What Writing Means To Me

Writing means that I can see this world or a new world from different perspectives. I can look beyond my own horizon, experience impossible situations and explore unique ways of life. Writing allows me to tap into the emotions and reactions of characters with outlooks and ideals different from my own. It’s a rush and an escape.

What does writing mean to you? Brian Klems' WD Challenge for Today. http://bit.ly/zwjBUB

Snowman Character Study

It finally snowed today! When I saw the pillowy white flakes slowly turn the view outside my window into a winter wonderland, I knew that I had to get out there. After weeks of spring temperatures, white is finally pearling along the bare branches of the trees and coating the dirty streets. Grabbing all the materials I could, I set out to built myself a snowman or two with character...

Back from my excursion I proudly introduce you to Periwinkle Stein and his equally sophisticated sister, Dorothea. Recently returned from their scientific expedition to the North Pole, they are now surveying the snow quantities in my little courtyard. Dorothea certainly looked ready to deliver a full report, well-structured and in her diligent hand writing I would expect. Matching her optimistic outlook, she seemed confident that they would have a handle on the situation by tomorrow. Equally in his element, Periwinkle arrogantly assured me that not a minute change in the consistency and cropping of the snow flakes would pass him by. Knowing his dedication to detail, I don't doubt it.

But their expertise in snow aside, those two certainly are two interesting characters...

A Jewel from a Pack Rat's Treasure Trove

One of the first things any writer will tell you is to never throw away any piece you have ever written. It might prove inspirational or otherwise useful at a later point in time. It's also the perfect excuse not to get rid of precious pieces of writing which didn't make the editing cut ;)

Quick Intro: The croigreach, a triad of three prophecied warriors, - Calynorne is one of them - just arrived in Anat and discovered that the slaves have banded to form an underground resistance against slavery. Their home base is an intricate cavesystem spanning the town of Anat and the adajacent forest. In this scene, Fenella - shrine priestess of the resistance - leads up to the story of the resistance's birth.

Outtake Celtic Forest - Book 2:

“Gaoth an Iar, the Rune of the Western Wind“, Fenella finally intoned quietly, carefully settling a pendant into the palm of her hand, “It is the final rune that binds the seven clans of Anat together.” At the hint of confusion in the croigreachs’ eyes, a small smile tucked at the corner of the priestess’ lips. Slowly, she drew back the sleeve to reveal one of her wrists. The same italic rune as the one engraved on the pendant spanned her pulse point in a black green shimmer. “Seven runes mark the members of the resistance, each announcing the unique talent an individual carries.  These symbols of Old rose from the depth of legend together with our ancestors’ fighting spirit, gifted to us on the day when we faced the first challenge of our new people: the loss of Mhanaidh, the priestess who blew into Anat with the Western Winds and saved us all. The runes are our centre points, an heirloom of the first families to enter a new life. Intermixed, the blood of the seven Western clans of Géobhan Ridge flows in our veins yet the seven clans have risen again uniting each of us under the guidance of a rune gifted to us by Mhanaidh, but I am getting ahead of myself. I shall introduce myself first.”
   
    Lifting her grey gaze to the three strangers opposite her, a proud smile stretched her lips. “I am Fenella, priestess of the shrine of Gaoth an Iar. I, solely, stand apart from the seven clans, bearing the responsibility of fulfilling the teachings that were left to us by the priestess that saved us all: Mhanaidh of Celtic Forest.” Reverence rung in the elder woman’s alto as her fingers softly stroked the curves of the pendant in her palm. Tilting her head to the right, she studied the fabled croigreachs. “I am responsible for watching the western winds and listening to the messages they carry to us. For days they have been whispering of your coming, telling me that I had to prepare for your arrival.” Calynorne felt confusion well at the admission, but Fenella quickly dismissed that titbit of information.
Her grey eyes grew distant. “But as I said, let us start at the beginning: In the time of our great-grandfathers, when our people listlessly waited for death in the barren slums of Anat. We did neither distinguish between winter nor spring nor summer, then. Endless days bled into the next, cold or heat slowly absolving the few lucky ones among us from the hell that was life on this plain. Life was an endless succession of sacrifices, one day bringing little more than the next. But then, one day, upon the wings of a cool western breeze, a silver cloaked stranger blew into the heated streets of the slums. The air stirred with a different kind of energy. Hope…
 

I love the background story this scene reveals. Alas, there is such a thing as too much information in a sequence which causes the story to slow down. Well, my writer's heart is still bleeding everytime I have to cut out a fascinating new insight I gained on the world I created. Tough luck, I guess.

Trying my hand at poetry!

Ever wondered how you could take your storytelling to the next level? Or give a measure of authenticity to the world you created?

A great way to make a reader believe even more in your world is by employing or quoting from different text types. When you are writing a novel or short story in a contemporary or historical setting, you can quote other authors’ works in order to give your world a feeling of authenticity and to help your reader buy more into the scene you want to set. A good example is the YA fantasy novel Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. She foreshadows each chapter with a quoted text passage, a poem or a self-authored entry from a log-book assigned to a character with an authentic voice in her novel. The same principle, consequently, also holds true for new worlds in a fantasy setting. Of course, then, producing authentic literary material is up to you. Historical records giving a quick introduction to a country’s history, chants telling tribal histories over a campfire or sermons used during rituals can go a long way in intriguing your reader. 

I always wanted to try my hand at poetry. My goal? To let an original poem tell the ancient lore of the world I created or hint at main plot points with a few cleverly rhymed lines. 

Well, today, I made my first attempt. I started simple with a clerihew rhyme scheme and left syllable counts to Shakespeare for now. My trusty helpmate for today’s project was an online rhyming dictionary – www.rhymer.com. Here is one of my better poems from today’s effort.

Theme: The Chameleon

Beware of the Chameleon,

That holds no colours of its own.

The charming creature

Harbouring talents of a lethal nature,

walks hidden among you,

cloaked in its enemy’s hue.

Any comments?

Be Inspired!

What goal did you set for 2012?

New Year’s Resolutions: It’s a tradition. One, that at times, makes you feel like you have to commit to a grand or tedious scheme aimed at self-improvement. But those kinds of resolutions usually go up in smoke as soon as your hangover kicks in! Experts actually say that in order for your resolutions to stick, you have to give them a 30-day trial run. Also, you should choose a goal that is dear to you personally or which sends you on an adventure to discover the world around you. In that spirit – and for once taking the advice to heart -, one of my resolutions for 2012 is to “Be inspired!”. I feel like I have been sitting around too much, waiting for things to happen instead of going out there and seeking new experiences for myself. Well, it’s a new year and there’s 30 days left in January. My goal: To find something that inspires me every day! And in order to keep myself from quitting, I will post my findings on twitter each day. Anyone interested in joining me?

I can’t wait to discover what I will find, but I can tell you what I unearthed today.

My Spark of Inspiration # 1:   A picture trip down memory lane!

At the start of a new year, I normally reminiscence about the things I have seen and learned in the last year. In 2011, I actually got to travel a lot. Great Britain, Greece, Portugal and Germany were on my list of destinations. Thanks to fantastic weather, my trusty camera and the best travel buddies, I collected a host of great memories, impressions and anecdotes. The places that inspired me the most were the Monk Republic of Athos and the Meteora Monasteries in Greece, Sintra in Portugal and the baroque city of Dresden.

Check out some of my finds!

Don’t these views just reek of atmosphere and inspiration?

I could nearly hear the religious chants echoing from the majestic stone formations of Meteora. What a great setting those ancient monasteries would be for a thriller or a historical novel, especially if you add the mysterious monk republic on Mount Athos to the mix. Sintra, on the other hand, had the romantic charm of a medieval, fairy tale town tying in wonderfully with the surreal gardens of the Quinta da Regaleira. I will never forget the underground tower there, which incidentally already houses two characters of mine. I am certain that all these impression will eventually find their way into one or the other of the worlds I will dream up in the future. For now, they are filling the pages of my travel journals and are eternalized in the pictures I and my sisters took.

I hope that at the end of this new year I will have an archive of things, impressions and experiences which strike my creative vein and inspire me. For today, my trip down 2011 memory lane led me right into the decadent world of Geltown’s maverick, the big villain in my new writing project. What will tomorrow bring? What inspired you today?

Tea For Date...Or Not

The Helston sisters had their own code of prescribed actions aimed at mastering the pitfalls of life. 

As the cold was slowly creeping up Lyra’s fingers, winding around her arms and inevitably reaching for her heart, she knew that one of the sibling rules would come to her rescue. Heaving a shuddering sigh, she sadly watched her breath plume in a white cloud. Around her the world continued turning, people rushing by under the Christmas lights softly bobbling above. She had been stood up. Feeling the prick of tears at the corner of her eyes, Lyra bit her dry lips, drew in her shoulders and resolutely settled her mind back on the code. Beyond the rejection, beyond the hurt, beyond the yet faint anger at Greg Miller bubbling in her stomach.

Helston Code # 7: Tea For Date

In the event of a no-show or a miserable first date search out the next Bubble Tea Bar and buy yourself a cupful of balm for the soul. This also counts for the eventuality that Bubble Tea is already involved before, although in that case failure is practically impossible.

Noted Exception: The Tea Tragedy ’04.

A chuckle gurgled up from the frozen depths of Lyra’s chest as she recalled her sister’s disgusted grimace. Fallon had nearly sworn off the code after Billy Klein’s unsophisticated attempt to chuck the whole cup plus tapioca pearls in one draw. It had ended in a Heimlich manoeuvre and an unbecomingly runny nose. Yet Fallon had prevailed thanks to their intervention, but the amendment had been added as a warning that there was always an exception to the rule, even if it involved the holy drink for date disasters.

Bubbleology

Feeling the corners of her mouth tuck up into a smile, Lyra clumsily fished for her mobile. Maybe she had been lucky today. Who knew Greg could have turned out as another Billy Klein? Chuckling on a shudder, she quickly dialled Fallon’s number.

“Fabulous Fallon at your service. What’s up, sis?”, her sister’s chipper voice answered on the second ring, making Lyra laugh. Her bad mood was already fading. Heaving another sigh, she launched into her own witty repartee.

“I’ve been stood up, Fa. Greg’s an idiot. So, Bubble Tea Delivery, here. Please, place your orders now?”

“Oooh, you collected another one. What’s the tally? And I’ll take a Cocoloco with mango. I want something exotic.”

Rolling her eyes, Lyra mentally noted the order and walked in the direction of the subway. The next Bubble Tea Bar was two stops away. “3:4. You are still one miserable date in the lead.”

“Well, ain’t I lucky? Hurry up, sis. I already have the cookies and Jack and Rose ready.”

“I’m flying, Jack”, Lyra replied sarcastically, hanging up before Fallon could get another word in. With a big grin she rushed down the subway stairs, a warm gust of air colouring her pale cheeks a rosy colour. The Helston code had triumphed once again and who needed an unreliable guy, anyway.

Happy New Year!

Stormy Sea

Stormy Sea

Land and ocean clashed as thunder rolled over the land. Pale, delicate fists clenched in anger and desperation. Nails dug into pals, mercilessly drawing blood as Aiden stared angrily into the raging tide. Lightning singed the plane upon the foreboding, black cliffs. White swords of sea foam shattered upon the ragged stones. The sea was alive, the waves attacking the cliffs like mercenaries. In the depth below, darkness coiled in despair at the storm raging above. Facing the tempest of the elements, Aiden swore vengeance, her cry of rage consumed by the howling gale tearing at her sodden tunic.