The Pen of a Ready Writer

I don't usually talk about my work on my blog, but scenes from the last 24 hours are pulsing through my head and my body feels like jello from the strain of fighting for a life today.  I'm too tired to even try to make myself think about anything else. I work in the medical field.  It's a reward, if demanding, position in society, and it puts you on the front row to see epic adventures that few others see. Like today for example. We had a problem.  We did not know the cause, but we had our theories.  It looked like a hopeless case, but, as is often the case with the good guys in the medical profession, we fought for a solution anyway.  Our training tells us that our efforts will be fruitless and yet, there is that wonderful unpredictable element in living beings (created by God) that often defies science...and it keeps us going against incredible odds. I prayed.  The other care providers prayed.  The family prayed.  Church friends and exte...

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I told you a little while back that I had this new, great story brewing.  Since then, I worked on it a little bit, just to give myself something to come back to once I finish my other projects.  Here are some snippets from it:      The carriage rattled along, jolting Petura and the Lady of Wenshau over every gully and log.  Petura set her teeth and wondered why her brothers had not seen fit to maintain the highways.  There were two of them, were there not?  Shouldn’t they be able to accomplish twice the work?      Petura looked into the dark eyes, hoping to find a friend there, but the maid dropped her eyes under Petura’s stare.       Her moves were not as graceful as Tansy’s, and she had a way of squaring her shoulders that was almost warlike, but she could never be mistaken for a kitchen drudge or a common peasant girl.        Rila’s lip curled back in a mixture of scorn an...

     Some of you were here for my previous post about the artist's emotional cycle . Well... This is where I am right now.

I think I have flunked the challenge. I had 2 weeks where I only wrote 5 days in each...instead of 6 days. But I'm going to keep going because that is what you do when you fail at something you really want to do.  You try again. So here are my snippets from Week Six of the 100 for 100 Challenge: The large group worried me. The two adults had their hands full of excited youngsters, and there was one little boy in particular who seemed to have a destructive inclination.  I winced several times as he narrowly avoided crashing into the exhibits. He had come too close to disaster several times…he couldn’t keep his hands to himself.  And then it happened.  He pulled one of the small models down from a shelf and, to my horror, threw it across the room.  The head and body of the little figure separated, sliding across the floor and coming to rest somewhere near the T-Rex.  My eyes flew anxiously to the serious guard.  What would he do? As I wa...

My typical method of story-telling is evolving. Story-telling changes...kind of like a frog does... :) I used to get a concept and start writing, with no idea of where the story was going. Those are fun to write, but they frequently fizzled out when I ran out of ideas. So there was this explosion and then...um...I don't know.  Where was I going with this? Then I started working on a more complete story idea before I started writing.  Instead of "man, branded as thief, must live on the run in the forest," I started with something more like "an innocent man, branded as a thief must live as a fugitive in the forest.  His only goal is to clear his name until he finds the king, also on the run as his diabolical uncle tries to overthrow the government.  Together, they team up to restore the king to his throne and the nation to stability.  In the end, he saves the kingdom and proves his innocence as well." Then I would start writing, beginning to end...

My lords and ladies of planet Earth: Plenilune has landed!    As of today, you may purchase your own copy in eBook format. Paperback version still to come... Check in with Jennifer Freitag's blog

I can hardly believe we are finishing week 5 of this challenge.  Although, I guess it is not so much when you realize that we are barely over a third of the way through 100 days.  Wow.  Long challenge.  But I am loving the results. Enough chit-chat.  Here are some of my snippets from this week of the 100 for 100 Challenge at GoTeenWriters.        “I’m not a charity case,” I said, bending over my math with a passion.        “Mardove Canyon.   I know,” he said.   “The Rithavens go every year.”      “It’s creepy how much you know,” I said, feeling a hint of amusement.      I felt like I was shooting sparks from my eyes, but there was no answering spark from his.   His eyes were like calm pools – my sparks fell into them and sizzled into nothing.      Mrs. Rithaven was setting plates on the table when Mr. Rithave...

     I have suddenly been jolted by a super-awesome story idea.  It is like a very small bit of lightning coursing through my veins.  The magnitude of it is a bit mind-blowing...when I think of what I want to accomplish.  But it is also loosely based around events and people in my own life, which gives me a strong foundation for the tale.      But I am busy working on my story for the Rooglewood Contest and on Broken Clouds (which I committed to for the 100for100 Challenge at GoTeenWriters)...which means that I cannot abandon them in my inspired pursuit of a new tale.      So here is the balance point:  How can I write enough down (now, while my inspiration is hot) so that I can set it aside (to finish my current projects like a good girl) and yet pick it up later without losing this energy I feel?

Rachel Heffington is hosting her monthly Chatterbox event, and this month's topic is maples.  I'm going to make Mason and Kelsey talk this time, just for fun.  Although this is not a scene from the book, this is a scene that would have happened if, well, if something else hadn't prevented it.      "So I know a lot about survival and stuff," Mason said, his chubby hand hanging onto mine as he pulled me into the forest.      I ducked underneath a branch and followed his lead.  "Oh, yeah?  Like what?"      "Like knowing what you can eat," Mason said.  He pulled me past a bristly evergreen and nearly ran me into a low branch on a maple tree.  He was a lot shorter than I was.      I fingered the glorious red leaves on the branch that nearly decapitated me.  "What about this one?  Can you eat it?"      "That's a helicopter tree," Mason said,...

Ron Hoben grabbed a bat and began to swing it, warming up for his turn. He winked at the other players on the bench. "This will be my two-thousand-and-second try," he said. "I'm sure to hit a homer this time." Frank laughed - a laugh that would have been scornful if it hadn't been tinged with good humor. "You haven't hit the ball for the last two-thousand-and-one tries, old man. What makes you think you'll get it this time." A chuckle rippled down the bench. Ron grinned. "Might as well start somewhere, boys," he said. Dayton lifted his ball cap and scratched his head. "Odd number, don't you think? What did you pick 2002 for?" Ron gave his bat one final practice swing. "'Cause its the next one," he said. "I'm turning over a new leaf starting today." His name was called then and Ron turned away, scarcely hearing the hoots from the men on the bench. As he trotted across the grass,...

     Ladies and gentlemen, I am entering the Rooglewood Contest .  You may have already known that, but then again, maybe you didn't.  Now you do.      You can click on the link above to learn more about the contest.  In fact, it's not too late if you want to enter.  Basically, this particular contest asks that you write a short story or novella based on "Beauty and the Beast," but with your own twists.  From the myriad of submitted entries, Rooglewood Press chooses 5 winners who are then plunged into the publishing process.  Their stories are eventually marketed as a collection of retellings.      I would like to win.  I can even say now that I am hopeful of winning.  But I would still enter even if I knew that I wouldn't win.  Why?  Because whenever I take on a project like this, I come out of it a better writer than I went into it.  The process of writing, the determination of finis...

So October 12 is the one-year anniversary of my blog. Yay! So far, I have 10 followers, 306 published posts, and 4325+ all-time number of views on this blog. WHO ME? This world of blogging has been good for me.  It has connected me with other writers who encourage, challenge, and inspire me.  It gives me an outlet - a way to share my writing with the world and get feedback.  It also prods me forward: thinking that there are people out there waiting to read snippets or that I must put extra effort into my work to make something worthy of their expectations. Oil Painting by Andre Kohn via Pinterest So I would like to take this one-year anniversary as an opportunity to thank:      all of the bloggers whose blogs I follow,      everyone who has read my blog,      and each person who left me a comment on this blog. You make me a better writer, and I thank you.

Here are my snippets from the 100 for 100 Challenge at GoTeenWriters: I squatted down to his level, took a piece of a cookie from his hands, and popped it into my mouth.  It smelled faintly of sweaty fingers and washable markers.  “God…” I began.   But I stopped there.   Why should I ask Him to protect Mason?   “You boys got a problem?” a voice rang out.   I twisted my head to see the outline of a man, leaning nonchalantly against a dumpster.   My ears heard the genuine care in her voice, but my mind rebelled against it.   “This some kind of set up?” one of the men demanded.    He looked like a nervous firecracker. Life was not fair.  I wasn’t strong enough to protect everyone.  And there was nobody stronger to ask. I found a smile somewhere in my brain and quickly pasted it on my face.  “Yes, it’s fine,” I said. Prudence directed my steps toward Brant’s path, but the sound of Dar...

     I got up a little before 5:30am earlier this week to watch the lunar eclipse, and I took my camera.  My Sony is not designed for the study of our solar system, and it required every trick I knew to coax a decent picture out of it.  That being said, I was immensely proud of a few of my captures.      The gorgeous one of the red moon that I posted earlier this week was taken by Thomas Warloe and I copied it off the internet, but this one was taken by yours truly.  Look at it -- that was a full moon before the earth's shadow started blotting it out!

Thomas Warloe Did anybody see this today?

Falcon via Pinterest      As of today, Plenilune (Jennifer Freitag's latest novel) has a face to present to the public.  I am pleased to announce that, here and now, the cover will be revealed.  Would you like to see it?      But perhaps you have missed my previous posts on Plenilune .  Perhaps you are looking at this cover and asking, "What is Plenilune ?"  True?      I am so glad you asked.  Here, for your benefit, is the synopsis: The fate of Plenilune hangs on the election of the Overlord, for which Rupert de la Mare and his brother are the only contenders, but when Rupert's unwilling bride-to-be uncovers his plot to murder his brother, the conflict explodes into civil war. To assure the minds of the lord-electors of Plenilune that he has some capacity for humanity, Rupert de la Mare has been asked to woo and win a lady before he can become the Overlord, and he will do it--even if he has to ki...

Here are my snippets from Week Three of the 100 for 100 Challenge at GoTeenWriters.  Enjoy!     “If you so much as touch him, you are a dead man.” Dead woman , I mentally corrected her. “Starting to look a little suspicious, isn’t it?   Administration does these things by appointment.   How come you always get sent on an errand at the perfect time?” Humphreys was smoking a cigar as I marched into his office.   He sighed when he saw me and tapped the ashes from the end of his cigar.   Hannah and Tory stood there, looking guiltily proud of themselves. The woman came to me again.   “It’s time to go, Kelsey,” she said.   “We’re moving you to a new home after that fiasco.”   The homeless man turned away and sauntered out of sight.   I pointed my steps toward the coach and broke into a jog, but my mind followed the homeless man.   The stubbly beard and cast-off clothes masked him well, but I knew thos...

     Earlier this week, I finished my eighth round of edits on my secret project.  Believe it or not, I think this story actually has a chance.  Maybe my judgement is impaired because I am writing this at roughly 3 hours past my bedtime, but I feel encouraged at the moment.  And I hardly would have thought that possible a month or two ago.      It's funny the emotional journey associated with this project.  Early on, I had to rally my courage just to let my beta-reader see it.  Later, my sister expressed her regrets that she didn't have time to read it at the moment, and I told her that I would let her read it later if it won (and that, if it didn't, "nevermind - because it must not have been worth reading anyway").  Then I let two young friends read it because they were so excited and encouraging and willing to offer their feedback.  And now, I am leaning back with a feeling of satisfac...

      There is a lovely little band of writers whose blogs I follow, and last week their blogs were in a frenzy to get hacked.  Such hacking is fun for the writer as well as the reader.  Friends were writing hilarious and encouraging posts.  Even fictional characters were popping up to hack the blog.       That is not happening here.       However, I thought I would use the inspiration and take this opportunity to let one of my character make a guest post.       You have never met him before.  His name is Brant, and he is 14 years old.  His parents decided to take in an orphan girl on a trial basis for the school year, and she's expected to come in on her flight tomorrow.  I've asked him to talk about her. Hey, guys.  Brant here.  I've been asked to talk about Kelsey.      My parents decided at the beginning of the su...