Writing Prompt 30 Day Challenge

For the month of September, the Quartet will be working on this challenge.

Today is the 1st (already?!) and the prompt is as follows: Select a book at random in the room. Find a novel or short story, copy down the last sentence and use this line as the first line of your new story.

Now, I didn't think it would legitimately be a random book if I choose it, so I had the Man do it instead. And he picked up Beowulf. You would, honey, you would...

Well, here goes nothing:

And so (his) followers rode, mourning their beloved leader, crying that no better king had ever lived, no prince so mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving of praise. The boy's eyes stared as the men faded off into the horizon.

"One fewer mouth to feed," he muttered, turning back towards the kitchens. A smirk rose from his lip's left corner as he thought about the amount of dishes that would be eliminated from his daily chores. I'll be finished at least an hour earlier after dinner each day, he realized. Knowing the king's untimely death gave seven extra hours to himself each week, he began to skip and frolic through the hall.

"Alec!"

The fright in his brother's voice brought him to a halt. It was only on rare, and very serious, occasions that he was called by his name instead of "Boy." Slowly he turned to face Quint, waiting for his joy to be ripped just as quickly as it came.

The candlelit hall seemed to be no place to speak, as his brother grabbed Alec's forearm in his rush to the kitchens.

"What is wrong with you, Boy?" he yelled as loudly as his whisper would let him. "If you're caught celebrating the king's death, they will burn you at the stake, you idiot!"

"But..." Quint shoved his hand over Alec's mouth.

"With no questions asked."

Well, I need to go to bed, so I've decided to do a challenge within the challenge. With each prompt, I will continue the story, and see how this turns out. Wish me luck!

Reading.

I didn't post last week. (Did anybody?)

But I want you to know that this week I will be picking up a book to read. I need some writing inspiration.

Sharing

I should teach time to share. If only it gave just a bit more, I wouldn't be typing posts on my phone on a Wednesday night, hoping they're actually to through after I spend such a long time typing with two thumbs instead of eight fingers.

I also need to teach Baby Pond to share, or at least, I will need to teach her. You see, I feel her moving. And I feel her everywhere. She is not afraid to take over the entire womb. But if just the slightest disturbance happens to encroach on her small space, she attacks! For example, instead of feeling her all over, when I'm wearing a seatbelt, she only punches and kicks the belt- at the sight of added pressure. And today, at the doctor's office, he used a small dobbler to check her heartbeat (like the stick they use for the sonograms). He applied the tiniest amount of pressure. I mean, I barely ft the stick on my stomach. But Baby Pond straight up attacked the thing! She hit it pretty hard until he moved it over to another part of my stomach (which was actually quite hilarious).

Perhaps I should also begin to attack things that encroach on my space as well. Like things that come to pressure me out of time. (Do I really need to scroll through tumblr and Instagram when I should be writing?)

Either that, or I need to get Baby Pond some siblings ASAP so she can learn how to share, lol.

Encouragement

Your comments on my midweek Disney sidekick post were very inspiring.

Thank you so much!

You were all able to read my writing last week, since those two blog posts were the only things I wrote (so Meghan has nothing to critique- I can still send you what the other two girls critiqued, though).

There have been people in my house the last few days and it has been super encouraging for me. Sure, it may have been Cody's birthday yesterday. And there just so happens to be a quilting convention in Kentucky today. So the brother-in-law and grandparents that have been staying in my home have not come for me at all. But I feel like they did. I've been needing a hug from a mother for a long, long time. And I got a grandmother's hug, which is fifteen times more powerful.

I may not be quite to the brain capacity of formulating a plot yet, but I have a feeling that the encouragement I've received from comments and hugs this week will brighten up my writing a bit. Pain is a good topic to write about, but I've got to let joy take over at some point.

Disney

First, an update.

I've noticed this week that baseball is a major "fail" of a game. Have you ever seen a typical batting average? Even the most famous of sluggers has only hit the ball about half the time. And they're still awesome. So my "fail" moments in life won't matter in the long run. And it gives me hope that you ladies don't care about the times I strike out. My grand slam moments are coming, and I know you will celebrate them with me.

Now, I will compare each of us to a Disney sidekick:

Debbie ~ Loyal. Smart. Kind. Crazy. Will ignore her own needs and wants just to help a friend. Wants to sing everything she does. Can be easily influenced by others, which sometimes has a very negative effective on who she is, and needs her friends to save her. It's her friends who see her value when she doubts herself. She needs them more than she'll ever know. But sometimes it's hard for her because those same friends can take her for granted at times. Luckily, they always come around and apologize. And then - they realize she's been the real star of the show the entire time, she was just too awesome to tell them. ~ Genie

Meghan ~ Funny. Entertaining. Interesting. Dependable. Works hard for what she wants, especially when she's told she shouldn't or can't. Loaded with brilliant ideas, and refuses to give up when they don't work out so well. Teaches others what it means to trust. She doesn't see the results of her work right away, but knows that eventually it will all pay off. She has complete confidence in herself and though she gets downtrodden at times, she has everything within her to pick herself up by her own shoe strings. Even her greatest competition must acknowledge all of her awesome because she deserves it. ~ Mushu

Ngozi ~ Encouraging. Empowering. Brilliant. Weird. Very adaptive to situations and can easily make anyone smile. Superb at reading others and knowing what they need before even they do. Can make any day brighter with her very own splash of color. At first glance, others don't know what to think of her - can she be trusted? But the second her mouth opens, her bright and lovely personality shines through and gives others hope. She has many, many friends of the opposite sex but is platonic in her relationships, waiting patiently for the right man to come (or return). She celebrates others' joys and is not afraid to speak the truth, even to those she barely knows. She will always be there right when she's needed, even if the only thing that's needed is a good laugh. ~ Bert

Dominique ~ Leader. Determined. Caring. Wise. Hates staying in one place too long. Uses words to encourage others in a calm manner when those around her are in freak out mode. Thinks in a strategic fashion, wanting the best for the team, with her own experience guiding her actions. Can seem harsh to others but has a soft spot and always wants others to reach their potential. Will do anything in her power to help others, especially children in need. Thinks she can do things on her own, but ultimately is nothing without her friends. Not every idea she has is a good one, but she's willing to try anything at least once, and others are somehow willing to follow. ~ Gill

What Week?

I too am wondering where this week has gone. I sat down at my computer at one point to work on my Story Church stuff and then realized it was not longer Tuesday- but Thursday and I was two days behind schedule. I didn't even watch Doctor Who when it aired! I waited until Sunday night before I could see it! Crazy. I know.

I've been feeling lonely lately, as Cody and I don't see each other much these days. I work daytime, he works evenings, and by the time he gets home at 10pm or later, my constantly working, baby making body is ready for sleep (if not already sleeping). This has been shown in both my loss of days this week (seriously... what DID I do on Tuesday?) and my lack of writing (only ONE paragraph).

I feel like I'm back in my senior year of high school. Two schools, two jobs, helping on both Sundays and Wednesdays at church. Except now I'm older. I've got two jobs, kids church coordination (do I have enough teachers and handouts this week?), baby making me crazy hormones, doctor's appointments, a hubby I need to spend time with, and an outside situation that is the most stressful thing I've ever dealt with. And these are the things that won't go away. I can't ignore them because they're in my face. So what gets ignored? Time with God, writing time, time for myself (no, really. I've been skipping showers just to get more rest before work), and spending any type of quality time with people I'd like to become friends with.

Getting God time in should be easy. Seriously, how hard is it to pick up the Bible laying on the dresser next to me? How hard is it to put on some worship music and be filled in the morning? It's not hard at all. At all. And really, what is wrong with me? How can I make a kids program run smoothly if I'm not hanging out with God on my own? Don't get me wrong. I want to. But the urge to take a nap usually wins out. The sad part is, I'm spending probably the same amount of time with Cody as I am with God. And I KNOW I've been neglecting time with God. How the heck must Cody feel if he's not getting any time with me? His top two (tied) love languages are encouraging words and quality time. I haven't given God or Cody either in quite a while now.

And showers? Really? How gross is that? No. Don't tell me. My hair already does.

So no wonder I've been feeling lonely. No God or Cody time, much less hang out time with, well, anyone. This extreme extrovert is not ok with this scenario. And.... I see I officially have a downer of a post this week. If you require any upbeat midweek post from me, I am obligated to oblige, and it just might make me feel a bit better.

TTFN.

I love you!

You ladies have absolutely no idea how much I needed to write. And I say that because even I didn't know.

I most definitely do not have the energy or motivation to think out a thought provoking, engaging, plot filled story line. I must, however, write anyway.

As Ngozi has already seen, my writing has taken place the old school way - with a pen and piece of paper. I'm at a time in my life when I just need to get words out of my head and written down. I can't do this on a computer and effectively feel accomplished (or at times, feel better for getting my emotions out).

As you read my musings, you may of course critique. But please remember that for now, they are mostly musings, my way of getting pain out of my system. So correct all the spelling and grammatical errors you can find, please! Just don't try critiquing a plot line, since, well - there isn't one.

The Quartet of Wonders

I'm not much of a writer. I'm not much of an organized person either. This post is being typed on my phone because I already forgot about doing it. It's only week one.

Pair my disorganized brain with my lack of writing motivation, and that completed NaNo novel from November is nothing short of a miracle. I love to motivate others, but when it comes to myself, I might as well quit before I get disappointed due to my unfinished tasks. Will that novel ever be edited? Doubt it. Do I care? Not really.

Do I want to write again? Only kind of. So my goal this week is to begin a collection of small writings. I don't know where it will lead me. Maybe a collection of short stories. Maybe poems. Maybe small journal entries from a fiction character that can become its own novel. But first, I just need to write something. Anything.