NaNoWriMo (Day 5 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (48,842 words left)

I'm going to post this now, just in case I don't get the chance to do it later. Today is my friend Sarah's birthday and my friend Morgan is having her first bridal fitting and I am her Maid of Honor so it is going to be another busy day. Honestly, I am getting tired of using the word "busy!" There has got to be another one I can use. Any ideas? Nevertheless, NaNoWriMo continues...

 

Strangers in the Dark (Continued)

Tomorrow came soon enough and we were almost packed. Everything was waiting by the door as we tried to get one more full night’s sleep before walking away from everything, this city, neighborhood, the only home I have ever known. It was hard choosing what to bring, and fitting our entire house into one SUV was out of the question as Dad so blatantly pointed out to Jensen. Even though he was nearly a teenager, he still came up with some pretty childish notions. Then again, he might have just been trying to be funny for the rest of our sakes.

That night, we all slept in the basement just to get away from the noises of the barricades outside so that we could all try and get one more night of decent rest. Not that we all weren’t on edge for the entire night. We were all prepared to leave at first light, but none of us were prepared for the shattering crash that echoed through our house in the dim.

I jolted up from a fuzzy sleep, my heart threatening to break out from my chest.

“What was that?” Jensen asked before he was nearly strangled by our dad’s hand covering his mouth. His other hand rose to his lips, silently telling us all to be quiet as footsteps rang throughout the length of our house.

(228 words)



See you either later tonight with more or tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo (Day 4 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (49,070 words left)

Another day, and that means more NaNoWriMo!!! Once again, I fear this is going to be another day of only a couple hundred words or so. And just when I was thinking it would be one of the biggest word count days. See, I volunteered at my local chamber today for a straight 5 hours, and usually I have quite a bit of free time while I wait for the phone to ring, plus, I didn't have any ongoing projects today. However, all the materials arived for our business expo and that meant putting together 150 exhibitor packets. So, no time to write. I did have fun though. When doing a task in which I have to do the same thing over and over again, I make a game of it, trying to find the fastest way to do something and then whipping it out. The other volunteers and I finished everything, but with little time to spare. :( Anyway, here's what I accomplished today before hitting the sack!

Strangers in the Dark (Continued...Again, still Chapter One.)



Late one afternoon, a thundering beat came stampeding down a street near our house. Jensen pulled back one of the heavy blankets we had nailed over the main floor windows to better insulate the house, and discourage neighbors from seeing any light sources we had acquired. Once the blanketed veil was lifted away from the window, that monotonous beat grew louder and louder as armored police, army cars, and mounted steeds flooded into view. They brought with them guns, barbed wire, shields, marked saw horses, anything that could be used to establish a wall or barricade.

I’m pretty sure I heard the word ‘cool’ escape Jensen’s mouth more than once.

“Come see!” He waved the rest of us to the window, interrupting Mom’s twiddling of her thumbs and the card game Dad and I had been playing for the last three days. I must admit that it was quite the sight. Within minutes, the police lined their cars perfectly diagonal to one another, creating a near impenetrable barrier all on their own as the mounted men weaved in and out, giving the grey and white camouflaged army men just enough time to place a small barricade in the intersection just down from our house. They then moved flawlessly to the next one, and the next, until they hit the main highway that left town. There, they had stationed a mix of uniformed men and women with guns and shields all facing the interior of the city.

A shiver ran up and down the entire length of my body. If only I were to walk a few blocks down the street, then their sights, their weapons, would be aimed at me, my friends, neighbors, family, and everyone else within the city.

“Why are they doing this?” I begged either one of my parents.

“I’m sure they’re just trying to be precautious,” my mom soothed.

“The last time the electricity went out like this,” Dad began, “the crime rate soared. They’re preparing for some kind of outbreak or riot. People are going to start getting desperate if the lights don’t come back on or some relief doesn’t get here soon.”

“What are we going to do?” Jensen asked, a slight wobble in his throat.

Dad wrapped his big arms around all three of us. “I don’t know about everyone else, but we’re getting out of here. Soon. Maybe even tomorrow.”

(398 words)

Yeah, I like the way this is turning out. Even though I'm not writing a ton, it's flowing for me. lol. Until tomorrow!

Bookmark Break Challenge! (10 Month Update!)

It's been 11 months! And you all know what that means! There are only two more months to:

 

A. Read as many books as you possibly can.

B. Join in the challenge if you still haven't done so (you only have to know how many books you have read this year and build a list of them somewhere/anywhere on your blog.)

C. Scream and cry because you're never going to beat me.

D. Scream with joy because you are so far aheadof me that there is no way I will ever catch up.

E. Some combination of the above.

 

Either way, I hope you are enjoying all the books you have been finishing and I wish you luck in these final months!

 

This button is up for grabs:

GET THE CODE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE!

Thank you! and remember...SAVE THE BOOKMARKS!

COMPETITOR'S LIST:

• Susan (143 Books)
• Poekitten (94 Books)
• Rose (70 Books)
• Shah (51 Books) 
• Kyria (47 Books)  
• Natalie (43 Books) 
• Michele (41 Books)
• AubrieAnne (35 Books)
• Selena (30 Books)
• dtwilight (24 Books)
• A Woman's Right to Shoes (15 Books)
• The Creative Muslimah (8 Books)
• Moana (7 Books) 
• Mrs. Facehead (6 Books) 
• Patrick (6 Books)
• Alissa (3 Books)

PS. Due to NaNoWriMo, I am not going to do my usual run down of the list. I must be writing my novel! But here is the updated list as of last week. See you all next month with another new list.

NaNoWriMo (Day 3 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (49,468 words left)

Day 3 Of NaNoWriMo and still going pretty strong...not in word count, but in the fact that I am still writing every day. Besides, today was a particularly busy day. I worked, had two meetings, did one of my friend's hair, went shopping, got a call that another friend had a siezure (she's doing great though), ran home, helped take care of friend's dogs while her and her family were at the hospital, saw them when they came home, all safe, went to other friend's (hair friend) for dinner, watched a movie, came home, wrote!!! Busy, busy, busy!!! Anyway, hoping everyone the best, especially in their writing! Here's my continuation...Still in chapter one!

Strangers in the Dark (Continued)



...One week without electricity and the entire city started going crazy. People I knew where banging on the doors of every neighbor, abandoned house, grocery store, gasoline station, and department store, looking for water, food, gas, blankets, lanterns, and anything else someone needed to truly survive in this new urban wilderness. Dad was smart and thought of these kinds of things weeks ago. He was always good in a crisis, knowing when to pack extra socks on vacation, or pick up egg drop soup on his way home from working at the office whenever any of us were sick. This time was no different. He had water, which we used very sparingly now that every faucet in the city had run dry. We also had canned goods and boxed items for food, anything that wouldn’t spoil without a freezer or refrigerator. It seemed we were set for a while, maybe even until the lights came back on. However, that feeling didn’t last very long. It wasn’t but a few more days and the city border started to go up, blocking almost any exit from the city... (186 words)

It's almost midnight so I better post. See you all tomorrow!

Storyteller Challenge #2: The Pearls Sentence

Shah over at Wordsinsync is at it again for the second Storyteller Challenge. This time, she presented us storytellers with a phrase that we had to use to begin our piece and then we could take it anywhere from there. And, as an added twist for Halloween, we also had to give it a scary/creepy/eerie edge. I decided to write another poem, I don't get to do that very often, and I find that poems work really well for these kind of challenges, especially when you have to knocked them out once a week. :) So, with out further ado, here is my entry...

Tinted Pearls Match Perfectly 
 "I found a string of pearls wrapped around my rose bush..." 

A peculiar thing to find any day of the week.

So, I picked them up to keep them safe.

That’s when I saw the blood and my knees went weak.

At first I thought the pearls were pink.

What a lovely sight to behold.

But, in fact, the pearls were stained in red.

It was a sticky mess to unfold.

The thought of screaming came to mind.

I could have alerted everyone in town.

But surely everyone would still be asleep.

I’d hate to see them all frown.

I could hide the lovely pearls for now,

As gruesome as they are.

I’ll alert the public when they're ready.

The right time can’t be too far.

As for the crime that caused this mess,

I’ll muddle it over myself.

Later the police can be involved,

Or perhaps this will all settle itself.

I laid the pearls out on my counter,

Such lustrous and beautiful things.

I wondered what it would feel like to wear them,

Jewels of emperors, queens, and kings.

What a foolish thing to think at the time.

My hands were sticky and needed to be cleaned.

But if I cleaned the pearls, just the same,

I could wear them around like a fiend.

Before I knew it, the water flowed.

I washed my hands and the necklace too.

Everything was dried with my good towels.

And with steady hands the clasp closed true.

Brilliant beads glittered against my skin.

A glowing smile crept across my face.

I knew the tinted pearls would match my dress perfectly,

And the evidence was gone without a trace.

NaNoWriMo (Day 2 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (49,654 words left)

Day two of NaNoWriMo and I can at least say that it has been going much better than the first day. The soul reason being that I wrote a bit more than yesterday.

Strangers in the Dark (continued)

...It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, like iridescent ribbons dancing above us. I turned to look at my parents and my brother, Jensen. All of them stood with their eyes on the sky.

“What is it, Talis?” Jensen asked.

“An aurora, I think.” I looked to my parents for confirmation. Both glanced at one another, as though they were deciding what to tell Jensen and me—the truth or the farthest thing from it.

Dad spoke, “It’s something similar to that.”

Every night the colors became more vibrant—greens, blues and purples, then reds, oranges and pinks. And every night, the weather turned warmer. The Christmas snow was melting and flooding into the streets. That’s when the rumors about the end of the world started.

A few families, mainly the ones that owned a summer home in the country, evacuated the city. My best friend was barely allowed to say goodbye before her family whisked her away to safety. The rest of us still waited, hoping the beautiful colors and early heat wave meant nothing more than a little extra global warming.

Mom and Dad glued themselves to the news as every weatherman and scientist fought over their different research. The most common theory was that the sun had reached the peak of its eleven year cycle, creating some of the largest solar flares recorded, resulting in the brilliant auroras, excessive heat, and apparently unparalleled amounts of radiation at the earth’s poles. It all made sense, but what was unclear was how, if ever, these solar flares would affect us. Eventually, that concern was answered as well.

On the hottest day yet, the electricity browned out for hours until it blacked out for good, taking away the lights, the news, the phones, the air conditioning, and anything and everything that plugged into an outlet.

Communications ceased, the twenty-second century fell out of sync, and the darkness grew deeper than ever before...

(327 words)

Looking forward to more tomorrow!

NaNoWriMo (Day 1 of 30) "Strangers in the Dark" (49,981 words left)

The National Novel Writing Month is upon us!!! And I have finally decided to participate. YIKES!!! Shah, from Wordsinsync, is also participating, but I am not sure what her plans are for posting her work. Me, on the other hand, will be posting day after day here for all to see! I hope for all of your support and encouragement. They (random no-named people in the universe) say that you need lots of encouragement while trying to write an entire novel/ 50,000 words in a month.

My goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November, and hopefully, that equals an entire novel. What I plan on doing is starting my second novel, Unclaimed Darkness, over completely, under a new name, with no reference to the old manuscript, and in a completely different order! I got really stuck on the old manuscript and am now looking to start anew! For those of you who have read my old manuscript, some things will seem very familar, others not so much, or at all. The fun will be in rediscovering this story with new eyes and a positive attitude.

So, without further ado! I give you my NaNo novel!

Strangers in the Dark

Chapter One: The Apocalypse

January, 2012

     On the first night, the sky filled with color...

(19 words)

Well, that's all you get today! lol. Suffice to say, I got started a little late. :) More to come tomorrow...Hopefully! This is going to be a CHALLENGE!

Thank You for TV on the Internet!

Since November is all about giving thanks, I thought I would share some of the things I am thankful for, even if they are frivolous! Because, if you aren't thankful for EVERYTHING that you have, then who are you?

So, to start off on a serious note, I am SERIOUSLY thankful for...

• my family (I love you)
• my friends (I love you...most of the time lol)
• anyone and everyone that loves or simply appreciates me (thanks!)
• my education (not everyone gets the chance)
• my home (not everyone has a place to call home)

Now, onto the other, not so important, a bit frivolous, but still totally awesome things that I am thankful for...

• books! (SO many books!)
• movies! (thanks for the adventures!)
• the internet! (for connecting me to people I never would have been able to connect with before)
• food (even though I gained 10 lbs in the last 2 years)
• TV! (for never leaving me with a moment with absolutely nothing to do!)
• and under TV I must mention DVR (yes!) and TV on the Internet (heck yes!!!)



Now, onto the more shallow reason I had to write this post this week: Did anyone else realize how many TV shows you can watch on the Internet now? Who needs an actually TV anymore?!?!?

Let me explain something real quick, for the longest time, our family ONLY had 4 1/2 channels. (NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, and FOX, but only when the leaves came off the trees and it wasn't overcast.) That's probably why I love movies so much and why my family and I have an extensive collection. However, now I have satellite and am watching a bit more TV. However, even with our 300+ channels, we are still missing the oh-so-vital CW channel in which I am obsessed with more than one teen-angst-filled, fantasy-driven, delectibly-debauched drama. BUT NEVER FEAR! THE INTERNET IS HERE! I am LOVIN it!

Through satellite, and always on my DVR (TAKE THAT advertisements!), I am keeping track of:

• Terranova (FOX)
• The New Girl (FOX)
• Glee (FOX)
• Fringe (FOX)
• Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
• 2 Broke Girls (CBS)
• Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney)
• Jessie (Disney)
• iCarly (Nick)
• Victorious (Nick)



And with the aid of the Internet, I can add...

• Hart of Dixie (CW)
• Ringer (CW)
• The Vampire Diaries (CW)
• The Secret Circle (CW)
• Nikita (CW)
• Supernatural (CW)
• Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Merlin (BBC, not even showing in America yet!)
• The Lying Games (ABC Family)

Yes, I am loving the TV on the Internet. I can watch it whenever I want, and when I have the time. Don't get me wrong, I can't keep up, but the Internet does allow me to save things until later, like when all the Fall seasons end and NOTHING is on! Also, I like having something on in the background when I am working on my jewelry, work at home, or writing. It's so hard for me to JUST watch something. This way, I have so many different options!

So, what is everything thankful for? Serious and Frivolous!

Does anyone else watch TV on the Internet?

Anyone else watch some of the shows I have been watching? If you are, we should talk! I love the discussion!