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Post by NightBlade on Feb 1, 2016 19:07:30 GMT
Exactly my issue! x)
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Post by Lylyss on Feb 1, 2016 19:24:24 GMT
Same here! :) Lol. My characters tend to float aimlessly back and forth. But when I try to iron out the plot, it usually means compromising something I love about the characters... and then I'm like "No! He must be a Galilean Zealot!" Or "But the backstory with her father was my favorite part." :(
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Post by Lylyss on Feb 4, 2016 9:37:39 GMT
So apparently GTW is doing another challenge as well. O_o Anyone doing #WeWriteBooks?
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Feb 29, 2016 6:41:13 GMT
I already write books. I'm not. I'm reading Jill's posts and THIRST, but I'm not directly participating in the challenge.
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Post by jliessa44 on Feb 29, 2016 22:07:09 GMT
I'm doing it.
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 1, 2016 6:29:59 GMT
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 1, 2016 13:11:05 GMT
Ooh. They have roleplaying tips in addition to writing ones! Danke for posting it, Dmitri!
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 3, 2016 6:00:02 GMT
Aye. I found the roleplaying tips thought-provoking as well. You're welcome!
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Post by NightBlade on Mar 12, 2016 0:10:55 GMT
Hey writers! Anyone wanna do a small, friendly 1000-word writing prompt competition?
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Post by jliessa44 on Mar 12, 2016 0:17:14 GMT
Eh? Details?
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Post by NightBlade on Mar 12, 2016 0:22:36 GMT
Well, we take some random and excting writing prompt, and then we write about a thousands words off it. In a vaguely word-war-esque fashion
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 12, 2016 2:14:40 GMT
I might be interested. Possibly. It depends mostly on the prompt, to be honest.
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Post by NightBlade on Mar 12, 2016 2:38:15 GMT
Well tonight I don't have time anymore. Tomorrow, mayyyybe. Responses thus far have been rather dubious so I dunno, we'll see.
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Post by Merenwen Inglorion on Mar 12, 2016 6:02:06 GMT
NightBlade: I'm interested, but I don't usually have time to come on here until bedtime...around 9/10PM PST (soon to be PDST ). Would we have to do it a certain time, or were you going to leave the prompt, then have all participants post their results here; or something else? I'll try to come on sometime tomorrow afternoon to check for a reply.
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Post by NightBlade on Mar 12, 2016 6:11:04 GMT
Merenwen Inglorion great! One person is enough for me I'll leave the prompt, then I'm going to bed and let's try to have our posts done as soon as possible tomorrow. The idea is, seize the first idea that pops into your head and just run with it until a thousand words happen x) WookieeElf Lylyss jliessa44 Leilani Sunblade Dmitri Pendragon (just in case you guys want to try...) I pulled a high-potential prompt off the internet Annnnnnd the prompt is: "I woke up to knocking on glass. I thought it was the window until it came from the mirror again."
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Post by WookieeElf on Mar 12, 2016 15:00:29 GMT
NightBlade: I'd love to try, but my laptop is very picky when it comes to using a web browser (it crashes a lot) so...I dunno. Sowee.
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Post by Merenwen Inglorion on Mar 12, 2016 15:50:50 GMT
Forgot I won't be able to be on around lunch, so I'll do this now. --- With the pillow halfway on my head, I froze. There was no freaking way this was happening again. As the wind outside smacked the tree limbs against my window, I slung my arm down and fumbled beneath my bed. Where was that knife? My fingers found the smooth marble, and I grasped it. The knocking came again. Slow, insistent. My heart slowed to the beat of those fingers on the inside of the glass. My vision narrowed until I could see a pair of eyes in the mirror that weren’t mine. She’d said to never go in, not when they called. They’d drain me, then use me to lure others in. She’d told me not to follow her. I clenched my teeth and sucked in a massive breath. My heart rate returned to normal. “Who are you?” There were many souls trapped in mirrors, most of them demons of one sort or another; I approached the mirror warily. The eyes in the mirror blinked, and suddenly they were eyes I knew. “Mom?” I stumbled over nothing and gripped the edge of the desk below the mirror. My mother’s beautiful, pale face stared at me. Her visage was clearer than my own. Hardly daring to hope, I lifted the marble and glass dagger to the edge of the mirror. What little moonlight filtered into the room reflected on the blade. I drew it across the surface of the glass. With a soft shing, it dipped beneath the surface. My mother’s face instantly transformed into something out of a horror movie. But not entirely; her eyes were still the same, lively blue I remembered from summer days. So were the small hands that reached out and flailed against the inside of the mirror. It was her. “Mom!” I drew the dagger out and set it on the desk. My mother’s zombie appearance returned to normal. Her lips moved, but I couldn’t hear her. Fighting the urge to dive into the mirror at once, I said, “I’ll get you out.” Her expression softened. She laid her hand on the mirror. I copied her. “Before it’s too late.” My hand made the surface of the glass ripple. I could just feel mother’s fingers pressing against my palm. The wind increased into a gale. Was that the window cracking? “I confess: INOCEEEEEEENNNNNNCE!”The sudden blast of noise from my cell phone made me jerk back. My hand made a slurking sound as it pulled out of the mirror. The scream-o continued until I found my phone beneath the desk. The number: familiar and unwelcome. I pressed the answer button, but didn’t bother to say anything. After a moment of thick static, a man’s voice said, “Don’t go in, son.” “Whatever, dad.” I hung up. My phone vibrated before I set it down. Did he know I was going to try anyways? A text appeared on screen. Do you want to see me?That gave me pause. He’d never offered that before. Extra time outside, trips with friends, he’d offered all of that, and I was getting sick of it. But he’d never asked if I wanted to see him. I went ahead and responded. B nice; haven’t seen u b4.Bring the knife. Go down the hall.I opened my bedroom door. The halls, dark and pale, didn’t look the same as they usually did. So, it was the same as always. He wouldn’t just let me have something; he always had to make me work for it. A maze, rlly?Did you expect something easy?No; but mayb rational. Why a maze at midnight?Midnight is the only time to try a maze. Any other time, and it’s boring.I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. KAfter a moment, I added: Is ths gonna b like when u caught me w/ cookies?I remembered that vividly. My hand was in the cookie jar, cookies were in my mouth, and more cookies were in my other hand. The voice that was my father had boomed through the kitchen loudspeakers. He’d put me through enough training to make a military man wince. At least, I’ve always thought so. Having rock-hard abs before I was even fifteen seemed to verify my musings. Not quite.Before I finished typing my next question, he responded. There won’t be ninja.He also had a fascination with sending assassins into my room whenever he felt that I was getting “lax.” I looked into the mirror. She was still there, watching. Her eyes blinked rapidly. They went from blue to black to red. She didn’t have much time. Srry, no.Mom had been there for me, while I’ve never even seen my dad. Not once. He’s there, I know that—the one time I doubted, vehemently, I found out exactly how long a body could survive without food—but he’s never been there for me. Mom had. If I was going to risk my life for anyone, it would be her. I turned off my phone and flung it beneath the bed. I went over to the dresser for my outfit. Dark blue shirt, black pants, grey face mask, grey gloves; every part of me was covered. If the things—there were things besides demons in there—somehow managed to grab any flesh, I was done for. I could fight, but ultimately, I wouldn’t stand a chance. My phone buzzed. I ignored it and continued dressing. The last things I needed; a sheath for the dagger, and a homing necklace. “Don’t worry, I’m taking it.” I twirled the simple necklace—a collar, really—so that dad could see it. “Wouldn’t want you to be inconvenienced by trying to muck through the undead trying to find my body.” The speakers in my room, one by the door, one in the alarm clock by my bed, crackled. “Don’t go in.” “I’m going.” I clipped the collar on, fingered the bright white, knobby pendant, and turned back to the mirror. “I’m coming.”
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Post by NightBlade on Mar 12, 2016 18:05:27 GMT
*raises hand* I gets the Red reference! Funny how we both got very similar ideas from the prompt. That being said, then, of course I liked yours *is still busily working on his thousand* EDIT: Blast. Forgot that I'm going to be quite occupied for several hours soon...I'll try to get back and finish by tonight. WookieeElf I guess I dont understand what you mean
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Post by WookieeElf on Mar 12, 2016 19:39:00 GMT
NightBlade: I'd be able to write, I guess, but posting it here would be a problem. My laptop (which has all my writing on it) hates using the Internet, so if I tried to go online to post here, it would crash and I'd have to restart everything.
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Post by jliessa44 on Mar 12, 2016 19:49:16 GMT
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 12, 2016 20:40:28 GMT
Merenwen Inglorion: Cool. I like it; it sounds interesting. WookieeElf: Can you write the thing on the laptop, then send it to yourself in an email that you can access on whatever device you normally do the internet on? And then post it from the email? My thing will be up later, hopefully.
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Post by WookieeElf on Mar 12, 2016 20:41:51 GMT
Leilani Sunblade: I wish. Maybe to browser would stay open a few minutes, but I dunno. I don't like my laptop right now, and it doesn't like me.
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 12, 2016 20:54:53 GMT
WookieeElf : Sorry. I'd suggest a flash drive, but you seem to be using a mobile device, and Dropbox (my primary way of transferring things between computers) requires internet to download, so . . . I don't know. Edit: Finished my piece. I'm not 100% thrilled with it, because I got to the end and realized I didn't really know what to do with it . . . and I also went a touch over 1K. Sorry 'bout that. But anyway, here it is. ------- I woke up to knocking on glass. I thought it was the window until it came from the mirror again. Groaning, I untangled myself from the sheets and rolled out of bed. If this was what I thought it was, I was going to be very grumpy. Sure enough, Carthak’s smirk, rather than my own face, greeted me when I stumbled to the mirror. I scowled at him. “Go away.” “Why would I do that, my dear?” Unnaturally long fingers steepled beneath his pointed chin. “Unless you don’t want me to tell you what I did this time . . .” “I hate you. Honestly. What time is it, even?” I glanced at the clock. “One-thirteen? Really?” Carthak just laughs. “You should know by now that my kind don’t run on the same schedule you silly humans do. Why would we, when the night has so much more potential than the day?” “Heard it before.” I sighed, steadying myself with a hand on the mirror’s frame. “What do you want anyway?” “I don’t want anything,” Carthak replied innocently. “You, however, might want to know that my soldiers found one of your cousins out past dusk tonight. They know better than to harm her, of course, but there’s nothing in our agreement against simply capturing humans.” “There will be. Soon as I can add another clause.” I sigh. “And you want me to try to capture her back.” “Well, unless you want her to grow up in our caves, never seeing the sun again . . .” Carthak shrugged. “If that’s what you prefer, I’m sure I understand. Her parents might not, but then again, perhaps they wouldn’t blame you for valuing your sleep over their daughter’s life . . .” “Oh, shut up.” I was severely tempted to punch the mirror- but unfortunately, it wouldn’t have any effect on Carthak’s ugly face. “Same terms as always?” “Of course.” Carthak’s smirk turned triumphant. “You have until dawn to find and rescue him. After that, if you want him back, you’ll have to come down to my caves to reclaim him.” “And if I win, you owe me another favor.” I’d collected four favors already. I hoped that five would be enough to force him to add the next clause to our agreement- that he’d stop capturing humans so long as I didn’t destroy the mirror he used to contact me. “Agreed?” “Agreed.” Carthak’s face flickered. “I’ll let you get dressed now. I look forward to seeing you on the hunt again.” “Sure you do,” I muttered, and waited until I could see myself in the mirror before rapidly changing out of my pajamas and into sturdy boots, long pants, and a t-shirt and hoodie-style jacket. I didn’t bother to brush and re-braid my hair; with any luck, no one but Carthak and his soldiers would see me, and goodness knows I didn’t want them to appreciate my looks or lack thereof. Carthak was creepy enough towards me as it was. On the way out the door, I loaded my belt and pockets with everything I thought I might need: cold iron hunting knife, sturdy maglight, compass, two water bottles, sachets of mint and basil and nightshade, and my cell phone. Out in the chilly night, I circled around the house and plunged into the woods behind it. I moved more noisily than I would’ve liked, but if I knew Carthak’s soldiers, it wouldn’t matter much until I got deeper in. They’d have retreated to one of their favorite hiding spots to wait for me to appear, and wouldn’t have scouts out this close to the house. The first two spots I checked- a pile of stones that formed a sort of cave beside a spreading oak and a cave that I strongly suspected held a door to Carthak’s realm- were abandoned. But as I approached the third, the woods around me blurred and the ground beneath my feet rippled. Enchantment. With my pockets full of anti-magic herbs, the enchantments couldn’t affect me. But I needed more. I pulled a few dried leaves from the basil and mint sachets and swallowed them with a sip of water. Now not only could enchantments not affect me, but I was invisible to seeing-magics . . . which were exactly what allowed all Carthak’s kind to see in the dark so well. I had to step with care now, making sure not to crack any twigs or rustle any undergrowth as I approached. With one hand I drew my hunting knife; in the other I held my maglight- not for light; that would give me away; but for extra hitting power if necessary. So far, I’d never had to actually fight any of Carthak’s soldiers, but if I had to defend myself . . . Ahead, a clearing took shape. I knew without seeing them that white flowers of a sort ont found anywhere else in the woods formed three interlocking circles in the grass. I also knew that my cousin would be unconscious in the very center of those circles. But I paused at the clearing’s edge anyway, counting how many soldiers guarded her. Only three- good. I could sneak past three. Temporarily sliding my maglight back into its case, I picked up a few pebbles from the ground and tossed one towards a point on the clearing’s edge some distance away. As I hoped, one of the soldiers went to investigate. I ghosted forward, careful not to step on any of the flowers- doing so would effectively nullify the herbs I swallowed. Two guards remained to watch my cousin- one of the younger ones, I noted with disgust. She couldn’t be more than five. And Carthak thought she was fair game! But that would make her easier to rescue, at least. I pulled another rock from my pocket and threw it towards the clearing’s edge, some distance down from where I’d tossed the first. The soldiers glanced towards each other, exchanging an eye-roll. Then one set off in the direction of the noise, muttering about how Carthak shouldn’t allow soldiers who couldn’t even find one silly human to guard the prisoners. I stifled a laugh and scooped up my cousin while the last guard’s back was turned. Then I hurried away, back across the clearing. I was nearly at its edge when I felt a faint tingle and heard the guard call “Here! She’s getting away!” I glanced down to see a crushed flower below my foot. Darn it! I took off into the woods, not bothering to be stealthy. Right now, I just needed to get away. In my arms, my cousin stirred, sleeping enchantments losing their grip on her. Once I thought I was a fair distance from the clearing, I stopped and ducked behind a tree. I gulped down another few herb leaves, not bothering with water, and pressed another two into my cousin’s mouth. She’d probably spit them out once she came fully awake, but until then . . . Well, all I had to do was get to the outer edge of the woods. Then I’d be safe- at least until Carthak tried his games again.
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Post by NightBlade on Mar 13, 2016 2:59:07 GMT
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 13, 2016 12:03:25 GMT
I agree that it was fun- though more difficult than I expected. xP
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Post by Merenwen Inglorion on Mar 14, 2016 15:24:31 GMT
NightBlade: I had that song stuck in my head all day. I needed somewhere to put it. It was a lot of fun; thanks for the prompt!
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Post by jliessa44 on Mar 14, 2016 17:07:34 GMT
Yeah. Mid seen the prompt around, but I'd never really thought about using it until I was forced to. Lol. And now I have a new charrie. C:
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Post by NightBlade on Apr 21, 2016 17:36:51 GMT
Yknow, one of the main struggles I'm recently becoming aware of is not wearing influences on my sleeve. Fiction seems to follow fads, and there's always good, inspiring works that I am influenced by, but you can't allow yourself to simply make a copy-genre or obviously show where your ideas come from. If there's plot elements traced back to your inspiration source then you might need to bury it deeper and more trickily.
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Post by jliessa44 on Apr 21, 2016 17:49:55 GMT
I have that problem a lot actually. Especially because most of what I read all fall within the same sub genre I write in because that's what I love
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Post by NightBlade on May 10, 2016 2:30:01 GMT
Heheh so I was typing up a little bit of Caedmon's story on my phone and went to paste it into the main doc later, right? Well when I highlighted it in Word online it said "666 words" and I was like 0___0 "oh heck nuh." So I was just looking at it for a moment, and then realized I had forgotten a tiny bit at the bottom. So I pasted it in and it wasn't 666 anymore and the Antichrist didn't appear and everything was okay xD (EDIT and to make sure Lylyss sees this xD )
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