Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 4

Choosing Details and Make Your Details Manageable

The character I'm writing about here is Rachel. She is Annie's ancestor and is burnt as a witch in the Prologue. I wrote things down as I thought of them.

~ ~ ~ ~
Illustrate which details you would use to give the reader strong visuals of your character.
* torn, muddy, bloodstained nightdress
* long dark plait with pondweed tangled in it
* face bruised, dirty with mud, smoke and dried blood
* eyes tired from lack of sleep and watering from smoke, but very angry
* bare, dirty feet cut by stones, wrists rubbed raw from coarse rope

Illustrate details that you feel would give an accurate and coherent impression of your character.
* anger at Cramer
* love for her daughter (Rosie) and fears for her safety as she secretly leaves the village
* pity and understanding for the other villagers who betrayed her to Cramer
* sorrow that other innocent woman in the village have also been burnt
* despair of betraying her beliefs
* fear her goddess won't honour the curse as it goes against her beliefs

~ ~ ~ ~
This is the final lesson in my first course. The next one I'm starting is a six week course called Horror Writing. I'm really enjoying them, and I'm finding them a good inspiration for plot points :-)

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 3

Showing Your Characters With Natural and Believable Dialogue
This is a part of what I wrote for the assignment.

Pressing the spoon against the side of the mug, Annie scooped the teabag out again and, pushing the flip lid down with her free hand, dropped it into the bin. The teabag caught the lid and slid down, leaving a trail of leaves.

"At least it didn't fall on the floor," she shrugged.

Annie carried her drink into the front room and curled up on the sofa. She gazed into the mug and swirled the tea round, watching black specks floating on the top. They started to sink.

"It'll taste fine, and I get to tell my own fortune at the end of it." She chuckled to herself, "it'll probably say I talk to myself too much!"

Cupping the mug in her hands she sipped her tea until it was nearly gone. The moment she felt a leaf in her mouth she stopped. "Right, I'm sure I've read this in Harry Potter, you're supposed to turn the teacup over on a saucer, then read what's left behind."

Not having a saucer she glanced around to find somewhere she could pour the rest of the tea. She looked at the bedraggled spider plant sitting on the table and slowly smiled. "I'm sure tea is good for plants, it's practically compost." She swirled the tea left in her mug and poured it on to the plant. She peered into the mug, "Isn't this part where I see a tall, dark, handsome stranger taking me on a long sea voyage and selling my body for lots of camels? Hmm...maybe not." She turned the mug round to see if that made more sense. It didn't.

"Well, I guess that could be a letter...maybe that's his initial...then again, maybe I'm just day-dreaming too much again. Get a grip." She shook her head, chuckling, "and stop talking to yourself!"

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 2

Do you know where your character comes from? To have three dimensional characters, you need to create a physical, sociological and psychological environment for them.

Physical Environment
My story has two main locations. It starts with a Prologue set in the 17th century in the same Essex village that the majority of the novel is set in, in the present day. The first chapter takes place in London where Annie and her daughter live before they move to the village, and the busy city will be a big contrast to life in the country. In the village there’s a village green which is the place where Annie’s ancestor (Rachel) was burnt as a witch in the Prologue. Some of the buildings from then still exist in the present day, e.g. the church, the inn/pub, and the stables (now converted).

Annie arrives in the village in the spring. The story takes place over the following few months, finishing in November, a few days after Halloween, on the anniversary of Rachel’s death. The weather is very varied, i.e. typically English!

Plants are an important part of the book as lots will be needed for various spells, potions, etc. I need to make sure that the ones I use are in season. There are several animals including owls and ravens with mystic links to things in the book.

Sociological Environment
In London there’s little interaction between neighbours, most keep to themselves, although Annie does have some people she’s close too. Rose doesn’t fit in that well at school. She’s not bullied, she’s happy as a solitary child. The village people are mostly friendly. Her gran is well thought of, but some people are wary of her because she’s descended from a witch, and this will cause some conflict.

Annie has a job in a small clothes shop in London, but doesn’t have one to begin with when they move to the country. She may start up her own cottage industry selling jam, honey, dried herbs, etc., that she’s made herself but I haven’t decided that yet. She will need to do something to support herself and Rose. Rose likes to help in the garden; she used to help a neighbour on his allotment in London.

In the village people mainly work in the local area (village shops, post office, hairdressers, library, pub, etc.), but there are some who commute to work in larger towns nearby. There are also some farms in the area.

Most of the villagers are Anglican; one of the secondary characters has a brother who’s a Catholic priest, who is called to do an exorcism later in the book. Gran and her family have always been pagans but Annie (who grew up without knowing her background) has no particular belief.

Gran celebrates traditional pagan holidays over the year including Beltane which is celebrated on May 1st. Local villagers also celebrate May Day with traditional maypole dancing on the green and there is conflict between some in the community who feel this shouldn’t be allowed because of its pagan roots.

In the village there is a pub and a small library, and a cinema in a nearby town. The publican is thinking of setting up a museum of local history in some converted stables, hoping that it will attract people to stay in his pub.

Annie and Rose lived in a tower block in London; the area had a reputation of being a bit rough. The village has always been a sleepy country one, but it is changing as people commute to other towns to work.

Psychological Environment
The publican tries to inflict his viewpoint on how things should be run, but the people who work out of the village don’t really care. Gran carries on doing her own things and the majority of people in the village are happy to let her.

In London most people don’t like to get involved in other peoples’ lives and Annie and Rose don’t have many friends. The village is very welcoming to them, sometimes a little too interested.

The main local legends are based on the history of the witch burnings that had happened there in the 17th century. The publican wants to capitalise on them to attract visitors to the village (and his pub). The area has a reputation for being haunted.

Annie finds life in London quite stressful so the village (to begin with) is a very restful change. In the village most people are friendly, there are just a few who dislike Gran and therefore any members of her family. There are some negative undercurrents and rumours about what Gran and Annie are doing when the presence of the ghosts becomes more widely known.

Get Well Soon Hamster!!

The Vampire.

Its top speed is estimated to be 370mph. It accelerates at 0-272mph in six seconds. It's powered by a Rolls Royce Orpheus jet engine. It holds the Outright British Land Speed Record of 300.3mph. And last Tuesday it crashed at 300mph. It veered off the runway and flipped over several times, landing upside down. The driver didn't quite walk away from it, but he did say he had to do a piece to camera!



Richard Hammond (aka the Hamster) is one of the presenters of the BBC show Top Gear. It's more than just a show about cars, they do challenges and stunts and it's wonderfully funny and entertaining. It could be argued that this was a challenge (setting a new record) too far, but that's not important at the moment.

Richard was airlifted to hospital by Air Ambulance and was said to be 'critical but stable' in the Intensive Care Unit with 'serious brain injuries'. A couple of days later he was put into High Dependancy, and now he's on a general ward. He's walking a bit (he didn't break a single bone, apparently because they're strapped in so tightly) and the hospital say they are hopeful he will make a good recovery :-D

Fans set up a website to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance hoping to raise about £30,000. By this morning it's already raised £144,219.22 and they've set a revised target of £500,000! YAA are planning to put the donations towards buying a second helicopter - Hammy's Heli.

I just wanted to add to all the good wishes to Richard and his family.

Get well soon!!

What Can You Say?!

3 Brits die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.

142 Brits were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.

58 Brits are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers.

31 Brits have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in.

19 Brits have died in the last 3 years believing that Christmas decorations were chocolate.

British Hospitals reported 4 broken arms last year after cracker pulling accidents.

101 people since 1999 have had broken parts of plastic toys pulled out of the soles of their feet.

18 Brits had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper (sweater) with a lit cigarette in their mouth.

A massive 543 Brits were admitted to A&E in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth.

5 Brits were injured last year in accidents involving out-of-control Scalextric cars.

And finally.........

In 2000 8 Brits cracked their skull whilst throwing up into the toilet.

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters - Lesson 1

The first assignment is looking at the names we've picked for our characters.

My novel is a ghost story with aspects of witchcraft/paganism in it. There are four primary characters, two are from the 17th century and two from the present day.

My present-day main character's name is Annie, and I'm not sure where I got the idea from for that (I've been planning this book for years!). Her daughter is called Rose (Rosie). Originally I was going to call her Caitlin (Cait), because I like the name, but I decided it didn't look so good written down. I've joined a Wiccan Forum and been given a lot of help and advice from one of the Mods there. Part of her online name is Rose, so I decided to use that, and I think a flower name fits in well with the pagan aspects of the book.

The main character from the 17th century is called Cramer. He is a Witch-finder, and I took his name from one of the authors (Heinrich Kramer) of a witch hunter's handbook called "Malleus Maleficarum" ("The Hammer of Witches") which was published @ 1486. The title of my novel is "The Witches' Hammer" so I thought using his name was a nice reference to that. The other 17th century character is Rachel, one of Annie's ancestors, who Cramer burnt as a witch. As with Annie, I'm not sure where I got the idea for her name from.

Test

I'm getting an error message....my blog's disappeared!!!

September

Start of the new school and college year. A couple of years ago I took a college course, "Writing and Publishing", and I wanted to do another one. The only creative writing courses that my local collage are running are during the day - obviously only unemployed or retired people want to write creatively!

I'd thought about doing an online course for a while, and I did the free short F2K course at the beginning of the year. One thing that had put me off was the cost. But then I thought, I was happy to pay £40 for the ten week course at the local college, so what's the difference of paying for an online one? I've joined the Writers' Village University for a year, and it doesn't cost that much more.

There are over 200 courses available, of varying lengths. My first one is four weeks long and starts today...

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters
How can you ensure your reader will care about your characters? Are your characters three dimensional or are they flat and lifeless? This course will show you step by step how to create memorable characters which will captivate your reader.

I'm going to do what I did before, and post my assignments here as well as on my WVU class posting board. I'm excited about doing the courses, I feel like it will give me a real kick-start to my writing, and stop me prevaricating.

So I might actually manage to write in my blog a bit more! If I don't post you'll have to nag me to make sure I'm doing my homework!!

Some quizzes...

I know I've not written here for a while. I have been doing some book writing though, so that's a good thing.

I've done a few quizzes so here I am...

You Are From Pluto

You are a dark, mysterious soul, full of magic and the secrets of the universe. You can get the scoop on anything, but you keep your own secrets locked in your heart. You love change and you use it to your advantage, whether by choice or chance. You don't like to compromise, to the point of being self-destructive with your stubborness. Live life with love, and your deep powers will open the world to you.

What Planet Are You From?

You Are Sunshine

Soothing and calm You are often held up by others as the ideal But too much of you, and they'll get burned You are best known for: your warmth Your dominant state: connecting

What Type of Weather Are You?

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"Nice doggy."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

Burglar Alarms

Specifically, the one at work.

Spent my usual 8 am to 6 pm at work Friday, and after we'd finished putting things away it was about 6.15 pm by the time we got to the back door. We were just about to put in the code when one girl noticed the orange Trouble light was on, and the display screen said Fuse. Not good....and even less good that we'd noticed it. If we hadn't seen it, it would have been unfortuate if the alarm hadn't been set correctly over the weekend, but we wouldn't have known anything about it. But as it was, we had to sort it out.

We went back to Reception, called the Reception Manager (it was her day off) and she agreed that we had to ring the Alarm Company. The switchboard girl put me through to some department, and they said an engineer would ring. The phones were set up to direct all calls to the Out-of-Hours Urgent Care service, so I gave her my mobile number instead. She said the engineer should ring within 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes there'd been no call, then I realised there was no signal on my phone, probably because of all the metal shutters on the windows!!!

The Manager has a seperate line in her office, so I went up and finally managed to divert it downstairs . I rang the alarm people back and gave them the new number. Then I rang the RM again to let her know what was happening and she said that one of the other receptionists could go home but I musn't be there on my own (I'm the most senior member of staff there so I knew I had to stay). My Mum had turned up to give me a lift home so I told her to come in and said the others could go home.

I also rang the Practice Manager (she finished at lunchtime) to let her know what was happening but she was out so I just left a message. Then the engineer rang and said he was about 20 minutes away, so we sat and waited.

He finally got there and changed the fuse in box, setting the alarm off in the process - it was VERY LOUD!!!!!! I ran off to put the code in, and he rang his base because we're linked to the police station so they had to cancel the call.

Finally got in at 7.50pm!!

My Webmail

I really am sad about online things *hehe*

We've all had our e-mail addresses changed at work, to make them more secure. We've gone from having an Outlook Express account to a Webmail one. Everything is stored on a main central NHS server so we can access our accounts from any machine, even from home apparently. I don't think I'll be doing that though, I'd rather forget about work once I've walked out the door!

The IT guys came late yesterday to update everything, and I've spent most of this afternoon changing things to make it look nicer :-D

Now it's got a green background instead of a blue one, I've added a "Private and Confidential, etc." signature, and changed the font to purple Comic Sans!!

Still getting used to how it all works. Some things seem better than OE but I'm not keen on part of the layout. I love the task list though. I've been used to writing lists and highlighting things when I've done them - this is much more technical and very cool.

Of course, anything's better than working!! ;-)

Games and Prevarications

I'm writing this in Debenhams' café, drinking a large Diet Pepsi and eating a Double Choc Chip Cookie.

I was in Game earlier today, looking at different PC games I might be interested in. I bought Oblivion (a role-playing game) a while back but it turned out my PC isn't powerful enough to run it so the game's in a cupboard until I have to buy another PC. I think it's the RAM that's the problem so I'll make sure the new machine's got loads. I think it has to be huge because there's so much going on as you play. I was looking at Call of Cthulhu, Morrowind and The Da Vinci Code. CoC caught my eye because there's been some discussion about Cthulhu and Lovecraft's books on Outpost Gallifrey because of the look of the Ood (see below), apparently there are some similarities.

Two of my favourite games on the Playstation are Broken Sword One and Two. They are quite old "point and click" style games, but I love solving the clues, and they've got excellent storylines. TDC looks quite similar (but doesn't get a good review on Amazon).

I was looking and thinking, "well, £19.99 isn't too bad, although I could wait until I saw it second-hand". But I decided I wouldn't buy a second-hand PC game, just because of any virus problems, or damage they might do to the PC. I buy most of my Playstation games second-hand, and never had any problems with them.

Then I thought, "this is just more prevarication". I've written hardly anything in the last few months, mostly because of Doctor Who, I think. When the series was on the TV I was spending most of my time on DW sites talking and reading about the previous week's episode and the one to come (and also complete nonsense on other parts of the OG Forum!!

The series is over now until next year, although the spin-off Torchwood starts on the BBC in October. Both series are being filmed at the moment so there are always site reports to read, and pictures of aliens in Cardiff.

I really need to cut down on the amount of time I spend there so I can spend more time working on my writing. I was reading a friend's short(!) story on OG, and it's inspired me to kick-start myself again *crosses fingers*

*Looks up at what she's just written*

I think this is the most I've written in one go in MONTHS!!!

This is encouraging, although it might mean I need to spend more time in cafés! I think that's where J K Rowling started off, so it's no bad place to be. The good thing about this one is that it's quite big and right at the back of the shop. Most people stop at the little bistros they have near the entrances, so there's no problem about me sitting here in the corner for an hour.

I'm also waiting for Boots to develop my pictures in One-Hour (actually One-Hour and a Half because the developing man was on lunch when I took them in!) But more on them later....

*Looks up again*

I think I might have gone a bit overboard with the linkage!! *lol*

The Impossible Planet

I know, it's been weeks since I last posted!! Sorry everyone, but I'm back :-)

I love Doctor Who. I think it's my favourite programme. This Saturday's episode is said to be very scary!! YAY!!


courtesy of Sir Didymus



The best show on tv and a brand new two part story. You don't need to have watched it before... but now's the perfect chance to find out just what 40% of the viewing audience in the UK, and an average of 7 to 10 million people are raving about week in week out... the show with the highest Audience Appreciation figures average...

The show that mixes sci-fi and horror with all out comedy from the cream of Britain's writing crop [including Russell T Davis, Queer As Folk/The Second Coming/Casanova; Mark Gattiss, The League Of Gentlemen; Steven Moffat, Coupling; Matthew Graham, Life On Mars; Stephen Fry, nuff said].

The show with the best leading man on the box in David Tennant [Casanova, Blackpool, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire], and one of the best leading ladies in Billie Piper [So Much Ado About Nothing, Spirit Trap].

The show with a guest star list that so far includes the likes of Anthony Head, Simon Pegg, Tamsin Grieg, Zoe Wannamaker, Pauline Collins, Annette Badland, Penelope Wilton, Adam Garcia, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sophia Myles, Richard Wilson and Simon Callow, and this week features Shaun Parkes and Danny Webb!

The homegrown mainstream smash that shames anything America's produced for television in the last five years.

TRUST ME. WATCH IT. IF YOU'RE NOT HOME, TAPE IT AND WATCH IT LATER OR CATCH A REPEAT... THIS IS MUST SEE TV.

AND PASS THIS MESSAGE ON.

SATURDAY. 7pm. BBC1.

I was young and I needed the money.....

I mentioned on the OG Forum that I once went for a job interview in a massage parlour, and details were requested. As I wrote it up for there I thought I'd post it here too.


After I left University with my (really useful) archaeological degree I couldn't get a 'proper' job anywhere. I wanted to work in Stoke and the local museum only had vacancies for people who already had museum qualifications. I worked in Hanley market on a bread, cheese and oatcakes stall (that's where my Mum sold Russ Abbott some cheese); in a clothes shop (but I asked to be made redundant because they were messing me around with my hours); in a Pot Bank where most people were making pots but I was gluing the black artificial coal pieces together that are used in gas-fires (I had a reaction to the glue and started walking into things so I had to leave); and finally in a local cafe that opened for the Pot Banks at 6.30 am, so we had to get there before 6 am.

Me, my Mum and my next-door neighbour all worked there together, with the couple who owned it. The man who owned the 'massage parlour' (he didn't call it that obviously - he was a physiotherapist) used to come in every day for breakfast and then lunch. Apparently his last girl left so he needed a new assistant and asked me if I'd be interested, and that the money would be better than the cafe. He said he'd need to do an interview so to pop in any time. My Mum thought it was a bit dubious(!) so I took her with me, which I don't think he was expecting.

He showed me round - very nice and tasteful - and told me about the kind of work he did. Apparently he was the official physio for Port Vale Football Club (just up the road) so I'd be able to work on all those footballers too. Then he started talking about the 'training'. Apparently I wouldn't need to go to college, he'd teach me everything I needed to know...

When I would be massaging (sorry, physiotheraping) clients they would have various nether regions tastefully covered with a towel. However, I'd have to learn how to massage (sorry, do physiotherapy) on the entire body so, before the place opened each morning, I would have a practical session with him. Of course, so I could learn properly, he wouldn't be using any towels, so I could see exactly what I was doing...

It was at this point that Mum and I decided that this wasn't really the career I wanted to get into so we said thanks and left.

Funnily enough, we got a phone call from Hanley CID a few months later saying that the girl he'd taken on instead of me was being questioned about solicitation, and he was being investigated for running a brothel!!! After we told them I'd only gone for an interview but turned the job down they said it was okay, they didn't need to interview me.

New Car = New Start : this was very good advice!

*still shaking*



I've done it!!!! I'VE FINALLY PASSED!!!!

I think I deafened the poor examiner when he told me because I shrieked so loud then I started crying and shaking so much I could hardly sign the form - the two signatures on it are completely different!

I only got 4 minors (out of an allowable 15) so I drove really well :-D

I'm a Driver!!!

It's taken me two years and eight days to pass, from my very first lesson. I daren't add up how much it's cost me altogether... it was £93 just for today!

Did I mention I'm a Driver!!!

Fourth time unlucky...?

Okay. I'm fed-up and worrying about Saturday. I had a lesson last night and spent half of it in tears. My instructor's had a new car (2006 Mini) which is the same model (thankfully) but the clutch is different, etc. I'll have driven it for a grand total of three hours before my test at 10.44 am on Saturday morning.

I'm so worried I'm going to fail again...I find it *so* frustrating that 17 year old lads pass their test after about 3 lessons and I keep failing. That's not me being derogatory to teenagers btw - it's just my frustration that at 37 I should be able to do this!!!

I'll keep you updated on Saturday.

I feel like some pictures - Scotland

I've been on holiday to Scotland lots of times, it's one of my favourite places, especially the Outer Hebrides, a group of islands off the north-west coast of Scotland. I had a book on Skye when I was younger and there was a picture of a house in it that I was determined to buy when I got lots of money. When I went there on holiday I made my Mum drive round the island until we found it!!



We went on a trip to Lewis and saw the Callanish Stones, I love ancient monuments, especially mystical ones.



One of the things I love about the Islands is the beaches. With the white sand and the azure sea it's hard to remember you're actually looking at the Atlantic Ocean!



Now I'm getting all nostalgic for Scotland...I think I need to go there again on holiday.

Very Short Update

I might as well just copy+paste from earlier posts.... I failed my driving test again - for the third time!!!

My manoeuvres went okay this time because I didn't have to parallel park. It was the rest that was rubbish. My gears went to pot, I tried to pull out of a junction in third instead of first, I stalled twice, I was bloody useless!!!

I have put in for it again - March 18th. It's so expensive so I better pass soon. The test is £55 (more expensive on a Saturday) and £38 for a two-hour lesson.

I hate driving.

pbwiki - still great!!

I've written about pbwiki before, in September when I started this blog. I've found it really useful for my writing, a good back-up along with my hard-drive and my flash-drive. I've been using it for my F2K work as well as my novel.

Mine is a private one as it's got all my work on it, but there are public ones out there too.

Here's a few I found that show how some people use them...

Narnia Confidential

FrauBucher: Books and Book Searches

Spam Legal Action

The Reading Cat

F2K : Lesson Three

I found this difficult to write, I cried a lot. It's about Jake.


From your own writings, pick out a paragraph you like; then tell it from a different POV.


The lead slipped from her hand and the dog nimbly dodged underneath the couch, jumping over the metal struts supporting the legs.

"Hey you, come back here!"

Annie chuckled a little as he faced the corner then headed back around the room. However, her laugh was strained, the tears were falling. He walked back towards her, his trailing lead getting tangled round the vet's legs as he tried to move out of the dog's way. She sat down on the floor, leaning back against the wall, "Come here darlin', come and have a cuddle".

He headed straight for her and, turning round, sat down on her outstretched legs. "That's a good boy." She put her arms around him and gave him a hug, breathing in his doggy smell. Normally she hardly noticed it, but now she wanted to remember everything she could. His white fur tickled her nose and she sneezed, surprising them both.

The nurse came into the room carrying a metal dish and she and the vet both looked down to the pair sitting on the floor. Annie nodded slightly and nudged her dog off her lap. She stayed on the floor, kneeling up to hug him again as he stood in front of her, his side pressing against her. She could feel his heart pitter-pattering under her hand as she held him close.

The vet spoke softly, "Hold him tight for me; I just need to shave a little bit of his leg."

He knelt down too. The electric razor whizzed but it was so quick that the dog didn’t seem to notice the noise. The nurse knelt down beside him and passed over a small antiseptic wipe.

"This will be a bit cold for him, hold him and keep talking to him."

Annie hugged him again as he moved his leg away from the coldness. The vet took one of the syringes from the metal dish that the nurse was holding.

"How...how long will it take?" Annie asked, tears running down her face.

He smiled gently, "It's very quick, less than a minute, just keep talking to him all the time". She nodded, and buried her face in fur.

"It's all right my love...it's all right." Hot tears ran down her cheek and spilled onto her dog's back. She deliberately didn't watch what the vet was doing but heard the clink of the syringe in the dish and tried not to think about the liquid death that was pumping round his body. She knew that it was nearly time.

"I love you darling, you know I love you, I always will." She repeated the same words over and over, kissing the top of his head. She wanted the last thing he heard to be her voice, the last thing he felt to be her arms around him and her kisses. She wanted him to know that he was loved. Her voice turned thick and croaky as she cried.

She felt him sag against her, and gently supported him as she let him slide to the floor. She started to sob even more. It was over.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jake could smell the scents of strange creatures. He recognised his own kind, and those pesky cats, but there were others in the air... He skipped across the room under the bed, there was one wafting on the air over in the corner and he wanted to have a closer sniff.

He heard her voice calling from behind so turned back and, pushing past a stranger, trotted up to her and sat down heavily on her lap.

This is much nicer than sitting on the cold floor, he thought. He felt her arms around his tummy and smiled happily to himself as she scratched one of his ears.

He stood up again as she nudged him and then pressed himself against her as she hugged him. Hug me again, he thought, I love it when you tickle my tummy and scratch behind my ears. Scratch my back too, in that place I can’t reach however hard I try.

He felt someone else kneel down beside him and looked round, confused at the new people who were here with him. The whirr of something strange distracted him a little but he snuggled back against her and closed his eyes in pleasure.

What’s that, it’s cold...ouch...and it’s sharp...

He could feel water splashing on his coat and looked up, worried for a moment when he saw she was crying. She smiled at him again and he felt reassured, everything’s fine.

He could hear her voice telling him she loved him and he wished he could tell her that he knew, and he loved her too. But these humans, he thought, they just never seem to understand what we say.

Her voice seemed to be getting further way, and he felt a sudden wave of tiredness sweep through his body. His eyelids felt heavier...he leant against her.

So tired, just need to sleep for a little while.....

Word Cloud

I found this on mentalexcrements' site.

My Blog summed up in 100 words.





You can buy T-shirts with your very own Blog Cloud on.

F2K : Lesson Two - Writing Exercise 2

Write one (1) paragraph using all the senses. Include at least three (3) words or phrases that suggest something without saying what the sense is.

She walked, trying to move silently through the trees. Dried brown pine needles crackled under her boots and she winced in dismay. Quickly she turned to see if there was any sign of someone following her but there was no one there. Her chest hurt as she breathed in the Christmas-scented air quickly and deeply, her heart still pounding from running into the forest. Her misty breath clouded her vision as she peered into the blackness behind her. As she reached the bottom of the slope the ground became very soggy. Mud squelched under her pink wellingtons, dirtying the bright white daisy pattern. She skidded a little in her hurry, trying to keep her balance on the sloping ground. Suddenly a crow cawed loudly as it flew up from a nearby tree, breaking the heavy silence. Turning again to look behind, her foot slipped in the mud and she fell heavily. The mud was thick and viscous under her hand. She tried get up but her hand kept sliding away so she turned herself over to push herself up from her knees. She tried to stifle a sob as pain shot through her ankle where she'd twisted it as she fell. She could feel the sweat running down her face but when she wiped it she was shocked to see streaks of red amongst the dark brown mud on her hand. She felt around her mouth gingerly with her tongue, and tasted the coppery tang of blood seeping from the inside of her cheek. She must have bitten it as she fell but hadn't even realised until she saw the blood on her hand. Daylight was starting to fade and the forest was becoming gloomier all the time.

F2K : Lesson Two - Writing Exercise 1

Write one sentence for each sense (all 8 of them).

Sight
As the flames reached ever higher, sparks and flaming flakes of ash rode the wind upwards and disappeared into the smoke.

Hearing
The child covered his ears with his hands and shut his eyes tightly, but the screams of the women still echoed in his mind.

Touch
She tried to free her wrists tightly bound behind her, the coarse rope rubbing her raw flesh.

Smell
There was a rancid stench from the thick smoke billowing from the pyre.

Taste
The taste of death was in the air.

Time
The silver moon hung low in the sky, its reflection fractured in the frozen surface of the lake.

Space
As she sank to the bottom of the lake the trailing weeds entangled themselves around her, getting tighter as she struggled.

Unknown
His breath was hot against her cheek...she gasped slightly as his hand tightened around her throat, she could feel herself slipping into darkness.

My Jake

My dog Jake's a border-collie cross. He's been off-side for a while, he went off his legs on Chrismas Day and just lay there, looking confused. He didn't seem to be in any pain and after about ten minutes he was up and walking about. It happened again this morning. We were in the front room and he suddenly started yelping. All his legs had gone, they were splayed out like Bambi on ice. It must have been painful, straining like that and that was why he was yelping. He was in front of the kitchen door and we couldn't get in, but he dragged himself across the floor so we could open up the door.

I rang the vets and they said bring him right in. The vet gave him a good going over and said he had a heart murmur but it was probably arthritis that was causing him to go off his legs. He was getting stiff while he's asleep then couldn't get up when he tried. She said we could try an anti-inflammatory injection, but she knew what we'd come prepared for.

He's sixteen and he's had a good life. Giving him a pain-killing injection would be for us, not for him. So we had him put to sleep. I cuddled him while it happened, he just fell asleep. The vet left us with him and I stroked him while he grew colder under my hand.

We're having him cremated and having the ashes back, but don't know what we're going to do with them yet.

I've got some pictures from Christmas on my new digital camara, once I've worked out how to upload them, I'll put a couple of pictures up here.

I know it was the right thing to do, but it still hurts.

Birthday Blues

It's my birthday on Thursday, I'll be 37. I know in the great scheme of things that's not old, but somehow it's so much closer to 40 than the mid-thirties.

I guess I'm a bit down about it. It's not so much the actual age, it's that I look at my life and see that nothing's really changed over the last fifteen years. I finished my degree (archaeology - so useful in everyday life!) then had about eighteen months of casual jobs (market stall, shop, cafe, potbank) before getting a receptionist job at a doctors' surgery.

Fifteen years later I'm still there, working upstairs doing computer reports on clinical data. But the only real change in my life is the people I've met through the Internet - either in RL as well or just online. I still live at home with my Mum (I know, how sad is that!), we've got the same dog (a mad Border Collie-cross called Jake). I do go to a different church, Anglican instead of Methodist. Oh, my hair's red now but that's hardly life-shattering.

I am happy most of the time with everything, I guess I just get thoughts now and again about what I want from life - this is a 'now' time.

I don't know what could make it different and even whether I'd be happier if it was. Oh well... I'm sure I'll be back to my usual cheery self in a few days, after Thursday anyway ;-)

F2K : Lesson One

Bit nervous but here goes...


Have a character you have created tell us a little about you. Have them give us a view of you that we wouldn't normally see (why they think you created them, how they feel about you, what you put them through in your writing, etc.)

I was in a dark empty place but she hath given me life. For a short time at least - for then she gave me death. Thee might think I would be bitter about that, but I am not, at least not at her. I am Rachel. The witch-hunter Cramer claims I am a worshipper of Satan, but he is wrong. I am a good woman and a good mother whose only crime is to worship the old religion.

I know that it gave her grievous heartache to kill one of her own. She cares too much about such things, she needs to remember that everything lives and that everything dies. My life and death hath lasted many centuries now, but my soul doth not rest easy. I said I have no bitterness towards her for my fiery death, and that is true, but she hath filled my heart with hate, my mind with dreams of revenge. When I first met her I had a joyous life, but she changed that forever. I thought I knew where my life was going, but she hath taken that away from me... I see only blackness now. I do not know where my journey will end.


Let me know what you think, all comments appreciated. They don't have to be complementary - although obviously I'd like that best!! *lol*

Midway-thru-January Resolutions

Well. Umm....so where does the time go to? I think I did quite well with this to begin with, but then made the fatal mistake of stopping! It's hard to get motivated again, especially around Christmas.

But here I am again - two posts in one day!!!

I got nowhere with NaNo but I am determined to keep writing my novel. I definately know that I'm one of those people who need lots of encouragement to realise that they can actually write okay. All the people who comment here at my Blog do that, and I thank you. I decided I also wanted to try a creative writing course that might help stretch my abilities.

I Googled and found F2K: Fiction Writing for the New Millennium. Everyone who registers is put into a virtual classroom and all the members comment and encourage each other. It runs for seven weeks with a new assignment posted every Wednesday, and I've posted up my first one!!! It's a bit daunting, but I'm enjoying it so far.

I think I might post my assignments here as well, then you can see some of the stuff I'm writing too. Maybe.

Well could you all cope with three posts in one day from me?!!!

Driving Test Update

I know - recover from the shock of me actually posting anything here!! I'm in the midst of putting a longer one together, but I thought I'd kick-off with this.

I failed my test again in December, on exactly the same thing. Who needs to parallel park in the Real World anyway? You just drive round until you find a space ;-)

I booked my third one online this morning. Tuesday 14th February at 10:14 am.

*crosses fingers for third time lucky*