Finish the Sentence #7

This one is another I haven't yet read. It's gotten mixed reviews on Amazon, but who the hell really knows whether it's good or bad? (I have one or two other outlets to clue me in as to whether or not I'll like a particular book, but it's the lazy-ass way to just click over on Amazon. ;-))

The book is Green Rider, by Kristen Britain. From what I can gather, this is set in a stereotypical medieval-type world. From the back flap:

On her long journey home from school after a fight which will surely lead to her expulsion, Karigan G'ladheon ponders her future as she trudges through the immense forest called Green Cloak.

Lookie, lookie, we even an apostrophed name - will wonders never cease! ;-) However, as I haven't read the book, I won't pass judgement. Yet. ::cue for evil, manaical laughter::

So we have Karigan going through the forest (I'm guessing she's a teenager, as it references school in the back flap), and she senses some sort of ferocious animal headed her way:

She hadn't a weapon with which to fend off the beast, and she couldn't run either; - pg. 7, Green Rider, Kristen Britain

What happens? Does she try to move behind a tree or a boulder or something? Does the beast suddenly show itself before she has further time to think? If it does, what does the beast look like? Let your imagination flow; it doesn't have to be like any animal on Earth.

Good luck!

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #7

This one is another I haven't yet read. It's gotten mixed reviews on Amazon, but who the hell really knows whether it's good or bad? (I have one or two other outlets to clue me in as to whether or not I'll like a particular book, but it's the lazy-ass way to just click over on Amazon. ;-))

The book is Green Rider, by Kristen Britain. From what I can gather, this is set in a stereotypical medieval-type world. From the back flap:

On her long journey home from school after a fight which will surely lead to her expulsion, Karigan G'ladheon ponders her future as she trudges through the immense forest called Green Cloak.

Lookie, lookie, we even an apostrophed name - will wonders never cease! ;-) However, as I haven't read the book, I won't pass judgement. Yet. ::cue for evil, manaical laughter::

So we have Karigan going through the forest (I'm guessing she's a teenager, as it references school in the back flap), and she senses some sort of ferocious animal headed her way:

She hadn't a weapon with which to fend off the beast, and she couldn't run either; - pg. 7, Green Rider, Kristen Britain

What happens? Does she try to move behind a tree or a boulder or something? Does the beast suddenly show itself before she has further time to think? If it does, what does the beast look like? Let your imagination flow; it doesn't have to be like any animal on Earth.

Good luck!

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #6

An Exercept From One of My Faves

Today, I've selected something from one of my favorite novels, Winter's Orphans, by Elaine Corvidae. If fantasy is your thing and you like an historical touch to your fantasy, this might be just right for you; the feel of Victorian England - and all the horrors of the Industrial Age - are presented very well in this story.

And what a story it is.

The Seelie Court holds power in the city of Niune. As the Seelie Court (the seelie fae) are sworn to the forces of light, they feel it is their duty to destroy any who bear the taint of unseelie fae blood.

In the first scene of the novel, we're in Mina Cole's shoes. Mina, a factory slave, is at her loom, when another slave (another woman) is going to lose a limb - or her life - because she's gotten dragged into the machinery.

Then Mina lets loose some magic, something she has no control over, something that frightens her to her bones. Something snaps on the machine, and the other woman is free.

But someone in another part of town notices Mina's magic - and this is the sentence you'll have to complete:

Duncan's hands jerked sharply when the wave hit him...p. 6, Winter's Orphans, Elaine Corvidae

And...then what? Although the wave is magical, maybe in your brain it's an ocean wave...or something else that's unknown to humans.

Here's My Try...

Duncan's hands jerked sharply when the wave hit him, and he toppled onto the street. There was a squeal of brakes, but he couldn't close his eyes as he watched, gasping, as a car hurtled toward him.

The car stopped inches from his face.

The driver came around and helped him up, asking Duncan if he were okay. Duncan brushed him off, stepped back onto the sidewalk, shuddering.

Whether the shakes were from almost getting his head squashed or the powerful wave of magic, Duncan didn't know. But he did know he'd have to find out who possessed such power.

And he needed to get that person before the Seelie Court did.

Read the Book!

Really, it's a fantastic book. You can get it at the Mundania Press site. (And I really MUST pick up the second book. :-))

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #6

An Exercept From One of My Faves

Today, I've selected something from one of my favorite novels, Winter's Orphans, by Elaine Corvidae. If fantasy is your thing and you like an historical touch to your fantasy, this might be just right for you; the feel of Victorian England - and all the horrors of the Industrial Age - are presented very well in this story.

And what a story it is.

The Seelie Court holds power in the city of Niune. As the Seelie Court (the seelie fae) are sworn to the forces of light, they feel it is their duty to destroy any who bear the taint of unseelie fae blood.

In the first scene of the novel, we're in Mina Cole's shoes. Mina, a factory slave, is at her loom, when another slave (another woman) is going to lose a limb - or her life - because she's gotten dragged into the machinery.

Then Mina lets loose some magic, something she has no control over, something that frightens her to her bones. Something snaps on the machine, and the other woman is free.

But someone in another part of town notices Mina's magic - and this is the sentence you'll have to complete:

Duncan's hands jerked sharply when the wave hit him...p. 6, Winter's Orphans, Elaine Corvidae

And...then what? Although the wave is magical, maybe in your brain it's an ocean wave...or something else that's unknown to humans.

Here's My Try...

Duncan's hands jerked sharply when the wave hit him, and he toppled onto the street. There was a squeal of brakes, but he couldn't close his eyes as he watched, gasping, as a car hurtled toward him.

The car stopped inches from his face.

The driver came around and helped him up, asking Duncan if he were okay. Duncan brushed him off, stepped back onto the sidewalk, shuddering.

Whether the shakes were from almost getting his head squashed or the powerful wave of magic, Duncan didn't know. But he did know he'd have to find out who possessed such power.

And he needed to get that person before the Seelie Court did.

Read the Book!

Really, it's a fantastic book. You can get it at the Mundania Press site. (And I really MUST pick up the second book. :-))

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #5

I've been on a Connie Willis kick lately, so I thought it was time to offer up someone else's words.

This sentence comes from Patricia Bray's, Devlin's Luck (another which I haven't yet read). Think typical medieval-type fantasy world; Devlin Stonehand has come to the capital of Kingsholm:

He had not eaten in two days, and now he had a choice... pg. 2, Devlin's Luck, by Patricia Bray

So...what's Devlin's choice, hmm? As this book starts out, there's some sort of festival going on, and Devlin is an outsider - he doesn't feel part of the festivities, no one has asked him to join in, no one has asked if he needs a room, etc.

What can you come up with? Unfortunately, I don't have much time today to write out something, since I have to make tons of copies of a report, bind them together, and send them out. ::wah, wah, wah:: Yeah, I know: Get out the violin! ;-)

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #5

I've been on a Connie Willis kick lately, so I thought it was time to offer up someone else's words.

This sentence comes from Patricia Bray's, Devlin's Luck (another which I haven't yet read). Think typical medieval-type fantasy world; Devlin Stonehand has come to the capital of Kingsholm:

He had not eaten in two days, and now he had a choice... pg. 2, Devlin's Luck, by Patricia Bray

So...what's Devlin's choice, hmm? As this book starts out, there's some sort of festival going on, and Devlin is an outsider - he doesn't feel part of the festivities, no one has asked him to join in, no one has asked if he needs a room, etc.

What can you come up with? Unfortunately, I don't have much time today to write out something, since I have to make tons of copies of a report, bind them together, and send them out. ::wah, wah, wah:: Yeah, I know: Get out the violin! ;-)

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #4

Whoops - I'm off on my days this week, as I usually do these Finish the Sentence thingies on Tuesdays.

Oh well.

Here's this week's Finish the Sentence. It's another Connie Willis one, from her book, Passage. The basic premise here is a female psychologist specializing in near-death experiences. In this sentence, she's sitting next to a patient named Carl in a hospital (I'm not sure at this point if the psychologist is related to Carl in some way or not; I'll get around to reading this at some point, but not right now).

But she sat on, watching the monitors, with their shifting lines, shifting numbers, watching the almost imperceptible rise and fall of Carl's sunken chest,[...] from page 14, Passage, by Connie Willis

Although I didn't work on my WIP yesterday, I did do this exercise:

But she sat on, watching the monitors, with their shifting lines, shifting numbers, watching the almost imperceptible rise and fall of Carl's sunken chest, when she thought she heard a rumble.

She looked up, gazed at the door, at the windows, back at Carl. Where'd that come from? She went silent, listening, listening. There it was again, this time louder. Still, it was a soft whump, as if someone had thrown a snowball at the window.

Must play in the major leagues, she thought, to hit the windows up here on the fifth floor. She sprang to her feet, pulling down on the metal blinds. But she didn't see any leftover snow clumped against the window.

Am I losing my mind? she wondered. When she heard the whump for a third time, it came from the bed.

Mind reading wasn't her specialty, so she wasn't sure if maybe the sound she'd heard was in her own mind. But she wasn't going to wait any longer; she sat down, closed her eyes, and concentrated on Carl.

It was murky, unsettled, swirling; then the fog in Carl's mind lifted. Lights, what she took for car lights flashed and were gone. She could almost feel the leather under Carl's fingers as he gripped the wheel; panting, her heart hammering, something headed straight at her--

She screamed. Or she thought she did. Her eyes flew open, her right hand on her chest, trying to get hold of her breath. She swallowed twice before her breath resumed its normal pace.

My God, she thought. Is that what poor Carl went through to get to this hospital bed?

Okay, another not so bad (and about 1,200 words to boot; yeah, me!). Some things would need to be worked on if I wanted to work this into some sort of story.

Have at it, if you wish.

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #4

Whoops - I'm off on my days this week, as I usually do these Finish the Sentence thingies on Tuesdays.

Oh well.

Here's this week's Finish the Sentence. It's another Connie Willis one, from her book, Passage. The basic premise here is a female psychologist specializing in near-death experiences. In this sentence, she's sitting next to a patient named Carl in a hospital (I'm not sure at this point if the psychologist is related to Carl in some way or not; I'll get around to reading this at some point, but not right now).

But she sat on, watching the monitors, with their shifting lines, shifting numbers, watching the almost imperceptible rise and fall of Carl's sunken chest,[...] from page 14, Passage, by Connie Willis

Although I didn't work on my WIP yesterday, I did do this exercise:

But she sat on, watching the monitors, with their shifting lines, shifting numbers, watching the almost imperceptible rise and fall of Carl's sunken chest, when she thought she heard a rumble.

She looked up, gazed at the door, at the windows, back at Carl. Where'd that come from? She went silent, listening, listening. There it was again, this time louder. Still, it was a soft whump, as if someone had thrown a snowball at the window.

Must play in the major leagues, she thought, to hit the windows up here on the fifth floor. She sprang to her feet, pulling down on the metal blinds. But she didn't see any leftover snow clumped against the window.

Am I losing my mind? she wondered. When she heard the whump for a third time, it came from the bed.

Mind reading wasn't her specialty, so she wasn't sure if maybe the sound she'd heard was in her own mind. But she wasn't going to wait any longer; she sat down, closed her eyes, and concentrated on Carl.

It was murky, unsettled, swirling; then the fog in Carl's mind lifted. Lights, what she took for car lights flashed and were gone. She could almost feel the leather under Carl's fingers as he gripped the wheel; panting, her heart hammering, something headed straight at her--

She screamed. Or she thought she did. Her eyes flew open, her right hand on her chest, trying to get hold of her breath. She swallowed twice before her breath resumed its normal pace.

My God, she thought. Is that what poor Carl went through to get to this hospital bed?

Okay, another not so bad (and about 1,200 words to boot; yeah, me!). Some things would need to be worked on if I wanted to work this into some sort of story.

Have at it, if you wish.

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #3

This sentence is taken from debut author Nathalie Mallet's The Princes of the Golden Cage. (I reviewed The Princes of the Golden Cage in this post.)

The princes of an Arabic king are locked in a cage - a palace of sorts. But they can't leave until the king decides which one of his sons is going to be his heir. Once that's decided, the rest of his sons can go - killed, that is.

One of the princes, Erik, is blond haired; Prince Amir (from whose POV the story is told) is at first distrustful of this blond brother. But they eventually become friends.

Onto the Sentence

Erik has found out a secret about the palace and its grounds, and he shows it to Amir. Erik is leaning against wall, somewhere in the bowels of palace, when:

The sound of stone grinding stone filled the air, then, right in front of us... page 38, The Princes of the Golden Cage

If you've read the book (and I encourage you to do so), you know what happens next.

Whether you do or don't know what comes next...take a stab at finishing the sentence. What does happen?

Nancy Gives It a Whirl

I haven't thought about this, so here we go:

The sound of stone grinding stone filled the air, then, right in front of us, the wall crumbled, sending bits of red brick flying in a million directions. I expected to see a door or a tunnel or maybe, a path leading me out of the cage. But, no. What lay amidst the rubble twinkled; gemstones? Here, within the walls and debris of the palace?

That was my question: Why?

Hey, you know, that's not too bad. (This doesn't follow the book, BTW.) This off-the-cuff thought - not much of one, to be honest - doesn't sound too bad. Don't worry if your stuff sounds like crap to your ears; that's what revisions are for. :-)

Give it a try. Maybe it'll unstick your brain, hmm? :-)

~Nancy Beck

Finish the Sentence #3

This sentence is taken from debut author Nathalie Mallet's The Princes of the Golden Cage. (I reviewed The Princes of the Golden Cage in this post.)

The princes of an Arabic king are locked in a cage - a palace of sorts. But they can't leave until the king decides which one of his sons is going to be his heir. Once that's decided, the rest of his sons can go - killed, that is.

One of the princes, Erik, is blond haired; Prince Amir (from whose POV the story is told) is at first distrustful of this blond brother. But they eventually become friends.

Onto the Sentence

Erik has found out a secret about the palace and its grounds, and he shows it to Amir. Erik is leaning against wall, somewhere in the bowels of palace, when:

The sound of stone grinding stone filled the air, then, right in front of us... page 38, The Princes of the Golden Cage

If you've read the book (and I encourage you to do so), you know what happens next.

Whether you do or don't know what comes next...take a stab at finishing the sentence. What does happen?

Nancy Gives It a Whirl

I haven't thought about this, so here we go:

The sound of stone grinding stone filled the air, then, right in front of us, the wall crumbled, sending bits of red brick flying in a million directions. I expected to see a door or a tunnel or maybe, a path leading me out of the cage. But, no. What lay amidst the rubble twinkled; gemstones? Here, within the walls and debris of the palace?

That was my question: Why?

Hey, you know, that's not too bad. (This doesn't follow the book, BTW.) This off-the-cuff thought - not much of one, to be honest - doesn't sound too bad. Don't worry if your stuff sounds like crap to your ears; that's what revisions are for. :-)

Give it a try. Maybe it'll unstick your brain, hmm? :-)

~Nancy Beck

Tuesday Morning - Finish the Sentence #2

Thought I'd forget or wouldn't be able to come up with something, huh? (Me, too. ;-))

Anyhoo, this one's not going to be from off the top of my head, which tend to suck (at least at this point in time). This time, I'm taking a line from Connie Willis' Dooms Day Book.

Of course, I haven't read it, as yet, lol. ;-) I did a quick scan, and it sounds like a hilarious book (and it includes time travel - yum!).

The Connie Willis Finish the Sentence

In my quick skim, I was able to figure out that Kivrin is a woman who's being prepped to go to medieval times (1300s, I believe), while Gilchrist is the man who's prepping her. The setting is some sort of laboratory. Another thing: Kivrin is wearing what a woman would have worn during those times...but I'm not going to tell you what that was. (You can be sure it wasn't jeans and a T-shirt.)

FINISH THE SENTENCE!

The prep-room door flared open, and Kivrin and Gilchrist came into the room...

pg. 11, Dooms Day Book

What Happened?

Did Kivrin have on a long skirt, get wrapped up in it, and fall on her face? Did Gilchrist laugh her, where she cursed him out? Or maybe she got up calmly and punched him in the nose.

Or maybe something else happened...we're talking time travel here, so maybe somebody zapped into the laboratory from the 1300s, drew his sword, and lunged at them...

Let your imagination run wild; I'm sure Ms. Willis won't care ;-), and I ALWAYS attribute stuff I take out of stories or non-fiction.

Have fun - and I hope this helps to unstick your brain!

~Nancy Beck

Tuesday Morning - Finish the Sentence #2

Thought I'd forget or wouldn't be able to come up with something, huh? (Me, too. ;-))

Anyhoo, this one's not going to be from off the top of my head, which tend to suck (at least at this point in time). This time, I'm taking a line from Connie Willis' Dooms Day Book.

Of course, I haven't read it, as yet, lol. ;-) I did a quick scan, and it sounds like a hilarious book (and it includes time travel - yum!).

The Connie Willis Finish the Sentence

In my quick skim, I was able to figure out that Kivrin is a woman who's being prepped to go to medieval times (1300s, I believe), while Gilchrist is the man who's prepping her. The setting is some sort of laboratory. Another thing: Kivrin is wearing what a woman would have worn during those times...but I'm not going to tell you what that was. (You can be sure it wasn't jeans and a T-shirt.)

FINISH THE SENTENCE!

The prep-room door flared open, and Kivrin and Gilchrist came into the room...

pg. 11, Dooms Day Book

What Happened?

Did Kivrin have on a long skirt, get wrapped up in it, and fall on her face? Did Gilchrist laugh her, where she cursed him out? Or maybe she got up calmly and punched him in the nose.

Or maybe something else happened...we're talking time travel here, so maybe somebody zapped into the laboratory from the 1300s, drew his sword, and lunged at them...

Let your imagination run wild; I'm sure Ms. Willis won't care ;-), and I ALWAYS attribute stuff I take out of stories or non-fiction.

Have fun - and I hope this helps to unstick your brain!

~Nancy Beck

Tuesday Morning - Finish the Sentence #1

I've been getting into the idea of writing prompts and the like as a way to kind of kick start my writing. It's amazing to me how your brain can get into writing mode when actively participating in these things.

So I've decided to start a Tuesday morning thingie and designate it as Finish the Sentence morning. I'll probably resort to lines out of older books at some point, but I thought I'd try extricating something out of my own brain first.

Herewith is the 1st sentence you can try to finish (or not ;-)):

Billy ran out into the snowstorm with only his T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf on because...

The idea here is to scribble down the first thing that comes to your mind, and see where it takes you. From my own slightly mildewed brain:

Billy ran out into the snowstorm with only his T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf on because his mother was only two steps behind him, swinging an axe. What the hell's gotten into her? Billy thought, as he skidded and slipped down the sidewalk. Already his fingers had trouble bending in, and his feet felt as if he'd stepped into an ice cube bath.

Stopping, though, wasn't an option.

Not exactly the greatest, but that's not the point. Will this help you unstick your brain in some way? Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but at least you'll be getting in some sort of writing today, eh? ;-)

Tune in next week...same Bat channel...same Bat station. (Can you tell I loved all those goofy 60s shows like Batman, The Addams Family, and The Munsters?)

See ya soon! :-)

~Nancy Beck

Tuesday Morning - Finish the Sentence #1

I've been getting into the idea of writing prompts and the like as a way to kind of kick start my writing. It's amazing to me how your brain can get into writing mode when actively participating in these things.

So I've decided to start a Tuesday morning thingie and designate it as Finish the Sentence morning. I'll probably resort to lines out of older books at some point, but I thought I'd try extricating something out of my own brain first.

Herewith is the 1st sentence you can try to finish (or not ;-)):

Billy ran out into the snowstorm with only his T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf on because...

The idea here is to scribble down the first thing that comes to your mind, and see where it takes you. From my own slightly mildewed brain:

Billy ran out into the snowstorm with only his T-shirt, jeans, and a scarf on because his mother was only two steps behind him, swinging an axe. What the hell's gotten into her? Billy thought, as he skidded and slipped down the sidewalk. Already his fingers had trouble bending in, and his feet felt as if he'd stepped into an ice cube bath.

Stopping, though, wasn't an option.

Not exactly the greatest, but that's not the point. Will this help you unstick your brain in some way? Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but at least you'll be getting in some sort of writing today, eh? ;-)

Tune in next week...same Bat channel...same Bat station. (Can you tell I loved all those goofy 60s shows like Batman, The Addams Family, and The Munsters?)

See ya soon! :-)

~Nancy Beck