Giving Myself Time to Write: April 19 Wordbound

Another excerpt from my April Camp NaNoWriMo story.

That night, Allison, Aaron, Ryan, and Crystal chose a graveyard to search. They moved in and out of the tombstones, looking for any sign of vampires. They had seen on the news that a body drained of blood had been found in the area.

“Guys, this place really gives me the creeps,” Crystal said, clutching her cross and bottle of holy water tight. “Can’t we look somewhere else?”

“This is probably the most likely place where we’ll find them,” Allison replied, eyeing a mausoleum. “I’m going to check in here.”

“Be my guest,” Ryan said, looking as scared as Crystal was.  He walked nearer to her. “Strength in numbers, remember that. Plus, you did well today. I think you have a shot at defending yourself.”

“You serious?” Crystal asked, looking up at him. He nodded. Somewhere in the graveyard, a twig snapped. Crystal jumped and grabbed Ryan’s hand, holding it tight.

“What was that?” she asked.

“I don’t think it was anything,” Ryan answered. “But stay close just in case.” They continued to follow Aaron who was a few yards ahead of them, surveying the ground with a flashlight. Behind them, Allison walked out of the mausoleum, looking disappointed.

“Nothing in there,” she said, closing the door. “I guess this might be a bust after all.” She jogged to catch up with Crystal and Ryan. She noticed something, and gave both of them a confused look.

“Why are you guys holding hands?” Ryan and Crystal looked down, and quickly let go of each other.

“No reason,” Ryan answered, turning red.

“Yeah, whatever,” Crystal said, looking at the ground. “We should catch up to Mr. Perez.” They quickened their pace. But before they could reach him, they saw a shadow leap out from behind a nearby tree and tackle him.

Giving Myself Time to Write: April 12 Wordbound

With school and kittens and emotional drainage, it's no wonder I haven't felt like writing recently. But that all ends now. I'm giving myself time to write every Saturday and Sunday until NaNoWriMo starts. Whether it's on my own stuff or prompts, I'll be writing.

April 12: Include something that must be whispered.

"This is stupid," April said to her friends as they sat down in a circle. "We're in high school, we're too old to play telephone."

"Oh come one April," said her friend June sitting next to her. "Where's your inner child?"

"She died, along with my soul," April replied sarcastically.

"There goes April showers again," October said snickering. "Always gotta be the wet blanket." April rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with."

"September, you're first," said January. April sighed. It was always like January to take control. She was so bossy. September nodded, thought for a second, and then giggled as she turned to August and whispered in her ear. August giggled and repeated the message to July. So it went around the circle of twelve girls. April sighed as May leaned towards her.

"Monday has a big butt," she whispered in her ear. April made a face. What that supposed to be funny. She rolled her eyes again and turned to March, repeating the words quickly. March looked confused, but shrugged and passed the message along. It finally reached October, who looked equally confused.

"What was the message?" January asked.

"Um, money has a big nut?" The other girls burst out laughing. April smiled, then caught herself and stopped.

"What was the message then?" asked December, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Monday has a big but!" September shouted out. The others laughed even harder. April looked down at the ground.

"That's so easy, how did it get messed up?" asked May.

"I heard money has a big nut," March said. The rest of the girls looked at her, then turned their gaze towards April.

"So you messed it up," January said accusingly.

"And if I did?" April asked defensively. "It's a stupid game. That's the point of it."

"April, I'm starting to think that you take things too seriously," January replied in a voice that hinted she was talking down to her. "Maybe you should go and think about that."

"If that means I can get away from you guys, I welcome it." Without waiting for permission, April got up and walked away from the group. In the other room, she heard the girls talking and then they all laughed. Probably talking about her. Rolling her eyes, she took out her cell phone.

"Mom, can you come and get me? I want to come home."

April 5 Wordbound in late June

Since the first couple of prompts I need to catch up on are basically cut and paste they're easy to do.

Prompt: Feature a couple of your writing friends! How do you inspire each other?

So I have this friend. Well really he's my classmate but we've really bonded over music and writing. He's an insanely talented double bass player who ended up giving me an unmastered copy of his then-unreleased CD because of my presentation on how much I love to write with music. That CD really inspired me during NaNoWriMo. Since then we've really confided in each other and he's one of my best friends. He likes to write as well, so one time I gave him a Wordbound prompt. Here's what he camp up with. I hope he's okay with me posting this, but I think it deserves recognition because I really enjoyed it.

Alone.  And dark.  The faint light of the street barely slips through filthy, tattered curtains, past trembling strips of paint hanging on for dear life to rotten windowsills, softly defining shadows: the general dimensions of this room I am in, mounds of trash in the corners, a broken light bulb protruding from the bare socket in the ceiling.

Awareness seeps into my consciousness along with the pain.  Each injury comes slowly into focus, waving hello with its particular unique little cocktail of discomfort as I sort through my memory.  They got me good.  Must’ve choked me out after I didn’t go down when they bashed the back of my head.  Feels like they kicked a couple of ribs while I was down for good measure.  

My wallet is gone, of course.  And, unsurprisingly, my shoes.  The thought of one of them walking down the street in size 13 wingtip oxfords gives me a faint smile, replaced quickly as the facial stretch of my smile slightly moves the lump on the back of my head.  Is it bleeding?  It’s not, but it’s getting larger by the minute.  It’s gotta be the size of a grapefruit by now.  Injuries anywhere on the head feel about a hundred times bigger and more painful than anywhere else on the body.  I should know.  I’ve been injured a lot.  

Testing my limbs…I don’t think anything is broken.  I push and groan myself into a sitting position and try to figure out what the hell I’m gonna do now.  Can’t very well go all the way home with no shoes.  And I (obviously) didn’t get the stuff.  Can’t go home empty-handed or empty footed.  Walking 60 blocks in my socks only to see her eyes when I walk in without it? File that in the “not gonna happen” drawer.  

At least I know where I am.  I was actually surprised when they led me here.  There used to be a family that lived here.  Little girl with red hair.  It’s hard to be curious about their fate when so many have fallen.  My friend Pete lives a couple of blocks away.  He’s a tall guy.  I bet I can borrow a pair of shoes that aren’t ridiculously small and get him to lend me twenty bucks so I can buy enough to last a few hours.

 

At least Pete lives alone.  No wife or kids to be upset when I knock on his door in the middle of the night.  He’s always up working on some project.  Soldering impossibly tiny circuit boards or hammering out chess problems.  When I’m around him I start to feel lazy.  I tend to spend time carelessly, barely noticing as the hours turn into days, but Pete attacks the minutes as they flee past.  Probably part of the reason I don’t see him too much anymore.   That and the sadness. 

Alright.  I’ve spent long enough sitting here.  It stinks, even though my nose had plenty of time to habituate to the fetid aroma of poverty and abandonment.  I stand up slowly, allowing the dizziness to subside, and make my way down to the street.  It’s quiet.  Can it be that late?  I wonder how long I was out. 

March 29 Wordbound in late June

Between Camp NaNoWriMo, finals, house sitting, the magic that was Camp Rising Sun, the post-camp depression, summer classes, AND the Final Fantasy expansion I've been in a really bad writing slump. Hence this prompt will be an excerpt from my Camp NaNoWriMo April novel Psycho.

Basically it's about a girl with a monster inside of her trying to bring down the corporation that did this to her with the help of an English teacher and two of his students. The scene takes place in the teacher's house where she spent the night in the guest room after a long night of hunting vampires and is about to leave to get kidnapped...I mean for work.

Prompt: A character opens someone else's desk drawer. What do they find?

Allison woke suddenly and sat up. For a moment she had forgotten where she was. Then the events of last night came to her and she began to relax. Looking at the alarm clock by the bed, she saw that it was 12:30 in the afternoon. Plenty of time to shower and make herself presentable for work. She got out of the bed and opened the door, peering out.

The house was eerily quiet. Allison shuddered, wondering if she should wait until she got home to shower. Deciding that she could wait, she walked down the hall to the balcony. But before she went down the stairs, she stopped and looked to her left, where Aaron’s room was. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to look.

‘Do it,’ Psycho whispered in her brain.

“Doesn’t seem right to though,” Allison said. “I mean, he shared his secret with us. It should be enough right?”

‘So? I know you want to know more about him. I know you like him.’

“What? Definitely not. You know I can’t like anyone. They took that part out remember?”

‘Ah yes, of course. But still, you know you want to look.’ Allison hesitated, then sighed.

“Damn it.” She walked down the hallway and opened the first door to her right.

The room was massive, much larger than the one she had slept in, and at least twice the size of her apartment. There was a master four-poster bed with curtains, a large dresser, an old roll-top desk, and even an area by the window with an armchair and end table. Allison walked cautiously, as though she might get caught. She walked over to the desk and saw some papers on them. It looked as if they were papers Aaron needed to grade. She picked one up and grimaced at the abysmal writing. Setting it down, she reached out and opened one of the drawers. It was filled with office supplies. She was about to close it when something caught her eye. It was an envelope sticking out of a tray. She pulled it out and opened it, finding a letter.

My dear brother,

            By the time you read this, it will be too late for me. The Laboratories knows that I’ve been sneaking out information to the authorities in hopes of shutting them down. You know some of the things I’ve seen here are too terrible to mention. I don’t know how they found out but they did. Aaron, please don’t come looking for me, and please don’t avenge me like you tried to do mom and dad. I knew what I was doing and was prepared to face the consequences. But I have something I need you to do for me.

            Someone has escaped the laboratories. A test subject they were subjecting to awful methods. She killed many on the way out. Luckily, I was not in her way. I need you to find her and protect her. She could be the only person to bring down the Laboratories and stopping this disaster from happening. She was experiment number A111504, but we called her Allison. It’s so important that you find her and keep her safe Aaron. Please do this for me.

                        I love you brother,

                                    Alexandria

Allison dropped the letter, breathing hard. The house gave a loud creak and she jumped. Scrambling to pick up the letter, she placed it back in the envelope where she had found it and walked out of the room. She flew down the stairs and out the door, pausing for a moment to lock it. She walked quickly down the street, her head rearing, thoughts moving a million miles an hour.

Wordbound Wednesday: March 22

Pick a tweet from a friend and find a way to incorporate all words into your scene.

(I don't have any friends that use Twitter that I know of, so I found one I liked from someone I follow instead!)

_________________________________________________________________________________




Dominique was pissed off. She slammed her purse down on the table and flung herself into the bed, fuming. How dare they! She had been employed in the schools for years and they were forcing her out just like that? 'Budget cuts my ass,' she thought angrily. The principal had been looking for a reason to get rid of her for ages, just because she didn't kiss his ass like everyone else. She actually stood up for herself and her kids. And now she was out of a job. Realizing the severity of her situation, she began to cry as the door opened and her fiance Miguel walked in.

"Hey beautiful," he said, closing the door behind him. How was work?"

"They fired me," Dominique said wiping her eyes and sitting up. Miguel whipped his head around, looking at her.

"They did what?" he asked incredulously. He hurried over and sat next to her. "What happened?"

"Budget cuts," Dominique replied sarcastically. "But that cabron of a principal has been looking for a reason to get rid of me for ages, we all knew that. This just gave him an excuse."

"What about the union?" here fiance asked.

"They can't help me, not when we don't have the money. That asshole governor just keeps taking money away from us for her own stupid agendas."

"But you can get unemployment right?" asked Miguel. "Mi amor, we can't afford this apartment if both of us don't have jobs."

"I know okay?" Dominique snapped back, jumping up. "Trust me! I know! I know we're poor and we'll never get out of here and I thought I was secure! I just, I don't know what to do." She began to cry again, sinking to her knees. Miguel walked over and knelt in front of her.

"Dominique, it's going to be okay," he said gently. "We've been through worse, you know that."

"But we jut got done with that," she said, leaning into his chest. "We finally got ourselves out of that shitty apartment into a nice one and I can't imagine giving it up."

"We won't have to. You'll go down and file for unemployment, and I'll pick up some more shifts at the restaurant. Maybe you can still work, just at another school." Dominique nodded.

"It's just, I'll miss my kids," she said. "I finally got to know them and they were beginning to trust me. Everything was going so well. And now they're going to be split up and put in other classrooms. I'm just worried about them."

"I know you are," Miguel said, rubbing her shoulders. "But they're young. They can adapt. We'll be fine. Don't you worry okay mi amor. We can get through anything."

Dominique looked up at Miguel, smiling for the first time all day.

"I got lucky when I met you," she said.

"No, I got lucky." Miguel leaned down and kissed her. "Now, what do you say we see what's for dinner."

"Well, all I need is a glass of wine right now," Dominique replied getting up and walking to the pantry. She opened it and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "Where did you put the wine key?"

"In that drawer," Miguel answered pointing vaguely behind him as he looked in the freezer. Dominique rolled her eyes and opened drawers until she found it. Uncorking the wine, she grabbed a plastic cup from the cupboard and poured herself a glass. Meanwhile, Miguel pulled out a plastic bag.

"I just found some tamales your mom gave us for Christmas," he said. "What do you say?"

"Sounds good," Dominique replied, taking a long drink from her cup. She grabbed the bottle and topped off the cup. Miguel put the tamales on a plate and placed them in the microwave. He sat down on the bed and Dominique sat next to him, giving him the cup. He drank from it and gave it back to her.

"You'll see Dominique," he said as she leaned on his shoulder. "You have more gusto and more life in you than anyone can imagine. You'll get another job faster than you can say vamanos. Dominique smiled and took another long drink of wine.


(Unfortunately this story is based on a real life disaster scenario going on in the state of New Mexico, with Governor Susana Martinez taking more and more money from the school system and vetoing bills that give teachers more rights and freedoms to teach and take time off when they're sick without being penalized. There have been rumors going around of having a 4-day school week instead because there is not enough money to keep them open 5 days a week. Personally, I cannot wait until 2018 when we can oust that bitch and put someone in who gives a shit about us being the last state in education. Of course, with the new Secretary of Education, I doubt public schools will be around much longer.)

Wordbound Wednesday: March 15

A character is inspired by something they can't see.

So I was going to do my usual creative thinking for this prompt, but after what happened today I needed to write this.

Today we got back our midterms for our Applied Orthopedics class. I was nervous because I didn't feel prepared and the test left me wanting to cry. I was given a small glimmer of hope when I saw that the average was a 93, but that was crushed when I got my test back. I was a full 20 points below the average, and in my program, that constitutes a failing grade. As someone who isn't used to seeing that score, it was pretty hard, especially considering the average. Actually it was hard purely because of the average if the rest of the class hadn't done well it wouldn't have sucked so much. I felt like an absolute moron. What the hell was I doing there? I wanted to go into Orthopedics in the field. How was a supposed to do that when I couldn't even pass the damn midterm? And the worst part? The section I did the worst on was clinical application. So, as is my normal reaction to things like this, the tears came. And I couldn't stop them. I got sympathy and comfort from my classmates, and assurance that this wasn't going to cause me to fail the class, but at that moment I still felt stupid.

At this point, I have no idea what my grade is. I can't see it. And I won't be able to see it until they're posted at the end of the semester. All I have are percentages. My best friend did the math and as it turns out I can still pass the class with an A even if I do terrible on the midterm and final because of our other assignments. That being said, this would require me to get perfect scores on the other assignments, and I can already say that it won't happen. I'm good but not that good. I'll get As though, that much I know. Anyways, at some point my boyfriend came into the classroom during lunch and coaxed me into leaving and going on a walk with him (he's in the same graduate program I'm in but a year ahead). We talked it out and here comes the inspiration.

This entire semester, my focus has been on Neuroanatomy. I was told by pretty much EVERYONE that Neuro was the class to watch out for. So that's what I've been doing. And it's paid off. The "legendary" test our instructor boasted about was the one I've done the best on so far. But I was so focused on that class that I didn't really realize that my real battle would be with Applied Orthopedics. Plus I've had this instructor before and she's always talked up her hard midterms and finals when they've not been that bad. I studied, but we already have as many power point presentations as we had the entire semester last fall. (We had 16 last semester, and already have 15 halfway through this one!) But I'm licking my wounds, getting the five stages of grief out of the way. My boyfriend says he'll help me from now on and I'm officially going to start doing the reading (I'm really going to get the blame for not doing it, but honestly, the amount of reading assigned in each class is BEYOND ridiculous. Plus it's supplemental if you need clarification on class material, and I managed 4 As and 1 B+ with minimal reading last semester).

Graduate school is tough, and this semester I've definitely been feeling off, mostly because our class dynamic has changed and I'm realizing the people that I liked before are actually kind of awful and annoying and seriously you need to chill out! But if this is what I need to get back on the horse and kick ass, then so be it.

Anyways, I needed to write that for this week's prompt, and it feels good to get it all out.

Also as a post script, this image is proof that I have the best friends. Basically one of my closest friends bet me a dollar that I would do well on the midterm. He lost. But he still found a way to make me smile. He's the best.

Playing Catch Up! Word prompt March 8

After this prompt I will be officially caught up! Unfortunately, this will be kind of challenging for me. I'm just gonna wing it and see what happens.

Use numbers in an interesting way

She stared at the piece of paper in front of her, her mind going blank. Her heart beat faster and she began to feel anxiety bubbling up. She knew what she had to do. Just solve the equation before her competitor. But she couldn't move with everyone staring at her! She looked back up at the scree where the equation stared down at her menacingly.

Solve for x:


She took a shaky breath and picked up her pencil. Across from her, her opponent was already hard at work. Hand shaking, she wrote the equation down on the paper and began the problem.

"Subtract 4 from both sides."

5x = -5
2

"Multiply both sides by 2."

5x = -10

"Divide by 5 which gives me-"

Ding!

She grit her teeth in disappointment. She had hesitated too long. She had let her team down. This was the deciding factor and she had blew it!

"Contestant Kelly?" the judge asked.

"The answer is 2!" the other girl said confidently. Her heart leaped in her chest.

"I'm sorry, that's not the right answer," the judge said sympathetically. He looked at her. Contestant Hernandez, if you answer correctly, your school wins the competition.

She took a deep breath in her chest, willing herself to speak.

"The answer is -2," she said meekly.

"Correct! Congratulations to the winners, the Zuni Elementary Math Badgers!" There was a cheer behind her as the rest of her team came forward to hug her. She let out a sigh of relief and looked out in the audience, where her parents were beaming at her with joy.