Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Flash Fiction Challenge #5 via LitStack

Thank you to Tee Tate at LitStack for posting this Flash Fiction Challenge. We were charged with writing 500 words or fewer on the following picture. Enjoy.


Waiting 


A solitary chill steals up my spine as I look spitefully at the pond. Fate had dealt me yet another staggering blow. The Oracle told of a handsome prince to unlock me from my wretched curse of youth ever since my knight in shining armor stranded me at the altar. Left me sitting there in a pool of unspent love. Left me crying until I’d filled the pond with sorrow. 

Another prince had fallen for me. Handsome. Dashing. I sensed his broad shoulders beneath the gleaming armor. He appeared between the hedges, hair unrestrained. Wild. He looked into my eyes across the courtyard. He knew. Heat recognized heat. He saw that I was trapped. A woman in the form of a girl. Waiting for spring, to blossom. Waiting for the kiss to loose me from my chains.

But he was stupid like the rest. I warned him to take it slow. Warned him of the stairs. But his gaze would not budge from my eyes, as the curse had been set. He stumbled on the stairs and fell to his unguarded demise. I could not save him. And his shining armor betrayed him.

So here I sit, still waiting for my prince charming. Still waiting.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Tag~I'm It... Ooops I Did It Again... 2nd Time's A Charm... And All That Stuff


Thank you so much to Susan Roebuck for tagging me in this 11 Question extravaganza that is part of the 4th Platform Building Campaign. This is actually my second time being tagged. I'm excited to answer two sets of questions. Enjoy.


1. Herbal tea or stiff drink?

Mmmmm, that's tough. Gawd I DO love both!!! I love Green Tea... and I LOVE a good stiff margarita. Gosh, can I pass? I'm just going to say BOTH. 

2. What's the best writing advice you've ever been given?

IDK I have two bests. The first is to focus on Character first. It took me so long to understand this until I took an entire month to create character profiles before i put a word down on paper. the characters leapt off the page once I began writing. The Second, is to treat your story as a Three-Act play. And to make sure that there is something, some decision or some crisis that drives from one act to the next.

3. What's your worst writing habit?

Thesaurusing (yes thesaurus is a verb)while writing. I slap my knuckles all the time to just WRITE first and then go back later and work word choice.

4. When you're not writing, you're...?

Running. Working out. Reading.

5. What books are you reading now?

On my side table right now is 
UNDER THE NEVER SKY, 
EVERNEATH, 
SONG OF THE RED CLOAK, 
THE POWER OF CREATIVE DREAMING

6. What would you eat for your last supper?

chips and salsa, a HUGE steak, mashed sweet potatoes, Carne Asada, Tacos al Pastor, a bottle of really expensive Cabernet, and a HUGE goblet of Patron Silver margarita (Is that too much?)

7. What genres do you write?

YA ~ fantasy, historical, contemporary

8. What's your ultimate writing goal?

To be able to pay my bills from my writing

9. If you could meet any fictional character, who would it be?

My most recent MC, Zeus.

10. Which book do you wish you had written?

HA! Harry Potter!!! j/k That's strictly from a commercial standpoint. You know you understand. You know you do.

11. Which film (movie) has inspired you most?

Limitless

I know were supposed to tag some people after this, but I think everyone has been tagged like 5 or more times by now. Sorry for breaking the chain. I just don't want to p/o anyone by tagging them again.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sunday Inspiration: Ima Show You How Great I Am!

This is dedicated to everyone out there striving toward a better version of themselves.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

"Tag-You're It!" 4th Platform Campaign Building Campaign Event

I've been tagged by Colleen Chen. Thank you so much for considering me. I have to answer the questions posed and pass along 11 more questions to people of my choosing.


Ready? Here we go...


1. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? 


Colby or Bryce or something uncommon. Chris Ledbetter is far too common.


2. Which Greek or Roman (or other culture's mythological) deity would you be (either who you'd like to be or who you most resemble)?


Apollo. I've always liked him.

3. Would you like to marry a Vulcan?



IDK... on one hand I love reason and logic... but a Vulcan would also seem to be devoid of passion. ANd I can't deal with that. lol

4. Would you choose immortal life with the elves, or a human, mortal life with the one you love and a child-to-be?



Immortal life is definitely intriguing, what with living forever, but the beauty of our mortal life is its fleeting quality. I'd have to choose the mortal life.

5. If you had to write fan fiction, what fictional world would you choose to write in?



Ha! I'd probably set my fan fiction in Middle Earth or some ancient realm of mythology.

6. Do you believe in any conspiracy theories?



Sure. Everyone is conspiring to do something or another.



7. What do you consider your best quality?



My ability to dream... and write those dreams down coherently. :)

8. What do you consider your worst quality?



Self doubt. 

9. Do you ever feel over-exposed on your blog?



Not too much... I suppose I put out just enough to get to know me.

10. If you were to reincarnate, what would you like to be?



Eagle

11. What is your biggest pet peeve?  



IDK if I have pet peeves as such the way some people do. I will however laugh at you if you do something ignorant.


OK Here are my own questions to the next 11 Blogger Campaigners below:


1. Are you a plotter or a pantser and why?
2. Do you think you are the type of person who plans for every contingency, or do you prefer to live life how it comes?  
3. What is your favorite song and by whom? 
4. Do you sing it loudly to yourself and if so, where (shower, car, American Idol)?
5. Are you still friends with anyone you went to middle school with? 
6. What profession would you try outside of writing? 
7. How many languages do you speak? 
8. If you were an animal or creature, which would you like to be?
9. What is your favorite food? 
10. What piece of technology could you not live without? 
11. Do you have a favourite piece of furniture?



Here are the campaigners I'm tagging:




























Monday, February 20, 2012

First Campaigner Challenge- 4th Platform Building Campaign

The time has come for my First Campaigner Challenge, woot!!! The Challenge is:

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count. 
If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these:
  • end the story with the words: "everything faded." (also included in the word count)
  • include the word "orange" in the story
  • write in the same genre you normally write
  • make your story 200 words exactly!
So, here's my entry...

Shadows crept across the wall of the bathhouse. Steam whispered stories of heroes past. Of sandals and swordfights. Of battles waged and lives lost. Doubt crept in. The warrior I was to face had ended the careers of gladiators far greater than me. His record was pristine. It had to be, for a single blemish meant death. No standing gladiator had any losses. Losers were escorted to Hades on a one-way chariot ride.

I leaned my head back against the marble cradle, allowing the steam to open my pores. But the shadows continued to creep. They slid up my sides, encircling my neck, strangling me. Goosebumps rose on my arms. I couldn’t breathe. Horrific images flashed into my mind. And then everything faded.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Hook, Line, and Sinker Blogfest Entry


Thank You to Justin Parente over at In My Write Mind for hosting the 2nd Annual Hook, Line and Sinker blogfest.


Objective: Post your 500-1000 word hook and critique other hooks posted by participants

Suggestive topics to consider when critiquing:

  • Does the character have a personality I can fall into easily? This includes any dialogue exchanged.
  • Is the world around them set up to compliment the character as they're introduced?
  • Are there secondary characters to assist with the hook?
  • Lastly, would I read more?
Please jump around and critique the rest of the entries.
So here is my entry.
****


The distance between darkness and light was a nano-moment, my mother once told me. A sliver of space. The breadth of a strand of hair. I didn’t know what she’d meant until that day. And still wished I didn’t.
I trudged up the darkened beach, digging my toes in the sand with each step. Visions of pearl-skinned sea nymphs still danced in my head. Their iridescent eyes and seductive charms made me smile.
“C’mon, Zeus,” Anytos called, throwing a stick at my feet.
I held a finger in the air.
"Zeus, seriously!" He clapped his hands. 
"Wait. Hold on." I closed my eyes to enjoy the images of those sea nymphs. Just a while longer.
"Zeus!" His words sliced sideways through my memories of them. “Sun’s nearly up. We don’t have much time!” Tos stood at the top of a dune, calling down to me.
I sighed. “I’m coming.”    
I hated the pre-dawn runs we took every morning. The birds weren’t even up yet. I couldn’t wait to get back to the goats I tended with my mother. Against her wishes, I’d named each one. That’s why she never let me slaughter them for food. Or rather, why I never participated.     
There was nothing too terribly stressful about goat herding. They were a self-sufficient lot. Sometimes watching them was like watching the sun crawl across the sky. In those moments, my mind wandered like a stray goat.
I’d always felt like I could do more. Be more. Something inside of me clawed for the extraordinary. Yet I had to face that I’d likely never leave Crete.
I joined Tos at the top of the dune and looked across the dusty Cretan expanse that stretched into darkened low-lying hills. Tos turned to me. "You ready?”
“Let’s do it…”
Before I finished speaking, Tos had taken off running, like being shot from a bow. His feet pounded the path as he ran ahead. I crested a high ridge in pursuit. A burning sensation spider-webbed through my lungs as I saw the sun’s first ray in the east. Pushing onward, I strained to keep pace with Tos, whose legs moved at a pace I simply couldn’t match. Not yet anyway.
“Faster, Zeus,” he yelled over his shoulder.
“We’ve been running non-stop since the southern coast.”
I stopped and clutched my chest. Ragged breaths came in gasps. I placed my sweaty palms on my knees and inhaled deeply. I knew that running daily would benefit me somehow. But, that didn’t mean I had to like it.
Anytos turned abruptly. “Whose fault is it we’ve been running such a distance, huh? I promised Amalthea I’d keep you safe, Zeus,” he responded. “You. Here. Not safe. Let’s go!”
"Hmmmph." I stood straight, stretching to one side then the other. I knew he was right. We’d been out way too long. But boy were those nymphs worth it. I took another deep breath and stared back toward the east.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you talk me into going to see those sea nymphs again,” Anytos continued. “Shoulda known better than that. The Tribe is gonna be pissed when we get back.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t have a good time.” I managed a half smile despite my fatigue, rustling fingers through my hair.
"That’s way beside the point. The longer we’re away from the cave, the less safe you are."
I totally resented not being safe. I’d watched my mother’s pained expressions over the years. Stress from living in constant fear.
Tos began running again, building another healthy lead. He looked like a shadow moving through the trees. Rocking back on my heels, I resolved to finish. One last push. Come on. Dig Deep.
I lunged forward. Chasing Tos up the next incline, my feet barely touched the ground. I ran so fast, I didn’t even feel the rocks on the tree-lined path. As I reached the next ridge, a ray of sunlight speared my eye through the trees and blinded me momentarily.
I forced my stride farther. Wider. My arms whipped the air at my sides. I grinned as I closed the gap between us.
Ahead, the cave opening beckoned. The Cave. My home. I knew the drill. Get to the cave before someone sees you, they’d say. Someone like who? Who’d ever come looking for me?
I saw the dark silhouette of my mother sitting on a hillside just above the cave, surrounded by lightly grazing goats. Crouched, she gripped a hooked staff, on which she counterbalanced her weight. Her tunic rustled gently in the thick, salty breeze.
The sun rose faster than usual. Ridiculously fast. I stopped to look at the sky, marveling at the rapid ascension. Darkness to light. What had been a beautiful sunrise, quickly dissolved into chaos.
Tos pulled my arm almost from its socket. “That’s not normal, Zeus. We need to get in the cave!” His face looked like a fig left in the sun too long, wrinkled and severe.
We sprinted the final stretch around my guardian tribe, the Kouretes, who danced in a circle. Their chants filled the air. Fully armored, their tunics flapped around their frames as helmets clanked atop their heads. Shouts echoed across the plain, punctuated by spears clashing against shields. They always said that they chanted to ward off evil spirits. To protect me. All I heard was constant noise, really.
As we drew closer to the cave, my mother stood suddenly and turned toward the sun. The sky brightened, and the sun’s brilliance grew more insistent. I shielded my eyes but the heat was searing. Spots dotted my vision. I watched my skin darken by the second. Sweat beaded all over my bronzing skin at once.
My heart raced wildly. “What’s going on here? Why is the sun falling?"
“Remember we kept telling you somebody might see you if you’re out too long?” Tos asked.
I nodded nervously.
“Hyperion’s descending!” He pushed my shoulder. “Get in the cave!”

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Fourth Writer's Platform-Building Campaign


I am embarking on this new Writer's Platform Building Campaign. Here is the link to the original post if you want to join up. The more, the merrier. It's all about networking and getting to know one another across the interwebz.

Here is the link to the original post about the 4th Platform Builder Campaign. Hope you'll join up.

What is the Campaign?

Basically, the Campaign is a way to link those of us in the writing community together with the aim of helping to build our online platforms. The Campaigners are all bloggers in a similar position, who genuinely want to pay it forward, make connections and friends within the writing community, and help build each others' online platforms while at the same time building theirs.