The Last Word Count Wednesday of the Semester!

Word Count Wednesday (5/17/17)

What am I working on?

Oh my gosh I cannot believe it's the end of the semester! Does the writing stop from here? No way! With a renewed sense of inspiration I am planning to continue with my story about the star and the assassin and will try to post on my blog as often as possible. I'm also planning to elaborate on my In Media Res story about the viking who gets cursed by the gods as well as making a map for it.

Word Count: 5,005 (A new record for the semester!)

How do I feel about the process?

I feel really good about it all, i've seemed to come out of my writing slump and I feel determined to finish. This semester really rekindled my love of writing and has given me a dream of one day getting a book or two published. Thank you Bradford :) You have been absolutely wonderful throughout this entire semester and I want to thank you for all of your positivity and kind words. You are the eternal happy daffodil of Moorpark. Have a great summer and I wish you the best on your new book.

What am I reading now?

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

(I've been waiting all year to read this baby! Woooohooo)

On Writing by Stephen King

Poetry

All the poems I've written for the class. Yeah... I'm not a poet but I tried. I apologize for the bad ones but hey I'll stick to writing fiction.

1.

Isolde's Song

Blessèd are the few that know youth's toils

Can'st thou see the fair pilgrim's pride?
The melancholy green in a maiden's eyes
That's sun-kissed upon summer's golden bride.
A heart that beats wild on a tempest tide,
An ocean deep where that heart doth lies.

Sailed for a fate of which stars defied.

Can'st thou hear the west wind straining?

Between gales lost echoes banshee's cry

Bid thee farewell, the old moon is waning,

The old world laid behind with renewed spirits shaming.

Zephyr's golden lyre bellows a traitorous sigh, 

The fair maiden travels, herself betraying.

2.

To a Craft That I Cannot Craft

Poetry is freaking hard.

How can I compete?

When Shakespeare

When Keats

When Tennyson

Are the masters of their craft.

I am the master of faking,

Of aching,

Of contemplating,

Of procrastinating,

Of annihilating

Any poetry that comes to mind.

I try to craft a craft that cannot be crafted by me.

With that I must raise a glass in praise

To those who can phrase a phrase.

I swear upon it by the lords of the sonnet

That I raise a glass in cheers to the masters of their craft!

So I’ve crafted this craft that cannot be crafted by me.

Salude!

3.

An Ode to the Royal Felines

I feel like I am being watched and judged.

Eyes that never leave my side

Eyes that stare both blankly and with contempt.

It is then that I remember that there are at least three cats living in my home.

Call me crazy cat lady; it’ll never phase me.

I have my lord defenders and kingly felines at my side.

Lord Willoughby, First of his name Esquire; also known as Sir. Willard the Conqueror.

Sir Oliver, King of Boo and Keeper of the Fluff.

Lady Oreo, Queen of Nag and Mother of Hairballs.

My home is their castle and they rule with royal might.

I am but a peasant in their eyes and they my superior.

I am a slave to their purrs, their tufts of fur between their toes, and their magnificent bellies presented to be rubbed.

I am the crazy cat lady who endures and adores their looks of judgment.

I am a servant in my own home but what does that matter

When a castle is a castle and those who rule, rule with unconditional love

4.

To the Girl with the Headphones: A Letter to my Autistic Sister

I wonder what’s inside that head.

My sister, the quiet reclusive ray of sunshine.

What is it like in there?

Are you locked in a pleasant world?

Is it one that I can enter?

If so send directions because I am quite lost.

Are you happy?

Do you suffer?

I know it’s hard to articulate, I know it’s hard to express,

But I want to know…

Who are you talking to?

Is it only to yourself?

Or do you have your other friends all jammed in there as well?

Talk to me please so I can to get in.

I want to get in.

Do you want me in?

Or are you trying to get out?

What is this limbo we are trapped in?

I know I must enter your world instead of drawing you out.

But let me know you are happy instead of drowning me out…

Tell me you are happy, please.

Silence is a hard pill to swallow but it is all you can give

My sister, the quiet reclusive ray of sunshine.

I wonder what’s inside that head.

5.

Enemy, Thy Name is Writer’s Block.

We meet again my long time foe… writer’s block

Brain, why do you hate me so?

Procrastination.

ADD.

Netflix calling me to finish season 4 of a show nearly a decade old.

The cliffhanger from chapter 26 you just have to finish.

Laziness, no you are never lazy… just reluctant to write.

Gosh darn it, write something!

Anything! Make it garbage just write!

Try!

Write!

Think…

Think…

Think…

I’ve got it!

Nope, nope it’s gone.

Darn that was a good one; at least I think it was…

It’s been four hours.

Do I give up now?

No.

Never give up.

Think…

Think…

Think…

I’ve got it!

Experiment #8 (The Flares of Sunday)

Experiment #8: : Create a setting description/character outline for a play

"The Flares of Sunday"

Setup: A dinner party gone wrong. The King family’s Sunday dinner is turned upside down when the party intended to announce Pammy and Eugene’s engagement is interrupted by the crazy family’s antics. Stanley fights with his overly judgmental father. Helen debates what she wants in between the life she’s built with Stanley or the life she imagines with the much younger milkman. Millicent debates her choice to continue her relationship with Cyril when she sees her former lover fight to have her back at dinner. Pammy wishes for her father’s blessing over her marriage and Eugene wishes the same all while hiding his draft notice from Pammy. Jenny and Henry try a get rich quick scheme and sneak contraband materials (fireworks) into the house all while the party is afoot. All ends in a laugh and a boom.

Setting:  Cincinnati, Ohio, Spring 1942, a house in suburbia in a lower middle-class             neighborhood.

Characters

·      Stanley King –48, a WWI veteran and steel mill worker. Husband of Helen and Father to Millicent, Pammy, and Jenny. Has a very strained relationship with his father and feels the constant pressure of trying to keep his family together.

·      Helen King – 38, Stanley’s wife and stay at home wife and mother who is unhappy in her life and fighting the urge to leave and run off with milkman.

·      Millicent King – 20, eldest daughter torn apart by her perception of love. Her heart broken by Patrick and now has settled for Cyril despite her attraction for the man she cannot have. The most sensible and level headed of the daughters.

·      Pammy King – 18, middle daughter, engaged to Eugene and is in a constant struggle with her father to accept her new fiancé. A known romantic and a stubborn hardhead willing to fight for what she wants.

·      Jenny King – 16, youngest daughter, caught up in the most nonsensical and hilariously high-energy relationship with local bad boy Henry. The most dramatic and charismatic of the daughters

·      Patrick Bateman – 40, Stanley’s playboy boss at the steel mill who is in love with Millicent King despite the 20-year age gap.

·      Eugene Loy – 21, a rather timid young man engaged to Pammy who is keeping the secret of his draft notice. He must juggle meeting the family, trying to impress his new father in law and hiding his notice from his fiancé.

·      Henry Krupp – 18, An overly dramatic con artist and local bad boy who is constantly getting into trouble with Jenny including trying to sneak her in and out of their house to sneak contraband items into her house.

·      Stephan Friedan – 24, a cougar hunting milkman who seems to have an infatuation with Helen and has even suggested that they run away together despite their 14 year age difference.

·      Cyril Evot – A local college student who is in a current relationship with Millicent and seems to a rather jealous type.

·      Archibald King – 75, Stanley’s father and local grouch with not a positive bone in his body. He suffers from occasional dementia and is in a rather strained relationship with his son.

Dorothea – 55, The King’s prudish and rather nosy neighbor who is always prying into the family’s business and always seems to have her eyes on the illegal activity Jenny and Henry bring.

Experiment #1 Children's book (unfinished)

I'm so sorry I attempted children's literature and I failed so miserably at it. I think I'll stick to adult fiction but it was defiantly a fun try.

The Little Red Boat and the Viking Cats

We stand on the shore in our little red boat, just Hazel, and Socks the cat and me, Alice.

We look from the boat to our big blue house on the hill and see our mother waving from the front door.

Goodbye Mom, we are off on another adventure.  We take off on our little red boat, just Hazel and Socks, and me, Alice.

We sailed away from the big blue house

It gets smaller

            and smaller

                        and smaller

                                    then gone.

Hazel is first mate and keeps the boat running.

Socks is our look out, he is the best to climb and watch the ocean.

I am the captain and steer the boat to our new adventure.

Over the waves and towards the sun we see a figure in the distance!

“Ahoy! Ahoy! Incoming ship!” meowed Socks from his post.

The ship was getting larger

           

            and larger

           

                        and larger

                                    then here.

Inside the boat were a boatful of cats, Viking cats wearing big horned hats and large furry vests.

“Ahoy matey!” called the captain of the cats.

*Gosh darn it children’s books are so hard to write… this was all I was able to “craft”

Experiment #3: MAP

Ok so I just spent the last three hours carefully crafting this map. This is the world from my "from where the stars fall" narrative, i've christened it "Parthenia". I apologize for the poor quality of the photo and the fact that it's all done in pencil... but it's the best I have so far. I hope you enjoy :)

Experiment #12: Character Sheet "The Girl"

Experiment # 12 :Character Sheet

From Where the Stars Fall: “The Girl”

Full Name: Ashara (No known last name)

Alias: Diana Frobisher, Vera Wickim, and Sibella Crew

Age: About 22

DOB: Unknown; but remembers it was sometime in the winter.

Current Location: Favershim, Parthenia  

Biological Gender: Female

Identifiable Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Read/ Write: Illiterate

Intellect: Average; More street smart than wise.

Parental Unit: (Biological Mother; Elide (a 20 old prostitute in Keatston. Deceased. Father unknown)

            (Adoptive ward of Sally Dish {43}. Deceased)

            (Member of the Greensleeves Bay Kip. 12 members (all deceased))

Siblings: None that she knows of.

Family Allies/ Enemies: Greensleeves Bay Kip’s enemies include the Red Hand Kip                         and Gus Winkler’s Goons

Still lives w/ Family: No

Place of Birth: An alley slum in Keatston, Parthenia

Ethnicity: Parthenian

Broken the law: Heck Yes

Laws Broken: Burglary, robbery, assault, vandalism, mass murders, carrying                                     illegal firearms, breaking and entering, and many others.

Education level: No schooling what so ever.

Special training: Self taught assassin.

Current Associations: None.

Economic Situation: BROKE.

Economic class: As low class as you can get.

Debts: None, she leaves no loose ends behind.

Income: Whatever she can scrap together from her jobs. Cheapside assassinations don’t               exactly rake in a ton of money.

Current Occupation: Assassin and occasional bounty hunter.

How was the job received: She seeks revenge on the men who murdered her friends and             trained to be able to track them all down and kill them. Assassinating others on the side is more of a way to keep from starving and to fund her revenge hunt.

Length of employment:  5 years.

Current Criminal Record: Nothing recorded; she’s never been caught.

Marital status: Single.

Romantic Interest: Robin (Deceased)

                              Tamriel “The Star” (Current)

Children: None yet

Personality type: ENTJ

Good at Interacting/ people skills: Yes; as a con artist and general thief she has to be able to trick and interact positively in order to continue her craft.

Favorite things: Her beloved knife collection, all named and at her side at all times.

Favorite color: Purple.

Favorite food: Steak; medium rare or a nice custard tart.

Favorite drink: Ale.

Favorite Animal: Cats (both real and mechanical.)

Favorite musical genre: Jig Fiddle.

Favorite sport: No time for sports unless you call killing her favorite sport.

Motto to live by: Kill or be killed and don’t look back.

Special Talents: acute observation, master of both armed and unarmed combat, proficient with any type of weapon, lock picking, expert thief, and a weird ability to juggle.

Hobbies: Collecting unique blades, juggling, dancing.

Easily Bored: No.

Known Quirks:  Cannot pronounce her H’s to save her life.

Quiet or Loud: Quiet.

Special Mementoes: Her beloved blade/dagger collection.

Worst Experiences: She’s lost everyone she’s ever cared about.

Fears: She’s afraid of commitment and loosing those she is close to.

Role in the group: In a large group she usually the rebel; in a pair she is the leader.

In a group, would contribute: She is the muscle.

Good at cooperating: For the most part yes but she has her stubborn streak.

Kind of thinker: Realist.

Annoys Characters: Stupid people, too many personal questions, slowness.

Reaction when annoyed: She usually gives a snide remark or becomes aggressive.

Reaction when angry: She blows up like a bomb.

Easily angered: Yes; she’s a bit of a hot head prone to violent tendencies.

Sad often: She’s not happy but will never admit to being sad. Her sadness is viewed as her own personal weakness and must not be shown.

Reaction when sad: She clams up, becomes incredibly aggressive and harsh. If it                                     becomes too much to handle she will break down into tears.

Immediate Goals: Gain enough money to continue her search for Gus Winkler.

Long Term Goals: Not to end up dying in the slum and one day be able to work into             something considered to be “decent.” Maybe be able to live away from the city in a nice house with people she cares about.

Self Serving/ Self Sacrificing: Self serving for the most part but self sacrificing to those who do end up close to her.

Dreamer/ Realist: Realist

Personality Flaws: Overly aggressive, a total hothead, violent tendencies, a cold front and             uses sarcasm to deflect people from becoming too personal

How reliable is memory: Pretty good

Earliest Memory: Around 4; She remembers her little cot by the fireplace that was always             covered in ashes in the morning.

Fondest Memory: Finding the mechanical cat in one of the garbage cans and bringing it home to try and fix it.

Most Embarrassing Memory: The time she fell into the open sewer and one of the older  boys in the neighborhood had to help her out

Biggest Failure: Her two years of homeless wandering and starving after she ran away from Sally Dish’s home.

Biggest Regret: That she was the one to survive the Greensleeves Bay Kip massacre and not her friends.

Greatest Achievement: That she singlehandedly took out every person responsible for her friend’s deaths (with the exception of Gus Winkler himself) over the course of 5 years.

Self-Confident/ Self-Depreciating: Overly confident in her abilities as an assassin

Triggers to Past Traumas: The mention of the City of Greensleeves

Trauma was: That every one in the Greensleeves Bay kip was murdered by Gus Winkler and his goons. It left her as the massacre’s only survivor, left to bury all of her friends and swear vengeance upon all of them.

Method to calm down: Beats the crap out of whatever is nearby; will later use breathing exercises to keep her calm

Sense of Humor: Morbid sense of humor but loves to be a smartass.

Secret Keeping: Great, she doesn’t snitch.

Prone to Gossip: No; snitches get stitches.

In a social group: Dominate.

Bullied/Teased (past):  Yes.

By Whom: Sally Dish.

Bullied/ Teased (Current): yes in a way…

By Whom: Society and the higher ups who scoff at the slum people…

Relationship w/ Parents: Abusive and distant.

Issue w/parents: Yes. Abandonment issues with her biological mother. Has a hatred for Sally Dish because of her abusive behavior and alcoholism.

Lots of friends: Yes but they are all dead.

Lots of romantic partners: A few small flings here and there. Only had one real meaningful relationship, which ended with his death.

Any bad breakups: No unless you count one of them dying.

Any jealous lovers: No.

Family Reputation: Mother is a prostitute and Sally Dish is a drunk.

Religion: None.

Personal moral code: Kill for revenge or business. Violence against children is not an option. Prostituting yourself for money is not an option. Do whatever you can to survive. Cheat steal kill and don’t look back.

Social status: Lower than dirt and basically invisible.

Active in community: No.

Bad Childhood memories:  Living with abusive Sally Dish in Keatston. Being locked up in the log box by Sally Dish. Loss of her friend Lettie (Sold to Grigor Slag.)  Anything having to do with Sally Dish, Grigor Slag or Gus Winkler.

Happy childhood memories: She found a mechanical cat in the trash once. Playing sticks with some of the slum children. Pranks on the local elderly.

Manias: Getting revenge over the people who have wronged her.

Inept at: Obtaining any type of class; she’s just an uncouth person and will most likely never retain any refinement.

Taboos: Hurting or exploiting children.

Secrets: None; she’s an open book if you really want to know.

Rivals: Noemi, Darius, Ned, Gus Winkler/ Goons; {King Octavian, Prince Ambrose, Lord Septimus (Later in the story.)}

Health Issues: None.

Sound Mind: Questionable but she’s not psychotic.

Mental Health Concerns: Some question to PTSD and defiant anger management issues.

Skin color: Pale.

Height: 6’1.

Long Arms/legs: Yes both long legs and arms.

Right or left handed: Right handed.

Body type: Ectomorph (Slim.)

Frame: Willowy.

Overall Body Shape: Willowy and slim.

Muscular: Yes.

Face Shape: Oval.

Forehead: High.

Distinguishing features: Very high cheekbones and an angular face.

Skin type: Dry.

Eyebrows: Curved.

Eyelashes: Average.

Eye color: Violet-Blue.

Nose shape: Long straight edge nose.

Lip size: Full.

Teeth size: Average.

Hand size: Average.

Finger length: Average, 2-3 inches.

Missing appendages: No.

Look older/younger: Baby face makes her appear a few years younger.

Attractive: Yes, and she uses this to her advantage when she can.

Ugly: No unless you count her scars on her neck and back “ugly.”

Healthy/good shape: No, for her weight she’s rather underweight but she does have some             muscle on her arms and legs.

Most predominate feature: Her eyes, which are rather large for her face.

Current weight: 125 lbs.

Clothing measurements: About an American size 4/6.

Shoe size: 8 women’s.

Natural stance/ posture: Slouches with arms on table, shoulders usually hunched                         foreword to protect her center.

Speaking gestures: Cocks the right side of her mouth up when smiling and when she speaks she opens her mouth making it rather wide.

Expressive when speaking: usually always collected and almost always wearing a smirk a scowl on her face.

Strange mannerisms: Always biting the inside of her mouth. Taps things with her middle             finger.

Hair length: Long that hits her mid-back.

Hair color: Black.

Thick/average/thin/: Thick.

Hairstyle: Just long without any stylish cuts.

Regional/Foreign: Eastern Cockney region dialect.

Voice pitch: a little deeper and rather pleasant.

Quality of voice: Rather rough in her pronunciations but rather smooth.

Distinctive voice: Thick lowbrow cockney accent.

Better senses: Sight and Hear.

Worse senses: Taste.

Damaged teeth: Some wear on her back molars but not too bad

Natural smell: She smells like every other person in the slums but takes care not to                                   constantly smell like them.

Vision: Good.

Fingernail length: Short.

Fingernail condition: Ragged.

Noticeable hands: Hands are average and very worn.

Tattoos: None.

Experiment #4 In Media Res

Experiment #4: In Media Res

Rhysand’s Curse

            Oh the joys of glorious chaos. It all begins with the screams; the high-pitched screams of the women followed by the war cries of those foolish enough to fight. They know they cannot win and he knows how easy it is to slaughter the lot of them and deduce their homes to ash. The village of Morva was bright with flame then gone The thick black smoke of destruction billowed high into the early morning sky still pearly pink by the sun’s shy rays. Rhysand stood amongst the unfolding chaos watching his forces with boredom; victory amongst these lower peasants was much too easy. Grima was diverting his forces to the east to cut off the escaping villagers, what a useless lot they were. Several smaller villages dotted the plains that led up to the temple. It would be his cousin's job to have his troops sack the villages and keep them distracted long enough for Rhysand and his men to get to the temple. Leave Grima to anything, what a leap of faith that would be hopefully the idiot could lead the charge without embarrassing him. These lowlife villages were nothing but cheap pocket change in comparison to whatever treasure lie within that stony temple on the hill. The temple was a tall looming fortress with thick with fog and black smoke; made of thick jutting stone wrapped in ancient runes and towered high with river rock. The temple was dedicated to whatever heathen gods or goddesses the horse riders worshiped but it was an ancient cultural core to their people. Destroying it would cripple the tribe, and weaken them to further attack. It was a perfect for the taking. Upon the stone steps leading to the entrance of the temple stood from the darkened entrance a harsh looking woman with a long willowy frame; the head priestess no doubt. She was dressed it what looked to be a rough brown gown with brass bangles around her bare ankles. Her long dark hair was plaited in a myriad of tiny braids weaved within a headdress of small twisted branches and her piercing eyes stared daggers a headdress of small twisted branches and her piercing eyes stared daggers at the incoming invaders at the foot at her door. The head priestess held out her palms in front of her with a look of anger burning through her green irises. "Stop in the name of the gods! You approach the temple of the godly family Ragrok, Theodywn, Taran and Máire. You dare not come a step further!" She took a step forwards as several other priestesses stood behind her to create a blockade from the entrance. What a nuisance, they were blocking their entrance. "I don’t think your imaginary friends in the heavens will do anything to stop me,” he said to the head priestess with a wicked look upon his face.

"You barbaric heathens dare to insult our gods, I wouldn't do such things if I were you this is a sacred place" she said her voice deepening and her eyes met his in an aggressive manner. "You are free to be here for worship but if you think you can pillage this holy place then you are gravely mistaken..."  

"That's exactly what I intend on doing today" Rhysand said calmly as he adjusted his gloves. His men were now very close behind; ready to charge forwards the moment he gave the signal. "I’ll tell you what. Give me what I want now, or let me take it by force. It’s your choice."  "Is that a threat? I warn you now if you pillage this temple grave consequences beyond imagination will happen to you" she said menacingly and stood up straight looking back towards the priestesses. "Come along ladies I have warned him of what is to come. If this barbarian wishes to ignore them then it is his own doing. You may pass inside but do not say that I did not warn you sea demon." The head priestess then turned aside and stepped back inside. The other priestesses followed obediently behind and sat in the middle of the giant temple their eyes watching for their next move. "Barbarian?" Rhysand scoffed. "I take offense to that. "Those stupid priestesses would pay. He lifted a hand and closed it into a fist, signaling his warriors would attack. The warriors streamed forwards, swinging axes and swords, with the prince standing back and taking all the action in. It was relatively easy to take the temple. The men streamed inside smashing statues and the grand alters with their massive axes and began ransacking anything of value inside throwing it out into giant piles. Within no time, Rhysand was able to walk up the steps and into the temple to find what he was looking for. In the middle were four golden objects, supposedly one dedicated to each of their gods. Each one was individually worth a fortune and ancient.  The four golden treasures stood upon large rough stone pedestals with light from a skylight above shining down on the sacred items. Each was beautifully detailed and intricately carved detailing the stories surrounding each deity.  Rhysand walked around the pedestals slowly, very much aware of the high priestess's presence. "They say that these relics are over a thousand years old,” he said, reaching out for the one in the middle. "As far as I'm concerned, they just look like statues of gold to me. Perfect for the taking."  "I will issue you one last warning Viking man you may be able to steal what you will from men but you cannot steal from the gods without retribution. The moment you take them your fate is sealed. Be wise and leave while you can" she hissed at making her way towards the foreign invader "do not lift it from its pedestal mortal you will be punished."  His eyes met hers, matching some of the blue gems inlaid in one of the statues. "I don’t believe in your heathen myths,” he told her before he lifted the first of the statues from the pedestal, tucking it away into a satchel he had over his shoulder. "A wrong choice. It's a shame you will believe in them soon enough" she hissed running towards him with a sadistic smile on her face, her eyes lighting up with evil intent. "You will believe in our gods now!" The priestess grabbed hold of his left arm with the ironclad grip of a man and her hand began to tremor.  Before Rhysand could draw his sword, the witch woman was upon him. When she grabbed him, it was as though he had stuck his arm straight through a roaring blaze and melted his flesh off. It was pure agony. He dropped to his knees, her grip relentless, and the burning went on for what felt like hours before it abruptly stopped. The stench of charred flesh was the only thing he smelled. He lifted his head to look at his arm, stunned that it wasn’t burned to a stump, and instead was covered with some sort of black, winding markings. "With that the gods have cursed you. All actions come with a cost Viking man. Do not say I did not warn you." She hissed releasing his arm and grinned wickedly. With a snarl, Rhsyand leaped to his f feet and grabbed the woman by the throat, slamming her back into a column. "What did you do to me?" He hissed, fingers digging into her flesh.

"What did you do to my arm?" "I told you already you barbarian, you stole from the gods and now you are cursed with everything that you would have ever wanted" she forced out her hands going to pry his grip off of her throat though her eyes never left his. "Did I not warn you that the consequences of stealing would be beyond your comprehension? Are you so stupid as to think you could run from the watch of Ragrok, Theodywn, Taran, and Máire?" The priestess lent him a rather serpentine smile as the sky around began to darken with storm clouds, thunder crashing in the distance. Rhysand's eyes shone with fury, his face bone white. He drew his sword, pointing it at the priestess. He briefly noticed that whatever she did to him burned all his armor and clothing off on his arm. He drew his sword, ready to run the woman through. "What curse are you speaking of?" he repeated.  "You fool, you stole... you stole from Ragrok himself. He sees all, young barbarian. He watches all and can see into the very soul of men. He saw you; he saw what you will become. He knows your every desire and wish. He sees who you are, for the brute that you present yourself as and dug into your heathen soul the moment you placed your palms against his holy relics" she rasped in a low breathy voice. "He saw what you wanted and gave you just that. You use your brute force to conquer and kill and he gave you the tool to do just that… at a price no less. He curses you with an arm that maintains the force of a hundred men but as much as you conquer you will be drained. You will slowly have the life sucked out of you until you are no weaker than a dried leaf on a shriveled branch. You will die weak at your enemies' hand and leave no legacy behind, your legacy like your own life will be cut short at the hands of Ragrok.”

Word Count Wednesday

Word Count Wednesday (5/10/17)

What I am working on now?

I just finished an essay for my poetry class and the dramatic script. Now I have to finish all of my half finished experiments. Right now i'm working finishing the In Media Res on my cursed viking, my children story, and my podcast idea. I've drafted a pretty crappy looking map so i'm going to redraw it  so it looks crisper and more presentable (it's the map from my narrative assignment.) Lastly There is the poetry which I am stumped on... I'm not a poet but I will do my best not to send anything too cringeworthy.

Word Count: 4,136 (WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!)

How do I feel about the process?

I'm feeling pretty good but the end of the year brain fog is starting to take hold and I must power through. It's hard returning to half finished work because it was abandoned for a reason... I lack inspiration for some of them and it'll be a challenge to write. Though I found that I work really well when I know I have a weighty deadline looming (like a failed grade if it is not finished.) Though I'm having the most problem with writing poems, they are so expertly crafted that anything I write is either flat by comparison or it just doesn't work at all. I will try to post as I finish these experiments as I hate to publish unfinished or half baked work.

What am I reading now?

On Writing by Stephen King

20 Plots and How to build them by Ronald B. Tobias

Script Assignment

Drama Script: Chicago-Metro Intelligence Unit

Setting: Jackowo District, Chicago, 2017

Cast

·      Detective Trudy Delmare – A veteran detective with nearly twenty years of work on the force. She has    spent the last fifteen years working with the homicide intelligence unit with Marcel as her partner. She is about forty-six years old, married to Walter Delmare and mother to three children: Samuel, Lila, and Marian.

·      Detective Marcel Fredericks – Another veteran detective with seventeen years of work on the force and four years in the marines. He has spent the last fifteen years working with Trudy as his partner. He is about forty-nine, Divorced once; married to Dominique Fredericks and father to one child, Isaac.

·      Norman Atkinson – Forensic Technician/Blood pattern analysis, roughly 31 in age.

·      Dr. Dorian Cooper – Forensic pathologist around the age of 38

·      Officer Nicholas O’Hare – Greenhorn officer, first to the scene of the crime, weak stomach looks to be around 30

·      Mikolaj Wiatrowski – Neighbor in apartment 12B. A Polish immigrant around 34 who speaks in very broken English.

·      Ida Wiatrowski – Neighbor in apartment 12B. A Polish immigrant 28, speaks in broken in English.

Victims

Murder 1                        Tesia Gburek  (33. Single mother of 3 here on a work visa)

Murder 2                        Anna Martinak (23. Single, college student)

Murder 3/ 4                        Janina Sabala (19, college student) and Natalina Lipczynska                                                  (20, college student)

Murder 5/6/7                        Wanda Rudzinski (49, single mother of 2), Agata Rudzinski                                                 (16, High school student), and Róża Rudzinski (16, high school                                                 student)

ACT I SCENE I

The back patio of an outside bar at night. Present are two tables, four chairs, and an umbrella. Leaning against the outside wall of the bar is Trudy smoking a cigarette looking physically tense. Enter Marcel. He looks around cautiously and makes eye contact with Trudy and gives her a very charming smile.

Marcel:            You know those things kill right? (Chuckles) What are you doing out here                                     alone? I thought you were back home working on the case.

Trudy:                        You’d think so, but no I needed to get out of there. There is only so much                                     time you can look at a case file without wanting to throw it across the room… y’know. I just needed some fresh air and a smoke.

Marcel:            Fresh air and a smoke? Two words I never thought would go together. I thought you quit those things a long time ago. (He walks over to her and leans up against the wall next to her.)

Trudy:                        (Looks over at him a takes another drag. She gives his a wistful look                                     before exhaling smoke.) Some things are quit, I thought I was done but every time I say that I end up with another one in my mouth. Besides I needed one tonight, between the case and Walter I-

Marcel:            (Interrupts midsentence) Walter? What’s wrong with Walter?

Trudy:                        Well…(Looks hesitant and takes another drag) Well we had another fight,                         it seems that the so-called miracle marriage counseling isn’t helping anything it’s just making him angrier. He wants me to retire and stay home with the kids… he says I’m crazy for wanting to stay. I got mad and told him he could go shove it where the sun don’t shine that I could do whatever I liked. He yelled back and said I was avoiding our problems and the main one was my job. A long story short we yelled and argued over it and I stormed out for a cigarette (She looks prickled and sighs in                                                 frustration)

Marcel:            Well what the h*ll does he know anyways he doesn’t know how good of a cop you are anyways. He’s an idiot I don’t know why you even put up with him.

Trudy:                        I don’t know either; he’s not a bad guy Marcel. Y’know he’s not… he just                                     gets these ideas of how he wants life and he’s too stubborn to give them up.

Marcel:            Yeah, I know.  So what are you going to do now?

Trudy:                        Well right now I’m going to finish off this cigarette, get a drink, and take a                         walk around the block before going back to work. After all that’s what’s needed to be done now. The rest will have to wait…

Marcel:            Does that mean you are calling it quits? (Look of both sympathy and                                     intrigue. His hand goes to reach for hers but hesitates)

Trudy:                        (Looks down at the ground then at her cigarette taking another drag and                      sighs. She then looks down at his hand and smiles softly) Some things are hard to quit Marcel (She shakes her head. She throws her cigarette to the ground and snubs it out with her foot) Y’know how hard it is to quit something once it grabs hold of you… we both know.

Marcel:            Trudy I- (Stops midsentence)

(Both of their phones begin to ring and they both go to answer their cells)

Marcel:            Hello?

Trudy:                        Hello? (Long pause then pulls away from the phone turning to her phone)                           D*mnit! Marcel we gotta go. He’s struck again. (Returns attention to her cell phone) We’ll be right there, text us the address.

Exit Marcel and Trudy

ACT I SCENE II

An apartment located in Jackowo’s eastside. Present is a living room set of a couch, table, chairs, a lamp, and a broken clock which are all tipped over. The room is disheveled. On the wall the words “Śmierć dla grzeszników” is written in red followed by the drawing of a bird. In the far corner are the bodies of three women, all three are bound, beaten, half naked, and lying in a pool of blood. Inside stand Norman and Dorian taking pictures and taking back the door. Enter Trudy and Marcel stepping under the yellow cation tape.

Trudy:               (Walks in and looks at the bodies with a look of disgust then turns to Dorian. She pulls on latax gloves and steps over a chair) What do we have here?

Dorian:            Triple rape homicide. Victims are Wanda Rudzinski aged forty-nine and her two daughters Agata and Róża aged sixteen. All three recent were immigrants from Warsaw Poland. The b*stard left them hogtied, all three have the same hit to the left temporal lobe and the right side of their torso is riddled with stab wounds. Neighbors found the bodies.

Marcel:            Cause of death?

Dorian:             I wouldn’t know until I do the initial autopsy but my guess would the puncture to their renal arteries.

Marcel:            English please.

Dorian:            They were all stabbed in their right kidney.

Trudy:              How long have they been here?

Dorian:            About seven or eight hours.

Trudy:             Why would you say that?

Dorian:             (Points to the broken clock on the floor) In the struggle they knocked down the clock and it stopped ticking stopping it at 4:02. If the killer stuck with his normal time frame then he killed them within the hour. Again it’s not set in stone until I do my report.

Marcel:            The Warsaw whacker strikes again but he’s changed pattern. Why change                    the pattern so far into his game?

Norman:             He’s definitely evolving as a killer. C’here, look at the blood here (Motions Marcel) all three victims were stabbed in their sides and the blood has pooled rather than sprayed. Judging by this alone he’s leaning from his last four victims, the last victims were stabbed all over but did                                     receive some blows to the renal arteries which proves the last set were experiments.

Marcel:             So he’s testing the waters to see what ways are the most effective to kill

Norman:            Exactly.

Enter Nicholas looking extremely sick

Nicholas:            Um. Hey it’s about time you guys got here I’ve got some witnesses who                                     said they saw what happened.

Trudy:                Who are you?

Nicholas:            Officer O’Hare, I was the first on the scene…

Trudy:                 First homicide case?

Nicholas:             Yeah. Yeah it is. (Slow nod, looks as though he will vomit)

Trudy:                 (Pats him on the back) They never get any easier, why don’t you take us                     over to them and then you can go tape off the rest of the building.

Nicholas nods and leads Trudy and Marcel out of the room to the hall where Mikolaj and Ida stand with another officer. Both look clearly traumatized and very nervous.

Nicolas:            Careful they don’t speak too much English; we’ve been trying to get a translator in for the last hour or so but have at it. They said they saw what happened I hope you guys can understand the rest; it’s all in Polish.

Exit Nicholas and the other officer.

Marcel:            You saw what happened?

Mikolaj:            Jes! Jes! That’s vhat I’ve been sayin’ vhe saw man! Wracaliśmy z pracy i                                     wspinaliśmy się po schodach, gdy usłyszeliśmy krzyki pochodzące z mieszkania sąsiada!

Marcel:             Whoa whoa slow down… Let’s take it one step at a time. You said you saw a man. What man? What did he look like? (Pulls out his note pad and pencil and begins to jot down)

Mikolaj:            UGH! Jes! Vhe saw man. Man… bardzo wysoki i bardzo chudy (making a                         gesture that he was very tall and slim)

Marcel:             Tall and skinny? What about his face? (makes a gesture towards his face)

Ida:                   Vhe see no face. But he have uh... how say brązowy. Uh... (Grabs at her                                     hair and points to her jacket)

Trudy:                 Brown hair?

Ida:                     Jes! He hadda brown hair.

Trudy:                 And who are you? Um... kim jesteś? (Attempts Polish looking hesitant)

Mikolaj:            Vhe live um… Mieszkamy w budynku po drugiej stronie korytarza. Apartment 12B (pointing to the door behind them.) Nikolaj Wiatrowski and Ida Wiatrowski… an’ who you are?

Trudy:                I’m detective Trudy Delmare CPD and this is my partner Detective Marcel                         Fredericks (Shows badge. Mikolaj reaches for in and stares. He nods and hands it back to her.)

Marcel:             Did you see anything else besides the back of his head?

Mikolaj:            I no understand… vhat about his head? (Turns to Ida in confusion and begins to converse with her in nervous Polish)           

Marcel:             I mean did you see anything else?           

Mikolaj:           No, vhe see nahthing… nic.

Ida:                  We no see but um… Słyszałem, jak krzyczą. Usłyszałem, jak krzycze na nich (grabs at her ear). Poor girls scream... Mikolaj grab me an’ push in. Vhe hide an’ see man... vhe vhait until he gone, long time maybe many hour then I-I-I call Policja!

Trudy:               Good good, you called the police?

Ida:                    Jes! Jes! That vhat I say! I call Policja an’ Mikolaj... Mikolaj saw in.

Mikolaj:            I push Ida in home. Tell call policja, I go to check an’ I saw... Zobaczyłem, co zrobił dla moich sąsiadów i wbiegłem do domu i zamknąłem drzwi, dopóki nie przyszła policja. (gets overly emotional thinking about it) The wall in say  “Śmierć dla grzeszników” with redbird...

Trudy:               Yes do you know what that means?

Ida:                    Jes, Śmierć dla grzeszników mean death to sinners... did they do wrong? Vhy vhuld he hurt Wanda? Wanda very nice an her gurls very good... Agata an Róża no trouble gurls.

Marcel:            What about the red bird?

Mikolaj:            Red bird? In Warsaw were we from red bird mean uh… how you say firebird. Warsaw symbol is firebird.

Marcel:            Firebird? You mean like a phoenix?

Mikolaj:           Jes! Firebird or phoenix, it mean destroy then rise again just like Warsaw city.

Trudy:              Mr. and Mrs. Wiatrowski would you be able to come down to the police station to give a full report and meet with our sketch artist? Um… Wejdź na posterunek policji i pomóż? (Again attempting Polish)

Ida:                   Vhat if he come back? Is vhis man kill us too?

Mikolaj:            Is vhis man the morderca from paper? Warsaw H-whacker?

Marcel:             We will make sure that if you help us he will not come back. If you help we can catch whoever did this to Wanda and her girls.

Micolaj:            (Looks hesitent and sighs with a nod) Jes we help. (Turns to Ida) Ida Chodź, weź płaszcz, kochanie, które nam pomożemy.

Exit Mikolaj and Ida

(Trudy and Marcel enter back into the crime scene where everyone is gather around the body of Róża Rudzinski)

Dorian:            Hey we found something! (Lifts up the hand of Róża. She is wearing pink acrylic names. One nail is chipped off and in the jag of the broken acrylic is a long strand of black hair)

Trudy:              What is that?

Dorian:            A foreign hair, I think we may have our first real clue. Ladies and gentlemen I do believe this maybe our killer’s hair.

Marcel:             It’s black… I thought the witness said the man had brown hair.

Trudy:              You should know at this point most witness testimony isn’t always spot on. So the hair color changed.

Marcel:             Yeah changed color not length, look at the size of this thing it’s too long to be our killers

Trudy:              Unless we aren’t looking for a man, our killer might be a woman.

Marcel:             A woman who rapes other women, I don’t think so. The four other victims had semen present on their bodies unless we are looking at a couple. An accomplice, maybe?

Trudy:              But if we are going off of witness testimony then wouldn’t there be another person in the stairwell if it were a couple?

Marcel:            Well if it’s not that then who the h*ll does this hair belong to and why is it tangled in one of our sixteen-year old’s broken fingernail?

(Fades to black: End Scene)