Welcome back, my fellow creatives! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by my daughter Blondie’s announcement that she’s continued her story. Well, we can’t put off sharing that, can we? 🙂
Forward: Deepest apologies for taking so long!! Procrastination is an ugly thing, folks. Here are my other chapters in case you forgot them.
Without further ado, here’s Chapter 3 of The Elementals!
–Blondie the Dragon Master
“The Forest Shard?” Comettail gasped. “Yes.” Raven said ominously, “I have been looking for the Forest Temple for weeks now.”
She stood tall and spread her silver wings, looking proud with herself. “I found it, but if it wasn’t for these vines I would have had it already!” Raven glared at the ashes. “Can you lead us to it so we can fulfill the prophecy?” Rainbow pleaded hopefully. Inferno scowled at her. “Ah, so you’re the new Elementals!” Raven beamed, “All the more helpful!” Boulder stared, suspicious.
“How do the Forest Dragons LIVE in this stuff?!” Inferno said, pushing away yet ANOTHER annoying branch. “That ‘stuff’ is called TREES.” Rainbow huffed. “You could just burn all the branches off. Then it wouldn’t be SO ANNOYING.” Comettail looked at Inferno, horrified. “You can’t do THAT.” he shuddered. “Why not?” Inferno asked, pushing through more underbrush. “That’s how the CURSED FOREST FORMED.” Comettail whispered.
“That’s just old Dragonlore, Comettail. None of it is true.” Boulder stated, trotting behind them. “The Elementals were Dragonlore too, Boulder,” Comettail said, serious, “There’s some truth in every legend.”
“At last!” Raven exclaimed, pushing through a bush after several hours of trekking. “Wow.” Hurricane breathed. There, in a clearing, stood a large, stone, moss-covered temple, embedded deep inside the biggest tree any of them had ever seen. Rainbow gasped as the sun hit her vibrant scales. “It’s beautiful!” she squealed. Raven grinned, Pitch cawing beside her. “Let’s find out what’s inside, eh?” Raven smiled. “Yes yes YES!!” Rainbow shouted enthusiastically. “No, Rainbow!” Comettail argued, “Not yet! We have to properly-” “Here we gooooooo!” Raven yelled as she sped into the huge structure. “Wait for meeeee!!” Rainbow yelped as she ran in after her. “RAINBOW! WAIT!” Hurricane yelled after them. But they were long gone.
“C’mon, guys. Let’s make sure those two don’t kill themselves.” Hurricane sighed as she turned toward the others. But only Comettail stood there, wide eyed and shivering. “Comettail, WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?!” she panicked, whirling around. Comettail only stared at her. “Gone,” He whimpered. “Where, Comettail? WHERE?!?!” Hurricane said, frantically shaking him as if the answers would come flying out. “Taken by Shadows.” He whispered. He staggered out of Hurricane’s grip and fainted dead away.
TO BE CONTINUED………….
Make sure to stay tuned for Chapter 4 later in summer! I promise not to wait as long as I did. Stay awesome everybody!!!
-Blondie the Dragon Rider, Tamer, Trainer, ETC……
Many thanks, my lovely girl! Yes, please stay tuned. We’ve some fiction to critique, some authors to meet, and some flowers to pluck.
FORWARD: Hello, guys! I know you’ve been waiting for The Four Realms 2, but I’m still working on it. In the meantime, I’ve come up with a new several part series that I think you might like. I called it: THE ELEMENTALS. I based this off of the Wings of Fire series by Tui T Sutherland. I’m hoping to actually publish it someday, but anyway, let us begin.
-Blondie the Dragonmaster
PROLOGUE
Long ago, before Earth even knew it was Earth, there were dragons. Tens of thousands of them, soaring through the sky. There was also magic. Sorcery and wizards still existed in that long forgotten age. Humans were hidden at the time, kept away on a misty island. But like I said, there were dragons. They were advanced, these dragons. They had wars, hated, loved, defended, studied, and used magic. The strongest magic-wielding dragons were called the Elementals. They were named Forest, Water, Air, Fire, and Cosmos. They protected the land from wars and harm as best as they could, and became the greatest dragons ever to live.
Then, out of the forests, there was rebellion. The foxes, lead by the vicious sliver fox Ashenfur, captured the kingdoms, one by one. Their dragon citizens were not killed, as you might expect, but they were captured and controlled by unknown fox magic. Almost all dragons were brainwashed to Ashenfur’s army and added to his multitudes. The Moon, Cloud, and Ocean Dragons went into hiding. The Elementals fought the best they could, but, with some freak sorcery, their essences, and magic, were trapped into five stones. These stones have been hidden long ago into temples and secluded areas so Ashenfur and his league don’t ever find them. Just before he died, Cosmos sent me a foretelling of dragons to come and save us all. I only hope this prophecy is true, or we will be forever in ruin.
Written by Swiftclaw, Moon Dragon that foresaw prophecy
Chapter 1
“Here they come with the babies.” “Oooh! I’m so excited!” “Keep it down, okay?” “Sorry, Blizzard.” Two dragons stood on the edge of their cliff, their home. Moon Dragons flew towards them, in their claws five little dragons. Blizzard the Snow Dragon huffed. “Eat us out of cave and cliff they will.” “Aw, come on, Blizzard!” Gila the Desert Dragon said. “You raised me just fine! I’m sure they’ll be just as easy.” “One of you was enough. But five…” he sighed. “I wish I was back in Queen Pine’s army. Tearing through foxes like no one’s watching.” He touched his scar on his side, then wincing. “If you were still in Queen Pine’s army, you would be brainwashed like everyone else. And you wouldn’t’ve found me.” Gila said. Blizzard grumbled. “Just promise you’ll help.” “I promise!” The Moon dragons landed, dropping five bundles on the rock floor. “These little runts are in the prophecy?” Blizzard said disapprovingly. “Blizzard!” Gila said. “They have the strongest magic in all the continent. We’ve sensed it.” One of the Moon Dragons said. “Keep them safe until they are fully grown.” “Yeah, I guess.” Blizzard said, squinting at the baby dragons. “Take care.” The Dragons took off into the sunset. “How did I come from a general in Queen Pine’s army to a mother?!” Blizzard sighed. “Come on, Blizzard! I’ve already set beds!” Gila shouted from the cave. Blizzard snuffed and picked up the bundles. “Someday these dragons will grow into basically second Elementals. The way I see it, our world is doomed.”
10 YEARS LATER
“Quit it Inferno!” “I quit when I want to!” “Please stop, you guys!” “SHUTTUP!” Blizzard roared. “Gila, I told you to take them hunting!” “Sorry, Blizzard, I forgot. I was finding a new cow fondue recipe with Boulder and Comettail.” said Gila. “Well, take them!” Blizzard snarled. “We do need cows for our fondue. C’mon Inferno and Rainbow. You look like you need a break.” “Thank goodness! I couldn’t find out the daily news from Mr. Willow if they kept fighting!” Rainbow, the multicolored Forest Dragon said. “WHO THE BLOODY HECK IS MR. WILLOW?” Blizzard said. “He’s the tree by the creek, of course!” Rainbow said. “The…tree?” Blizzard whispered. “Yeah! He makes the funniest jokes!” “I hate living with magic dragons. I hate it, I HATE IT!” “Now, now, Blizzard,” Hurricane the Ocean Dragon said, “If you didn’t live with us magic dragons, the prophecy wouldn’t’ve been fulfilled!” “Learn too much from that fluffhead Gila, you do, hybrid.” Blizzard sighed. “Why do you keep calling me hybrid?” “You have a weird sky blue color, unlike the Ocean Dragons, abnormally large wings, likewise, but you have gills, so you’re an Ocean Dragon.” Blizzard explained. “Furthermore a freak hybrid.” Hurricane looked down at the stone floor. “Hmmph.” she said. “It’s the truth, Hurricane. Can’t avoid it.” “Allright!” said Gila, rubbing his claws together. “Let’s hunt!” Commettail, the Moon Dragon with a unusual white tail tip, gulped. “What if a cow kicks me and I die?” he shivered. “Aw, shuddap, you lily-livered runt.” Blizzard said. “You’re ten times the size of a puny cow.” “But I read-” “Enough!” Blizzard exclaimed. “Gila, just take them BLOODY HUNTING.” Gila nodded and flew left into the forest, past the sparkling ocean in front. Five dragons followed suite, into the wilderness.
“Mr. Willow says there’s a cow patch up that way.” Rainbow said, pointing further west. “Who cares what bloody Mr. Willow says? He’s a tree!” Inferno, the Fire Dragon, spat. “Wait, Inferno,” Boulder, the Stone Dragon, said. “I see a herd of cows down there.” “Hmmph. For a mistake, you have a remarkable sense of direction.” Inferno said. “Hey! Gila!” “Now, now,” Gila said, “We can’t be quarreling amongst ourselves on a hunt. Hunts are all about teamwork.” “But that’s what Blizzard calls Boulder. A mistake.” “I don’t care what Blizzard thinks of Boulder.” “But Gila,” Boulder said as they landed in a meadow, “Why does Blizzard call me a mistake?” “Weeell…” Gila started, “There was supposed to be a Thunder Dragon here for the part of Air. Well, Thunder Dragons don’t give up their hatchlings that easy. The Moon Dragons accidentally found a Stone Dragon instead, and brought him here.” Gila explained. “That was you. Blizzard was going to quickly snap your neck, but I stopped him.” he sighed. “Can we stop telling Boulder’s sob story and catch us some cows?” Inferno said. Gila sighed and trotted to the clearing, Boulder following close behind.
“I caught a cow the size of a Thunder Dragon!” Hurricane said as they soared back. “Oh yeah?” Inferno sneered. “I caught a cow the size of this entire continent!” “That’s slightly impossible,” Comettail said, “No cows ever grow that big, and you wouldn’t’ve been able to-” “Whatever, Comettail. You’re no fun.” Inferno huffed. “Carry it.” Comettail whispered. “Here we are!” said Gila. “Hey, Blizzard! We have some cows!” No answer. “Blizzard?” Gila whispered. “He probably went back to join the army.” Hurricane joked. “He wouldn’t. Stop being silly in a VERY SERIOUS SITUATION.” The six dragons searched the entire cave, looking for the Snow Dragon.
“Claws up, you filthy reptiles.” “Ashenfur!” Gila hissed. “He found us.” “Indeed I have.” Ashenfur smiled in a charming, deadly manner. “Now claws up, and it won’t be a slow death.” “Never, you dirty-” Inferno started. “SHH.” Gila hissed, covering her snout. “What did I hear?” Ashenfur said, “Oh nothing. These must be the Elementals! What an honor!” he said in mock awe. “Oh, what a shame I have to kill these famous dragons.” He leapt toward them, snarling, all charm gone. Ashenfur collided with Gila, wrestling in a tangled ball. “Run! RUN!” Gila yelled though clenched teeth. “What are you waiting for? LET’S GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!” Inferno said, taking off toward the forest. Rainbow, Boulder, and Comettail reluctantly followed her. Hurricane stayed behind, gazing at the fight. “I’ll catch up!” she said, and bolted towards Ashenfur. Snarling, the gray fox turned and saw Hurricane barreling towards him. They soon were locked in a fight heading towards the cliff. “HURRICANE! WHAT ARE YOU BLOODY DOING?” Gila yelled. Hurricane slashed at Ashenfur’s left eye, leaving a bloody gash. Ashenfur yelped with pain and sliced Hurricane’s side. She cried out and tumbled off the cliff into the ocean below. “NO!” Gila roared, charging at the silver vermin. Ashenfur tripped him and he was soo hanging off the cliff. He chuckled. Gila looked next to him on a stone pillar and there was Hurricane, alive and clutching her side. He gasped. “I guess the joke’s on you.” Ashenfur cackled. “I had hoped she would die, but I guess she could be the last thing you’ll see.” Ashenfur roared with laughter. “You, you, coward, you!” Gila growled. “Isn’t it perfect?” Ashenfur said, giggling, as he sank his fangs into Gila’s claws. Gila roared in agony as he plummeted downward, sinking into the depths.
“NOOOO!” Hurricane cried, and dove in after him.
TO BE CONTINUED…
I hope you enjoyed it so far! I’ll be posting part 2 next month. If you have any questions or ideas please comment them! And stay tuned for my podcast with my mom!
Isn’t Blondie a wonder? Every time she asks to share her writing here, my heart skips a beat. It is going to be a beautiful December. x
Whether you’re a mother or you’re the one who mothers; whether your mom is present for a hug, or a wave, or a kiss heavenward, take a moment to share love with those who share their nurturing love with you.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, Blondie has finished her pictures andstory so I can share them here with you. Looks like a day off for me!
Blondie adores Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, as you can see. 🙂
Welcome, my friends, to Blondie’s story: THE FOUR REALMS.
The Four Realms #1: Four Kingdoms
T’was the winter of the fall of Tyrannus when the realm was divided into four kingdoms. The Kingdom of Dragons was the most powerful of them all. King Flamescale ruled the land. He was a ruthless, unforgiving king, and treated people from other kingdoms with no respect. The neighboring kingdoms often rebelled against him with no success. They were powerless against him. One of those kingdoms was not really a kingdom. It was the QUEENDOM of Foxes. The queen was none other than the wielder of the Vermillion Sword, Queen Scarletfire. She was a born warrior and was kind to her people. She never really trusted other kingdoms and their ways, even though they fought for the same purpose. The wolf kingdom was mostly the same way. The king was the wielder of the Axe of Titor, King Siberius. He was the leader of a great pack and took care of them all. The wolf kingdom and the fox queendom hardly knew each other existed, until one day…
The king of hawks, King Skyfighter, turned rouge over the years, so he decided to attack.
Hundreds, thousands, millions of hawks came from the sky and attacked the foxes and wolves. They barely had time to suit up for war. CHARGE!!!! The wolves and foxes were fighting separately at first, until Scarlerfire saved Siberius from a diving hawk. Then, in return, Siberius saved Scarletfire from a hawk, too. Soon, the kingdoms were working side by side. Seeing they were losing, the hawks retreated hastily. Meanwhile, King Flamescale oversaw the entire battle from the battle from his palace. He was worried about the kingdom and queendom might attack his kingdom. So he thought of a plan to get rid of their leaders. He called the king and queen to his palace and said, “Wait out in the field you fought the hawks so we can pay tribute to the dead.” It sounded pretty suspicious, since the King rarely did so, but they obeyed.
As the sun went down, Scarletfire and Siberius waited. Then, dragons of every size, shape, and color imaginable came roaring from the skies. The king and queen realized the Dragon King had the whole thing rigged. So, under the cover of darkness, Scarletfire and Siberius jumped onto the dragon army’s highest general, and steered him toward the palace. The general was none other than Toothless the Night Fury, confused and lost, and decided to join the army. The entire army followed Toothless, unaware what in the world was going on. Scarletfire and Siberius stormed into the king’s throne room.
“(You’re still alive?! Darn army has failed me again.)Well, looks like you caught me red pawed.” The king said, smiling slyly.
“You tricked us, you sniveling worm.” Siberius snarled. “Are you going to kill me? Ha! It would disgrace the legacy of the dragons if their greatest king was slain by two mutts.”
“There are three things wrong with that. One, yes, we are. Two, you are the WORST KING EVER. And three, WE ARE NOT IN ANY WAY MUTTS!!!!” Scarletfire roared, stabbing the king in the wing.
“CURSE YOU, YOU DAFT DOGS!!!!” the king yelled, slashing at Scarletfire, missing, and hitting Siberius in the face. Siberius growled and cut at the king’s legs. The king, crippled, began breathing fire EVERYWHERE. Scarletfire then leapt and blinded the king with her sword. The king, beyond enraged by this point, screamed and tried to swipe and scorch Siberius and Scarletfire. Together, they jumped and slashed at the king’s unprotected chest.
The king shrieked, and was no more.
From that night forward, the dragons, wolves and foxes built a new civilization and lived in peace. The hawks remained rouge and kept themselves hidden in the shadows, plotting their revenge. Rumor has it that there is a lost heir to the dragon throne, but that’s for another time.
(P.S, Toothless met Hiccup again and promised to come back to the Realm again and bring his friends. But that is for another time)
This historic legend and novel is by: Blondie the Dragon Tamer
I’m so proud of my eldest! She’s even working on a new story about a girl forced by her awful aunt to face a wizard. “Can I post my story on your website when I’m done?” she asks.
Me on the outside: “Of course, Kiddo!”
Me on the inside:
This Mother’s Day, I hope you find many moments to dance on the inside as well as the out. Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!
Hey Jeanie Beanie, where’d you go yesterday? Wasn’t your novel supposed to be on sale?What happened to this marathon of posts for Wyrd and Wonder?
Hi, guys. Yes, my novel was supposed to be on sale, but there was a gaff with Amazon, sooooo it can’t be on sale right now.
(You’re welcome to buy it anyway, if you’d like. It’s on Kindle Unlimited, too!)
I’m bummed, but there’s no use moaning about it, not when my eldest turned ten over the weekend.
Originally, we were to take her and some friends to see the new Scoob! movie in theaters. But when the world went into lockdown, aaaaaall that changed. We managed a day of coded messages, dandelion seeds, and mysterious footprints for a present hunt, all topped with chocolate milkshakes and Scooby-Doo cake. I could not bring myself to break from her to write here, and I have a feeling none of you would want me to, either. x
Even now I can’t just sit and gab about Diana Wynne Jones. As much as I love her work, I want to give Blondie another moment in the sun with you here. So today, let’s hear from Blondie about what she loves to read in a Fantasy, and then let her update us on her upcoming summer adventures. So first, let’s hear about Blondie’s new favorite series, Last Dogs.
Despite Biff and Bash going at it in the hallway instead of cleaning their room, Blondie and I continue towards another fantasy series, one she loves to reread–Endling.
One of Blondie’s presents was a video game based on The Guardians of Ga’Hoole,which got Blondie back into reading this long’n’awesome series.
And now, at long last, we talk of Blondie’s dragons and her own comic creation, Captain Fantastico. (I’ll attempt pictures when Blondie colors them. Her sketches are TINY!)
For this ten-year-old, the best fantasies bring animals–and sometimes people–together in a strange land to fight for hope. I think we could all use an adventure like that, don’t you think?
Good morning, everyone! My deepest thanks to all who shared my novella during is free days in the online book-lovin’ world. In this craziness of all this virtual workshopping and teaching and grading and blah blah blah, I thought it was high time Blondie step inand update everyone on her all-important dragon studies–we couldn’t have timed it better with Wyrd and Wonder.Take it away, Blondie!
Hello! It has been a while since I have written on here. You are probably wondering what these pictures are of. Well, the one below is of 2 dragons attacking as of down underground are plotting their next move. Now you are probably are thinking, ” How did the dragons make so advanced technology? ” Dragons have learned to make these marvelous machines by watch us make them. (I can show you a photo of this happening if you want on another post) This way dragons can track even the tiniest bit of treasure anywhere to stockpile in their caves and hideouts. Now, onto the next one!
This photo is of a normal dragon underground cavern. This particular pod of dragons chose it to be a safety cave for sleeping in. Now normally you wouldn’t see a dragon with a reading lamp. But, as I was saying before, dragons have grown quite advanced and are making more and more human machines. (human machines are normal everyday appliances like a toaster) And so, there you have it, a official view of a dragon cavern.
Now this picture is of the dragon breeding grounds. Now the dragon family on the right hand corner does not look happy. Why? Probably because that other dragon is hovering above their eggs. Well, since nobody ever dares take a dragon egg or eat it because both have unfortunate side affects, why is it angry? I think it is because the snake dragon was just trying to get a good look but the parents thought he was too close. And one more thing. You might want to say happy birthday to the family in the left hand corner, because one of the dragons just hatched!
Thanks to all who are reading this post and enjoying it. I do hope you all know more on current updates on dragons. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Blondie:)
P.S. Hello, Lonely Old Sea Dragon!
Yours Truly,
Firewing
Isn’t she a wonder? My heart beams when she creates like this. x Master Steeden, I hope you can hunt down that Old Sea Dragon so he can say hello!I’ll have her come back later this week, just in time for when my YA Fantasy novel will be on SALE for just 99 cents! Tomorrow I want to share a powerful excerpt from Diana Wynne Jones’ observation of children and how they can inspire your fantasy writing.
For this, “thank you” will never be enough. You are my community. You are my tribe. You are the stars in my night when depression’s clouds roll in.
You are wondrous, each and every one of you.
I am proud of my own stories developed these five years, to be sure…
…but what truly thrills me more than anything is the creativity I’ve seen blossom in my kids over the years.
Bash’s love for the robot Wall-E is as vast as the universe. He’s made stories with Wall-E meeting the Transformers, Santa Claus, My Little Ponies, Thomas the Tank Engine, and even the old Hanna-Barbara superhero Blue Falcon. This is a boy eternally creating, finding characters and conflicts where no one else does. My son, who fears failure so much, is one of the most fearless storytellers I’ve ever met.
Bash and Wall-E wave hello!
Dav Pilkey is Bash’s hero.
To see Biff willing to write his own stories at all lifts my heart. This is a boy who finds what he loves and sticks with it, such as stories from the Island of Sodor, only here with the buses he rides to school: “Once upon a time in the busing company of L__, the buses were working hard…” His teacher tells me they’ll be working on “Expert Stories” soon–stories where the kids can write about things they know well. Biff is so thrilled to write about Star Trek he literally hops up and down when talking about it. We’ll see if the Sodor Style comes to Starfleet this spring!
“I’m muscle Biff!”
“Then…uh oh! Red Worm was stuck in a ditch!”
“Then…Black and White Cow Towed him to safety!”
And now, last but never least, comes Blondie, who’s written her own moment for this post. Allow me to bow and give the stage to my daughter, my heart’s smile, my Blondie.
Hello everyone!
She did, too!
I have been reading the Adventurer’s Guild book series. It is filled with unsuspecting (and sometimes a little terrifying) surprises. I am right now working on a 300-piece puzzle of the constellations. I hope I finish it today.
You know Thunder Kidz, my company? Well, it is 1 year old this year. (pull out the disco ball, get the giant speakers, turn it up, and let’s party!!!!!)
I would like to recommend some books and authors. You should read Endling: The Last and Endling: The First by Katherine Applegate because it is full of fun and exciting (and sad) parts in it. my favorite character is Byx the darine because she’s a girl and darines have things that I like, like soft, silky fur and looks like a dog, and I absolutely love dogs. It is my most favorite book series. Katherine Applegate did lots of other good books such as Wishtree, which when a tree named Red is the wishtree, and I really like the baby animals in it, and I haven’t read Crenshaw yet, but I will, and more.
Also, there’s Allan Zullo, who has done Bad Pets, Bad Pets on the Loose, and more. The Bad Pets series is about wacky and zany pets do crazy stuff, like a dog drove a garbage truck into a lake! More recommendations will be made when I write here again. I will be writing more on Alley Heroes in the future. It right now has 12 chapters ,I think, and is supposed to have 14 chapters, but I’ll probably go over 14. I would like to add that I love writing on this website to you and writing stories and drawing comics. Happy writing, y’all!
Best writing wishes to you,
Blondie (aka: Firewing) 🙂
Best writing wishes indeed! From my family to yours, may Heaven smile on your creative souls and inspire you to continue spreading the friendship and hope you have so graciously given us. What adventures await in the next five years? With companions like you and my family, I can’t wait to find out. x
~STAY TUNED NEXT WEEK!~
I think it’s high time for an interview, don’t you think? Plus I’ve more music to share, and maybe, JUST maybe, a little new fiction. Fingers crossed and turn thrice widdershins for me!
National Novel Writing Month called to my imagination with the promise of storytelling in spite of all life’s commitments. Thousands take up the challenge, so why can’t I? And I was realistic about this, too. I knew 50,000 words was impossible, but surely there could be SOME way to accomplish a meaningful amount of words. I’ve done it before, and dammit, I could do it again!
But if you saw my banner for November, you might already know what changed the course of my plans.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t the motherhood. I managed to turn Biff’s day of fever into a quick morning of writing.
No no–it was the teaching. Yeah, the final projects from my University students were once again a big drain on time, but those at least I knew how to manage. The subbing among six different school districts, however, was constantly unpredictable. A small agreement of a three-hour stint would change into a six-hour haul among several different grades. I’d show up expecting to work with a special needs kid only to find out I’m actually teaching 1st grade math to kids more eager to stab each other in the eye with pencils than to just sit the Godfrey Daniel down. (You can decipher that bold phrase if you channel your inner WC Fields.) This doesn’t even include the 5am phone calls of, “Can you come in today? All day. There are notes here for your duties, I think. We’ll look when you get here.”
It was a busy month. Busy, and rough. I’d be rushing from hours spent with a kid who refused to use kleenex and therefore had a steady stream of mucus running from his nose into his mouth while eating his snack and then coming up to hug every single adult and myself and to give us high fives with those same boogery hands and I had to prevent myself from gagging all over this kid OLD ENOUGH TO USE A FRICKETY FRACKIN’ TISSUE and then get my own kids, NOT let them hug me so I wouldn’t spread whatever germs are smeared in green on my person, and grade finals.
And the typical bits of motherhood don’t vanish,do they? Blondie needed to work on her piano. Biff and Bash needed to do their homework, and they needed to attend their occupational therapy. All three needed to be fed with actual food, not just, you know, dog bowls on the floor. (Though that would be SOOOO much easier.)
At the beginning of November, I was certain I could use the same tactics I had in previous years to write while parenting and teaching. And if my life’s course was still just motherhood and teaching online for the university. it could have worked.
But this fall, the course of my life changed when I added the substitute jobs. The river no longer flowed in the way I understood it. It went from this…
…to this.
I missed writing so much.
I wanted life to continue its typical course with my writing floating atop. I might row for ten miles one day, just around the bend the next. But at least I’d be writing again.
Yet at least two weeks of November passed with no writing at all.
I had failed.
“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.”
C.S. Lewis
That failure hung on me like twin boys determined to make me a tree. It hung on me like the face my daughter used to make when I’d say time and time again, “Not now.” It hung on me like the words my husband couldn’t say because I had to work. I had to do more. There was always more to do.
And that, Dear Friends, is when it’s time to stop.
You may think you can walk upon the river’s stones. You may think you can continue on your course your way because you are you.
That’s what I thought. I put on my sensible shoes and figured I could portage my writing across the rapids without *too* much trouble.
I was so bloody determined to carry my writing through these unpredictable waters that I failed to look on what I had done as any sort of accomplishment.
I inspired my daughter Blondie to start not one, but THREE writing projects. (More on Super Duckling later this month!)
I had written 12,000 words of a new story and shared share every one of those words with you.
It’s so easy to get caught up in what we fail to do, isn’t it? We get daily notifications of a gazillion new authors all hot’n’fancy with readers we’d LOVE to have for ourselves. We check out the new best-seller brew-ha-ha and wonder what on EARTH inspires people to spend money on such’n’such garbage when there’s *our* stuff ready and waiting. We hear of yet another remake/re-imagining/reboot/re-whatever and wonder why no one notices the bounty of fresh fiction we create.
We look so longingly at the accomplishments of others that we forget what we ourselves have accomplished. No, I didn’t finish my story, but I did work to help keep Blondie in music and Biff and Bash with their therapy. No, I didn’t finish my story, but I did inspire my daughter to start her own. No, I didn’t finish my story, but I did get to split my sides laughing while Biff and Bash shared their favorite quotes from a Captain Underpants read-a-thon (Seriously, Biff sat and read an entire novel out loud with Bash silently listening. It was AMAZING.)
So Friends, please don’t dwell on what wasn’t finished. There will always be a course to travel, and it will always be a mystery beyond the bend. What matters is that you take a step, then another, then another. One day you may take one hundred steps, the next one thousand, the next, just one. Every single step–every single word–is something to be proud of.
~Stay Tuned Next Week!~
I’m going to start posting on Sundays instead of Thursdays, so now you have to wait until next Sunday for some awesome writing music, updates from Blondie, and perhaps some writing craft study on an old holiday favorite. More author interviews are underway as well, so be sure to stop by and see who’s on the hot-seat in the coming weeks!
Hello! I am Blondie, as you might know already. Right now I’m writing a book called An Expert’s Book On Dragons. It has all the information you need when you go out dragon watching! It includes facts and drawings of dragons you need to look for! Included on this blog post is pictures of the cover, introduction, and first dragon in the book!
This is the words of the introduction and first dragon:
INTRODUCTION
So, people who are reading this book, I, the author, will pose as Firewing, a fire type dragon that ”wrote” this book. Inside this , there will be facts about the dragons,their habitats, and their tracks!
Enjoy!
Firewing (and yes, I am a dragon that can write)
SHARK DRAGON
A shark dragon can spread up to a mile in length, and up to half a mile in width; one of the largest dragons. It can swim in water swiftly. It has webbed feet and 2 fins to help it swim. It lives near the U.S.A., China, and Japan. It has tracks like a duck, but WAY larger.
FIREWING FACT
Did you know that shark dragons are omnivores?
FUN FACTS:
-Shark dragons are often mistaken for giant sharks near California, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Florida, and other seaside states.
-Shark dragons only eat once a month.
-Shark dragons never eat humans. they normally eat fish and plants and other stuff.
-Shark dragons can talk.
-If you save a shark dragon’s life, it will devote it to you and you can tame it.
I have made one other new book and I will update you on that soon! I hope you like this blog post!
Sincerely,
Blondie:)
My daughter was so excited to share this post with you! This ol’ mom’s heart is all squishy with love’n’pride. 🙂 Now, let’s see if I can jump back into my own story and nudge protagonist Chloe to reveal truly matters to her. I hope you’ll join me!
It’s the perfect sort of day to explore a place hollow and forgotten, one where ghosts maybe, just maybe, linger in our world. That place is The Alexian Brothers Novitiate.
I learned of this peculiar estate while reading Wisconsin’s Most Haunted Volume II. What started as a loving father’s home for his wife and disabled daughter turned into a home of sadness: both the father and daughter died before the home was completed in the 1930s. The widow donated the home to the Alexian Brothers in the late 1940s, since her late husband had befriended them in Chicago years before. Novices and monks lived there for only a few decades when, without warning, the Menominee Warrior Society took the Brothers hostage and demanded the estate be turned over to the Menominee tribe. It took two months, but the Brothers and Tribe finally reached an agreement for the tribe to purchase the land from them. A few months later, a fire ran through the estate, and the tribe could not finance rebuilding any of the structures. The Menominee returned the estate to the Brothers, but they no longer had use for it either, so….here it sits.
I had hoped Bo and I could road-trip it up to the small town of Gresham, the closest community to the Novitiate, and see if we could take a look around. But finding time and an all-day sitter were impossible during Bo’s hellish work schedule this past summer, so we managed a visit to the House on the Rock instead. (Considering I didn’t know if we’d have even access to the grounds, I think we came out ahead. x)
Ghost hunters still visit the site sometimes, but I’m not sure what they’ll find. The history of the Novitiate isn’t bloody, like these creepy locations in the Dairy State. It’s tragic, not bloody.
But one doesn’t need a bloody past to imagine a magical future, one perhaps where shapeshifters make their home, where teens foolish to run where angels fear to tread discover a race mankind has all but forgotten…
Oh yes, you bet your boots I’m bainstorming a story about this place! And this isn’t even the novella I’m working on for NaNoWriMo.
Do I think I can write 50,000 words in 30 days? Heeeeeeell no, I’m not delusional. But I DO need to step up and start writing every day. My family needs me to be a working mom, so my hours for writing are now in tatters. That’s not going to change any time soon.
I need those tatters to make something for the sake of my own sanity.
If I can just do 500 words a day, I’d be ECSTATIC. So that’s what I’m going to do, and you’re going to have to watch!
Yup, I’m going to make myself post my draft here on WordPress. That means it’ll be rough’n’raw, probably not coherent. But it’ll be me writing, dammit, and that’s what counts. I’ll be happy to read your comments, or just know you’re reading. That, to me, is more of a “winner” badge than anything NaNoWriMo can give me. 🙂
I’m not the only one burning the creative oil around here, either. Biff, Bash, and Blondie are all digging their own unique storytelling grooves here, from nonfiction to comics and back again. I had them talk about their stories with you…so I could share their Halloween costumes, too. They’re all homemade this year, which I just LOVE!
My three Bs had a blast roaming my mother’s neighborhood for Tricks or Treats. Some towns are content with a few ghosts or pumpkins out in the yards, but not my mom’s neighborhood. Not by a LONG shot.
Some houses filled their front yard with beach balls and balloons for kids to play in. Homeowners handed out candy and popcorn to kids while parents got adult “treats” like chili and beer. One owner we talked to had been working on his decorations since July.
A few houses freaked the kiddos out, and I couldn’t blame them. One man was dressed in a bloody doctor’s outfit running around his yard with a chainsaw–not a fake one, a REAL one, revved and ready. Dude, simmer down! Others showed just as much love for the day without, you know, potential loss of limb.
These are all painted wood cutouts. Aren’t they amazing?
We had a magical evening together, banding about in the misty rain while the Monster Mash echoed up and down the streets. Eventually Robot Biff was ready to go back–“Beep boop, too many people!”–and helped his grandma hand out candy while Bash, Blondie, and I continued on until twilight’s end. From my little wonders to yours…
…may you have a safe and happy Halloween, and a most fantastical National Novel Writing Month!
Welcome to July, friends around the world, and Happy 4th to my fellow Americans!
Yowza, July already! June whipped by thanks to summer school for the kiddos. Biff and Bash have been doing a class to help them get ready for 1st grade, which means time with the three R’s and some extra socialization. It also means me going through all their kindergarten work to pack up the most memorable bits, including their writing. After going through their pieces, I couldn’t help but ask Biff and Bash about their favorite work.
For a girl reticent about meeting new people and trying new things, it was a bit of a challenge getting Blondie to participate in summer school. With the bribe of a computer gaming class, I was able to sign her up for photography and geocaching. Lo and behold, she’s found those courses way cooler than playing ol’ computer games!
For some, summertime means going on adventures in far off places. But my experience with Blondie in the Horicon Marsh was a beautiful reminder that one doesn’t have to travel far to escape to other worlds.
From accentnatural.com
So often we think we have to travel miles and miles to escape the humdrum.
from cityofwaupun.org
We presume the truly fantastic is beyond the horizon, just out of reach.
From horiconchamber.com
But if we take a moment to step outside, we might just discover adventure awaits us in the here and now, be it in the nearby marshlands…
From horiconmarshcalls.com
…or with the imaginations frolicking in our own backyard.
What are your imaginations up to this summer? Any recommendations of fun daytime-adventures with kids? Let’s chat!
Jean Lee's World 