IT’S HERE!

WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOPP!

Today’s the Day! Today’s the Day!

What day you ask?

If you don’t know, you can go back and reread everything under the label: "The Once Upon a Time Challenge" (see the list of Labels on the sidebar at right), but I’ll explain anyways: today is the last day for the Once Upon a Time Challenge! Two months ago today I asked the question:

“How many short stories can I write in two months?”

and I set the goal of  20.

    Now, the day has come, and the time has come, for me to put down my pencil cause time is up!

    I’ve had such a blast doing this. I’ve had the chance to experiment with Viewpoints I’d never have chosen, tango with characters I’ve never met and even tried my hand at writing a few children’s stories which I found I kinda sorta have a knack for! I would like to mention, before we get on with the festivities, that I finished another short story yesterday! (last minute, I know, but that's kinda my thing)

Now.

    I’ll bet you’re wondering what the grand total came out to be, hmm? Alrighty then! Here it is…

                                just a minute…

the grand total is…

(Just picture me opening an envelope) …

ummmmmmmmmmm ….

And the grand total is…

for the amount of short stories written in 2 months…

for The Once Upon a Time Challenge…

The grand total……

LOL I’m just messing with you J

the grand total is: 14 short stories!

Yep, that’s right fourteen, not exactly the 20 I'd been shooting for but, hey, you know what this means, right? Because I didn't get it this time, I can do it all over again! Maybe next year… Ooo, there’s an idea! I can’t wait, but for now I need a break,

I’m thinking about a hammock.

beneath a shady palm tree,

and some sort of ice tea with lemon…

Ahhh, that’s where you’ll find me after today!

  

    But this has truly been a wonderful opportunity and I’m glad you came along with me. Don’t worry; this isn’t the last adventure because we still have that new segment coming up! You know, “The Beautiful Truths about You”? I absolutely can’t wait for that (starting May 1^st)! But while I go work on my tan and celebrate, feel free to reread all the past posts from the last 2 months outlining my journey in the Challenge (just click on the segment's label on the sidebar at right)! Or, if you wanna read all the posts about the Beautiful Truths, click on the label “Coming Soon” and then be here tomorrow to get the gist by reading a brand new poem pertaining to the segment!

    Now where are my sunglasses…?

OH!

Last but never least a shout-out to my cousin, the birthday girl:

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

I love you and can’t wait to see you again!

Happy Reading Y’all!



It’s Almost Here…

Ooooooo,

I’m so excited it’s almost here!

The end of The Once Upon a Time Challenge that is!

I still have four days but so far I’m 13 short stories strong! However, I can feel time tickling my skin as it ticks past; not to be dramatic or anything. The heat is on, and my fingertips are on fire from typing and they will be for the next 4 days. So be sure to check back here on the 26^th when we all find out the answer to the question:

“How many short stories can I write in 2 months?”

It’s Coming…

Oh boy! Nine more days, folks, that’s how long we have till…

The last day of The Once Upon a Time Challenge!

I’m so excited!

You know, the art of the short story is a Mystical thing. Just as the art of the bedtime story is a mystical creature. I’m learning so much during this Challenge, starting with how to keep stories small, ending with the realization that I just can’t keep stories ‘small’! Lol, I guess my words are meant for bigger things and bigger meanings, but oh well. It’s still been fun.

Wait, what am I saying?

I still have nine days to go; this is no time for reminiscing!

So, if you’ll excuse me, I have a Challenge to go complete, and plenty more short stories to go write!

OH BTW:

Check back right here on the 26^th for the grand answer and find out how many short stories I actually wrote these past 2 months!

J

The Stories within the Challenge

The freedom of Fantasy is amazing. You’re not restricted by the ties of reality; it's an unwritten rule that anything goes.

    If a constellation wants to come down out of the sky and form a physical being here on earth, then it can. In one of the “short stories” (well this one was, ahem, closer to a novella) that I wrote last month, it’s implied that a unicorn did just that! Cause there was this Unicorn and a Girl who wanted nothing to do with the fairy-boy who smacked into her head… and…

                                                     I’ve lost my point ...

what was I saying?

Oh, right!

I really enjoy the freedom that fantasy gives you and I exercise that freedom Liberally.

Like, how many Genies do you know serving a band of ruffians? Or, how about a Mermaid living in the Louisiana bayou?

Mmm, gumbo sounds good...

This is the last time I post on an empty stomach!

Anyhow!

All the stories above I’ve written for the Challenge, and hope to be sharing with you soon. But it never ceases to amaze me what imagination can conjure when there are no binds or fences to adhere to ;). Just think of the possibilities, if we let our imaginations run wild just a little bit more! That’s how we get genius ideas. That’s how we get innovative answers to tough questions in these tough times.

All it takes is a little Faith, Hope and Imagination.

So just imagine the adventures, the Ideas, the possibilities!

And I’m just going to go imagine a PB&J sandwich… LOL!

P.S.

I just finished the 13^th short story!

Praise the Lord,

cause I think I've finally fallen off that 'plateau'

and the creative juices are flowin' again!

This is What I Do

LOL,

I just reread my last post

(umm… Upon a Time Once)

and all I can really do is laugh,

LOL!

Do I really sound like an Overdramatic trailer for some Soap Opera??? 

;)

But you know, sometimes life feels a little like that, and it’s true that I haven’t finished a short story in a while, but maybe ‘plateau’ is the wrong word because

I can do this,

                                                                                 I know I can.

How do I know I can?

    Because I’m an Author and this is what I do! Maybe, I won’t hit 20 stories but the question still stands “How many short stories can I write in 2 months?” and if the answer is 12 then I’ve completed my Challenge! But we’ll just have to wait and see.

HOWEVER!

I still have 2 weeks! Who knows when and where inspiration will hit (it’s as random as my thoughts, inspiration is) and it can creep up on me anytime, anywhere. It just needs to be triggered, is all! So don’t count me out quite yet, because:

The short stories are still flowin'!



Upon a Time Once...

There was a young author who embarked on a Challenge.

A challenge to write!

                                                            A quest,

she embarked upon,

to complete 20 short stories in 2 months.

It was the curious question of “how many stories can she write?” which led her upon this quest, and, in the beginning, plots had blown in on the breeze.

    So as the days turned to weeks her fingers flew over the keyboard, and

Mermaids,

Dragons

and Genies

flowed from her fingertips onto the page.

    The stories were ripe and full of life, some short, some not-so-short, but all complete from “Once Upon a Time” to “The End”.

And she thought: hmmm, maybe I will actually hit 20!

    But now,

                    sweating ink,

she nears the end,

                                                   and,

with 2 weeks left

and only 12 stories on her shelf,

the author is winded, wordless and wiped as she perfects every paragraph, considers every comma, but fears she’s hit a plateau.

Nevertheless!

The heroic young author doesn’t want to let even 1 of her readers down!

Thus, onwards she pushes, battling through writer’s block and writer’s cramp, while holding onto the saying:

“I can do anything in Jesus Christ who strengthens me!”

with hopes that the reward of victory will be oh so sweet.

    But, can she conquer the next 8 to complete the Challenge? Or has she mounted a Dragon she’s not quite sure she can fly…?

My Newfound Fascination

As you already know, I’m a fantasy writer, and I love all subjects in Fantasy

(fairies, elves, mermaids…)

not saying that I write them traditionally, you’ll learn what I mean with time.

But there’s something else you should know about me.

I have an insane Fascination for one specific sort of character, one that to me is almost as grand as the unicorn (because, well, horses are my favorite animal, like you couldn’t already guess that). But no, there is one other, one other creature that has had my eye for quite some time and has popped up in almost all my writing and artwork.

Dragons.

    Yep, I mean those scaly beasts which are often portrayed as monsters, treasure-hoarders and princess-nappers. But fans of the movie How to Train Your Dragon (love it!!) will agree when I say this:

not all dragons are evil!

Nope, I purpose there can be good dragons along with the bad, I mean, come on! Just because you have bat wings, claws, fangs, and other reptilian features shouldn’t automatically label you a menace. Medieval literature and folklore has done well to trap dragons in that category, however I’m here to break them out.

    Here’s a little taste of what I mean.

    Alright, close your eyes.

    No, wait, don’t do that then you can’t read this! Lol, ok, imagine yourself closing your eyes, and picture this:

Long rays of winter sunlight poured down through the barren treetops and sought to touch what no man had ever touched before. There! Through the woods, the slender body of a graceful dragon lurked. As he came into the rays, his crimson scales, like fish’s scales, like snakeskin, rippled with the muscles of his neck, reflecting brilliant flashes of white sunlight off their sharpened edges as he turned his head to look through the trees. With each step he took, his armor clanked like coins, and the snow crunched submissively beneath the sharpened talons of his feet. His tail brushed the bark off the trees he passed, his wings folded comfortably over his back, enrobing him with thin pleats of skin, his veins like Spanish lace. He licked his lips with a forked snake’s tongue, breathing frosty smoke around the golden whiskers of his chin. Lifting his head, he listened with cupped ears and flared wide nostrils, his eyes squinting into the depths of the forest, searching, scouting, seeking. He was on a quest, a quest to find the reason, the meaning, which was worth far more than gold…

Ah, and that, my friends, is just a taste of what’s to come! I love dragons, and you’ll see them pop up a lot here on Nutmeg, especially in my writing. Dragons, to me, are the epitome of the fantastical beings. They represent power,

                                             imagination,

dignity, strength,

freedom,

and even gentle love in some ways.

All the traits that should be found in our human personalities.

Granted they can be greedy, and depending on the type, (western vs. eastern) they can be vicious. But their imperfections are what makes them real and relatable.

    I hope to be talking more about this subject. Actually, one of the short stories I recently wrote (for the Challenge) is about a dragon princess. I’m proudest of this one and can’t wait to share it with you! It’s a thrilling tale about an arrogant prince and a dying king and a princess he’s supposed to marry to save the kingdom but she’s been enchanted and in love with… yah, never mind, you’re just going to have to read it ;)

P.S.

I just finished the first 2 short stories of April! So that’s 12 so far…

 

One Month Down, One to Go

Well, well, well, here we are on the last day of the first month of The Once Upon a Time Challenge! How many short stories did I write this month, you’re wondering? Let’s see…

thus far in the Challenge I officially have:

2 novellas,

6 short stories,

&

 4 bedtime stories!

               Of which

10 are finished

and 2 are almost finished.

J

    Which makes a grand total of: 10 short stories written in the month of March!

Phew, I think I need another ice tea.

But this is no time for a tea party! I still have a month to go! Don't worry, though, I have plenty of Ideas and lots of plots to carry me through ;) and when this is all over I can’t wait to share some of these adventures with yall! Guess I’d better go get writing. 20 short stories here I come!



Putting the Long in Short Stories

Pssst! I have a secret. Shhhhhhhhh don’t tell anybody! Swear you won’t tell? Cross your heart?

……………………………………….

Ok, I believe you, so I’m going to tell you.

Here it is.

(Pause for dramatic effect).

I can’t write ‘short’ stories.

I know! Shocking, isn’t it? You would think that shorter is easier, right? WRONG! I just can’t swing it! It’s hard for me to condense a complex plot into 1,500-10,000 words while balancing the emotions, the actions and the scenery without making it over a hundred pages…

Wait a second.

 I can see you scratching your head probably going, “100 pages is short?”

Ok let me explain:

I think that anything under 10,000 words is a short story. Between 10,000 and 50,000 is a novella (a short novel too long to be called a short story) and anything 50,000 to 100,000+ words is a full-fledged novel. And all my short stories long to be full-fledged novels, LOL! That’s why this challenge is such a, well, challenge because keeping things “short” is my

kryptonite.

But challenges are good, right? Challenges are what makes life FUN!

They give you goals to achieve…

Stars to shoot for…

Dreams to seek...

And this is good practice for me, I guess.

You'll never get good at something unless you Practice.

So I'll just keep on keepin' on!

 Let the INK flow! :)

P.S. In The Once Upon a Time Challenge I have 9 finished short stories!

I love my job <3