Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Writing Prompt and Cats

Hi all,
Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, school work has been keeping me busy! This morning when I was reflecting on what to blog about I recalled a writing prompt one of my professors assigned us in a creative writing class. The prompt was to write a flash fiction about color. I'm a fan of color so I was pretty excited. It was very interesting to see different classmates take on how to spin this assignment too. Some went the opposite end of the spectrum than me with absolutely no color. Imagine a world like that! I sure couldn't which was why I wrote instead about color coming to life! I'm including the story that I wrote for class below with a few minor edits, enjoy :D!



Blades of Grass
Melissa Bergum 
 
Gene blew the fading black hair out of her face as she taped the last box of her late mother’s living room items small enough to fit in boxes.  She looked around the gray room, dust particles drifted by in the tiny current of the house.  The furniture, now antique by some standards, had lost what bright colors it did have.  She would take what she could put into her own house and then sell the rest; she had no siblings to share these things with.  She stood and stretched her aching back; time seemed to be catching up with her as well.
All of the rooms in the house were packed but one, the bedroom.  For some reason she felt that room had to be the last, perhaps because it was the most personal room of her mothers and in packing it up it meant she really was gone, perhaps not; she hadn’t really thought on it.  She walked past the upholstered furniture and through the varnished doorframe, the stairs leading to the second floor sat just off to the left of her.  She remembered worrying that her mother would have difficulties climbing those stairs; it even led to a fight between them as to whether or not her mother should be in assisted living or at least have someone to care for her.  Her mother did not talk to her for weeks. 
Slowly she climbed the creaking steps one after another; twenty-three steps in all.  She tried not to imagine what these steps must have been like on the days her mother’s arthritis acted up.  Her mother was a very stubborn woman though, refusing to live out the rest of her days in an “elderly daycare” as she called it.
Her mother’s room was neat and orderly—as was the rest of her house.  Everything had its particular place and probably was never moved since the day it was put there thirty some years ago when her parents moved here.  There was a photo album on the nightstand next to her mother’s bed.  Gene inched towards it, sitting on the bed when she reached it.  She grasped the heavier than expected album, running her fingers over the rough, worn cover.  She opened the album, leafing through it.  Each page crinkling as she turned them.  The beginning photos were her parent’s wedding pictures taken years and years ago.  As she continued through there were photos of her parents doing all sorts of things like barbequing and dancing and as she moved further in there started to be photos of her mother pregnant with her.  She paused upon each one of these pages, drinking in the pictures of her gone parents.  Then there were some baby photos of Gene that followed not long after the pictures of her pregnant mother.  She only glanced at those pictures; she didn’t remember any of it so it was not as important to her.  When she flipped to the next page, however, she saw one she did remember.
            It was a picture of her standing in front of her parent’s first house.  The picture was in black and white, but the longer she looked at it the more it seemed as if the colors she remembered painted themselves into it.
Everything back then seemed more vivid and vibrant to her; she remembered it all as if it were yesterday though, once she saw that picture.  She swore it was her first memory.  The freshly painted white-picket fence glistened off of the sun like a river that ran around her parents quaint house.  The sun itself seemed more stunning to her then than it does now.  It seemed to her tiny child mind to be more yellow than her little canary dress or the sunflower house she lived in and the suns rays were like a warm blanket that wrapped around her.  The flowers, dressed in pinks, yellows, purples, whites, and reds, danced in the slight breeze next to the house.  The grass almost glowed green it was so bright.  She remembered bending down and plucking up a few of those glowing green blades of grass, her black, tightly wound curls bobbed next to her ears.  The feeling of the grass between her fingers was an odd and new sensation that made her giggle like all little children do when they experience anything new—no matter how simple.  Even the feeling of the grass under her was a sensation worth noting, it was spongy and bouncy under her only recent sure footing.
She sighed to herself as she gazed at that photo, wishing, or perhaps even yearning, that her current world was as colorful and lively and simple as it had been all those years ago.  She could not help but smile at her folly and then she carefully closed the photo album and got back to work.




So I realized I haven't spoken about my cats in quite a while which is sad because cats are fun! As I stated before in a previous blog I have two cats: Balthier (Bailey) and Cleo. Bailey is a bit of a special cat. He's got some socialization issues due to being separated from his mom at a very young age (we found him when he was three weeks old). He doesn't quite know how to interact with people or Cleo and his interactions are quite variable. He can be very loving and sweet at times and on his terms, but he also can be aggressive. He is especially so when we have guests over, I'm thinking he gets over-stimulated. The strange thing is he wants to be near people, he hangs out near all of us when guests are over even though he will hiss if anyone approaches him or if he approaches anyone else. His behaviors have improved over the years though.


There is one very adorable thing he does and has done since he was a kitten. Because he was never properly weened as a kitten he suckles on blankets on a daily basis. I did get a video of it, but he's keeping an eye on me because I'm being all suspicious-like a recording him.



Cleo is a super sweetheart and a snugglebug. We adopted her last April. She doesn't put up with her brother's antics though! She definitely defends herself when he's being a bit of a poophead. Cleo is missing several teeth that had to be removed by the vets prior to our adopting her, so her upper lip often gets caught on her bottom teeth and gives her a rather derpy facial expression:

Thanks for stopping in!
Melissa

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Ahh NaNo is here is less than a week!

Hi all!
Although the first year I did NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) it was a challenge in that I did not know what to expect, I think this year will have it's own sets of challenges. I only have a flash fiction to base my novel off of for starters. I've also never really written anything super dark and creepy before and this is what I'm setting out to do. I think in the coming days to NaNo I am actually going to do some planning, weird I know. One suggestion made by a writing buddy of mine that they learned from an accomplished author is to write down pertinent details and descriptions on note cards. I think I'll do that, at least for character descriptions and setting descriptions. I have found that if I'm not careful when writing for NaNo characters and sometimes settings do deviate from what they initially looked like, it happens to the best of us I'm sure and certainly happens to amateurs like me! It will also make editing easier if I keep things consistent and I already dread editing.

I do think that no matter how talented of a writer you think you may or may not be, at least attempting NaNoWriMo can help you develop as a writer. First and foremost it gives you a deadline to stick to. It helps keep you on track with a handy dandy little chart that says what your average should be at X date. It also forces you to write and not wait for the "right time"--you can't wait or else you'll fall behind! Not being able to go back an edit as you write really helped me my first year doing NaNo as well. Even if you end up stopping after a week of doing NaNo, or a day, you've written something! It may even help you get in a routine of writing once NaNo is completed. I generally set aside a specific time of day to do my writing, especially for NaNo.

Thanks for stopping in and reading!

I would like to leave you with two images, one of a Lego pyramid I decided to build Friday night, the other of an adorable kitten attacking a paper towel roll that is bigger than him.

1)



2) 

Bye!
Melissa

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Graphic Novels and my NaNoWriMo Idea

Hey all,
There is one short story of mine that I really think would be better suited as a graphic novel or even a webcomic, but I can't draw for crap. I can do awesome stick figures but that wouldn't do the story justice. I tried to get myself to practice drawing but that didn't last long--somehow I am more motivated to jog every other day than I am to draw (weird!). I don't specifically know if there are any programs out there that are user-friendly that basically draw for you, though Bitstrips on Facebook looks like it has potential, I just don't know if they technically own whatever is made with it, if that were the case than no thanks! I'm going to look more into this though.

My idea this year for NaNoWriMo actually started from a writing prompt the writing group I'm in submitted to us. It was to write a short story either about sound or a lack of sound. Here's the flash fiction piece I'm drawing my inspritation from for my NaNo novel!

Tapping
Melissa Bergum


Tap. Tap. Tap.
Eve glanced at her window cautiously over her home-made quilted blanket. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the covers so tightly. Her older sister Samara made fun of her relentlessly for insisting on having a nightlight even though she was nine years old. Tonight was the first night she did not have it on.
Moonlight made its way through her soft pink curtains that cast shadows which danced manically about her room now. Eve shut her eyes quickly, pulling the cover over her head. She sunk down into the bed. Shadows are sometimes scary. She thought to herself, trying to be reassuring.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A small squeal escaped pathetically from Eve’s clenched throat. It’s just the tree. It’s just the tree. Eve opened her eyes; the darkness they provided was no more comforting than the shadows. Slowly, almost as slow as the swirl-shelled snail she had seen earlier that day, she brought the covers back down. Samara would surely make fun of her if she knew Eve was frightened by a tree. Exhaling, Eve dipped her toes out from under her blanket and pushed herself to the edge of the bed. Her feet found the soft carpeted floor seconds later.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
            The tapping was getting more insist, more frequent.
Samara isn’t going to make fun of me anymore. She thought as she approached the window.
Only hesitating for a moment, Eve pulled apart her curtains widely, expecting to see only the tree that had always been outside of her window. A loud gasp escaped Eve as she starred through the window at a lovely person. She looked to have blue-green skin with beautiful wings like a dragonfly’s. The woman had a dress made of leaves and vines that wrapped snugly about her. One long outstretched finger now rested on the glass.
With her mouth agape, Eve reached her finger up to the window and pressed it in the same spot as the lovely lady. Vibrant green and blue light burst from the lady’s wings. A small smile started on her face, she was looking at Eve. Eve smiled back. Then the smile grew to cover half of her face, when her lips parted Eve was face to face with gigantic, razor teeth.
Eve stumbled backward, quivering. The glowing creature looked to Eve’s left. Panicked, Eve looked to her left and saw the shadow of the lady walking towards her. Paralyzed, Eve could not move or scream as the shadow approached her. The only sound that rang out in the night as Eve was grabbed was the tapping of the tree branch.


Thanks for reading and visiting! Any and all comments are appreciated :D
Melissa

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Academic Writing vs. Writing for Fun vs. NaNoWriMo Writing

Hi all,
As you know, I'm a grad student and we get plenty of papers assigned to us in the social work program. Academic writing in essence should be harder to write than fictional writing, and some times it is, but not always. If it is a cut and dry research paper it is the easiest paper in the world to write, it takes more time to find articles and read through them than plan (roughly) and write my paper. In this instance, the academic paper is far easier to write than fiction. Sometimes I get stuck with where to go from what I've written in stories and novels and the blinking cursor just keeps on blinking at me rather insistently reminding me that I should be writing something.

But I am finding that I'm writing fewer and fewer straight up research papers. A lot of my papers are more focused on analysis or my perspective of the situation. These are very stressful papers are tough to write, especially when the instructor does have a "correct" point of view we are supposed to be analyzing from. I'm a worrywart and perfectionist when it comes to schoolwork, so I find myself getting mega anxious at times with these assignments. I probably won't have a strategy nailed down for how best to deal with these papers (aside from no longer caring) before I graduate in just over a year and a half.

Although I could argue that writing for NaNoWriMo is fun, it does have a specific goal and challenge with a specific deadline, so it keeps me more on track, I've found, than when I'm just writing for fun. I don't quite understand how my ideas seem to flow more when writing for NaNoWriMo than when writing for fun. I certainly don't take the time to plan out my NaNo stories any more than my just for fun stories. Maybe the thrill of the challenge drives my creative energies more than just writing because I feel like it. Now if only I could trick myself into thinking every month is NaNo, then I'd have so many finished stories! ;)

Thanks for reading and visiting,
Melissa

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Snooze Ninja, my Car, and Writing

Hi there!
This all happened yesterday but I was one busy lady between school, work, and hanging out with some friends and meeting some new faces. Anyhow, I apparently am a snooze ninja. I set my alarm just as I did every other day to ensure I got up early for class, but I swear it never went off. I do not remember shutting off my alarm and my husband doesn't remember hearing it (on a semi-unrelated note he usually doesn't notice my alarm unless I'm sleeping on my left side [I'm deaf in my right ear], sometimes he's nice about waking me up, once he just kind of pushed my face over, I was surprised by that wake up!). But it was set! I use my phone as my alarm and it's a saved setting so I know it has worked every other day. So I have concluded that yesterday morning I was a snooze ninja. The only reason I ended up waking up a half hour after my alarm supposedly went off was because Bailey was going crazy pawing at the wall--he's such a strange cat sometimes. This weirded me out, I several times checked the other clocks in my apartment to verify the time, in my sleepy brain I think I was almost hurt my alarm didn't wake me, I know bizarre.

Oh the joys of fall. It's a beautiful time of year, but what comes after fall reared it's head yesterday, I had to scrape my windows before heading off to class. Winter can be very beautiful, but I'm not ready for it! It was just a sad, cold reminder that winter is coming ( ;) ).

I've had my car for almost a year now and since getting it I noticed the seal on the driver side door at the bottom just hung down lazy-like. I was finally motivated to do something about it and I'm kind of amused at what I did, so I thought I'd show you all.


It was cheap to do at least. Hair ties, two paper clips, and one of those bigger clippy-things that probably have an official name. It seems to be working so far. I've got extra hair ties and paper clips in my car in case it needs repairs.

Finally something about writing! I make myself go to school early for the purpose of having a very quiet, non-distracting place to write. I've been working on this novel for sometime, bouncing back and forth between other ones--it's my biggest hurdle to writing/finishing things. I decided at random to add a new character so maybe that will help motivate me to write more of that story. NaNoWriMo is just around the corner though, so it will take the backseat to that story once again. 

Thanks for reading and visiting!

Melissa

Friday, October 18, 2013

For the Love of Legos and a 5k

Hey there,
Last night my husband and I and some of our friends totally busted out our Legos, all of us are in our 20s+ and boy was it a lot of fun! I stayed up far too late organizing Legos last night as I dug through the rather large container of Legos. Balthier (orange kitty aka demon cat) was completely perplexed by the Legos, almost ran down our hall with a piece too. I forgot just how much fun Legos are and, as if I need any more distractions from homework, I think it's a good idea to keep them out for the creative process ;)!






The days opposite of my writing schedule I've been jogging 5k (3.1 miles). At first it was just a challenge to jog even a mile, but surprisingly I've been keeping up with it. I'm even running in the Hot Chocolate 5k in November! I don't really know how I've been managing to drag myself out of bed in the morning and go straight to jogging, maybe the treadmill in my apartment complex doesn't seem so bad? I'm not sure, but I think it's finally become a habit for me. I started in the beginning of September/end of August. I think it's been my goal all along to get decent at doing 5k so that when my sister gets back from Singapore we can do a 5k together. Maybe because I wasn't forcing myself to do this to "be healthy" or "get in shape" is why I've been able to keep it going. We'll see once the snow starts falling though!

Thanks for reading and visiting!

Melissa

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Good Morning

Hello again,
I try to build in a ritual of writing every other day in the morning. Supposedly writing shortly after waking up or when very tired (i.e. prior to going to bed) is the best time to write since you are closest to a dream state. I rarely actually start writing as soon as I wake up, but it's a goal.

My biggest barrier to writing is the fact that I get more ideas than I can deal with at a time. I've actually only finished (yet to be edited...) one of my novels of the many I've started. As soon as I get a new idea I at least start writing down the beginning or the tidbits that I know of, which then distracts me from my other works. This is something I need to reign in as a writer, my discipline to finish one story before starting the next. It sounds like it should be an easy thing to do, but I apparently lack that kind of discipline in many regards--expect (for some reason) when I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. Maybe I need to trick myself into thinking I have a similar challenge going on for one of the stories I am working on currently!

I do try to have a mini-notebook set aside for ideas as they pop into my head, I usually carry it in my purse or have it on my bedside table. I get a lot of my ideas from dreams and I know better than to assume that I'll remember it in the morning! So if you're having difficulty coming up with ideas try having a special notebook for ideas or a dream notebook that you record your dreams in, if nothing else, it will get you writing! Writing even just a little bit a day--a few sentences, 500 words, etc.--can be how you get into your routine. Keep on writing.

Thanks for reading and visiting!

Melissa

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Because Cats


Baltheir (the orange one) and Cleo (the gray one) chillin' by the porch doing the cat thing.

Welcome, I'm Melissa!

Hi there,

This is my first time blogging, but I thought it could be a lot if fun and a good challenge. I like to write all kinds of stories from science fiction to realistic fiction and I know it motivates me to hear about how others are doing in their writing journeys, so I figured why not share mine, who knows it may help some of you! I may even post snipits of things I've written or some flash-fiction based on some writing challenges I find.

I won't always have writing themed posts to make, so I may post things about my two silly cats Balthier and Cleo or my awesome husband Chris whose being vlogging and posting videos on youtube for some time (http://www.youtube.com/user/englishmajorstalking and
http://www.youtube.com/user/chrisneversings). I am a student as well so I may rant about some of the goings on of being a part-time grad student, who knows! If I'm feeling particularly at odds with something to post I might just get crazy and write silly things about games I play--yup I am a gamer geek on top of it all!

Thanks for reading and thanks for visiting :)

Melissa