Day 27: Long Lines

Today's Prompt: write a poem with long lines, ones that extend beyond the normal length. 

An as this week is my post show crash from Macbeth, Dear Readers, you get another Macbeth, theatre related poem.

Theatrical Tempest

When the days begin to blur together in a mass of exposition

And I can hardly tell what day it is anymore,

I know that hell week has thusly descended into madness--

And the audience breaths, so I will I, hitting the stage.

It’s a marvel that everything is contained in one small space,

With costumes, props and, and set pieces whirling in common time.

When I am all but out of breath from chanting or sword fighting,

It’s what we do for our art, breathing to life something new

Something wasn’t didn’t exist before today.

Much Progress

Today is a mass of hysteria and confusion as I sort out everything I need to do. Bear with me, Dear Readers. I am trying to get caught up on stuff, so this is getting posted on the late side.

This Week:
      *Reading: making slow work of Inkheart (Cornelia Funke). It a good novel and I need to soak it in. I have forgotten much of it since my last read of it.
      *Writing: wrote my OctPoWriMo poems daily (about 100 words each), Tuesday Writing Blitz (700+ words), Wednesday Writing Blitz (713 words), ROW80 post (863 words), and some NaNoWriMo prep work (its coming too fast).
      *Editing: Didn't get to editing Tuesday, but managed to get about an hour on some edits tonight. I wrote this so out of order that getting these edits and re-writes into the script is really going to take a while. But on the upside I feel I am getting a clearer story out of The Real Road Trip. Its becoming a stronger story. I have chapters now, but they feel more like sections while I sort this story out. We will see after I finish with this re-write draft.
      *Theatre Stuffs: scanned the my script (so I can print of a Lighting and Sound Technical Script tomorrow). Making sing-up sheets for make-up, and help for box office and parental guard duty. Typed up stage notes for Act 1. Much more to come....less than three weeks now!
      *House Tending: got plumber to fix leaky pipe in basement, getting a quote on a new furnace (joys of home ownership) as it appears that the furnace is shot, keeping up with laundry. Most of the dishes are now done.
      *Social Media: spending tine on Twitter, visiting 4 blogs daily from ROW80 and OctPoWriMo (at 4 for each since Sunday), and keeping up with my sponsor duties.

This (upcoming) Week:
       *Reading: continue reading Inkheart, read Murder Comes Ashore (Julie Anne Lindsey), and start Mrs. McGinty's Body (Agatha Christie). Update my Goodreads Reading Challenge.
       *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words. Hoping to make this happen in the latter part of the week this week. Spend a little time getting character sketches done and finish a mock outline for Modern Muses for NaNoWriMo, because that starts on Sunday.
       *Editing: Spend 1 day between now and Sunday editing The Real Road Trip for an hour.
       *Blogging: post Thursday.
       *Social Media:  4 blogs daily, sponsor duties, spend time on Twitter.
       *Theatre Stuffs: report.
       *House Tending: report.

A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come and see what the other ROW80-ers are writing about at the Blog Hop.

HOw are your goals coming? Who is doing NaNoWriMo? Ready for November?

So much stuff and now time for a little WIPpet Wednesday!

The creation of K.L. Schwengel, where writers post a bit of their WIP on Wednesday to a Blog Hop (CLICK HERE) to visit the other WIPpeteers. By using today's date you share a snippet and give a little background on the piece. Today is 10/28 so lets do 2 + 8 = 10 paragraphs from the beginning of Modern Muses (working title). Here we meet Thalos and what was doing at the top of the novel and a little bit of Teri.

A man bounced a tennis ball against the ground as he heard shouts from the field. “That’s fifteen – love, mate.” The guy on the further end of the courts called to his partner. 

“Okay, my serve then,” and he reach up just in time to miss the ball and as he ran to catch it his laces which were now loose and sprawled out across the court. He did a tuck and roll, but still managed to bang his head on the fence.

“You okay mate?” his friend called.

“Yeah, just cracked my head that’s all.” Everyone else on the nearby courts eyes the event unfolding, some even chuckle a bit, but most turned back to what they were doing when the young man slowly stood up.

They were supposed to laugh, Thalos thought. Why didn’t they? He thought it was funny.

What people didn’t see was that the man, Thalos was laughing and moving his pointer finger as the young man had skidded into the concrete, dropping his racket as the ball went out of bounds and bumping his head. Thalos wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, “Oh that’s good…” as he mentally checked off points about the young man’s fall.

“I thought you were in charge of inspiring the lighter side of poetry, comedy, and mirth.”

“I am,” said Thalos who now stood, dropping the tennis ball into his draw string bag. “I am just sitting here minding my own business. Doing some research for one of my…um, charges.”

“Right….Thalos. You think I was born yesterday.” The voice belonged to a short and thin girl, who looked much younger than Thalos. She was certainly clean in appearance. “You’re a bum, Talo.”

He hated that nickname. It made him think of candle, “What’s it to you, Teri?” Thalos said ignoring Teri and walking past a girl who was wearing black yoga pants and a purple spaghetti strap top with some brand name store across her meager chest.

All TEH Things Wednesday

This Week:
       *Reading: finished Dead Before Dark (Wendy Corsi Staub). A very engaging story, but I was a little Inkheart (Cornelia Funke).
disappointed in the ending. It felt rushed and a little anti-climatic. Over all was a fun read though. Focusing now on
       *Writing: wrote  Monday (500+ words), Tuesday (616 words), and my ROW80 post (628 words). Also, I have written my daily poems for OctPoWriMo (about 100+ words per post).
       *Editing: spend an hour Tuesday and Wednesday on The Real Road Trip. I have about 4 chapters set . Finding the story better now. Still its like playing giant word Tetris . It's coming, albeit slowly, but it's coming. This why I need to plot more and pants less.
       *NaNoWriMo Prep: started breaking down my scenes (have 6 currently) and made a character list for Modern Muses.
       *Theatre Stuffs: sending out regular week in review emails, wrote my bios for the Golden Age of Radio Show and The Music Man. Bought a first aid kit and the glow in the dark spike tape will be delivered tomorrow. Still need a box for my stage manager stuff.
        *House tending: dishes and laundry done. Discovered a leaking pipe in the basement, just above the hot water tank. The joys of home owning and being an adult. That call will happen tomorrow to get someone to fix it. Decorated for Halloween.
        Social Media: 4 blogs daily (ROW80 and OctPoWriMo makes 8). I got most of that since Sunday and Visit at least 2 WIPpet Wednesday, as I miss that this past week. Visit my sponsor duties. Sponsor post has been submitted, will be live in November. I skipped #writestuff tweet chat to focus on the editing.

Been a good week, except I have been feeling distant. I think because I have a lot going on and my brain gets focus on one thing, and ALL TEH OTHERS get pushed to the back burner. Still, it's been a good week over all.

This (upcoming) Week:
      *Reading : continue with Inkheart and start another Agatha Christie mystery.
      *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words.
      *Blogging: post something Thursday.
      *Theatre Stuffs: report.
      *Social Media: 4 blog daily and sponsor duties.
      *House tending: carve/paint pumpkins. Bake Halloween goodies.

A Round of Words in 80 Days, the blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come and visit the Blog Hop and see what everyone is writing about, working on, or involved in.



• What are you currently reading? Inkheart (Cornelia Funke)
• What did you recently finish reading? Dead Before Dark (Wendy Corsi Staub)
• What do you think you’ll read next? Mrs. McGinty's Body (Agatha Christie) or The Faerie Path (Frewin Jones)

Today is also WIPpet Wednesday, the brain-child of K.L. Schwengel, the chief cook and bottle washer and flying monkey trainer. By using today's date I will share a bit of my WIP (working title) Modern Muses. Today's snippet is right after last week's, continuing with Teri's adventures in the dark. WIPpet math 21st day, 2 +1 = 3 +1 = 4 paragraphs.

Check out the Blog Hop to visit the other WIPpeteers and see what they are writing.

“Yes?” she said tentatively as she began to look around the darkness of wherever she was.

“I thought so. Nothing makes sense here, I should know,” the voice said, sounding neither male nor female, but was calming. Teri tried to relax some, inhaling and exhaling slowly, not sure if she was breathing or pretending to. “I know you are lost. You encountered one of them didn’t you?” Teri felt warmth surround her shoulder, or what she thought her shoulders were.

“Them?”

“So you really don’t know, then?” The voice grew closer and Teri was sure that her shoulders were real. There was pained that arched across her shoulder blades.

OctPoWriMo: My Hero (and my progress, sort of)

Somewhere between Wednesday and Sunday I missed something. I wrote my daily dose of OctPoWriMo and plans to write, I did. Thursday was a lot of Work right in Rehearsal, and then Friday was a big blur. Yesterday was my unplugged day. So, yeah, I feel less than productive, but usually after I type my check-in I feel better. Maybe today is the case. So, Dear Readers how did I measure up?

Oh, and I was introduced to American Horror Story this weekend by my beautiful friend, Kaylara. She is named (actually adapted from) after a dragon rider (Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern) and this makes my happy.

This Week:

     *Social Media: I didn't. I admit that I went visiting my blogs and sponsor duties today. But, you see when I read a blog post I want to be fully engaged and leave a incite and a positive response. so, this morning I went to my 4 dailies and my sponsor duties. I feel better. No point in wasting my negativity by not being productive, so I a, ultra productive and begin the week on a firmer footing.

      *Reading: been working my way through Dead Before Dark (Wendy Corsi Staub) a little every morning and at lunch. I also spent about 90 minutes yesterday morning reading. It is a very detailed story, so I want to be able to soak it all up. I have been slowly working on Inkheart (Cornelia Funke), only about 3 chapters in. I realized I have forgotten a number of this from the first time I read it. It's like reading it for the first time, but I am enjoying it as much as I did the first time. Definitely looking forward to watching the movie adaptation after reading the book (even if it is terrible).

      *Writing: written mostly poetry since Wednesday (about 100 - 150 words per post). A little less than my daily minimum, but I am pleased with my poetic output thus far. This week is going to be much better.

      *House tending: laundry, trash out to curb, and some dishes (still have a few more. Mostly coffee cups).

      *Theatre Stuffs: glow in the dark spike tape is ordered, rehearsals are going well (scheduling is good better), getting sponsors, waiting on the confirmation for the interview date for one of the local TV stations. 

Not bad, I missed a couple of big goals. I did not get to editing this week, nor did I post anything on Thursday. I think I need to post on Friday's instead of Thursday. I have more time on Friday's. Thursday is a rehearsal night and the last one was a long one. It is going to continue to be long as we approach tech week in two weeks! I will live, it's a fresh week, going make it count.

This (upcoming) Week:

      *Reading: finish Dead Before Dark, make progress on Inkheart. BTW, I am at 37 books out of 50 for the year's reading challenge.

      *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words. Write OctPoWriMo, and something else of my choice this week. Work on plotting (and outline) Modern Muses for NaNoWriMo.

      *Editing: devote two to three hours Tuesday to editing some of The Real Road Trip.

      *Blogging: post a poem on Tuesday, separate from the OctPoWriMo post.

      *Theatre Stuffs: report. Start set drawings and notes for crew.

      *Anything Else....

A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come and visit us at the Blog Hop, and see what everyone else is up to.

What goals are you making a lot of progress on? What goals are falling to the back burner? What TV shows (if any) have to recently discovered?

Time for poetry....

Today's Prompt: What if one of your ordinary house hold objects had a secret? Lead a double life? 

What would a pen do if it was a superhero. I am taking today's prompt and running with it. The thought occurred to me that maybe our pens, and even pencils might have a double life. Saving the day, rescuing the girl, slaying the monster? What would it be like?

Okay, I've gone a little silly on this one, but seriously it was fun to write. Enjoy, Dear Readers?

From MorgueFile

My Hero

My pen,

she sits all innocent like

lying on the table

acting like I don't know.

She has a little secret,

and never's told a soul

about what she does when no one looking.

You see she's a superhero

betcha you didn't see that coming

right?

My pen is a superhero,

how do I know?

Well, ever see when the damsels in distress,

or the Antagonist has the upper hand,

or maybe when all is lost?

Have you even wondered how the day is saved?

It's my little pen.

My little ball point, BIC, blue inked pen,

she jumps into the air

when the darkness has fallen

and we are sleeping safe in our beds.

She takes to the air

flying fast as Superman, around the world

in a blast of magic 

and ink.

To the trouble she arrives,

not barely batting an eyelash,

as she set to work

writing a scene,

Where the hero arrives

maybe on a white ostrich,

is that even right?

Where the Antagonist is foiled

by a pen light at the right time.

Are you sure that's right?

Maybe there is a twist

and then she start anew with the plot.

My pen is mightier than the sword,

even when she writes about sword play.

Quick as any,

I am writing this down

when I can write her--

My hero,

 a happy ending too.

OctPoWriMo is a 31 day poetry challenge where you a challenged to write a poem a day, using your own wit and maybe a writing prompt or two. Come and see what the others have been up to.

OctPoWriMo/ROW80 check-in: 2 for 1

Today's Prompt: Think of a time where you surprised yourself. You set out to do something and you surprised yourself. You weren't even sure if the goal was feasible. Maybe it was something you hadn't done before. Maybe you did it against the advice of family and friends. Perhaps you had to war against your inner doubts to make it happen. But you did it anyway and you did it your way.

Tell us your success story.

Also, come and visit the other poets of OctPoWriMo at the Blog Hop here.

There is a bit of back short here. Back in 2012 I write my first 1 act--a short play of about 5 to 8 pages--for something called 24 Hour Theatre. Many of you, Dear Readers have heard me talk about 24 Hour Theatre. It's theatre in a day. The writers write a script the night before, from around 6/7:00 pm to hopefully by 2/3:00 am. The following day the directors and actors assemble and rehearsal, capping off the day with a performance at the 24th hour (roughly). The casts get to rehearse 8 to 9 hours. It's very much a whirlwind and quite intense, but it is so much fun.

I had performed in my first 24 Hour Theatre the previous year, so when it came around I was ready to jump in and write a show. Except I had never written a show before, and I was definitely scared. I received my cast and started, it was more than a little daunting at first. But after a little bit I utilized some resources and drove right in. I think it helped that I wrote for NaNoWriMo the year before. It was amazing, and when I saw the final product I was even more amazed. It worked and I could do it.

That was my first REAL bout with the FRAUD POLICE (a term from the Amanda Palmer fandom). The amazing feeling I got from writing that show and then seeing it performed was worth it. So, today I decided to write a Nonet using my first success as a playwright.

Poetry Prompt: A Nonet. It is a nine line poem that starts with nine syllable in the first sentence. Each sentence decreases in the number of syllables until you reach one. Rhyme is not required. Dear Readers, I hope you enjoy.

That One Time

The first time that I wrote something that
was not only read, but performed.
I was a wreck at the thought
of failures aplenty.
Would they understand?
Fears unfounded,
audience
applauds.
Score!

Now it's time for ROW80. A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog Challenge that knows you have a life. Come and see what my fellow ROW80-ers are up to at the Blog Hop.

How am I doing? Well, some way, doing well, other it's a slower start, but I am still making it work. There never seems to be enough hours in the day. But here goes the check-in...

This Week:

      *Editing: The Real Road Trip, I am proud to say I picked up where I left off and figured out my chapters 1 and 2. I write really stream of consciousness and this novel is definitely not in the order it needs to be, but fear not, as I progress through the edits I am making chapter breaks. I sat down for three hours on Saturday. Feeling more promise now and a little less fear. Plan is to have the second draft done by end of the ROund.

      *Reading: finished reading Deep Time: The Glamour Chronicles (Trevor Baxemdale). IT's a Doctor 12 and Clara  story and it feels like a 12 and Clara story, down to the gruffness of Capaldi and the sometimes whining Clara (but it works in this story). Its the first book in a series of book about the Glamour. It a nice, funny read. Started reading Dead Before Dark (Wendy Corsi Staub) a murder mystery suspense novel.

      *Writing: wrote Wednesday's post (744 words) and Writing Blitzed for WIPpet Wednesday ( 800 words), rough draft for ROW80 sponsor post (667 words), wrote my daily OctPoWriMo poems everyday (roughly 200 words for each post). Could have written more. Going to try to spend a little more time writing this week, if possible.

      *Theatre Stuffs: Music Man, have bio sheets typed up (just need to print), printed labels and began stuffed envelopes for sponsor letters, got the schedule figured out sending emails each week to remind the cast what is coming up, and emailed the TV station for and interview in November.

       *Social Media: doing pretty well. I checked in with my sponsor duties and 4 visit to ROW80 everyday and checked in with 2 to 4 OctPoMriMo, and even hit about 2 WIPpeteers during the week. Of course I didn't hit anything Saturday, but that is my unplugged day.

Whew! That's better than I thought.

This (upcoming) Week:

       *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words.

       *Editing: spent time Tuesday and Wednesday on The Real Road Trip.

       *Reading: continue with Dead Before Dark and start my re-read of Inkheart (Cornelia Funke). I see a review of book versus movie in my future.

       *Blogging: didn't do thing last week. Post Tuesday and Thursday.

       *Social Media: 4 blog daily. Submit my sponsor post tomorrow (Monday).

       *Theatre Stuff: report on progress.

       *House Tending: clean!

I saw a movie Friday night. The hubs and I went to see Pan. We were surprised, very pleasantly surprised, by the story and the overall quality. We saw it is 3-D, and it was definitely made to be in 3-D. I love how most of the movie is made of many new faces. It a different take on the Peter Pan story, and as a prequel it brought new elements to the story. I remember when Russell Crow made his Robin Hood, it got bashed by many a movie goers. I really enjoyed it. There was something about hearing about how Robin Hood and Peter Pan came to be. There are too many reboots out there, that when you get a retelling or prequel its more refreshing. If you like high fantasy and a little different slant on a old story, then Pan is a good choice for you. I highly recommend it. 

What movies have you seen lately, Dear Readers? How are your goals coming along? 

Round 4 Goals...STAT!!!

Round 4 has totally snuck up on me. After a very good Round 3, I feel like I am ill-prepared for the next 80 days. As I am in the middle of rehearsals for Music Man, and the evil day job is keeping me busy, i am not sure what I what to do, or how I want to proceed.

My plan over the summer worked really well because I have very little conflicts, as I wasn't doing a show. I could come home and write or edit and managed to get a lot done. Now that I am stage managing a show I am spending more in the theatre and less time writing. Currently I still have days that I can write, so I am here to tweak. I think I can make this Round productive. Actually, I will make this Round productive.

This month is OctPoWriMo, so I am already posting daily. It's gonna take work, and here is why.....

 Revised Schedule for Round 4:
             *Mondays: Music Man rehearsal 6-9 pm. Write for an hour after coming home. (This will stay the same).
             *Tuesdays: Poetry Corner posts. Will post a recent or archival poem from my collection. I have a lot of poems. Write for 30 minutes. Input edits/Work on re-writes on The Real Road Trip.
             *Wednesdays: Post ROW80 check-in, WIPpet Wednesday, and WWW Wednesday. Write 30 minutes.
             *Thursdays: Music Man rehearsal 6-9 pm. Post to blog.
             *Fridays: Write for 30 minutes sometime before bed.
             *Saturdays: Unplugged day, unless I choose to write or blog, edit or read. This is generally my hang out day, where I can go and do stuff with friends. Now that it is fall and the weather will start to change, I will have more days to inside and write, edit, read, etc.
              *Sundays: Post ROW80 check-in.  Write and edit in the morning. Music Man music rehearsals 4 - 8.

Note: when Tech Week (Hell Week) starts, the goals go on hold.

Specific Goals: 
          *Social Media: visit 4 blogs daily (from ROW80, WIPpet, OctPoWriMo, etc)
          *Editing: Input all edits and re-writes for The Real Road Trip (hopefully). This way I can hand it to my CP to see how well the novel can hold up to someone not me.
          *Reading: read 4 books this month (October).
          *Outline NaNo Novel for this year. At least get more organized for NaNoWriMo than last year
          *Theatre Stuffs: report of progress of the show.

Daily Goals:
          *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words.
          *Reading: read daily.

Maybe this are a little lofty, but I am seriously determined to finish The Real Road Trip revision before NaNoWriMo. 2015. I got a new story that wants to be a novel, Modern Muses. And I want to be prepared this year. AS they say, one day at a time. And what I try to remember, "If you really want to do something; one one can stop you. If you really don't want to do something; no one can help you." ~James A. Owen. Also I am going to refer to this post in every ROW80 check-in.

A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come and visit the Blog Hop and see what everyone else is up to.

This is what I want....I am going for it.

Much to Report at Round's End

Today I did something different. The Steele Memorial Library in Elmira had a Bad Art Night. It is where you can bring your art supplies and share with others an make "Bad Art". I don't think I have the capacity to make "Bad Art", but I do love making art in any form, whether its good or bad. It was fun to make, see for yourself, Dear Readers. Also, can you guess my favourite TV show?

So, its the Last Day of the Round. Yeah, that's it...

This Week:
        *Reading: finished The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie). I read this back in college, but not since then, so the twist was a surprise. I am in awe of any mystery writer. A mystery needs to be written backwards. An heck, writing can be hard as is, but to write a story backwards. I remember when I took English Detective Fiction in college, which was where I was introduced to Ms. Christie. The big project for the semester was to write a detective story. I did it. I did do it. Hmmm...Maybe I should try writing a mystery story again, or at least pull out that long forgotten story and see if it still holds oup. Also, I dove back into Fragile Things (Neil Gaiman) and I swear his writing is just so addicting.
         *Writing: wrote Sunday (ROW80), Monday (99 word challenge), Tuesday (986 words - started a new story, based on a dream, very Twilight Zone).
         *Editing: edited a flash fiction piece for #writestuff monthly writing challenge. You can read The Birthright here, if you like.
         *Social Media: visited 4 blogs daily and my sponsor duties.

How did I measure up this Round? Well...prior to Music Man started up I was writing everyday and throughout the summer. I finished my read through of The Real Road Trip and was preparing to type up my edits, organize, and re-write the novel to prepare it for my first CP.

This month I have not done much editing. There has been much with Music Man vying for my attention. I even came up with a new schedule to accommodate my rehearsal nights. I think I am just adjusting still. Good things are on the horizon: an awesome show, Doctor Who is back on, I have a new WIP for NaNoWriMo (Modern Muses is already at 17000+ words), and a new short story (currently Top Secret Project).

I think my current problem is that the next step in revising The Real Road Trip feels daunting, and I am scared that after these edits the novel is going to suck. I need to take that fear by the horns and run with it, tackle it and give it a good cuddle. I did my read through edit and was still convinced it was a workable story back in August. What I need is to push myself. Also, I need to revise the editing goal (which I think I already did), to make the revision of draft 2 (I think that's right) complete by Halloween. I can do it, in fact I WILL DO EEET!!! Note and question to you Dear Readers, is the rough draft  technically a 1st draft? What do you consider a rough draft, versus 1st draft?

Overall, I am happy where I am with my goals and my habits at the close of Round 3. And I know where I need to be for Round 4. I have my work cut out for me though as October is OctPoWriMo and followed by November is NaNoWriMo. I want The Real Road Trip, 2nd draft complete by Halloween. Also, will continue to work off the revised schedule throughout Music Man.

WWW Wednesday!
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
     Fragile Things (Neil Gaiman(. I love the way Neil spins his stories. Oh and he has a new book out now too. Must get all the Gaiman.
• What did you recently finish reading?
    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Christie), see above.
• What do you think you’ll read next?
    Deep Time, 12th Doctor adventures.


This (upcoming) Week:
       *Reading: finish Fragile Things (Gaiman) and start my recently purchased Deep Time (Doctor 12 adventure) before Round 4 starts.
       *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words. Refer to new goals in my new schedule.
       *Editing: type in edits, organize an outline, and and re-writes for at least an hour a day, at least three days week on The Real Road Trip. Update twice weekly.
       *Social Media: 4 blogs daily, sponsor duties, sponsor post.
       *Theatre Stuffs: report of show's progress.

A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog challenge that knows you have a life. Call on in and visit the Blog Hop, meet some new friends, learn a few things about writing and/or how to crochet or how to make a gluten/dairy meal. We have an eclectic group here. I love them all.

WIPpet Wednesdays, the brain child of K. L. Schwengel, where writers share a bit of their current WIPs. Using today's date to pick a snippet of said WIP, this means that the date is 9/23 and by this logic I will share 5 sentences (2 + 3 = 5 sentences). My current WIP, Modern Muses, and it's been a week since I shared anything. We left off with Teri as she was trying to get Mel's help through a Dream Form (think something like an out of body experience, but you know where you want to go), but he is just a ittle distracted.

“Mel? Are you listening to me?”

“Mmmm…” he purred to himself. Teri turned, she saw Mel lying on a fainting couch and getting a massage from a woman in a tight dress. She could feel Mel’s mind slipping away from her and she suddenly caught Mel and the woman kissing and then she was able to reach Mel’s steel walled mind and his memories previously hidden from her.

“So, I am on my own then,” as she turned away from Mel in disgust.

Go and visit the other  WIPpeteers here.

Theatrical Poems - Gearing up for OctPoWriMo

A few poems I wrote back in May of this year (during Zombie Prom) and seeing that I am tech crewing it, I thought I'd share a few of the more technical theatre based poems. And one new haiku, for good measure. Also I am gearing up for OctPoWriMo to start next month. There will be a lot of poem, poetic forms, rhymes, and meter. Hope you enjoy, Dear Readers.

Theatrical Flow V.2 (Tetractys)

Stage

the show

begins now

curtains open

hear the music play, as the story is

given life by the actors, in movement--

Just another day...

another show

we do

this.

---------

Theatrical Flow

Mic Checks

Places

Spotlights

Are Now

To the stage for Mic Checks, Places called--

When the moment spotlights are now trawled.

----------

Dark Night ( a Triquain)

It is time--

opening night of the 

time we have spent together, singing 

and dancing to our Beat, the one we have pulsing

underneath our skin to the rhythm--

born in our blood and we

are onstage.

-------------

Be Ready

When the lights go down

the backstage-- silent, ready

 the curtains will rise

Productive Day

This week's check-in...

This Week:
     *Reading: finished Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams). What a strange story. It was engaging. I feel like I lost the story at a few points, but then found it again a few chapters. Adams is a strange writer, yet fascinating. still I liked it. Working on The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie).
     *Writing/Blogging: Not much really. I have to sneak time to write this week, but this afternoon and early evening I wrote a 99 flash fiction piece, and posted another piece for Tamara Woods' #writestuff monthly writing challenge. Read it here.
      *Social Media: have kept up with my sponsor duties and 4 blogs daily, except Saturday as I was directing and performing in a 1 act for 24 Hour Theatre.
       *House Tending/Exercise: did a lot of house work this after and afternoon from laundry to dishes, trash to vacuuming, and general tidying up around the house. This also included lots of going up and down the stair, so I probably did at least a mile in stair work today. Also I was walking around yesterday during 24 Hour Theatre. :-)
        *Theatre Stuff: finished prop list for The Music Man, updated cast/crew list.

This weekend was KLP's fall 24 Hour Theatre. This was the first time I wasn't writing for it since the very first one. I was directing and acting along side one of my best friends, Sara and my new friend Luke. The show involved elevator, a child with the chicken pox, over acting teenager, income tax, flirting, and talking with your butt. Yeah, good times! Oh and having my husband cross dress as Yasmine Sapphire! You have to be there. Back I've included a few pictures for those curious souls, Dear Readers.

Beauty Pageant

Untitled: A Working Title

Also, yesterday was the season premiere of Doctor Who and wholly crap, what a season opener. After 24 Hour Theatre we all trucked to Sara (she has BBA). Don't worry, Dear Readers, no spoilers! But WOW!!!

Also in the news, I have a smart phone now. I don't know if this is a good idea or not. We'll see...

Finally over thew crude from two weeks ago, just a bit of a runny nose and a small cough. At the Evil Day Job, I survived the week. Tomorrow will be long as I usually go in early to help with the Monday morning crazy. But I am more rested, feeling better, and having a better out look. Been writing more and after today's productivity am ready for a fresh week, Dear Readers.

This (upcoming) Week:
       *Reading: finish The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Christie), work on Fragile Things (Neil Gaiman).
       *Writing/Blogging: write daily, at least 300 words. Blog on Tuesday and Thursday.
       *Editing: look at The Real Road Trip, make a dent in the edits/rewrites.
       *Social Media: 4 blog daily and sponsor duties. Work on a sponsor post for Round 4 (maybe) before end of this Round.
       *Theatre Stuffs: get sponsors. Report progress on Music Man.

A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog Challenge that knows you have a life. Here's what you do: write down some goals, follow the goals, blog about your progress twice a week, post to blog and linky list, visit fellow writers/bloggers, meet new friends and learn some new things. Come view the Blog Hop here.
 

Not as bad as I thought...

It's been a weird week. My brain is re-couping from a long week at the evil day job (more evil than normal this week), getting sick over the weekend, and adjusting to a new writing/theatre schedule. I usually try to bounce back after a few speed bumps and re-tool my goals to align with what I need, but this week has been a challenge. Goals that had been habit over the summer I am struggling with. Today is the first day that I made real progress.

I guess it happens. Hell that is what ROW80 is all about. It just feels like a backslid a lot. So, how did I do?

This Week:
     *Writing: I did not write Monday or Tuesday. Today I did a writing blitz (796 words) and am writing this
post, so it's a start. Even with the new schedule that account for rehearsal days, I fell a bit short. I hope to return to form as the week continues.
     *Blogging: I posted late Tuesday. it was on old poem, but it was running through my head and I feel like it want to be read by other eyes than my own eyes.
     *Reading: been at a bit of a stand still, what with waking up early, or sleep later. I am less than 50 pages from finishing Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams). It is a strange story. The characters are interesting, but I am not sure how I feel about the plot. It's a little meandering. It's also Douglas Adams though. Still, I am enjoying the different feel of it. Mostly.
     *Social Media: managed to get to 4 blogs Monday, Tuesday, and today, plus my sponsor goals. Even though once I was my own charge. ROW80 folk will probably understand that.
     *House tending: cleaned smelly food from out of the fridge, did the dishes, now need to run to Wegman's and get some needed groceries.
    *Theatre Stuffs: set of secret group for Music Man (to share pictures, video, and important information, answer emails, and type of more of the props list. Also, got my Sloth Mail ready to be mailed (for Amanda Palmer's Patreon group).

This (upcoming ) Week:
     *Reading: finish Dirk Gently and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie).
     *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words.
     *Editing: returning to my slightly forgotten edits of The Real Road Trip.
     *Blogging: post on Thursday.
     *Theatre Stuffs: finish props list, print more sponsor forms, new schedules, and other Music Man related stuff. Prepare for 24 Hour Theatre this weekend.

It's not much, but I am feeling more like what I usually do. There is some adjustment, so I am not beating myself up so much. Nose to the grind stone and slow and steady wins the race. Any more cliches I can use?

A Round of Words in 80 Days, the blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come visit with what the other ROW80-ers are up to at the Blog Hop.

That's it for now, Dear Readers. There will be more stuff in the downward slope of the week. Still I feel good.

Labour Daybour 2015

The days are getting shorter and the leaves are beginning to turn.

As the shadows stretch away

and the silence breeze trickles by,

I am aware that the daylight is dying.

I will admit it, I have done nothing but goof off this weekend. And it felt really good too! For a Labour Day I laboured on housework and catching up on things. It's sunshiny and warm. A last chance at summer. And while the leaves are beginning to change. My August Tree is turning. Also called the Lady in Red, this is usually the first time in my area that I notice changing. This is the sign that Autumn has arrived.

August Tree

We are still getting a bit of the summertime weather though. It has been in the upper 80 and low 90s all weekend. That prompted a trip up to Rochester to go jump in Lake Ontario. Alas, I forgot to capture the moment, but it was glorious and refreshing (even in jeans). I regret nothing. It was also a  trip to Avon, NY where there is a ginormous flea market at the drive-in theatre. Found a few neat trinket and doodads, including a REAAAAALLY old card game called the "Game of Shakspeare". The cards have quotes and pictures from a number of Shakespeare's plays. What I could find about the Cincinnati Game Co. was that this game was produced around the turn of the century, but not sure how long the game was produce. This deck looks hella old though. If anyone has any information, please share.

And a Paddington Bear!!

I am a day late with my check-in, but I REGRET NOTHING! I got to see Shaun the Sheep the Movie and hang with some good friends (part of the Who Group) and caught a neat movie on Netflix, Chef. Quite the movie, with the all feels and a story that was equally entertaining and well thought out, without being cliche.

This Week:
    *Reading: finished Invisible Moon (James A. Owen).
    *Writing: wrote Wednesday, Thursday, maybe Friday (I can't rightly remember at the moment).
    *Editing: started the big edit of The Real Road Trip, inputted the edits into scrivener. Only about a page and a half. Thinking I am going to revise this goal to be completed by October 31st (or sooner).
    *Social Media: kept up with my sponsor goals and decided to be a sponsor for Round 4. Visited blogs, Weds and Thurs, nothing else over the weekend. But have been catching up on visits and house cleaning the email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
    *Theatre Stuff: working on a props list and preparing for rehearsal to start. Read thru is Thursday. Rehearsal days are Mondays and Thursdays, and Sunday afternoons for music. This'll make scheduling more important.
     *Housework/Exercise: Did a lot of walking yesterday around the flea markets and on the beaches of Lake Ontario. As for housework, laundry is done, folded, and put away; dishes are mostly done (except what I used for dinner; trash is out; and cat litter scooped.

This (upcoming) Week:
     *Reading: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie), Dirk Genlty's Holistic Detective Agency (Douglas Adams), Murder Comes Ashore (Julie Anne Lindsey), and Fragile Things (Neil Gaiman).
     *Writing: write daily, at least 300 words Monday thru Friday on Modern Muses or something else if the mood suits me.
     *Editing: find an editing schedule that works with Music Man schedule, work on it for an hour each day, Monday thru Friday.
     *Social Media: 4 blogs daily, and sponsor duties.
     *Blogging: 1 new non-ROW80 post this week. Probably Tuesday or Thursday.

A Round of Words in 80 Days is a blog challenge that knows you have a life. Come and see what the other ROW80-ers are up to at the Blog Hop!

It doesn't feel like summer is over, Labour Day has always marked the end of the summer. But here it is. Much excitement having this month and it is going to be an awesome show, awesome fall, and awesome Round. How are you celebrating Labour Day, Dear Readers? The beginning of Autumn? Plans for September? Leave me some love and hope Round 3 or life is going for you.

Peace!