So Write All Ready!

Repost: Make Your Wish Come True

2010-06-23T19:54:00.002-05:00

I have been a part of the writing group on Skateboard since it was part of the old MSN forums back in 1996. What a fantastic find it was been for me, from the first day I logged on. I found my best friend and all the support I needed to pursue the craft of creative writing.

This year quite a few of us joined forces to conquer NaNo, and we also decided we wanted to get that kind of momentum going more than just once a year, especially since NaNo falls at such a busy time.

So we have chosen February to be our WISH month: Writing Isn't So Hard. We're busy setting goals, and pushing forward with something we want to accomplish in February. Our plan is to put our goal in writing, and then cheer each other on, perhaps offering a hand up if the going gets tough.

This is a very supportive group. In the 10+ years I've been with them, even as people have come and gone during that time, the tone of this board is constant--support and encouragement. I have never ever been flamed, or received anything other than supportive encouragement regarding the writing I've posted there. Despite diverse backgrounds and different writing interests, we're committed to helping each other and at the same time enjoy the laughs and encouragement that can only come from other writers.

We also meet once a week for a workshop/open chat to discuss various aspects of writing or to get ideas and support from one another for our projects. Currently we meet at 1:30 PM Central Time on Wednesday. The link to the Chatroom, as well as our newsgroup, is available on Skateboard's main page, by clicking Writers & Poets on the left sidebar. If you have any trouble accessing either, let us know. We'll work till we get you where you want to be.

Let's make the most of this shortest and sometimes most difficult month of the year: join us in February, if it is your WISH to see you writing move forward. From setting a simple regular goal, to finishing the editing on a novel, we can provide the support to get you where you want to go.

This post on our newsgroup describes the WISH goal:

At workshop yesterday we talked a little bit about our goal for WISH in February. I think we decided two things:

Writing Isn't So Hard when you aim for 500 words daily.
If 500 words a day doesn't suit your circumstances, then Writing Isn't So Hard if you set a goal that will help you achieve what you want.

Willa mentioned that a daily goal is better for her than a monthly one because it eliminates the tendency to procrastinate. If you find this is true for you, and you choose a goal other than writing 500 words a day, you might consider breaking the goal down to daily or weekly tasks that will help you reach your overall goal by the end of February.

During the last week of this month, I'll [try to remember to] start a thread that will allow us to post our goals for February. Having a goal down in writing helps, and having the support and encouragement of your writing group can make all the difference when the going gets tough. Meanwhile give your goal some thought so you know exactly what you want February to be for you.

Here's to making our WISH come true....

~ Carolyn

"It is faith, finally, that saves us: faith that our words will matter enough--if only to ourselves alone....This is no small thing we do." ~Monica Wood

This blog has moved

2010-03-09T09:22:00.001-06:00

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Habits

2010-03-07T17:02:00.001-06:00

My weekends are so twisted now; I don't know if I'll ever get used to Saturday being Sunday and vice versa.

Novel Shortcuts, Chapter 1, Part 1

2010-01-10T19:23:00.003-06:00

A brief summary: To be able to write a solid draft quickly and well, it helps to have a good handle on the core of your story.

A basic story premise of a novel consists of the main character, the primary setting, and the overall problem.

Identifying these three components clearly will help move the draft along.

If you know the character well, then you solve the issues of voice and perspective. You know what obstacles to use and where to place them and why, to keep tension high. The author also points out that a well-defined character is quick to draw the reader into the story, and editors/agents love a sympathetic main character.
An effective setting will mold both the characters and the problem. An example the book gives is Romeo and Juliet. Think about how the place and time shapes both the people involved and the problem they face.
Lastly the problem can't just be a goal. There has to be the *but* clause in there. "Character must do this" is not a problem. "Character must do this but this is in the way" constitutes the problem.

If something doesn't seem to be working with your draft, going back to each of these components and rethinking them could be key to keeping forward momentum going. The book is fantastic for giving ideas that help you address various aspects of each segment of the premise.

Let's Discuss

What are some tools you might use to

Clearly define your character
Choose and know your setting
Make sure the overall problem will sustain an entire book

Study schedule for January

2010-01-06T11:25:00.001-06:00

My plan through October contains two components. The first two weeks of the month are dedicated to honing craft in order to crank out a better first draft in November. The second two weeks will focus on revising a draft already written. I really think the first two weeks will also impact the revision process, which is why I put future before the past.

So beginning January 7th, I will be reading and implementing the first part of Chapter 1 from Novel Shortcuts by Laura Whitcomb. I am reading the first chapter through page 24 and working on whatever exercises are suggested. However, I will probably apply them to an existing novel rather than something new. Unless something new grabs my attention. Wouldn't hurt to plan for November, should the opportunity arrive.

Will share a tidbit or two here as I work through the focus of Chapter 1, which is clarifying the premise of your story and how doing so helps maintain enthusiasm for your story, leading to a faster, better draft. Interesting stuff.

Week beginning January 14, will finish this chapter.

Week beginning January 21st and 28th--Will begin to work through the book Novel Metamorphosis by Darcy Pattison. Details to follow.

Why do my weeks begin on Thursday? That's when our writing workshop is generally held. I was hoping to center discussions on these topics, but I'm having a miserable time getting back to my newsgroup to post the information. I may resort to posting on Facebook to get it done.

Planning the Plan

2009-12-28T23:57:00.001-06:00

I've decided that I want to accomplish two things by the end of October, 2010 (November is NaNo and December is R & R = Regroup and Reassess).

1. I want to revise and edit a previous years' NaNo draft with a goal of submitting it.
2. I want to be ready to write a better first draft in November.

To help me accomplish the goals, I've decided to work from two different books.

1. Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise by Darcy Pattison
2. Novel Shortcuts: Ten Techniques that Ensure a Great First Draft by Laura Whitcomb

One of the most educational and rewarding writing events that I've been to was the Novel Revision Retreat Darcy headed up a couple years ago. I could pick apart a plot and build key scenes to write between; I had a plan for getting a novel on paper. But I never could quite hit on a plan for getting that draft polished. I came away from that one weekend with tools that I know I will always use. I'm looking forward to using her book to get me through the revision of another NaNo baby.

The Novel Shortcuts book is one that I've had on my shelf awhile. It intrigues me.

So join me, won't you? I'm planning to use these two books in the weekly writer's workshop I've been neglecting as well. I think I'll devote the first two weeks of a month to the Shortcuts book (hoping some of the information will carry over into revision) and the second two weeks on Novel Metamorphosis.

Sounds like a nice balance right?

According to the "experts" this resolve should last till the end of January, perhaps into February.

Let's prove the experts wrong!

If you're interested in my detailed monthly schedule, let me know in the comments and I'll e-mail it.

Plans

2009-12-28T03:25:00.001-06:00

I think I became resistant to making plans because I love doing it, and all that potential progress looks so positive and pretty when settled like eggs in a nest. Hatching them is another story entirely. Failure is depressing.

Looking back over my writing or lack thereof, the years I got more done than just completing a rough draft in November, I had definite goals in mind. One year I joined a group that set monthly goals. That was awesome! Unfortunately it disbanded into the second year and my goals came tumbling down as well. Nothing has been built since.

I'm going to get back on track now. Writing is one of three main areas of my life that are getting major overhauls. The others...well they deserve blogs to themselves.

The encouraging part is that I wanted to build on November's momentum this time around. I took two weeks off after NaNo, considering I didn't start till almost the 15th of November and still managed to finish. I was worn out! I have been doing a morning page regularly since about mid-December; my new journal is 8 x 6, college ruled and one page was about all I could handle to start with.

The good news is characters are starting to visit! Most people try to get rid of the voices in their heads. In my insanity, I welcome the voices with open arms. I didn't realize how badly I'd been missing them. So far, I've met two new potential protagonists.

So once again I find it reaffirmed: when you come to the page, the rest comes to you. I have failed to come to the page, but the rest has never failed me yet. Just put down something. It doesn't have to be more than drivel. It all counts.

I have been learning from my unhatched plans too, so not all is lost. Don't attempt too much at once. Make the goals very specific. Start big and work down to what I can do right now. Very basic, I know, but I can't be a fast learner in everything.

This blog will be part of my plan for the year. I like the feel of accountability, and I'm going to do my best not to whine here. I want to be more constructive. Press those lemons and add plenty of sugar. Drink that lemonade, be refreshed and keep going.

I've never felt that writing has to be a chore. Like almost every other writer out there, I've let it become unwelcome from time to time, but the trouble is never with the writing. The writing always does me good. The trouble is generally my attitude toward the writing. If I can keep the attitude right, then the rest should be better. That's my theory anyway. Let's see how it works.

That's not to say I can't discuss problems. I just can't say, "I hate this plot, or this character, or this revision" without doing something to fix the problem. Find the problem and fix it. Don't stop! Celebrate the joys and the achievements, find the silver lining in failure and defeat. It can be done.

It must be done.

It will be done!

If You've Noticed a Change

2009-04-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Thank you!!!

I'm developing this idea. Check back May-ish for a launch. In the meantime, send good vibes. :) Please!

~C

Thanks for coming, but I've moved!

2008-11-13T13:13:00.000-06:00

Sheesh. Writers..... Always on to another "scene." Find me here: http://carolyndekat.blogspot.com/

Go visit! Help yourself to NaNo vitamins! :)

~Carolyn

On Your Mark...

2008-10-31T23:51:00.001-05:00

I'm set....

I have my mascot (Snoopy), my uniform (NaNo T-shirt), my drink of choice (apple juice tonight) and I think enough working knowledge of Liquid Story Binder to not completely lose everything I type. And I have back-up: regular old Word 2003 and Google Documents. I will not lose a manuscript like I did last year. Will not let that happen.

Go NaNo!!!

I've moved

2008-10-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

I can't keep both blogs synchronized--I just don't have the time. So for now this one is going dormant.

Follow my blog at the new address: http://carolyndekat.blogspot.com/

There's NaNo pep talks going up daily now, and then once we hit November 1, you'll find daily "vitamins" and probably updates on my progress as the month proceeds.

See ya there!

~Carolyn

Disaster and a Dictionary

2008-10-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

Disaster and a dictionary=My grammy in a nutshell.

Example: "Brush your teeth, or you'll turn into a bidentate hick that no one takes seriously."

It drives me crazy.

Mom and Dad don't understand this. Mom lived with it all Grammy life; to Mom it's normal. Dad gets a glazed-over look in his eye after he's with Grammy for more than fifteen minutes, which means he's tuned out and is letting his mind take him on travels he wishes his body could follow.

Grammy--and I never, ever call her that to her face--has a unique way of taking the mundane actions of everyday life and turning them into something critical, with the most dire of circumstances surrounding lack of performance. Does she really think that if I go to bed tonight without brushing my teeth, a successful future will be impossible? I think at worst I'd have such a bad case of bad breath in the morning that I'd brush them just to be able to stand myself. Sure it could be the beginning of a bad habit. Let's save the prophesies of doom for the real issues. Or the already established habits that need breaking.

Bidentate? I have to look it up. What on earth is a bidentate? Context dictates it's not good. I'm sure she doesn't think I'll turn into a elegant or wealthy hick. It may have something to do with the teeth I'm supposed to brush--dentate and dentist and all that.

Yesterday it was eating vegetables. If I didn't finish the broccoli (nevermind that I like it and was eating it in balance with everything else she served) I would become a corpulent creature with no friends.

But you know, I shouldn't complain because if that's all about Grammy that drives me crazy, I'm one lucky dude. Paul Frank's grandmother kisses him constantly. Ugg. Grammy agrees that kisses are a rather germy way of showing affection. And she doesn't tell any of my friends that I sorta like classical music. And cook--wow! If Mom cooked like this, I'd surely turn into that corpulent creature. (I looked it up.)

Anyway, I guess I'd better go see if bidentate is spelled the way I think it is.

Stay Healthy

2008-10-21T17:17:00.000-05:00

Get out and obambulate.

Well that's cheating, but I am so miserably tired today. I just want to sleep. Except my big toe on my left foot is killing me! I can't figure it out. It feels like someone is poking it with an ice pick. Woke me up this morning it was so bad. Can't see anything wrong--no redness, no swelling, nothing in it, on it or around it. My favorite shoes failed me yesterday; we did a lot of obambulating and I managed to get a blister on the bottom of my foot on the pad where the big toe joins the foot. That hurt last night but seems to be gone today, so that's not what's giving me problems today. I wouldn't be as concerned if I could see what was causing the pain. Hurray for ibuprofen.

Went with my sissies to see Neil Diamond in concert last night. Wow. Another artist who has not diminished with age. I wonder if it's contributable to spending your life doing what you love to do?

------------
AWAD 10/19/08

Here's what's happening

2008-10-18T17:17:00.000-05:00

I have two identical blogs. For now.

I decided that I wanted any potential readers to have the option of subscribing to my blog via rss feed. Turns out that's not possible with the blog that is linked to my personal home page. The feed is available through Blogger, so I imported the old blog into a new one.

Somehow I ended up with two of each post, so I'm deleting the extras little by little. You haven't missed 500 posts. :)
As of this moment in time, my intent is to duplicate posts. I'll continue to post here on my website for those who have the site bookmarked. But if you like having blog updates delivered to you, now you can subscribe from the copy on blogspot. Eventually if the traffic moves here and there is none at the other blog, I may use that blog and/or page for a different purpose.

Things change.

Condescention?

2008-10-05T23:34:00.003-05:00

"One should count each day a separate life."

Why did he have to find that particular quote just this week? Maybe it was time to unsubscribe to the quote/new word thing, if it was going to cause this kind of trouble.

Except the e-mail didn't cause the current state of affairs. It just trained a magnifying glass on it.

He watched her squint at the newspaper, knowing that she'd given up trying to remember where she'd put her glasses. How long would it be before she found a word too long to make the rest of the story worth reading?

She must have felt his eyes on her because she glanced up at him, a question there in her baby-blues about what he was doing. He gave her a half-grin which seemed to satisfy her.

Why? Why not instead ask her if she'd ever considered Seneca's words? What sort of answer would she come up with? Any? Or would she simply melt him with a dimpled smile and turn the conversation to designer fashion?

She was utterly charming. Wifty but wonderful. He wanted to reach out and touch the blonde silk of her hair. That would lead away from this less satisfying train of thought.

He'd feel less guilty. He was taking advantage of her. And he was growing bored because there was nothing intellectual about the relationship. Intellectual girls made him crazy too though. They were too tough to lead; the constant power struggle was wearing.

Where was the balance? There had to be some happy medium between a girl who started life over again every day because she couldn't remember the previous ones, and one who started life over again every day because of the curiosity that drove her mind.

"Can you drop me at Dillards on the way to work?"

"Of course." But how would he drop her out of his life?
----------
Prompted by AWAD 10/1/08 and a recent phone conversation.

Unveiled

2008-10-03T07:36:00.003-05:00

It was a difficult truth to contemplate, but it stood in front of him now like Mount Rushmore, larger than life, impossible to move. Evan let himself wander down that path--a more easily contemplated one. How many of those men were different than what they appeared? Maybe they had guilty secrets too, even though to the world they were great leaders. They were fathers, not only to their own children (did they have any?), but to an entire country. And they weren't perfect.

So the trick probably was then, to overlook his father's faults and concentrate on the good things he did. Didn't Dad stop everything and throw the football for close to an hour last night? Hadn't he helped--just enough--with the science project that pulled in that glorious A+? Not to mention they had a nice house, and Red who even though he was sleeping, still thunked his tail against the hardwood floor. They had plenty of food. He took good care of Mom. A kid couldn't throw that all away just because his dad might be a greedy person.

Evan screwed his eyes closed, slapped the dictionary shut and pounded on the cover, wishing his curiousity hadn't gotten the better of him. Then the thought flitted across his darkened mind. What made him believe her? Mrs. Horton was just a nosy old neighbor. So what if she told old Mr. Heinz that his father was a gormandizer. Did her word--a haughty, uppity one at that-- make it so?

But even his dark mind wouldn't stay closed. Somewhere in there, it knew. No matter what he wished, or what he wished he didn't know, Evan had to deal with this reality. How?

Uh, About Those Roots

2008-09-29T23:23:00.002-05:00

They have withered up.

I have become a tumbleweed.....

I must study the nature of tumbleweeds. There must be a reason for their tumbling. When do they find a place again?

This tumbleweed will. November is coming. I have been over to the NaNo website and felt instantly at home. Each year at the end of November, I swear that's the last time I'll put myself through such insanity. I have to quit being so silly. I need to remember how hungry I'll be for it the next time November rolls around. It compares to having children. Labor pains are just a small part of an bigger, infinitely rewarding project.

September was an awesome month in all the ways that really count. October is going to be one long stretch of numbers: making sure all the books are in order for upcoming taxes. I might as well combine that with something equally as exciting: purging junk from my house. My treat for all that hard work: time here and there to play around with characters, maybe even outlines, all in an effort to scare up a good story that needs telling.... Because come November 1st, I start writing.

So how was that?

2008-09-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

I decided to go back to my roots. Today's words...As They Spill. The initial blog post here was a tidbit prompted by a new word. And this blog was intended to be writing practice. Practice. Nothing special, nothing polished, but practice.

I remember typing practice in high school. There were days I was spot on and could type an accurate 70 wpm. The next day I'd come in and my fingers would tangle helplessly or my mind would reach for keys meant for a foreign language. But you know, even those hopeless days when my accuracy put me back to dismal wpm scores were still practice. They still contributed to smoothing those connections between mind and fingers. They contributed to the next day when my fingers flew even faster.

And it is true with the writing. Because sometimes in these splatterings of words that land on a page there's an element, a person, a plot, and resonance that begs for more, and that is where the next story lies. It's best to show up every day, give it some effort, let the skills build.

I'm making no promises. There will be lots of drivel, maybe some gems, but I aim for nothing in particular. I'm just recording Today's Words...As They Spill.

That being said, it will probably be the 9th before there's any more spillage. :)

Okay, What's Going On?

2008-09-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Did she not go to North Carolina?

Or did she go and find a computer connection there?

Yes and no.

This week's posts are courtesy of Blogger's posting options which allow me to schedule future posts.

But I bet you knew that and I didn't have you fooled for a minute.

Some of these posts had assignments for you to do. Please use the comments to do your work! :)

Thanks for reading.

Things That Are Sapid - For Me

2008-09-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

Mint
homegrown, fresh from the plant/tree fresh fruit
strawberries
peaches
watermelon
raspberries
oranges
apples, particularly Pink Lady or Granny Smith, sometimes small Jonathans
almond extract
cinnamon
kahlua
orange zinger tea
Slow cooked beef stew with lots of sweet onions
chili
salsas
smoked meat
tomatoes--again vine-ripened, still warm from the sun
kiwi
pineapple

------

Lists can be lovely. This one was written thanks to Early to Rise, Word to the Wise, August 27, 2008: Sapid
Something that’s "sapid" (SAP-id) - from the Latin for "to taste" - has a strong, pleasant flavor.

What would you add to the list?

Don't Go Quietly

2008-09-03T22:00:00.001-05:00

"Mother?"

The hardest thing Rose had done in recent memory was not laugh out loud. It wouldn't have gone well with June in her current state of discovery shock. Oh, it was hard watching her daughter squinting, folded over to the level of the car window, making her way down the driveway like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The worst part was Rose hadn't parked in the driveway for this very reason.

"Mother!" Now June stopped, turned as though she was going back to the house, then turned back again, speechless.

"Are you coming or are you not?" Rose asked her, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice

"Mother! What have you done?"

"I have retired."

"I know that. Have you also gone crazy? Where did you get this?" Karen stood beside the car now and ran her fingertips across the paint just outside the open passenger side window. Her fingernails were the same color.

"From some kid who couldn't afford the insurance after his third wreck, according to his parents. Good deal."

"What are you doing buying a wreck? There could be all sorts of problems. Not to mention, a convertible? For an ex-librarian?"

"He wrecked his parents' car. Junie, I loved my work. But it didn't fill every dream of mine."

"And your hair, Mother! Is it a different color?"

"Why don't you just get in and you'll be able to see better."

"I need my purse, my keys."

"Is Nathan home?"

"Yes."

"Then you don't need a thing. Call him on my cell and tell him I've kidnapped you for the day."

"I can't get in the car with a crazy woman!"

"Oh, but you should. You really should."

--------------
From the prompt:

http://writingfix.com/right_brain/Serendipitous_Character1.htm

"A dazzling...""...retired person...""...waiting in the car..."

Longing to Learn

2008-09-02T22:00:00.003-05:00

The air smelled of water. Not rain. More like a stagnant pond, close, silent, almost bubbling with its warmth. Humidity pressed in from all sides, making small curls stick to my forehead and to the nape of my neck.

The weather stole a summer frock earlier than usual this year. I knew Grams and Momma Sara were nowhere near ready for the summer retreat to the mountains, though days like today would add fuel to that fire. Sara would go into panic mode. Malaria wasn't a game. She wasn't going to battle it. I believed her. Sara refused anything having to do with pain, inconvenience or lack of control. Sickness was just one of the many things on her list that she simply did not allow.

I took a moment longer, a few more sways of the porch swing before I figured I was pushing my luck. Sara didn't take kindly to anyone else being in pain or being an inconvenience either. Besides, if we were going east soon, I had things that I needed to do as well. If I was ready when it was time to pull out--or way ahead of that--then no one would question my decisions as to what I was bringing along and what I wasn't.

Truthfully, our traditional austral migration stirred in my veins early this year, and I wondered for the briefest of moments if the sheer intensity of my desire had brought on this untimely hot spell. Some rampant uneasiness gripped every adult I knew, young, old, white or Negro, slave or free, it didn't matter. They all commiserated in hushed tones that went silent when I came within earshot. I suppose had I been stubborn enough, I would have found a way to listen unseen. I was too bored. I longed for a change of scenery the way a new baby wants its mother. Tired of the draping mosses on crooked oaks, and rigid schedules, I wanted to be where those oaks blended with pines and junipers to become a dense green blanket that covered the mountains as far as I could see. In that place all constraints were loosened, and I could really learn, simply by following a curious mind and an exhuberant heart. Mine or Mr. J's.

-------------------
Snippet courtesy of A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
austral
PRONUNCIATION:(O-struhl)
MEANING:adjective: Southern.
ETYMOLOGY:From Latin auster (south). That's why Australia is so named, but that does not apply to Austria, in central Europe. Austria's name is a Latinized form of its German name Österreich (eastern empire, referring to the eastern boundary of the Frankish Empire at one time).

Ambling Rambling

2008-09-01T22:00:00.002-05:00

The day sparkled; it was as pristine a day as this achy old man could ask for. Air clear and crisp, saturated with the usual buzz and chirp, and over it all the gravel making a satisfying crunch under my walking shoes. Even Mannford enjoyed a calm and unharried amble; not once did my lumbering mastiff pull against his leash to urge me to move a bit faster or in a different direction.

Oddly enough Patsy popped into my head. What was she doing today? Was she doing it for herself? I hoped so. She certainly earned endless hours to spend on whatever her life's passion was. I should have known what that life passion was, as much time as the woman spent under our roof. How long ago had it been now since she'd shown up earlier than the dawn at our kitchen door, efficient and sufficient to fill any need. Eight years? Ten? Too cowardly to do the math, I pulled away from that thought and re-focused.

Dear Patsy fetched and cleaned for us back when we lived on the outskirts of Atlanta and stayed too busy or laden to venture to the inskirts. Patsy was like today. Always well put together, never out of sorts, always wearing the proper demeanor along with well-pressed clothes. It made me proud to have her representing us, though I doubt she informed the grocer that she was actually shopping for someone else. But if someone ever did ask, she was an asset to our cause.

But I divagate.

The way the day started bore no similarity whatsoever to the way it ended up.
------------------

Go ahead! What happened?

Snipped courtesty of The Miriam-Webster Word of the Day for August 03, 2008 is: divagate • \DYE-vuh-gayt\ • verb : to wander or stray from a course or subject : diverge, digress

Savory Moments

2008-08-31T22:00:00.001-05:00

A prevenient joy swirled around the old man's heart. The car hummed beneath him; because there was only the dimmest promise of dawn outside his dark window, he closed his eyes and willed the miles to slip by faster. He never knew his daughter was such a competent driver, the ride so smooth he almost felt he was on a train. What a gift she was giving him.

In his mind he saw the vaporous wisps hovered above the lake, rising into the sky. A breeze, sharp, would begin to stir, leaving the tiniest of ripples where it swept over the trees and dipped its fingers in the water before painting small spots of color on his withered and pale cheeks. It, together with the rising sun, would send the veil away, and the scene would change. He would savor every moment of it. No camera, no sketch pencils, just the gift of his mind. The wonderous, unexpected gift of a clear and lucid mind.

How different from the panic that gripped the same heart just a few short weeks ago. Because of that wayward heart he was confined, shackled by tubes and machines. When he closed his eyes on the horror of them, he heard continuous wheezes and blips, and it was almost more than he could bear, because there was no way to stop up his ears. He remembered telling himself to calm down, to breathe, but he had never contemplated that his last view would be the putty color of a curtain pulled between his bed and the door, as if there would be no escape.

He was so relieved when his Karen came and he could focus on her face instead. She promised he would be okay. She gave him the courage to prove her right.

---------------

From Miriam-Webster: The Word of the Day for July 26, 2008 is:prevenient • \prih-VEEN-yunt\ • adjective : antecedent, anticipatory

Bequest

2008-08-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

Sissy tiptoed up the stairs to the attic. Why she chose the attic over the basement she wasn't sure. And she laughed at the unuttered pun.

The stairs were unlike most--pull down, temporary things that descended out of the ceiling with a puff of dust that smelled of baked heat. They wound up behind the chimney from a small door just outside the sitting room. They were solid, reassuring, and not a bit creaky. That was the key. The basement stairs sang.

It would be a simple thing, this obvelation. She couldn't bring herself to destroy what she didn't want her husband to know. That was crossing a line that was strangely gray. This would hurt him. It wasn't like there was some long-lost fortune at the end of this black rainbow. Or a better life, an extended family that would wrap him in everything that was lacking in his life. No, this was better packed away, where his parents would have--should have put it--instead of in that safety deposit box.

Oh, and wasn't it such a twist of fate that had her retrieving the contents instead of Michael. It convinced her all the more that this was the proper course of action, that last thing that her inlaws wanted her to do for their beloved son on their behalf.

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What exactly is she hiding???? Finish the story!!!!

From Word to the Wise: Obvelation
"Obvelation" (ob-vuh-LAY-shun) - from the Latin for "veil" or "shroud" - is the act of concealing.

Forgot to record the date it arrived, but I'm pretty sure it was July.....