Wednesday 5 January 2011

NEW CREATIONS - an end and a beginning

Happy birthday Summer Ross (My Inner Fairy).  Summer is celebrating her birthday by hosting the New Creations Blogfest.   The rules for saying goodbye to the character you were during the last year, and inviting in a whole new year's worth of experiences - and growth - are very simple:

1)Pick one ending sentence from last year's stories, a favourite one you wrote:


I worked on re-writing NEAR EDGWARE last summer - I know more about how to write what I want to say, these days:



The conversation wound on but I wasn't awake enough to follow, I sank my fingers into holes in Caleb’s thick-knit jumper and drifted.


2) Write one brand new starting sentence for a story you have been thinking about, or something off the top of your head. But it must be your first sentence. 

SEALED WITH LOVE is an idea for a more adult novel than I usually write:

I'm not saying it was a rough night but you'd think I'd remember when caffeine-ing a pentagram in coffee granules seemed like a good idea.

My thanks to Summer for this great blogfest idea. I had a lot of fun. :)
Posted by Unknown at Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Labels:

29 comments:

  1. Summer Ross5 January 2011 at 15:41

    Elaine~ very drifting last line- almost makes me sleepy. Your first line is so promising! happy writing and thank you fairy much for the birthday wishes and participating!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown5 January 2011 at 15:53

    Hi Summer
    Thank you and you are welcome :)
    Selene is looking for an anchor.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown5 January 2011 at 15:56

    hehehehe...caffeine-ing a pentagram in coffee granules? Sounds like something I'd do, if I were witchily inclined.

    Love the details on the 'last sentence', too - it gives the impression of being home, safe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. February Grace5 January 2011 at 17:38

    Especially liked the second one! I am obsessed with coffee so it really spoke to me :~D

    ~bru

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown5 January 2011 at 18:48

    Hi Tessa
    Can't you just see that pentogram - feel it between the toes? ;)

    Hi Bru
    Thanks :)
    It's quite a sensory experience: Sy falling over the edge of the bed into the remnants of her break-up binge.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wendy Tyler Ryan5 January 2011 at 19:50

    Liked them both, but the second one was brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown5 January 2011 at 21:08

    Hi Wendy
    "brilliant"? *blushes I like brilliant - it's one of my favourite adjectives ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ellie Garratt5 January 2011 at 21:51

    I like them both but the second one is incredible - 'caffeine-ing a pentagram'? Now why can't I have genius ideas like that?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Old Kitty5 January 2011 at 22:22

    Hi!!

    Your last sentence - this says to me that the mc is one happy person - all things have worked out ok and she(?)has reached nirvana!

    Your first sentence - Oh I can so see the pentagram in coffe granules!!! A very intriguing first line!!

    Thanks for sharing

    Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Michael Di Gesu5 January 2011 at 23:25

    I have to agree with Wendy.

    I loved the title and the first line... Great start.

    Michael

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bess Weatherby5 January 2011 at 23:52

    Haha! That second sentence is great. Very "dude where's my car" but more sophisticated with a little fantasy thrown in there. I'm intrigued! Happy New Year!

    ~ Bess

    ReplyDelete
  12. Margo Kelly6 January 2011 at 00:30

    Nice. Both of them. The last line has a sleepy content feeling, and the first line has very different voice to it. GREAT job!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous6 January 2011 at 00:57

    Interesting and very visual. The first has a serious edge; the second, humor. Love how they balance each other.

    Nice to meet you, Elaine!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Unknown6 January 2011 at 01:26

    Hi Ellie
    Genius? *It's like me and Shakespeare were psychically-born with a few years separating us :P

    Hi Kitty
    Thank you for your kind thoughts.

    Hi Michael
    Cheers *grins :)

    Hi Bess
    I blame watching the re-runs of Buffy. Not really, I wrote the original opening - and took about a page to do it - and then hacked everything back until very little was left.

    Hi Margo
    You got the sleepy feel perfectly - Selene, after her nightmare. Writing is about capturing the right voice for a specific idea.

    Hi Liz
    I'll take visual; visual is highly complimentary :) Thank you.

    Can I say thank you to every one who has decided to hit follow. You have all made me feel good about my writing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mysti6 January 2011 at 02:49

    Those are great sentences. The first sounds like a relief-filled ending, and the second is super unique and "hooky" :)

    Following now!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mara Nash6 January 2011 at 03:06

    Hi Elaine!

    The ending sentence is interesting in that I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be suspicious about the conversation in question, and your MC is digging in to hold on because something bad is coming, or if the MC is digging in to cozy up. It feels ambiguous to me, but then if I'd read the whole thing I'm sure I would understand it.

    The opening sentence is certainly a good hook, maybe it's just me, but I'm not sure what you mean by "caffeine-ing." Sketching or drawing? Either way, the sentence sets the reader up for wanting to know what happened and what's going to happen!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sean Patrick Reardon6 January 2011 at 03:22

    Elaine,

    Your ending makes me think that something has happened and things might be okay now, but whatever has happened has left her drained. I'm curious as to what happened. Just my take and I might be wrong but...

    Mission accomplished with your opening. Rough night and pentagrams...the start of something very interesting, for me at least.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Danette6 January 2011 at 03:37

    Hi Elaine! Your ending definitely evokes a quiet closure and the second- well caffeine-ing is terrific- and it sounds like your character had a fun rough night more than a rough rough night.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unknown6 January 2011 at 08:11

    Hi Mara and Sean
    I love a psychic reader.:) Things were tough for Selene and Caleb before - at this point she appreciates the fragility of their future (me too ;)). The coffee granules speaks to the spontaneity of the act.

    Hi Danette
    Sy lives and feels everything to the extreme. Her glass half full is overflowing but she's never mixed a break-up, acidic colleagues and flu remedy with alcohol: can't quite remember why the chocolate wrappers, empty bottles and soggy tissues aren't the only things spoiling her bedroom carpet.

    ReplyDelete
  20. dolorah6 January 2011 at 08:20

    Totally laughed out loud at your first (new) sentence. I'm ready for this gal's (person's) wry attitude.

    I'm backwards, I know. The ending sentence made me feel comfortable; like I needed to get my hot chocolate and blankie and sink in the comfort zone. These kinds of scenes always have me looking for the "other shoe" to drop. But I like it.

    ..........dhole

    ReplyDelete
  21. Unknown6 January 2011 at 08:25

    Hi Donna
    :) I'm glad Sy made you laugh. Selene is smart, I like how she holds on tight. Caleb is quite-the-anchor.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Unknown6 January 2011 at 08:27

    I was going for that under-the-surface subtle message too ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Francine Howarth6 January 2011 at 12:31

    Hi,

    Sorry, I missed you first time doing the rounds!

    1) love the intimacy and sense of closure.

    2) very dscriptive in visual and sensory context: fab sentence! ;)

    best
    F

    ReplyDelete
  24. Unknown6 January 2011 at 13:17

    Love your last line, and the image it brought to mind :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Elena Solodow6 January 2011 at 14:04

    Oh man, I love the second sentence!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Unknown6 January 2011 at 14:22

    These are great! Thanks for sharing.
    CD

    ReplyDelete
  27. Unknown6 January 2011 at 14:52

    Hi Damyanti
    Thank you - glad you enjoyed it. :)

    Hi Elena
    *Coo ;) I'm glad you enjoyed it.

    Hi Clarissa
    Thank you for your thoughts.

    I'm gettting cheek-ache - and not from sitting - everyone has made me smile for nearly 24 hours now.

    Loving the rush of exclamation marks ;)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous8 January 2011 at 20:48

    I love that starting sentence - a pentagram in coffee grounds? Are they just loose on a hard surface, or stuck in a thick white carpet maybe? (Evil chuckle.)

    Thanks for sharing your New Creations words. I signed up for the blogfest late, but I'd love to know what you think of my entry.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous11 January 2011 at 20:54

    Great lines, very intriguing makes the reader want to know more :O)

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)