YDAHOAW

Ignorance drove you from me. I wish I could go back knowing what I know now, but I’d probably do the same thing. I know now your grief. I didn’t understand before, but God is teaching me so much. In my ignorance I followed the teachings of Gray and Style, only to find that it corrupted who I was. I couldn’t accept that you were not interested, but I understand now. The pain I caused you, please forgive me. And I ask that you pray I forgive myself and let go of the pain I caused you.

Though I can’t fully blame you for the pain I’ve caused myself over these two years, I can’t help but feel you pushed me in this horrible direction. I am bitter, but I still love you, because I know who you really are.

(more…)

Affirmation Prompt:

I deserve the time it takes to write a novel. I take this time for me. The time I take away from others, from other actions, and from the outside world I use well.

Today I write:

Plot Prompt:

Every story is made up of subplots that are thematically tied to the primary plot about whether the protagonist will achieve his goal… or not. One major subplot in stories is often a romance plot. Depending on what type of story you are writing, this romance plot can be themed around friendship, a partnership, or love. Determine the romantic subplot in your story.

In BMCR: Boot Camp, Daryl is my main protagonist. He is a young man, and as he is flung into this scenario of serving his government, he is attracted to another monster, by the name of Olivia. She is the loch ness monster. The attraction is not mutual, but by the end of the novel she changes her mind about him.

Writing Prompt:

Two characters meet who represent the romantic plot. Write a front story scene between the two that is uncluttered with back story information about either one of them. Make every word choice emphasize only the information the reader needs to make sense of the protagonist as he interacts with the other character while striving toward his goal. Push to the background all nonessential information.

Keep the reader ever alert as to why the characters are taking action and how that action advances each toward his or her own competing goals.

No matter how at odds the two characters may be or whatever the lack of sexual tension between them when first introduced, show the romantic subplot’s capacity for creating longing and love in the protagonist.

It is still early in the story and your reader is still determining who is important to the story and whose story this is. Provide clues to support the reader in his or her determination.

‘This isn’t a vacation, Daryl,’ said Kinder as they walked over to the table. ‘You’re both here to serve, against your will I might add. Just because things went South with Samantha doesn’t mean you need to be looking for a girlfriend. You should be looking for a way to escape.’

‘Kinder, you said there was no escaping, and I couldn’t agree more. We’re on an island facility. I’m just trying to make the best out of this situation.’

Daryl sat his tray down at the remaining empty spot at the so-called monster table. To his left sat a surly, young man with brown hair and dark eyes, which were cast into his tray. His jaw ground the corn in his cheek, until he swallowed.

To his right was a pale, young lady with short, pale hair. She stared at him wanly, her eyes inconspicuous as she lifted her fork to her mouth. She bit into her chicken with the voracity of a lion that just tackled and killed an antelope.

And in front of him, probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with blue hair tied back in a bun and sea foam eyes that he imagined Aphrodite herself possessed. She looked at him indifferently, however, with the slightest hint of contempt as she bit into her apple. He ignored it as he sat down.

“Hi everyone!” Daryl said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I kind of thought I was the only one–I mean, I didn’t think there were other monsters like me around.”

“How many have you killed?” the blue-haired girl asked.

Daryl lost his train of thought as he pondered her question. The man to his left looked to Daryl’s face and back to his tray. The other girl sat quietly and eerily still, almost as if she stopped breathing.

“Killed?” said Daryl. “I’m a hero, I haven’t killed anyone.” He laughed. The others were silent.

“You’re a monster like us, but you haven’t killed anyone?” she said. “I mean, I thought you looked pathetic, but seriously?”

Daryl’s face faltered.

The other girl chimed in. “I’ve killed 17. Several were highly trained assassins.”

She smiled, and looked at Daryl daring him to top that.

“Killing people isn’t something to brag about,” said the young man. “I’m Henry Gaines. I was captured, drugged, and brought here against my will. And now I’m going to be trained to fight other monsters… What a circus.”

“I was brought here against my will too,” said the blue-haired girl, smiling at him. “My name is Olivia Poseidon. Can I call you Henry?”

“Gaines, please.” He placed his elbows on the table and folded his hands into his face, so they could barely hear. “Regrettably, I’ve killed 3.”

Daryl tried to stifle a gulp, but couldn’t. It was obvious he was a different sort of monster compared to his peers. But surely, this Olivia wasn’t a mass murderer.”

She looked up, as if hearing his thoughts. “I’ve slaughtered a village.”

“Wow…” said Daryl. “That’s, um, pretty intense. Can I ask why?”

“You can ask,” she said, coyly, “But I won’t tell you.”

Affirmation Prompt:

I respect my writing commitment by scheduling around my daily chores and responsibilities and alerting others about my uninterrupted writing time.

Today I write.

Plot Prompt:

Start your story at a moment of significant change and you immediately invite the reader into the main action of the story. Conceive of a scene in which your protagonist, antagonist, the supporting characters, or the setting itself undergoes an important change.

In most scenes with an antagonist, the antagonist is in control. If that is the case with your scene, plot your scene above the Plot Planner line or your own chart. If the protagonist is in control of what is happening, plot the scene below the line.

Writing Prompt:

Usually scenes where the protagonist is in control have little to no conflict, tension, or suspense unless threatened by an antagonist. The previous writing prompt directed you to show your protagonist confronted by someone or something standing in the way of her goal. Because of what happens in that scene, write the actions the protagonist takes now that her fear, flaw, hatred, or prejudice has been activated, set off, provoked, or sparked.

Show how the protagonist usually reacts to such a challenge and the actions she takes when she is stopped, blocked, or prevented from reaching her goal. Show her emotional reaction by her behavior, her body language, the words she speaks, and what she neglects or refuses to say.

Daryl looked over his rifle, turning it over in his hands, the solid, black metal, heavy in his grip. He looked in the magazine well. Empty. He was happy about this; never had he ever thought he would be handling a gun–a rifle, as Drill Sergeant put it.

He didn’t like guns. He viewed them as cheats–weapons that needed little to no skill to wield. ‘Anyone can be scary with a gun…’ he thought.

‘It’s really no different from your photon blasters,’ said Kinder, knowing the anxiety growing in Daryl.

Daryl shook his head. ‘My energy blasts don’t kill.’

‘You’re in a tough spot then,’ said Kinder. ‘These men want you to. They are training you to fight and kill monsters and people like us.’

‘I’m not going to, Kinder. “I will never use a gun.” He said the last part aloud, and he noticed that Gaines had looked up.

He was sitting on the floor, the white rag of his cleaning kit laid in front of him and on top that were metal pieces situated in a distinct order. Gaines’s rifle lay on his lap, in half, and Daryl wondered if Gaines had ripped it apart with his brute strength.

“You’re never going to use a gun?” he asked. “Kerns, you’re going to have to. There’s no getting around it.”

Daryl’s face flushed. He didn’t mean to say it out loud. He knew that Gaines had his own perspective on their situation, but he, Daryl, as a hero, could not agree.

“Guns are for bad guys,” Daryl said.

Gaines’s eye brows dropped into a ‘not-this-bs-again gaze.’ “Not every gun owner is a bad guy, Kerns. Cops have guns.”

“They’re trained to use guns…”

“You’re going to be trained.”

“But, you know, people like us, what do we need guns for? We have super powers!”

“We have curses. It makes us a liability to the human race…”

Daryl looked into his face. It was filled with the deepest self-loathing.

“You’re, like, super strong and fast. You’re powers are amazing!”

“I’d rather not rely on them… If I can rely on tools to keep peace I will, but my powers aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Come on,” he said, “Let me instruct you on taking care of your weapon. My grandpa taught me… Before he died.”

Hi all,

I was going to post everyday, but I had a hard time with some of the prompts. That being said, here is what I’ve been working on:

‘Yowzah!’ thought Daryl as he watched her walk out of the barracks. Light, blue hair pulled back in a bun; blue, fin-like ears (weird); and wearing an army uniform that seemed way too small to be legal! Her body practically popped out.

A soldier next to Daryl muffled a “Dammmmmn” into his arm, while another couldn’t help but whistle. That was a big mistake.

“Who whistled?” A woman came out; she was wearing the same army uniform (albeit with differing results) and what looked like a broad-brimmed hat. She matched up to the formation.

“Which one of you whistled?”

Silence, and then. “I did, Drill Sergeant!”

The Drill Sergeant went through the rank to the soldier who spoke. She looked at his name tape.

“Washington… Why did you whistle in my formation?”

“I, got a little carried away, Drill Sergeant.”

She looked down, and then back up into his face. “You got carried away?” she said, “Privates. We don’t get carried away.”

She stepped out of the formation. “Half-right face!”

The entire formation groaned as in unison as they all turned to right 45 degrees.

“Front lean rest position, move!”

They all stooped down, placed their hands on the ground, and kicked their feet out behind them–everyone in a push up position. Daryl followed suit. Everyone but the blue-haired girl was on the ground.

Drill sergeant turned and looked. “Private. What are you doing?”

“I’m not getting on the ground,” she said. Her eyes rolled.

“Get down right now, or I will put you down!”

“You can try.”

Drill Sergeant smiled.

Daryl turned his head to see two other Drill Sergeants coming over. All three surrounded her, standing two inches away from her, they shouted commands at her until she got down on the ground with everyone else.

Drill Sergeant walked away while the other two continued to shout at the girl.

“Privates,” she said, with the calm of Mother Teresa. “I’m Drill Sergeant Brooks. Here at Ft. Wichmann, we don’t get carried away…”

One of the other Drill Sergeants came over and shouted, “Down!”

Everyone lowered their bodies into a push up.

“And we certainly don’t talk back to our NCOs.”

“Up!” said the other Drill Sergeant.

Everyone pushed up.

“You have all been specially chosen for this training.”

“Down!”

“You’re not special. You’re just lucky, you get to train with me.”

“Up!”

“This is a very special training. As you have noticed, some of you are Seamen.”

“Down!”

“Some of you are Marines. Others Airman and others Soldiers.”

“Up!”

“Because of this, you will all be trained to the Marine standard.”

“Down!”

“My superiors believe it is the best training for the type of school this is.”

“Up!”

“Do I agree?” she said. “That’s not my place. Just as it is your place to follow my orders.”

“Down!”

“Now I expect all of you to act professionally. Do I make myself clear?”

“Up!”

“Yes Drill Sergeant!” Daryl and the rest shouted.

“Good. Position of Attention, move!”

Affirmation Prompt: 

Blind faith leads me to believe that words flow effortlessly every day. My part is simply to sit down and write.

Today I write.

Plot Prompt:

A character pursuing her goal does not by herself create action that is dramatic. What creates drama is her encounter with obstacles that interfere with her movement toward that goal. That’s especially true when the character stands to lose something significant if she’s unable to reach her goal.

The most exciting and dramatic relationships in stories are those that involve an antagonist. Antagonists interfere with the protagonist’s quest for her goal. They create obstacles, confusion, and diversions. Scenes between the protagonist and her antagonist(s) create tension, conflict, and curiosity. Readers turn the pages faster when reading scenes that involve a formidable antagonist or the possibility of one showing up. Plot such a scene on your plot planner.

Writing Prompt:

Your protagonist takes the next step toward her short-term goal. Write moment-by-moment action as someone or something stands in her way and interferes with her getting what she wants.

Take time to introduce this new character. Show the character in such a way that the reader will remember and differentiate between this character, the protagonist, and all the other characters to come. Assign the character a foible, a quirk, special clothing, abilities, a physical trait, and/or a distinctive speaking style.

Use dialogue

It the protagonist has a special ability, show a hint of what it is now.

I like this prompt and perhaps I will revisit it, but I have been having a hard time these past days for personal reasons. What I would like to do is write a little bit about one of my antagonists in the story I am writing right now.

Theodore “Ted” Baxter (last name subject to change)

Ted is a mischievous character who enjoys testing others and, specifically, watching them fall/fail.

He is a character from a story called Loner, and he will be joining the Class 001 of the BMCR (all my stories take place in the same universe).

The scene that I am thinking about right now, the scene I was trying to write, involves day 1 of their training.

It takes place in a classroom, chairs around the room against the wall, no desks. Drill instructor walks in and tells the class to take seats. She goes over the training they are about to endure, and has the group go around in the circle and stand up and introduce themselves.

The first meeting for Daryl and Ted happens here. They have been briefed on why they are at Fort Wichmann, and Daryl is introducing himself.

He tells them that when he studied mothman and that he was a paranormal investigator. Ted interrupts him and begins to poke fun of him.

That’s really as far as I have gotten with their interactions.

 

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