Frustrations

It's funny, how during the day when you're at work you can be so amped to go home and write and all throughout the day you're super-pumped to get started. Then you get in your car and all of these sweet, sweet nuggets of ideas and plots and characters and actual paragraphs pop into your head. But you can't write them down! 'Cause you're driving! And you get home, you say hi to the dog, race to the bathroom (hey! it was a long drive!), grab your beverage of choice, then finally sit down at your desk to gather all the pearls of awesome into one giant masterpiece. Aaaaand you face a blank page (or screen) and sit there for hours slack-jawed and unmoving. Everything is gone when faced with the soul-sucking whiteness that is an empty page. It's funny... and very very frustrating.



This happened to me. I did, however, manage to salvage this little tidbit from a whole day's worth of brainstorming. Here it is:

Clementine Mitchell's hair was the bane of her existance. The sable no-nonsense curls took no nonsense from her and did as it pleased. Including letting the light breeze pull it in front of her eyes, effectively blocking her view of a man racing toward her through the parking lot in a dark SUV.

Well, it didn't take me long to drop my resolutions, did it? Honestly, I'm not too worried and I'm not beating myself up about it. I knew it would happen and all I can do is keep on keepin' on, right? So, I've decided to get back on track by posting a little tidbit of writing. I'll post a couple of short reviews from some books I've read next post.

In 2005-ish, I had this idea about three Warriors of some Goddesses that are created to save the world, blah blah blah. It's been done, I know, but this was written more for character than plot. The characters are going through their own various emotions but the primary one they share is guilt. This is about the first, Merusia.

All Merusia wanted in life was love and all men saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of her. Merusia was sweet, giving, and beautiful, but naïve. Her heart had been broken and discarded many times before, but this was the last time; her heart could take no more. Sadness sang a slow lament through her mind and anger burned in her heart. Merusia walked down the sandy bank, along the beach and into the sea. A fierce wind whipped her long black hair against her blank, pale face and a massive, angry storm started to form on the horizon. Holding her arms towards the darkening sky, she sang her spell to the growing storm.

“Goddess Koro, Earth-mother Han’na; save me from a broken life.
I give my body, I give my life; save me from my heart’s strife.
Abused by love, Koro, I appeal to thee; I give my life freely to the sea.
My body, my soul, my mind, my heart; all for eternity.”

As Merusia sang, a thin wall of water formed around her. The last verse rang for the third time through the atmosphere and the faint silhouette of Merusia’s body dissolved into the sea. Everything was quiet. The storm grew intense, the sky darkened, and the sea heaved. Swirling masses of black clouds twisted down, gathering up the tortured sea and advanced toward the small island. Then the wind came, shrieking and shredding the foliage of the island as Merusia’s song heralded her wrath. The storm lasted throughout the night, as Merusia enacted her revenge.

The morning came bright and sunny and beautiful. All that was left of the island was a bare, rough rock. Merusia lay exhausted across the rock, naked and grief-stricken. The horror of the night before was forever etched in her heart and her memory. She sat up and sobbed, tears burning her flesh. “What have I done?” she whispered over and over. Finally spent, she looked around her.

As she looked across the ocean, a salty breeze whispered around her and pulled her hair gently to turn her head around. The goddess Koro rose out of the sea. She had hair like a waterfall, constantly flowing off her head. Little fish swam through the currents of her locks and made it seem alive. Her round full face was young and playful, her eyes kind yet ancient. Her expression now was remorseful and wise. She looked down on Merusia. “You know, now, that revenge is not the answer,” her voice trickled like a quiet stream.

Merusia nodded and her quiet voice answered, “Then why did you help me?”

The goddess Koro sighed and lifted her gaze to the sky. She glided over the water to Merusia and sat next to her, her form becoming almost human. Koro was silent for a moment then, “Even I must follow Fate's course.” Her gaze came down to her hands as they stroked the head of an otter that appeared in her lap. It gave a barking laugh as it disappeared back to where it came from. “My sisters and I are quite close. We hold a counsel every season. We discuss plans; settle problems, sometimes we just catch up on the gossip.” She laughed a little at that. Koro looked across the sea and the sea grew a little choppier. “Our last counsel was three weeks ago. A young seer had called on Han’na. It was not good. Trouble is brewing, something is growing and it doesn’t look good for us.” Koro turned to Merusia. “We need warriors. You are the first of three.”