialized before her. She glared and slapped him.
“The hell were you doing pointing a gun at me?” Sophia demanded,folding her arms across her chest.
I half did that scene for comic relief, and half because I couldn't figure out another way to have Sophia wake up from a dream without it seeming like she was capable of doing everything on her first try.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 16
Words Today: 2568
Total Words: 15,586
Words Remaining: 34,414
Average Words/Day: 978
Friday, November 15, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 15
So I had an interview today. I'm not sure how it went. I have a feeling I won't match there. I hope I do, but I have a hunch I won't. Maybe if I start preparing myself now, I won't be devastated come March.
Anyway, I did manage to actually do my word count for today, though it was pretty hard with the kids upstairs running around, and getting a headache, and just overall feeling exhausted. And there's no fluffy couches at my mom's place to chill out on, which makes it really difficult to get into writing. You don't realize how much you rely on certain conditions until you're without them again. Next week's interview should be interesting, since I'll lose about 12 hours to driving, and won't be staying in a hotel, so I'll actually have to play friends with my host. We'll see how it goes.
Here's your excerpt for today. It relates directly to the events in Hidden Souls. I'm not entirely sure how much of this plot I'm going to keep, and how much I'm going to use it to revise HS. We'll see, I suppose.
Sophia heard footsteps coming from around the corner. Without thinking, she jumped behind one of the tall pallets of sand surrounding the outside wall of the warehouse. The lights swung back and forth, the bulbs covered with grime and shining a dull light on the rows of boxes. She could hardly make out her own hand, let alone anything else in the large room. Still, the sound of foot falls got louder as she started to make out a faint whisper. Straining to hear more, she leaned over to look around the pallet.
"We have done everything you've asked," a man said, his voice strained with tension.
"Not everything, I'm afraid. You were to make sure that no one else knew she was here," a soft, feminine voice responded. "I understand that there was a girl here, that she was snooping around in the office upstairs."
NaNo Stats:
Days: 15
Words today: 1766
Total Words: 13,018
Words Remaining: 36,982
Average words per day: 868
On the bright side, the word count in Google Drive seems to match up fairly well with the NaNo validator, so maybe it won't be so difficult to hit my word count on the last day.
Anyway, I did manage to actually do my word count for today, though it was pretty hard with the kids upstairs running around, and getting a headache, and just overall feeling exhausted. And there's no fluffy couches at my mom's place to chill out on, which makes it really difficult to get into writing. You don't realize how much you rely on certain conditions until you're without them again. Next week's interview should be interesting, since I'll lose about 12 hours to driving, and won't be staying in a hotel, so I'll actually have to play friends with my host. We'll see how it goes.
Here's your excerpt for today. It relates directly to the events in Hidden Souls. I'm not entirely sure how much of this plot I'm going to keep, and how much I'm going to use it to revise HS. We'll see, I suppose.
Sophia heard footsteps coming from around the corner. Without thinking, she jumped behind one of the tall pallets of sand surrounding the outside wall of the warehouse. The lights swung back and forth, the bulbs covered with grime and shining a dull light on the rows of boxes. She could hardly make out her own hand, let alone anything else in the large room. Still, the sound of foot falls got louder as she started to make out a faint whisper. Straining to hear more, she leaned over to look around the pallet.
"We have done everything you've asked," a man said, his voice strained with tension.
"Not everything, I'm afraid. You were to make sure that no one else knew she was here," a soft, feminine voice responded. "I understand that there was a girl here, that she was snooping around in the office upstairs."
NaNo Stats:
Days: 15
Words today: 1766
Total Words: 13,018
Words Remaining: 36,982
Average words per day: 868
On the bright side, the word count in Google Drive seems to match up fairly well with the NaNo validator, so maybe it won't be so difficult to hit my word count on the last day.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
NaNo 2013: Days 13-14
So I didn't get much of a chance to write yesterday, because I spent half the day on a plane (as it turns out, I can read my book on Google Drive while offline, but they don't allow me to edit it. Which kinda defeats the purpose), and the other half spending time with my mom and sister. And I went to bed fairly early Colorado time, since I had to wake up before dawn on the east coast to catch my plane.
At any rate, I did a bit of catching up today. Not as much as I wanted, but some. It's going to be a real struggle to get this challenge won this year. I'm about halfway toward the goal so far, which means I essentially have to double my word count daily in order to catch up. And with traveling and interviews, that might be a bit of a challenge. We shall see.
Anyway, here's your excerpt for today:
Under the cover of the students rummaging through their bags and the folding desks moving back into place, she glanced at Michael, eyebrow quirked. “You know you’re not supposed to bother me during class.”
He shrugged unapologetically. “You’ve been avoiding Deedee for a full day now. You do have to talk to her at some point, you know. She is your roommate.”
She slung her book bag over her shoulder and shrugged. “Plenty of roommates get along just fine without talking.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “And you know very well that you are not one of those people.”
Uh oh. Looks like there's a bit of trouble in paradise.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 14
Words today: 1173
Total Words: 11,252
Words Remaining: 38,748
Average words per day: 803
At any rate, I did a bit of catching up today. Not as much as I wanted, but some. It's going to be a real struggle to get this challenge won this year. I'm about halfway toward the goal so far, which means I essentially have to double my word count daily in order to catch up. And with traveling and interviews, that might be a bit of a challenge. We shall see.
Anyway, here's your excerpt for today:
Under the cover of the students rummaging through their bags and the folding desks moving back into place, she glanced at Michael, eyebrow quirked. “You know you’re not supposed to bother me during class.”
He shrugged unapologetically. “You’ve been avoiding Deedee for a full day now. You do have to talk to her at some point, you know. She is your roommate.”
She slung her book bag over her shoulder and shrugged. “Plenty of roommates get along just fine without talking.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “And you know very well that you are not one of those people.”
Uh oh. Looks like there's a bit of trouble in paradise.
NaNo Stats:
Days: 14
Words today: 1173
Total Words: 11,252
Words Remaining: 38,748
Average words per day: 803
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 12
I'm slowly catching up. I cranked out words today, but I can only do so much at a time before I run out of ideas. But I am keeping ahead of the daily goal, so hopefully within the next week or so, I'll manage to get all caught up and hopefully manage to win this year. It would suck to lose on the year that's supposed to be the easiest in med school.
So I mentioned that I hadn't finished editing Hidden Souls prior to starting this one. I haven't decided whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but more and more things are coming out about Hidden Souls as I write this one. The motivation of the antagonist, primarily. Which is what I was struggling with in the editing. So maybe I'll have a nice plot to work back into Hidden Souls retroactively. Or maybe I'll decide both story lines suck and just trash the whole thing. Who knows.
Here's your teaser for today:
Sophia remained quiet for several moments, before glancing back at Michael. “What did you two talk about?”
Michael tilted his head. “Us two?”
Sophia shrugged, picking at her bedspread absently. “You and Deedee.” At his raised eyebrow, she spread her hands. “Clearly you were talking long enough for you to blurt out something about me being in trouble, and you were convincing enough for her to sprint over here, so I’m just curious what you were talking about initially.”
He chuckled softly. “You’re jealous.”
She glared at him and raised her chin defiantly. “I’m not jealous. I’m just… not used to this whole dynamic with someone else being able to talk to you.”
He tapped her chin with his knuckle and smiled. “Don’t worry. We weren’t talking about you. She was asking about my death. And I gave her the same runaround I gave you.”
She swatted at his hand. “You still haven’t told me how you died. Or your last name, for that matter.”
He shrugged. “Need to know basis, sweets. And right now, you don’t need to know.”
NaNo Stats:
Days: 12
Words today: 2547
Total Words: 10,079 (roughly even with day 6 now)
Words Remaining: 39,921
Average words per day: 839
Also, as an aside, I've been working in google docs for the past week or so, mostly so I could write at work without having to save documents to the hard drive and whatnot. I just copied everything I had into my OpenOffice document, and the word count came out roughly 300 words higher. That does not bode well for validation season.
So I mentioned that I hadn't finished editing Hidden Souls prior to starting this one. I haven't decided whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but more and more things are coming out about Hidden Souls as I write this one. The motivation of the antagonist, primarily. Which is what I was struggling with in the editing. So maybe I'll have a nice plot to work back into Hidden Souls retroactively. Or maybe I'll decide both story lines suck and just trash the whole thing. Who knows.
Here's your teaser for today:
Sophia remained quiet for several moments, before glancing back at Michael. “What did you two talk about?”
Michael tilted his head. “Us two?”
Sophia shrugged, picking at her bedspread absently. “You and Deedee.” At his raised eyebrow, she spread her hands. “Clearly you were talking long enough for you to blurt out something about me being in trouble, and you were convincing enough for her to sprint over here, so I’m just curious what you were talking about initially.”
He chuckled softly. “You’re jealous.”
She glared at him and raised her chin defiantly. “I’m not jealous. I’m just… not used to this whole dynamic with someone else being able to talk to you.”
He tapped her chin with his knuckle and smiled. “Don’t worry. We weren’t talking about you. She was asking about my death. And I gave her the same runaround I gave you.”
She swatted at his hand. “You still haven’t told me how you died. Or your last name, for that matter.”
He shrugged. “Need to know basis, sweets. And right now, you don’t need to know.”
NaNo Stats:
Days: 12
Words today: 2547
Total Words: 10,079 (roughly even with day 6 now)
Words Remaining: 39,921
Average words per day: 839
Also, as an aside, I've been working in google docs for the past week or so, mostly so I could write at work without having to save documents to the hard drive and whatnot. I just copied everything I had into my OpenOffice document, and the word count came out roughly 300 words higher. That does not bode well for validation season.
Monday, November 11, 2013
NaNo 2013: Days... 5-11
Yes. I fail. I know. Last week was just crazy busy. An interview, followed by 4 days of schedule changing shifts. And trying to catch up on sleep. And coming down with a cold. So when I finally finished my rotation on Saturday, I just wanted to zonk out. In fact, I was so exhausted on Friday night that I didn't even eat dinner before I fell asleep around 7. Then I had to be back at work at 7 on Saturday morning to work a 12 hour shift.
On the bright side, I did have a pretty good clinical week. I was called the best medical student in the hospital. Which wasn't a terribly impressive feat, given that it was at like 10 at night, and I'm pretty sure I was the only fourth year working in the hospital. But, I did contribute to saving a man's life, so I guess I deserved it. So, priorities what they were, writing fell to the wayside last week. And then with this cold, thanks to a precious kid I saw in the ED the other night, I just wanted to lay in bed and catch up on whatever I could find on Netflix.
But, I'm back. I managed to sit down and actually crank something out tonight. Not sure how much of it makes sense, but it's a start. I think I'll probably crank out another 1000 words or so before going to bed, assuming I don't fall asleep trying to write them. But I'm still super behind, so it'll be a fun week. On the bright side, I'm almost entirely packed for my trip on Wednesday, and I'll be spending a fair amount of time on airplanes and in airports, so hopefully I'll be able to crank out some serious wordage then. You know, when I don't actually have internet access. One can only hope. This is, of course, assuming that I can access Google Drive offline, or can find some alternative for writing on my iPad. It's really not designed for this type of thing, you know.
Anywho, here's your teaser for today:
A low hum sounded in the distance, and she blinked rapidly, instinctively knowing that something was coming toward her in the dark. Balling her hands into fists, she crouched low and continued to survey the scene. A soft laugh echoed through the room, which grew slowly, steadily more bright, like the pre-dawn sky.
“Who’s there?” she demanded, her voice sounding hoarse and unused.
“Come now, don’t you remember me?” a distorted voice called out.
Sophia looked around for the source of the voice, but the space was empty. Walls began to form around her, trapping her in an enclosed area with no hope of escape. “Where am I?”
NaNo Stats:
Days: 11
Words today: 1754
Total Words: 7432
Words Remaining: 42,468
Average words per day: 684
On the bright side, I did have a pretty good clinical week. I was called the best medical student in the hospital. Which wasn't a terribly impressive feat, given that it was at like 10 at night, and I'm pretty sure I was the only fourth year working in the hospital. But, I did contribute to saving a man's life, so I guess I deserved it. So, priorities what they were, writing fell to the wayside last week. And then with this cold, thanks to a precious kid I saw in the ED the other night, I just wanted to lay in bed and catch up on whatever I could find on Netflix.
But, I'm back. I managed to sit down and actually crank something out tonight. Not sure how much of it makes sense, but it's a start. I think I'll probably crank out another 1000 words or so before going to bed, assuming I don't fall asleep trying to write them. But I'm still super behind, so it'll be a fun week. On the bright side, I'm almost entirely packed for my trip on Wednesday, and I'll be spending a fair amount of time on airplanes and in airports, so hopefully I'll be able to crank out some serious wordage then. You know, when I don't actually have internet access. One can only hope. This is, of course, assuming that I can access Google Drive offline, or can find some alternative for writing on my iPad. It's really not designed for this type of thing, you know.
Anywho, here's your teaser for today:
A low hum sounded in the distance, and she blinked rapidly, instinctively knowing that something was coming toward her in the dark. Balling her hands into fists, she crouched low and continued to survey the scene. A soft laugh echoed through the room, which grew slowly, steadily more bright, like the pre-dawn sky.
“Who’s there?” she demanded, her voice sounding hoarse and unused.
“Come now, don’t you remember me?” a distorted voice called out.
Sophia looked around for the source of the voice, but the space was empty. Walls began to form around her, trapping her in an enclosed area with no hope of escape. “Where am I?”
NaNo Stats:
Days: 11
Words today: 1754
Total Words: 7432
Words Remaining: 42,468
Average words per day: 684
Monday, November 4, 2013
NaNo 2013: Days 3-4
My excuse for not posting yesterday is I didn't do a whole lot of writing. No real excuse for that part, but it was enough reason not to justify a whole new blog post.
Anyway, I'm really starting to like Deedee as a character. She's fascinating me. I've mostly got her having discussions with Sophia, and much of those will likely be cut whenever I get around to editing this beast. I'm still slightly behind, but I did do an impressive amount of words today, so I think I can catch up fairly quickly. Especially since I'll be travelling a good portion of this month and will thus have a lot of down time. Anyway, excerpt for today:
She clenched her fists at her side and continued to stare at the ceiling. “Of course I'm hurt!” she said, a little louder than she intended. Clearing her throat, she dropped her voice back down to a whisper. “I barely understand what is happening to me, and the one person I thought I could turn to no matter what was actually trying to subdue me, to push me out of the way for her own gains.”
Short one today, but I don't want to give away major plot points quite yet.
Stats:
Days: 4
Words today: 2411
Total Words: 5778
Words Remaining: 44,222
Average words per day: 1444
Anyway, I'm really starting to like Deedee as a character. She's fascinating me. I've mostly got her having discussions with Sophia, and much of those will likely be cut whenever I get around to editing this beast. I'm still slightly behind, but I did do an impressive amount of words today, so I think I can catch up fairly quickly. Especially since I'll be travelling a good portion of this month and will thus have a lot of down time. Anyway, excerpt for today:
She clenched her fists at her side and continued to stare at the ceiling. “Of course I'm hurt!” she said, a little louder than she intended. Clearing her throat, she dropped her voice back down to a whisper. “I barely understand what is happening to me, and the one person I thought I could turn to no matter what was actually trying to subdue me, to push me out of the way for her own gains.”
Short one today, but I don't want to give away major plot points quite yet.
Stats:
Days: 4
Words today: 2411
Total Words: 5778
Words Remaining: 44,222
Average words per day: 1444
Saturday, November 2, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 2
I'm trying to decide how lucky it is that the second day of NaNo falls on a Saturday this year. It means that I have a bit more time to catch up on how much I didn't write yesterday, but then again, I'm on an elective with a really odd schedule (I didn't have work Monday, had conferences on Wednesday, work Thursday and Friday, off today, then tomorrow I work a 12, then have Monday and Tuesday off, conferences on Wednesday, a shift on Thursday, an EMS ride on Friday, and a 12 on Saturday). But, after that I'm essentially done for the month, other than interviews, which means I should have plenty of time to write. It'll be a tiny bit of a challenge after the 13th, since I'm flying to Colorado and don't have room for my laptop, which means I'll be making use of my incredibly cheap bluetooth keyboard for my iPad. And by incredibly cheap, I mean that it would probably break if I dropped it.
Anyway, here's your teaser for today:
Deedee smiled. "Dreams. They act as the intersection of reality and something else, almost as if the soul transcends the physical plane to some other spiritual plane."
Sophia raised her eyebrow. "That sounds very metaphysical for someone interested in the neurotransmitters in the brain. Are you sure you're really interested in the neuroscience aspect of things?"
Deedee chuckled. "It does sound a bit strange, but I don't know, I've always been fascinated by dreams. The electrical activity in the brain during dreams is very similar to the awake state--I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that the mind is really experiences something elsewhere through a connection with something that we haven't quite found yet."
Interesting person this Deedee is turning out to be.
Stats for today:
Days: 2
Words today: 2228
Total Words: 3367
Words Remaining: 46633
Average words per day: 1683
Anyway, here's your teaser for today:
Deedee smiled. "Dreams. They act as the intersection of reality and something else, almost as if the soul transcends the physical plane to some other spiritual plane."
Sophia raised her eyebrow. "That sounds very metaphysical for someone interested in the neurotransmitters in the brain. Are you sure you're really interested in the neuroscience aspect of things?"
Deedee chuckled. "It does sound a bit strange, but I don't know, I've always been fascinated by dreams. The electrical activity in the brain during dreams is very similar to the awake state--I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that the mind is really experiences something elsewhere through a connection with something that we haven't quite found yet."
Interesting person this Deedee is turning out to be.
Stats for today:
Days: 2
Words today: 2228
Total Words: 3367
Words Remaining: 46633
Average words per day: 1683
Friday, November 1, 2013
NaNo 2013: Day 1
Today is the official first day of NaNo. And surprisingly, when I went to access the site, it wasn't crashing on me. That's definitely a good sign. I got off to a bit of a weird start this month, because I had to work in the middle of the day, and then when I actually started writing, I realized I hadn't named one of my primary characters, which kept distracting me from just writing the scenes anyway. So yeah, not my finest moments.
Still, I managed to get up to 1139 words by midnight. Shouldn't be too hard to catch up tomorrow, since I have the first several scenes planned out. Still don't have a major conflict yet. I'm toying around with a couple ideas, and I think it'll be interesting to see where things go from here. I've also come up with a working title for this work. As you may remember, it's a sequel to Hidden Souls, so I'm calling it Reclaiming Souls. It'll probably change, but that's what I've got for now.
I'm going to go back to my practice from a few years ago and actually leave a teaser here everyday. They'll be short, but will all be from something I've written that day. Here's the first one for you:
“Did you live at home before?” Sophia asked, resuming her seat at her desk.
“Oh, no. My brothers are older—they're both grad students here. I lived in their basement. A step up from living with my parents, but not quite spreading my wings just yet. Their sloppiness finally drove me crazy though. There's only so many moldy pizza boxes I can pick up in a week without dying to get out of there.”
As if on cue, two men wandered through the door, each carrying a stack of boxes. “Oh, good, we found you. Stumbled into one of your neighbor's rooms by accident. She was rather accommodating, though.”
NaNo Stats:
Words today: 1139
Total Words: 1139
Words Remaining: 48861
Days: 1
Average words per day: 1139
Still, I managed to get up to 1139 words by midnight. Shouldn't be too hard to catch up tomorrow, since I have the first several scenes planned out. Still don't have a major conflict yet. I'm toying around with a couple ideas, and I think it'll be interesting to see where things go from here. I've also come up with a working title for this work. As you may remember, it's a sequel to Hidden Souls, so I'm calling it Reclaiming Souls. It'll probably change, but that's what I've got for now.
I'm going to go back to my practice from a few years ago and actually leave a teaser here everyday. They'll be short, but will all be from something I've written that day. Here's the first one for you:
“Did you live at home before?” Sophia asked, resuming her seat at her desk.
“Oh, no. My brothers are older—they're both grad students here. I lived in their basement. A step up from living with my parents, but not quite spreading my wings just yet. Their sloppiness finally drove me crazy though. There's only so many moldy pizza boxes I can pick up in a week without dying to get out of there.”
As if on cue, two men wandered through the door, each carrying a stack of boxes. “Oh, good, we found you. Stumbled into one of your neighbor's rooms by accident. She was rather accommodating, though.”
NaNo Stats:
Words today: 1139
Total Words: 1139
Words Remaining: 48861
Days: 1
Average words per day: 1139
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Teaser Tuesday
As a part of my frantic dash to edit Hidden Souls so that I have some idea how it ends before I begin the sequel, I've decided to share a bit of my edits for today. Chances are, especially with my strong negative feelings about editing, that I won't be anywhere near finishing, but so long as I got general motivations and can work from there, I think it will be okay.
~*~
Light filled the room with a faint yellow glow. Silver shapes danced across the wall, reflections from the passersby below. Sophia brushed her hair out of her face and rolled over in bed, blinking to bring her clock into focus. Twelve-thirty. At least Kate had listened and left her alone. Sitting up slowly, she stretched and rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes. She still didn't feel rested, but she did feel much calmer. Guilt over the way she had treated both Michael and Kate pressed against her chest, but she shook those thoughts away. She would apologize to them later, but for now, she had work to do. Grace was still in trouble, and the police were no closer to finding her than they were a week ago.
She stood and walked to the window, scanning the few people crossing the courtyard on the way to class. She could try to contact Grace, but how much good would that do? She needed more information—clues that would lead her to where Grace was being kept. Once she figured that out, getting Grace home should be relatively easy. Filled with new resolve, she laid on her bed and closed her eyes. She imagined the dark room forming around her, feeling her body grow more weightless with each breath. She opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at the ceiling in her room. She huffed in irritation, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. She imagined Grace in her dank room. The large warehouse, oil drums stacked against the walls. The faint light coming from the lights far above her head. She focused on every detail she could remember, even the way she felt when she had encountered Michael. Once again, when she opened her eyes, she was staring at her own white ceiling.
~*~
Looks like our heroine is having some issues. I know it's short, but I'm working on it, I swear! I'm reaching the point where I really do need to figure out why the characters are doing what they're doing, why Grace was kidnapped in the first place, and what the final conflict is going to be. Cause what I wrote the first time makes no sense.
Once NaNo starts (10 days!), I'll introduce you to at least one new character from the second book. Should be interesting ;)
Oh, and fun fact: I originally wrote this scene on NaNo day 14, two years ago. I was reading over some of the excerpts I posted on my blog back then, and I have no idea where some of these ideas came from. I apparently have a character named Zach coming up at some point. Don't remember a thing about him. Yup... editing will be fun.
~*~
Light filled the room with a faint yellow glow. Silver shapes danced across the wall, reflections from the passersby below. Sophia brushed her hair out of her face and rolled over in bed, blinking to bring her clock into focus. Twelve-thirty. At least Kate had listened and left her alone. Sitting up slowly, she stretched and rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes. She still didn't feel rested, but she did feel much calmer. Guilt over the way she had treated both Michael and Kate pressed against her chest, but she shook those thoughts away. She would apologize to them later, but for now, she had work to do. Grace was still in trouble, and the police were no closer to finding her than they were a week ago.
She stood and walked to the window, scanning the few people crossing the courtyard on the way to class. She could try to contact Grace, but how much good would that do? She needed more information—clues that would lead her to where Grace was being kept. Once she figured that out, getting Grace home should be relatively easy. Filled with new resolve, she laid on her bed and closed her eyes. She imagined the dark room forming around her, feeling her body grow more weightless with each breath. She opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at the ceiling in her room. She huffed in irritation, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. She imagined Grace in her dank room. The large warehouse, oil drums stacked against the walls. The faint light coming from the lights far above her head. She focused on every detail she could remember, even the way she felt when she had encountered Michael. Once again, when she opened her eyes, she was staring at her own white ceiling.
~*~
Looks like our heroine is having some issues. I know it's short, but I'm working on it, I swear! I'm reaching the point where I really do need to figure out why the characters are doing what they're doing, why Grace was kidnapped in the first place, and what the final conflict is going to be. Cause what I wrote the first time makes no sense.
Once NaNo starts (10 days!), I'll introduce you to at least one new character from the second book. Should be interesting ;)
Oh, and fun fact: I originally wrote this scene on NaNo day 14, two years ago. I was reading over some of the excerpts I posted on my blog back then, and I have no idea where some of these ideas came from. I apparently have a character named Zach coming up at some point. Don't remember a thing about him. Yup... editing will be fun.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
New Goals and Announcements
Have I mentioned lately that I hate editing? Cause I really do. So much so that even though I had ample time to finish editing Hidden Souls by my birthday, I barely did any more editing than when I made that promise.
But, I have a new goal. I have decided to take part in NaNo again this year. Without any inspiration for any stories lately, I've decided to write the sequel to Hidden Souls. I still don't know what the plot is, but I have lots of ideas of how I want to start it, so that's something. I just need to figure out some sort of conflict.
Since I'll be doing interviews for a good portion of November (already have 2 scheduled that month, and hope for at least three more), I'm not sure how successful I'll be at winning this year, but I'm going to try anyway. Wish me luck!
In other news, my dear friend Ayden Morgen has now published her second book!
Introducing.... Fall, Book 2 of the Ragnarok Prophesies!
Summary:
How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?
Those called to stand guard against the end are broken, and Sköll and Hati run free. Now Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews face a threat unlike any before. Ragnarök is coming and they aren't strong enough to stop it.
Arionna thought she understood sacrifice, but she never counted on her destiny tearing Dace apart. Ever since she nearly died, he has been consumed with guilt. Now it threatens to turn him into the monster he always feared.
It's up to Arionna to stop him before it's too late, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and Dace is hurtling toward self destruction. This time, Arionna isn't sure she can save him from himself. Can she convince him to let the past go, or is her true destiny to sacrifice her heart in exchange for the lives of the people she loves?
FALL – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and will be available in paperback soon!
FADE – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book One is available now at Amazon US, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other major retailers.
About the Author:
A.K. Morgen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband, three dogs, and demonic cat. She has a graduate degree in Criminal Justice and Law, and plans to save the world some day. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching her niece and nephews how to cause mischief. You can also find her dancing in the grocery store, building a spork army, and fundraising for nonprofits close to her heart.
You can learn more about Ayden at http://akmorgen.com or by following her on Twitter, Goodreads, or Facebook.
But, I have a new goal. I have decided to take part in NaNo again this year. Without any inspiration for any stories lately, I've decided to write the sequel to Hidden Souls. I still don't know what the plot is, but I have lots of ideas of how I want to start it, so that's something. I just need to figure out some sort of conflict.
Since I'll be doing interviews for a good portion of November (already have 2 scheduled that month, and hope for at least three more), I'm not sure how successful I'll be at winning this year, but I'm going to try anyway. Wish me luck!
In other news, my dear friend Ayden Morgen has now published her second book!
Introducing.... Fall, Book 2 of the Ragnarok Prophesies!
Summary:
How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?
Those called to stand guard against the end are broken, and Sköll and Hati run free. Now Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews face a threat unlike any before. Ragnarök is coming and they aren't strong enough to stop it.
Arionna thought she understood sacrifice, but she never counted on her destiny tearing Dace apart. Ever since she nearly died, he has been consumed with guilt. Now it threatens to turn him into the monster he always feared.
It's up to Arionna to stop him before it's too late, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and Dace is hurtling toward self destruction. This time, Arionna isn't sure she can save him from himself. Can she convince him to let the past go, or is her true destiny to sacrifice her heart in exchange for the lives of the people she loves?
FALL – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and will be available in paperback soon!
FADE – The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book One is available now at Amazon US, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and other major retailers.
About the Author:
A.K. Morgen lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband, three dogs, and demonic cat. She has a graduate degree in Criminal Justice and Law, and plans to save the world some day. When she’s not writing, she spends her time teaching her niece and nephews how to cause mischief. You can also find her dancing in the grocery store, building a spork army, and fundraising for nonprofits close to her heart.
You can learn more about Ayden at http://akmorgen.com or by following her on Twitter, Goodreads, or Facebook.
Unscripted - Teddy Bear
Today's unscripted post is inspired by Teddy Bear
~*~
She clung to it, her safety net. It had been a gift several years ago and was showing its age now. Where once the fur was soft and fluffy, now it was matted and balding in places. The black plastic eyes were scratched and pitted, a sign of a well-loved toy. As she moved through the classroom on the first day, she glared at everyone who showed interest in the bear.
"That's a... cute bear you have there," the adult chimed, squeezing the little paw. "Why don't we put him in your cubby so he doesn't get lost?"
She pursed her lips together and furrowed her eyebrows, spinning away from the teacher's waiting hands.
The teacher sighed. "Alright, Emily. You can keep your bear for today. But only because it's the first day. Tomorrow, he needs to go in your cubby with the rest of your things, okay?"
She glared at the teacher, then reluctantly nodded. Her mother had warned her that she wouldn't be able to have him with her forever. She still didn't understand why adults didn't have theirs. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone who wasn't mean and wouldn't hit you if you spoke badly. Someone who was always there, no matter what happened.
She gave the bear one last squeeze, then made her way to the seat the teacher had pointed out to her. She traced her name on the bright yellow sign taped to the desk and bit her lip nervously. Plopping down in her seat, she set Teddy on her lap and waited for instructions. The girl in the desk next to hers leaned over and whispered, "Nice bear. I have one like it, but my daddy made me leave it at home this morning."
She turned towards the girl and blinked, then glanced down at her bear. "My mommy would never take my Teddy away from me."
The girl smiled. "Your mommy must be really nice. I'm Tracy."
"Emily."
"Pleased to meet you, Emily," Tracy said slowly and regally. "I think we will be best friends."
~*~
"I don't know where he could beeee..." she wailed.
Tracy patted her on the shoulder. "Shh... it's okay, Emily. One of the boys probably took him just to be mean."
"What's going on here?" the teacher asked, looking down at the sobbing girl.
"Emily lost her bear."
The teacher sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. "Come on, Emily. You can't act like this anymore. You're growing up."
Tracy stood up and stamped her foot. "Let her be upset about it! It's a very important bear!"
The teacher rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving Tracy to comfort Emily. "I'm sure he will turn up sometime. Maybe you just left him at home or something."
"I didn't leave him at home! I had him with me on the way to school this morning, and brought him into the classroom with me!" she snapped.
Tracy held up her hands. "Sorry. I was just trying to help."
"Well, I don't want your help!" Letting out a groan of frustration, she stood and raced towards the building.
~*~
"Why the puffy eyes, sweetie?" her mom asked as she grabbed her bookbag.
"Teddy's gone," she mumbled, storming out of the building without waiting for her mother to follow. Her mother let out a sigh and quickly caught up with her daughter, then drove her the short distance home.
"Go play in the backyard for a little bit while I get dinner ready."
Dropping her bookbag unceremoniously in the front walkway, she rounded the house and opened the gate to the backyard. She kicked at the grass with her shoe and mumbled as she trudged around the yard, keeping her eyes at the ground.
Her mother slipped out of the back door to the house and set a glass of lemonade on the patio table. "Come have something to drink, sweetie."
Sighing, she walked slowly up to the table and dropped into a chair. As she reached for her lemonade, she let out a shout. "Teddy!" She rushed to the other side of the table and grabbed the bear from his resting place in one of the other chairs. "Oh Teddy, I missed you so much! Mooom... why didn't you tell me he was here?"
Her mother smiled. "You didn't exactly give me a chance to when I picked you up. I snagged him from your cubby after I dropped you off so I could fix him up a little bit. He got surgery to fix the hole in his side and got his mouth all fixed up, good as new.”
She spared a quick hug for her mother, then squeezed her bear more tightly. “I'm never letting him go again!”
~*~
She clung to it, her safety net. It had been a gift several years ago and was showing its age now. Where once the fur was soft and fluffy, now it was matted and balding in places. The black plastic eyes were scratched and pitted, a sign of a well-loved toy. As she moved through the classroom on the first day, she glared at everyone who showed interest in the bear.
"That's a... cute bear you have there," the adult chimed, squeezing the little paw. "Why don't we put him in your cubby so he doesn't get lost?"
She pursed her lips together and furrowed her eyebrows, spinning away from the teacher's waiting hands.
The teacher sighed. "Alright, Emily. You can keep your bear for today. But only because it's the first day. Tomorrow, he needs to go in your cubby with the rest of your things, okay?"
She glared at the teacher, then reluctantly nodded. Her mother had warned her that she wouldn't be able to have him with her forever. She still didn't understand why adults didn't have theirs. It was nice having someone to talk to, someone who wasn't mean and wouldn't hit you if you spoke badly. Someone who was always there, no matter what happened.
She gave the bear one last squeeze, then made her way to the seat the teacher had pointed out to her. She traced her name on the bright yellow sign taped to the desk and bit her lip nervously. Plopping down in her seat, she set Teddy on her lap and waited for instructions. The girl in the desk next to hers leaned over and whispered, "Nice bear. I have one like it, but my daddy made me leave it at home this morning."
She turned towards the girl and blinked, then glanced down at her bear. "My mommy would never take my Teddy away from me."
The girl smiled. "Your mommy must be really nice. I'm Tracy."
"Emily."
"Pleased to meet you, Emily," Tracy said slowly and regally. "I think we will be best friends."
~*~
"I don't know where he could beeee..." she wailed.
Tracy patted her on the shoulder. "Shh... it's okay, Emily. One of the boys probably took him just to be mean."
"What's going on here?" the teacher asked, looking down at the sobbing girl.
"Emily lost her bear."
The teacher sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. "Come on, Emily. You can't act like this anymore. You're growing up."
Tracy stood up and stamped her foot. "Let her be upset about it! It's a very important bear!"
The teacher rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving Tracy to comfort Emily. "I'm sure he will turn up sometime. Maybe you just left him at home or something."
"I didn't leave him at home! I had him with me on the way to school this morning, and brought him into the classroom with me!" she snapped.
Tracy held up her hands. "Sorry. I was just trying to help."
"Well, I don't want your help!" Letting out a groan of frustration, she stood and raced towards the building.
~*~
"Why the puffy eyes, sweetie?" her mom asked as she grabbed her bookbag.
"Teddy's gone," she mumbled, storming out of the building without waiting for her mother to follow. Her mother let out a sigh and quickly caught up with her daughter, then drove her the short distance home.
"Go play in the backyard for a little bit while I get dinner ready."
Dropping her bookbag unceremoniously in the front walkway, she rounded the house and opened the gate to the backyard. She kicked at the grass with her shoe and mumbled as she trudged around the yard, keeping her eyes at the ground.
Her mother slipped out of the back door to the house and set a glass of lemonade on the patio table. "Come have something to drink, sweetie."
Sighing, she walked slowly up to the table and dropped into a chair. As she reached for her lemonade, she let out a shout. "Teddy!" She rushed to the other side of the table and grabbed the bear from his resting place in one of the other chairs. "Oh Teddy, I missed you so much! Mooom... why didn't you tell me he was here?"
Her mother smiled. "You didn't exactly give me a chance to when I picked you up. I snagged him from your cubby after I dropped you off so I could fix him up a little bit. He got surgery to fix the hole in his side and got his mouth all fixed up, good as new.”
She spared a quick hug for her mother, then squeezed her bear more tightly. “I'm never letting him go again!”
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Teaser Tuesday
I'm baaaack.
Well, ish. I haven't done much editing in the past month, but I did promise previews, and I haven't updated you all in the past month, so I figured it was time to actually get going and post something. But first, a story :)
I went in about a month ago to have a meeting with one of the higher-ups at my school. Well, not necessarily in the entire school, but someone important for my career. She is the head of the Pediatrics residency program at my school. Anyway, she agreed to write me a letter of recommendation, and wanted to have a meeting to get to know me a little better outside of the clinical setting. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went in, but at some point during this grilling exercise, I mentioned that I wrote. And then proceeded to tell her about the two novels I've written since medical school started, Hidden Souls and Found. She was so impressed that I think they're going to be talked about in my letter of recommendation. Which means I should really figure out what I'm going to say about my novels before I start interviews in October...
Anywho, here's today's excerpt:
~*~
The overlook was empty, and the city below was just starting to come alive, the sounds of traffic becoming progressively louder in the distance. She sat down, dangling her feet over the edge of the cliff.
“Would you be careful!?” Michael demanded behind her.
“Afraid of heights? It's not like I can fall and die in this form.”
“You don't know that. You haven't exactly tested the limits of your abilities, have you?”
Sophia rolled her eyes and stood. “I supposed not. And that's one experiment I really don't care to try.” She walked over and sat on an exposed tree root a little further away the cliff.
~*~
A short teaser, I admit, but I don't want to give away too much about the plot, especially when I haven't exactly figured out how I want to edit the ending of this monster.
Still hoping to be done by the end of September. I'm on a really easy rotation next month, so here's hoping :)
Well, ish. I haven't done much editing in the past month, but I did promise previews, and I haven't updated you all in the past month, so I figured it was time to actually get going and post something. But first, a story :)
I went in about a month ago to have a meeting with one of the higher-ups at my school. Well, not necessarily in the entire school, but someone important for my career. She is the head of the Pediatrics residency program at my school. Anyway, she agreed to write me a letter of recommendation, and wanted to have a meeting to get to know me a little better outside of the clinical setting. I wasn't sure what to expect when I went in, but at some point during this grilling exercise, I mentioned that I wrote. And then proceeded to tell her about the two novels I've written since medical school started, Hidden Souls and Found. She was so impressed that I think they're going to be talked about in my letter of recommendation. Which means I should really figure out what I'm going to say about my novels before I start interviews in October...
Anywho, here's today's excerpt:
~*~
The overlook was empty, and the city below was just starting to come alive, the sounds of traffic becoming progressively louder in the distance. She sat down, dangling her feet over the edge of the cliff.
“Would you be careful!?” Michael demanded behind her.
“Afraid of heights? It's not like I can fall and die in this form.”
“You don't know that. You haven't exactly tested the limits of your abilities, have you?”
Sophia rolled her eyes and stood. “I supposed not. And that's one experiment I really don't care to try.” She walked over and sat on an exposed tree root a little further away the cliff.
~*~
A short teaser, I admit, but I don't want to give away too much about the plot, especially when I haven't exactly figured out how I want to edit the ending of this monster.
Still hoping to be done by the end of September. I'm on a really easy rotation next month, so here's hoping :)
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Keep on Keeping On
I have not dropped off the face of the Earth. I'm actually quite busy from a writing perspective. I'm working on editing Hidden Souls, which is proving to be even more difficult than I anticipated. But, I'm currently 80 pages into it, which I think is the furthest I've gotten really doing editing. I mean, I made it all the way through Meira's Journey, but that wasn't fixing the story, just doing writing edits.
But I've changed the direction of the story so much that the rest of the manuscript is going to be a bear to get through. I have to figure out which scenes to cut, and which to just modify. With any luck, I'll be done by the end of September. I'm currently without Internet, else I'd pose teasers, but that's a bit more difficult when my edits don't sync up to Dropbox. I should be getting it within the next couple weeks, though, so look forward to that.
Wish me luck!
But I've changed the direction of the story so much that the rest of the manuscript is going to be a bear to get through. I have to figure out which scenes to cut, and which to just modify. With any luck, I'll be done by the end of September. I'm currently without Internet, else I'd pose teasers, but that's a bit more difficult when my edits don't sync up to Dropbox. I should be getting it within the next couple weeks, though, so look forward to that.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Free Write
In an effort to get back to writing, I'm starting a new feature. We'll see how long this one lasts. Essentially, it's a challenge piece. Find a picture on Flickr, and write about it. No editing, no saving, nothing. Just free writing in the blog itself. It shall be tagged 'Unscripted'. This was the challenge for many of the challenges I took part in, and I always found it interesting. Plus, it brings interest to some awesome photography.
Today's image
A picture taken in the 'Rain Room' of the Museum of Modern Art. Might just have to visit it someday.
A drop fell on the edge of the windowsill, signalling the start of the storm. The sky flashed, then let out a low rumble. The girl sighed, glancing up from the cradle of her arms. Another day stuck inside. She thought there might have been a reprieve this morning, when the clouds briefly broke and the sun shone onto the hard asphalt. But, sure enough, by lunchtime, the clouds had canvased the sky once again and darkened to an eerie gray.
It had been like this for days. Cabin fever was starting to set in, especially now that school was out for the summer, but it was a strange sort of fever. Not just restless, but dreary. As if their souls were slowly being sucked out, and they couldn't figure out what was happening. Even the delinquents had taken to their homes. The girl shook her head. Or perhaps it was just her imagination getting to her again.
She blew her bangs out of her eyes and straightened, turning her neck to work out the tension that had developed there. Another drop fell onto the windowsill, then another, and another, until the sky opened up and rain fell in sheets over the rows of apartment buildings. Sighing, she gripped the window pane and leaned forward to push the paint crusted window closed. Just as she was about to unstick it, she noted a figure on the street below. Frowning, she stuck her head out the window to get a better look. The streetlight reflected off the streams forming in the street, casting a strange glow around the figure. She squinted to try to make out the figures features and two more figures appeared, as if out of thin air. They stood unmoving, getting drenched in the pouring rain. The girl pursed her lips and shimmied her way out of the window onto the fire escape, then slowly made her way down the rusty ladders, always keeping her eye on the figures. As she got closer, the figures turned towards her. She slowed her pace, gripping the iron so tightly her knuckled paled under the strain.
"Who are you?"
One of the figures cocked her head to the side, and two more stepped out of the shadows to join the ranks. "There is no need to be afraid."
"You didn't answer my question."
The figure tilted her face towards the streetlight, allowing the girl a glimpse of her features. The girl gasped and slid down the rest of the ladder, paying no need to the flecks of old paint that scratched her skin.
"Julia!" The girl exclaimed, running and engulfing the figure in a bear hug. "Where have you been? What are you doing out here? You're no safe out here... the storm's only going to get worse!"
Julia patted her friend on the back and pushed her out to arm's length. "Don't worry. The storm won't affect us. You should get back inside now."
The girl shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not. I'm not leaving you again."
Julia sighed and grasped the girl's shoulders with both hands. "Kandace, it is not safe here for you. You must--"
Her words were cut off by a flash of lightening, followed almost immediately by a boom of thunder, so loud it nearly knocked Kandace over. "Go! Now!" Julia ordered, facing the length of the street.
Kandace shook her head and looked down the street. Another group was forming, but instead of nearly blending into the downpour, they stood out like neon signs, glowing an unworldly orange. Kandace opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it shut. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the water from her eyes and watched as the orange group got larger.
"Kandace, now. Get back inside your home."
"Whatever you've gotten yourself into now, Julia, I'm not leaving."
"Let the girl stay. It's clear she isn't going to shut up until she does," a man called from behind them.
Julia pressed her lips into a thin line, her fist clenching in anger. "Fine, you can stay," she muttered through clenched teeth. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
@~`~~
That'll do for tonight, methinks. Got some interesting ideas floating around now. Who knows, maybe this will be my next NaNo project :)
Today's image
A picture taken in the 'Rain Room' of the Museum of Modern Art. Might just have to visit it someday.
A drop fell on the edge of the windowsill, signalling the start of the storm. The sky flashed, then let out a low rumble. The girl sighed, glancing up from the cradle of her arms. Another day stuck inside. She thought there might have been a reprieve this morning, when the clouds briefly broke and the sun shone onto the hard asphalt. But, sure enough, by lunchtime, the clouds had canvased the sky once again and darkened to an eerie gray.
It had been like this for days. Cabin fever was starting to set in, especially now that school was out for the summer, but it was a strange sort of fever. Not just restless, but dreary. As if their souls were slowly being sucked out, and they couldn't figure out what was happening. Even the delinquents had taken to their homes. The girl shook her head. Or perhaps it was just her imagination getting to her again.
She blew her bangs out of her eyes and straightened, turning her neck to work out the tension that had developed there. Another drop fell onto the windowsill, then another, and another, until the sky opened up and rain fell in sheets over the rows of apartment buildings. Sighing, she gripped the window pane and leaned forward to push the paint crusted window closed. Just as she was about to unstick it, she noted a figure on the street below. Frowning, she stuck her head out the window to get a better look. The streetlight reflected off the streams forming in the street, casting a strange glow around the figure. She squinted to try to make out the figures features and two more figures appeared, as if out of thin air. They stood unmoving, getting drenched in the pouring rain. The girl pursed her lips and shimmied her way out of the window onto the fire escape, then slowly made her way down the rusty ladders, always keeping her eye on the figures. As she got closer, the figures turned towards her. She slowed her pace, gripping the iron so tightly her knuckled paled under the strain.
"Who are you?"
One of the figures cocked her head to the side, and two more stepped out of the shadows to join the ranks. "There is no need to be afraid."
"You didn't answer my question."
The figure tilted her face towards the streetlight, allowing the girl a glimpse of her features. The girl gasped and slid down the rest of the ladder, paying no need to the flecks of old paint that scratched her skin.
"Julia!" The girl exclaimed, running and engulfing the figure in a bear hug. "Where have you been? What are you doing out here? You're no safe out here... the storm's only going to get worse!"
Julia patted her friend on the back and pushed her out to arm's length. "Don't worry. The storm won't affect us. You should get back inside now."
The girl shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not. I'm not leaving you again."
Julia sighed and grasped the girl's shoulders with both hands. "Kandace, it is not safe here for you. You must--"
Her words were cut off by a flash of lightening, followed almost immediately by a boom of thunder, so loud it nearly knocked Kandace over. "Go! Now!" Julia ordered, facing the length of the street.
Kandace shook her head and looked down the street. Another group was forming, but instead of nearly blending into the downpour, they stood out like neon signs, glowing an unworldly orange. Kandace opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it shut. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the water from her eyes and watched as the orange group got larger.
"Kandace, now. Get back inside your home."
"Whatever you've gotten yourself into now, Julia, I'm not leaving."
"Let the girl stay. It's clear she isn't going to shut up until she does," a man called from behind them.
Julia pressed her lips into a thin line, her fist clenching in anger. "Fine, you can stay," she muttered through clenched teeth. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
@~`~~
That'll do for tonight, methinks. Got some interesting ideas floating around now. Who knows, maybe this will be my next NaNo project :)
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Personal Statement
This, I'm sorry to say, has absolutely nothing to do with fiction. I know I'm way behind on doing anything remotely related to my creative writing, but I blame school. I've had more time recently to do stuff, but I've also been trying to study for the second biggest exam of medical school. Only a couple more of these things and I'll actually be able to practice medicine.
Anyway, I'm working on my application for residency. Getting letters of recommendation, writing a personal statement...
Stop there for a moment. Personal statements. The free-flowing words that's supposed to describe absolutely everything you want to convey to an admissions committee. Or in my case, a residency director. For medical school, the whole point of the essay was to describe why I wanted to be a physician. Easy enough, once I got started. Now, I'm going to be a physician regardless. Maybe not licensed, if I can't land a residency, but a doctor none-the-less. So I have to start from scratch. And describe why I want to go into my specialty of choice.
It's hard. Because it's not good enough to say that I feel at home, or I'm just happier when I'm in my specialty of choice. No, I have to explain why. This essay has seriously taken up probably 30 hours of my life so far. I've written three drafts. Hopefully I'm close to the finished product now. I've submitted the most recent draft to my advisor for feedback. We'll see what she says.
A couple of my friends have said that since I'm a writer, this should be an easy task for me. Let me tell you... writing fiction and writing about yourself are two completely different things. I suck at writing about myself. I'm not too great at writing fiction either, because my language isn't very flowery, but I at least manage to get my thoughts down on the page and do a fairly good job at describing what I see in my mind's eye. Editing is what is used to refine something, not the initial writing. I'm awesome at writing rough drafts. I suck at editing.
In a couple weeks, I should have all the stuff I need for residency taken care of. At least for a little while. So when I have a week off and then head off to camp for a few weeks, I'm either going to write or edit. I'm determined to finish at least one book before I finish med school. Heaven knows I probably won't have time to write, let alone edit, one after med school's over.
Anyway, I'm working on my application for residency. Getting letters of recommendation, writing a personal statement...
Stop there for a moment. Personal statements. The free-flowing words that's supposed to describe absolutely everything you want to convey to an admissions committee. Or in my case, a residency director. For medical school, the whole point of the essay was to describe why I wanted to be a physician. Easy enough, once I got started. Now, I'm going to be a physician regardless. Maybe not licensed, if I can't land a residency, but a doctor none-the-less. So I have to start from scratch. And describe why I want to go into my specialty of choice.
It's hard. Because it's not good enough to say that I feel at home, or I'm just happier when I'm in my specialty of choice. No, I have to explain why. This essay has seriously taken up probably 30 hours of my life so far. I've written three drafts. Hopefully I'm close to the finished product now. I've submitted the most recent draft to my advisor for feedback. We'll see what she says.
A couple of my friends have said that since I'm a writer, this should be an easy task for me. Let me tell you... writing fiction and writing about yourself are two completely different things. I suck at writing about myself. I'm not too great at writing fiction either, because my language isn't very flowery, but I at least manage to get my thoughts down on the page and do a fairly good job at describing what I see in my mind's eye. Editing is what is used to refine something, not the initial writing. I'm awesome at writing rough drafts. I suck at editing.
In a couple weeks, I should have all the stuff I need for residency taken care of. At least for a little while. So when I have a week off and then head off to camp for a few weeks, I'm either going to write or edit. I'm determined to finish at least one book before I finish med school. Heaven knows I probably won't have time to write, let alone edit, one after med school's over.
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