Here are a few new pieces I scanned today. The one with the words isn’t the greatest, I admit, but I’m trying to practice my lettering. Enjoy!
I’m enjoying playing with the colored inks. It’s a little scary to someone who is terrified of not being able to erase lol I should get more colored pens when I get a chance.
Okay, so I’m a day late. I wrote it on Friday, if that counts. Enjoy this little piece of catharsis.
For the Love of Family
AJ Mullican
I stared into the flickering flames, and I knew I had done the right thing. The bitch had gone too far this time. You can do whatever you want to me and I’ll just turn the other cheek. But you never, never hurt my family.
They didn’t know I had planned this. Everyone in my family thought I was the nice one. A bit weird, but nice. Sure, I talked big from time to time, but I had never actually hurt anyone.
Not that they knew of, anyway.
The remains of my brother’s ex that I’d dragged piece by piece through the desert were now keeping me warm in the chill night air. I should’ve brought a jacket or something. The walk back to my car was going to be hell. I would keep watch over the fire though, making sure I didn’t start a brush fire in the process. People could lose their homes if something like that happened, or their lives. Innocent people. I couldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t some kind of monster, after all.
Killing the lying, cheating, stealing, leeching whore of a cockroach wasn’t terribly difficult; it was actually quite satisfying. I hummed a little tune the whole time my fists were caving in her skull. It was the dismembering and transporting of the remains to a more remote location that was a pain in the ass. Burning her was easier than I thought it would be, but then again meth was pretty flammable from what I’d heard. Maybe that sped the process along.
I whistled as I walked back to my car, finally satisfied that the last of the embers was dead. My brother commented over the next few weeks how amazed he was that she had stopped harassing him, and I told him how happy I was for him.
Six months later, my sister’s boyfriend broke up with her. He was considerably larger and stronger than my brother’s ex had been.
I was in for a rough night.
I am almost ready to start the revision process! I’m currently reading another person’s work-in-progress for critique (we traded WIPs lol) and once I’m done I’ll be off to the races.
There are tons of notes that I’ve written for when I start revising, and if some of my busier alpha readers get back to me after I’ve already started the process I’ll just take their notes into consideration and work them in as I go.
With so much of the feedback being positive, my confidence has been given a much-needed boost. More than one person has stated that this could and should be a full-length novel. Does that mean agents and publishers might find it worthy? Dare I hope?
Life has been so busy lately, what with exchanging critiques with others in the new Facebook group I’m in and receiving new input from a couple alpha readers and “real life” stuff with my family and my job, my eyes are literally crossing from exhaustion.
I know I should let myself catch up this weekend, but I desperately want to dive in and start revising my novella/wannabe novel.
To sleep or not to sleep? From the way I feel right now, I may not have a choice in the matter….
Recently, I joined a new group on Facebook that is for the sharing and critiquing of each others’ writing in order to receive feedback on how to improve. It’s a great idea for those who have trouble finding alpha readers or editors, and even though the group rules only allow for small samples at a time, the turnover rate is fast and I’ve already gotten some responses.
Overall, the two who have given detailed feedback have responded positively to what I’ve sent them, and they’ve given similar suggestions for how to improve the chapters that I provided to them. This is a huge help, because I needed tips on how to increase my word count to hopefully turn this novella into a full-fledged novel. If I can see where I’ve made similar, well, not necessarily “mistakes” so much as “oversights” in other areas of the book, I might well get to novel length after my next revision.
It’s so tempting to go and start revising now, but I want to be fair to the others who haven’t read the first draft yet and thus would be reading a completely different, “unimproved” story. I want those who have seen the first draft thus far to all see the same one, and then start making the necessary changes. Although, I suppose if I don’t give anyone else a copy of the first draft at this point then I won’t have that problem….
I may start making changes on future chapters that I will send to the critique groups in the pending weeks, for they haven’t seen the complete work and thus will not be spoiled by some having seen the entire work and not others.
Yes, it’s that time of year again: May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. (For those non-fans, or people who have been living under a rock for the past thirty plus years, it’s a play on words of the phrase “May the force be with you”–y’know, “May the fourth be with you”?)
I am a nerd/geek, but I didn’t get all decked out for this special day. Sure, I brought my R2D2 purse with me to my rheumatologist appointment, but that’s because I freaking love this purse. Also, I wanted to wear a shirt that matches the flower hair stick I made with my polymer clay yesterday (because I’m narcissistic and want to draw attention to myself and hopefully get compliments on what I did). Check it out:
Cute, right? Of course it is. And yes, that is a TARDIS phone case. Like I said, I’m a geek.
I should do some Star Wars cosplay for next year’s Phoenix Comicon. I love the original trilogy, and I’m excited to see Episode VII when it comes out. I want to make my own character though. I’m not much for trying to get screen accurate all the time.
Speaking of Phoenix Comicon, be prepared for photo dumps of my cosplays later this month when I go to this year’s con. It will happen. Fair warning.
Phoenix Comicon is getting closer, and I’m getting closer to being ready for it.
I’ve nearly completed all four of my cosplays. They’re going to be simple and casual, so I can focus on having fun without worrying about being screen accurate.
Still haven’t decided if I want to do any autographs or photo ops with celebrities. There are a few I’d really like to meet, but I’m not sure about the cost (& I know my husband doesn’t really want to stand in line for something like that).
Since this is the first con where neither my husband nor myself have any gaming or volunteering planned, I hope to be able to see and do more. Things like panels and classes (maybe a writing or art or cosplay workshop) and just a bunch of wandering around enjoying the sights.
All Hallows Eve
AJ Mullican
It was Halloween, and Patrick had been handing candy out to the neighborhood kids for about three hours. He had seen Avengers, Power Rangers, Disney princesses, Batmen, Supermen, ghosts, and zombies. The smaller children were adorable. The teenagers were obnoxious and often high or drunk or both.
The groups of kids began to thin out and the streets were nearly empty. Just when he was about to turn off his porch light and go watch a scary movie, he saw a boy of about five or six walking alone in the dark. He thought it was odd that the boy didn’t have a parent with him. Hopefully the boy knew his phone number or address; that way Pat could take him home.
As the boy approached the walk to Pat’s house, his costume came into view. It was the creepiest costume Pat had seen the whole night.
The boy wore dirty, old-fashioned clothing that could have come straight out of a World War II-era photograph, and his pumpkin candy pail had a more sinister smile than the usual jovial Jack O’Lantern that he’d seen that night.
Creepiest of all was the boy’s mask—or was it face paint?—the seams were so smooth that Pat couldn’t tell. It looked like the face of a skeleton, complete with gaunt cheeks, empty eye sockets, and a wide, empty grin.
“My, what a scary skeleton you are!” he said to the boy as he climbed the porch steps. “Where are your mommy and daddy?”
The boy said nothing.
“I suppose you want some candy.” Pat scanned the street. No more kids. This was his chance to unload the rest of the junk food. “I have lots to give you, but you have to say the magic words.”
Still the boy said nothing. Pat began to feel uneasy.
“What’s your name little boy?”
Nothing. The boy held his empty bucket up for Pat to fill with candy.
Patrick knelt down so he was closer to eye level with the boy. He inched his hand towards the boy’s face to remove the mask, wanting to look the boy in the eyes but not wanting to startle him. When he touched the mask, he found that whoever had made it had done an excellent job. It felt like real bone. However, the mask would not come off.
Neither would Patrick’s hand.
Pat watched in horror as his skin melted into the bony mask, then began to fall away entirely. His finger bones fused to the boy’s skull as skin, muscle, and sinew sloughed off.
The last thing he saw before his eyes joined the rest of his soft tissue in the puddle on the porch was the boy’s lower mandible moving in silence. Having no more eardrums, he couldn’t hear what the boy said, but he knew what it was.
“Trick or treat.”
I’ve sent my novel (ok, “novella” right now) out to some friends and family for alpha reading. It’s both exciting and nerve wracking, because I’ve never written something this length before. For me, short story plots are easier than this novella plot ever was, despite how long I’ve had the concept brewing in my head.
Now I’m new at this, but apparently alpha readers are there to tell you what parts of your story suck. All first drafts suck (even the big-shot authors know this), but it’s hard to tell where it sucks. You have to know what’s wrong to know how to make it right, and that’s difficult when you’re as close to your work as I am. You either see it all as crap, or you love your baby so much that you can’t bear to change anything.
I’ve heard mixed things about alpha readers. I’ve heard that it’s better to use people that you know will give you honest feedback, but some people seem to doubt that just friends and family will do. I guess other authors are where it’s at? I don’t know. All I know is I was uncomfortable asking strangers to read what I’ve written so far.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that, with the feedback I get, I’ll be able to see areas where I can improve on character and plot development, story, description, etc. I’ve been trying to read it myself through the view of a reader (and not the author), but my stupid tablet keeps shutting itself off and I lose my place. If I read it on my computer, I’ll be tempted to revise as I go, so I don’t want to do that. Until I get a chance to sit down and read it in one sitting (likely this weekend, we’ll see), I’ll have to try to be patient. I’m making notes as I go and as I get feedback, so hopefully when I hear back from everyone I can dive right in and start back.
Fingers crossed!
I’ve been slacking in a few of my New Year’s resolutions 🙁 I told myself I’d lose weight, and instead I’ve gained a bunch. This morning I did a few short exercises to get started on losing the extra muffin top, but I have a long way to go still.
On the plus side, my rheumatoid arthritis seems to be getting better under control. Less pain, and I can actually bend over and touch my toes for the first time in practically ever. Who knew that arthritis would end up making me more flexible lol
