Writing Fun: I'm Hearing Voice pt. 3

Well, I hope the next time I find out about, or hear about, a blogfest I can do it officially. This is the last prompt for the I'm Hearing Voice blogfest - a 250 word flash fiction meant to explore a single emotion. This was a lot of fun. I know I learned a lot about my characters this past week.

I'm not sure if this is how I was supposed to write this scene. Like, I think I should have made it like an enclosed scene, instead of a snippet, but, I'm not doing this officially anyway so I don't mind bending things, haha.

Without further ado: Such A Little Thing

   Chester - James, his name is James! - shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the tension in his shoulders winding tight all the way down his spine like a line of fire. His hands shook- he needed to stop that, because he wasn't sure if it was anger or shame and he didn't want to find out. When the fingers of his right hand brushed against something hard and cool he started, a breath of air whooshing out of his nose in an angry snort as he pulled out the harmonica.
   It surprised him suddenly. The instrument, so much smaller than his guitar, but as it sat nestled in the curve of his palm it seemed to weigh a ton. It ached. The hurt sank into his skin and wound its way through the muscles and it twined around the bones in his hand, and how could it when it was just sitting there, such a little thing?
   The row of metal punctuated with holes looked like a mocking smirk and all the heat that had been bubbling at the small of his back rushed up his skin to pool behind his eyes. He lifted his free hand to cover them.

It's not the same, but is sort of is, don't you think? Play something! Well, well? Chester the Bard! It's perfect! So, so, play something!

   "Shit," he breathed, forcing the word out despite his clenched jaw.

Chester is one of the main characters in my new novel - The Wandering Shadow. I'm sure you'll learn more about him in time. I'm going to have a lot of fun torturing uhh, I mean, writing his many new adventures!

Writing Fun: I'm Hearing Voices pt. 2

Well, it's a good thing that I'm not officially participating, because I woke up this morning and was like, 'Shoot, I totally forgot to update my blog again.' That's exactly how I thought it too.

I'd like to say I have a good reason, but not really. Last night ION aired, like, four episodes of Ghost Whisperer back-to-back and then I caught up on some reading. The funny thing was that I remembered in the morning, but it completely slipped my mind in the afternoon. Anyway, part two of this snazzy dance is 'character introduction via pure dialogue.'

I had a lot of fun envisioning this conversation:

"Do you think she's deaf?"

"No. She reacts to everything we're saying. And she heard Art when he was trying to sneak in."

"Well, maybe she bit her tongue off."

"Impossible. Human body can bleed out that way."

"Can bleed out that way sounds open-ended. So it can not bleed out that way as well."

"Smart-ass."

"I'm just saying-"

"Art! Where are you going?"

"Elpirt wants to show us something!"

"Well, then wait up a moment. We'll come too. Let's go, kid."

"I think I'll stay here."

"What? Why?"

"We're standing in a room where the floor is covered in human remains-"

"Looks mostly animal to me."

"Not comforting. That's not comforting. You want to know why? It was the use of the word 'mostly'."

"I'm not sure how you've survived this long."

"Me neither."

Writing Fun: I'm Hearing Voices pt. 1

So, there is this really cool blogfest that just started called - I'm Hearing Voices. I'm not doing this officially, since I've just discovered it. Which seems to be the case with all these cool blog challenges. But I still want to use it as a great exercise tool to get to know my four newest characters. I guess I'll start with Arthur, since he's both the easiest and toughest for me to write.

For anyone interested in learning more about the I'm Hearing Voices blogfest, click here for details. ^_^




Interviewing: Self-proclaimed Arthur Grisby, the Wandering Shadow




1.      What is your biggest vulnerability? Do others know this or is it a secret?

CATS! Have you seen their claws? Oh, what about birds? Sharp, pointy beaks. And dogs can bite, and what about, eww, what about bugs? Oh, oh, FIRE! I burned my arm once, see?

*softly* And I guess I sort of hate being alone. Just a little.

2.      What do people believe about you that is false?

Hmph, Chester says I can't focus on reality. That's stupid. The reality is that that is stupid. See? There, I focused.

3.      What would your best friend say is your fatal flaw? Why?

Well, he says I can't focus enough. And calm down enough. And that I pick fights. And that I'm not looking at things right. And that I shouldn't trust what I do. And… he's still listing things! *grins*

4.      What would the same friend say is your one redeeming quality? Why?

Chester said, "You're pretty crazy," after I had to go and show that Skull Group the might of Arthur - the Wandering Shadow! And when he picked up his guitar, he said, "Thanks." So he must have really liked that.

5.      What do you want most? What will you do to get it?

ADVENTURE! What will I do? I'm already doing it! *laughs*