Wednesday, November 26, 2008

National Novel Writing Month Sestina

I'll write the fifty thousand in a flash!
You watch, the words will come and I will write.
I'll have some problems, but they won't last long.
I've got my story, what an awesome plot!
I know that this will be the best November
Yes, NaNoWriMo isn't very hard.

I didn't think that it would be this hard.
These words don't work, and warnings seem to flash
At me that I should just forget November's
Challenge. I know that I can always write
My novel in another month. The plot
Is better for a story half as long…

But no! I've worked too hard for just too long
To give up now. I'll strain my brain so hard
It might explode. But I will have my plot!
Just come on, Shana, you can have a flash
Of genius! Oh, just watch me as I write!
You're almost half way through this year's November.

The words have left like leaves in dark November.
I knew it was too hard, too lame, too long.
And why did I not realize that to write
Was not my calling after all? Too hard
To think about it. My camera's flash
just couldn't freeze or capture any plot.

I'd rather drop my awful, flimsy plot.
I've got some homework due during November.
And plus, I'd rather read my brand new Flash
Comics. Neglected on my shelf too long.
I want to finish, but it's just too hard!
It takes more will than I have now to write.

But how can I ignore those that I write?
My hero's hanging off a cliff, my plot
Is not as bad as I had thought. It's hard
To not give up, but now awful November
is all but gone. I know it won't be long.
And in the darkness, guiding lights now flash.

Who knew? The brilliant flash hid a fine plot.
It might be cold and long just like November.
But I've worked hard, and somehow it's all right.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Story: Hallelujah

His name was unpronounceable to humans. The few who tried died in the attempt. Eventually, no one tried.

Instead they called Him Kadosh, Zur, Tsaddiq, Magen, I-Am-What-I-Am, Melech, Yaweh, Jehova, Adonai. God.

Eventually they forgot His real name, remembering only that they weren't supposed to say it.

When He landed on Earth, in the sea, the splashes took forty days to come down.

Many died.

Noah survived.

When He hauled Himself out of the water, the sun gleamed off of his multicolored scales.

He lived in a satellite orbiting the Earth. It glowed white in the night sky. People saw His regular passage and based their calendars on Him.

Then came Abraham, who could hear His voice – or was it His thoughts? No one could tell. His words reverberated in the mind without ever passing the ears. He was the first. Sarah was the second. There were more who followed.

They worshiped Him, though He never said they should. He came from so far away, He could do so many great things.

Abraham begot Isaac begot Esau and Jacob begot many, many sons.

He didn't choose the Israelites. The Israelites chose Him. And as they amused Him, He protected them. Kept them safe. Answered the prayers He heard.

For a time.

Eventually He found a mate. The humans called her Shekina. They bore a child, a son, and planted him in the belly of a Jewish woman, Mary.

Then they left. He left the Earth to return to the planet on which He'd been born. The Earth belonged to the Son.

His son was born in a manger and they called him Joshua, Jesus, Christ. The Messiah. He had another name, but no one knew it. No one could pronounce it anyway.

People listened to Jesus. Perhaps it was the way his words seemed to echo in the brain. Perhaps it was the aura of power around him, the miracles he already could perform. The dark, bottomless eyes, like pits you could fall into forever and ever.

They listened to him when he spouted off whatever came into his head. "Turn the other cheek." "Blessed are the meek." “The Lord is thy shepherd.”

They listened. They followed. They trusted.

A few didn't trust. A few didn't believe. A few killed him.

As he had planned.

He spent three days cocooned in a graveyard after they killed the human shape he had worn since his birth. Then He emerged, multicolored scales shining in the light, tentacles trailing, fourth, fifth, eighth eyes opening, scales hardening. He looked to the sky and rocketed up, away, out of the universe.

His disciples said they saw him rise to Heaven.

“He’ll return to us,” they said. “We weren’t ready. He’ll return and when He does, we’ll be better people. We’ll live by His rules.”

“He died for our sins.”

He will return. He’ll find His own mate and have His own child on a different planet, but when the time is right He will return.

The atmosphere will burn with the ferocity of His coming. The people will see Him above Jerusalem and say, “He is back. He came back for us.”

And He will burrow deep into the Earth, as His father did the world He was born, and He will stay there for a decade, maybe two, and He will slowly die.

And when His time is up He will give a mournful howl and stretch his wings full length, pushing through the Earth, cracking the surface.

Then He will explode.

After His metamorphosis, He took a new name.

The closest human equivalent is Armageddon.

Monday, November 3, 2008

NaNoWriMo

Well, it's NaNoWriMo, and you know what that means! That's right, instead of just procrastinating the things I'm supposed to do, I get to procrastinate the things I want to do! I'm at 5040 words right now, but that's less impressive than I'd like it to be since my friend is at 6279. I will catch up with her and win faster than she does! Just you watch!

Anyway, I thought I'd give a bit of a rundown on my characters and such here. Cause that's how I role.

Roxie Randall: She's a senior in high school. She's not popular, but she's not unpopular either. She had the misfortune of being saved by the superhero Golden Sun, and now everyone thinks she's dating him. Over the course of two days, she's had three attempts on her life or well-being and one attack by a rabid reporter. And trust me, it's only going to get worse from here.

Golden Sun: Atroch City's resident superhero. He's strong, fast, capable of flight, and able to shoot blasts of high-intensity sunlight at people. Great if you want a tan. He wears a lot of sparkly gold spandex and he's relatively respected in the superhero community. No, we don't know who he really is. Well, I do, but I'm not telling.

Bernadine Dale: Roxie's best friend. Bernadine is sarcastic, blond, and thinks she's far cleverer than she is. She enjoys talking about sex and she's probably bisexual. I haven't decided yet.

Grant Sollare: Roxie's other best friend. He's fairly laid back compared to Bernadine and generally a nice guy.

Melissa Randall: Roxie's mom. She's nice enough, though not very attentive to her daughter. She did worry for a bit when she heard Roxie was dating a superhero, but mostly she leaves her daughter alone and her daughter leaves her alone. Except when Roxie needs money, of course.

Leslie Lempkins: A reporter for Atroch City Herald. She enjoys maliscious gossip.

Those are the characters who'll probably be big that have appeared thus far. Other folks of note:

Momentum: A speedster in the Honor Council. She's pretty cool. I don't know if I'll manage to use her or not, but I'd like to.

Goose Girl: Bernadine's favorite little-known superhero. She'll probably make at least a cameo. Her nemesis, the Fox, may also appear.

Delta: A shapeshifting alien in the Honor Council.

Visionary: The leader of the Honor Council. A master strategist and a damn good fighter. May have once worked for the government.

Brainmeats: The computer genius who coordinates and manages the Honor Council. May or may not exist.

The Mad Machinator, Dangerously Armed, Estimater: Various villains. None of whom are likely to be the main villain for the story. Though I really liked Dangerously Armed. He might make a comeback. Or maybe not. We'll see.

Rick Randall: Roxie's dad. He died when Roxie was very, very young. She barely remembers him.

Oh, and for those wondering? Yes, Momentum and Delta are the same heroes as mentioned here.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Untitled Sonnet

I will not cry for what we never had,
Though once I thought I needed you to live.
Our parting makes me thoughtful, never sad.
I tried it all, there's nothing left to give.
Instead of duets that had come too soon,
I should have sang a solo sort of song.
Together, we were only out of tune.
My one regret? I let it last this long.
You've left me and I really just don't care.
My heart won't break or ache for sake of you.
Back when I wanted you, you weren't there.
Don't think it hurts at all that we are through.
But if you wanted our duet's return,
I'd be there. No, I'll never learn.