NaNo Day 30 - The Wrap Up

So it's finally the end of National Novel Writing Month. If you saw my winning video clip, I am totally beyond happy with myself for pushing through 50,000 words in a single month. There were a lot of things I learned about myself and how to keep on writing even when I didn't feel like it.

And I totally ordered my winning T-Shirt!!!!

Number one thing I learned about myself: 

It takes 76 CUPS OF COFFEE TO WIN NANOWRIMO!!!

1) Planner or Panster? It turns out I just have to use whatever works each day! There is no magical method that I've been able to cling to yet. I outlined my story, did some world building, and simple character profiles before NaNo began.  It turns out that WHILE writing, I let myself be led by inspiration way off course. There are parts of my outline that were lost and character relationships that changed. There's no way I could have made it through November if I had clung religiously to my first outline; instead the story flourished as I went with the flow of things.

2)  Writing techniques! I probably tried every single one. I have a little purple notebook that I use during the mornings to jote down story notes and chapter points. I tried index cards. I tried writing in the morning, during the night. Forcing myself and being inspired. Using both music and silence to inspire me. I think I NEED to have variation every day for my writing to work.

However I think the technique I've liked the best is:  expanding bullet points! I'll write a general idea for a chapter, and keep adding bullet notes in-between my main plot points. By the time I have a list of 25 points, I've already expanded into a whole page of text. Most of the time that works for me!

3)  Word sprints are your friend! Before this month started, I didn't even know what a word sprint is. But now I feel like it's a very necessary exercise to get into the flow of writing during the day. Just give yourself a time limit like 10 minutes, and just don't stop typing. Let the words flow and keep your fingers moving. Not only did this start me into the habit of writing for the day, I created new story ideas that I loved! Try out writtenkitten if you want to challenge yourself to a sprint!

4)  Research about writing technique! No, authors are not just dropped from the sky, stuck at the computer, and magically type out an award-winning novel without any type of writing experience. It was really helpful to me to watch Youtube videos like: Katytastic's three act novel outline, Brandon Sanderson's lectures on fantasy writing, and reading essays on character voice.

5) Have a writing buddy! Any one that's followed my blog knows I've gone through this journey with writing twinsie, Valerie! She's been there to support me every day during November, through blogs, excerpts, advice, and just spending silly time on skype. Going through this contest with someone else is a sure way to stay motivated.

6)  Murder your internal editor! I cannot count how many times I just wanted to stop writing to go back and edit the chapters I had. The text was boring. Characters were left out. The plot was too obvious. And it was so hard to just keep writing when I knew what I had wasn't good. Luckily I learned about the strikeout and bracket tricks!

• Strikeout Text:  If you don't like it, strikeout the text you have as a visual reminder that you need to change it. BUT! Don't delete it. Keep the word count and just come back to it later. Maybe you will change your mind about it
• Bracket Tricks:  If you really don't know what to write, like dialogue, but can't think of anything witty to say, use brackets! Like [...she told a joke about cheese right here...]. It's a complete time saver, you know the plot, and continue the story.
• Comments:  This is an extra one if you're using Microsoft word. I will highlight some text and place a comment balloon over it if something needs to be changed for later. I use comments instead of brackets if that text is important to plot, or to keep those facts in mind for another scene. 

7)  Cooking dinner! Is usually impossible when you are writing. I was totally horrible with my eating habits in November, most of the meals coming from the freezer or the crockpot. Yay for chili! And hamburgers! Not to mention I think that my fiance and I went out to eat like....at least twice a week. I would totally advise tricking your friends into inviting you over during a write-o-thon and having them cook so you can keep typing.

==========================================

So the list of my invaluable learning experiences will continue to grow as I continue to write. Like I said, my novel isn't done yet. I probably have another 50% more text to write! WOO-HOO!

It's a good thing my December will also be mostly quiet, so I can concentrate on it. I'll let you guys know if I'll post more excerpts, because like #6, I can't start editing yet! I have like 5 strikeout paragraphs and like 30 bracket sections I need to fill in!!! :O

So! Time to keep writing....well....actually today, I'm just gonna chill with my coffee cup and some YouTube. I think I deserve a day of rest. Peace out!

NaNo Day 29 - Time to be a winner!!!!

Holy cows in pasture. Do you know what day this is?? Do you? Do you have any idea what amazing, absolutely spectacular day this is?

Take a look at this picture of Microsoft word - look at it. 

THAT is from my NaNo Novel Document! That means today is the day that I'm a winner!!!!!!!!!!! Here is an awesome video to document my amazing winning moment for all to see and appreciate. I cannot believe this day has come, and one day early of the contest!

I have completed such an amazing milestone for myself and I am just so pleased to see this through till the end. My story is not finished yet, so technically there is still more writing to be done before the book is complete.

BUT!!!

This month of writing was one of the most amazing journeys that I've traveled so far and I couldn't have done it without a lot of prayer and my amazing writting buddy Valerie! You're my writing twinsie!

There will be no excerpt for today either, since everything needs to be edited like CRAZY. So you'll just have to use your imagination for the rest of the story. Or order a copy from me :P

HAPPY NANOWRIMO TO EVERYONE AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

NaNo Day 27 - First draft is better than no draft

At first I was a little nervous to continue posting my excerpts on the blog, because the quality is REALLY going down. As I head toward the NaNo goal, I'm letting my sentence structure slip and I'm not caring how the scenes might be boring. Or how many "the man said" 's I'm using. BUT! Having a first draft with almost 50,000 words is better than no draft at all!

I didn't write much extra today, so I clocked in at  46,135 words! I did write a lot of notes and was able to wrap up a chapter AND start a new one. Tomorrow will be for expanding scenes!

So because we are finishing the day up, this post will be shorter to make room for the excerpt. Yay!

EXCERPT

So to recap: my main characters have been chased into an abandoned research center by a daemon, a large black beast that can shoot chains and fire from it's mouth! They also met a rather...curious scientist and his warrior bodyguard living inside. My main characters have agree to go through some experiments to create some "thing" to help them fight the daemons outside. Thus, Jason and his sister go into the next testing trial.....

===========

They sighed and whimpered as they went through the double doors to their next destination. This room was well lit and looked like another long hallway, this time fully covered in white tiles. A door marked ‘Exit’ sat at the back.  It looked relatively safe, but way too easy.

The first step Jason took turned the floor tiles red. An electric shock like fireants crawled up his arms and burned at his skin, but stopped him from yelling out. Shiri pulled him off the tile and the effect stopped. The tiles turned white again.

                “Welcome to Sensory Trial Level 2! Did you notice I’m using a different energy pulse this time?”

                “Yes I freaking noticed!” Jason yelled out. “You electrocuted me!”

                “Oh really? That must have been a malfunction. I’ll turn the power to a lower setting,” the man responded absentmindedly.

                “You wha…?” Jason was shaking, and smelt like slightly singed hair.

Then all the tiles in the room turned red and the room glowed with danger. The tiles changed their arrangement into a diamond pattern along the floor. Jason noticed some of their shapes were different as each one clicked into place: half were square and the other half with rounded corners.  He heard another clicking sound. A third of the red tiles were replaced with land mines.

                “Now I want you to find the correct pathway to the exit,” the man spoke with a hint of anticipation. “Use your instincts and don’t rely on what you see.”

                “I knew it. You are trying to kill us!” Jason exclaimed.

Well now they couldn’t rely on colors or sounds to lead them in the right direction. Every time they got close to a bad tile, the burning sensation would increase. Finally stuck into a corner between a very real-looking mine and six different tiles starting to burn their arms, Jason started to panic. “We’re stuck!”

Shiri was smooshed back-to-back with him, occupying the same tiny space on the tile. She breathed and repeated the man’s message again out loud. “He said…don’t rely on what you see,” she said slowly. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

                “That you want to me to test my lifespan by stepping a mine?” Jason quivered. “I don’t like that plan. At all.”

                “Well we can’t just stand here forever. Just…try it!” she exclaimed and pushed Jason with all her might. He gasped and tripped forward. Both feet landed on the mine and the metal monster started a horrible beeping countdown. Jason froze and Shiri instantly regretted what she had done.

Then the beeping stopped. Nothing happened. Jason blew out another string of curse words and then quickly apologized. “But never do that to me again, do you hear me?!” he blasted toward his sister. She side-stepped over to him with a huge smile. “You’ll thank me later.”

The two of them proceed toward the back of the room. He was grateful when his smug sister volunteered to take the lead. She started hopping on landmines like they were rain puddles and he cringed every time. In less than five minutes they were at the exit doors. Shiri was waiting for him to praise her magnificent performance. He just sighed and walked over to the touchpad out of habit. “Yes, yes, thank you for potentially risking my life to satisfy your curiosity.”

His sister just giggled and approached the other hand pad. “Why is it so hard for men to accept help from a woman?” she teased. Soon the touch pads were activated and accompanied by the cheerful robotic announcer.” Congratulations on completing the second test trial!” Metal straps zoomed out of the panel and held both of their hands in place. They couldn’t move!

                “NOW what?” Jason yelled outloud. Almost in response, the announcer continued. “Starting element enhancement procedure! Please stand by!”

Shiri tried to yank her wrist free, but it wouldn’t budge. The green touch panel started to glow red and the bottom of her hand began to spark. The purple element on her palm expanded, growing to reach through her fingers and wrap around the top of her hand. The color changed from purple to a darker blue. It stretched thin across her skin and it felt more like rubber instead of super glue.

Across the room Jason was punching the panel only to get a bruised fist. His arm was stuck in there and the element had grown up his wrist, spreading under his forearm. It extended far past his fingertips now. It felt like a piece wood tied to his arm. The substance changed into a more brilliant silver and was rock-solid.

                “Element scan complete!” the robotic announcer cheered.

                “I can’t believe the readouts I’m getting from the element’s transformation. Sun, come take a look – ah yeah you don’t care about the numbers, I remember,” the man cleared his throat. “But I’ve never seen chemical interactions like this before!”

                “You better release us now!” Jason yelled at the cameras.

The metal straps clicked off and the exit door open automatically. “There you go! I’m pleased with the results you are getting so far. The element responded to you better than I ever hoped,” the man exclaimed through the speakers. “There’s only one sensory trial left and soon the experiment will be complete.”

                “Good, I’ll be glad to get this splint off my arm,” Jason wiggled his left arm with disgust.” This thing is getting really heavy all of the sudden.”

                “Yeah how is this thing supposed to help us, again?” Shiri asked.

                The man sighed on the other side of the camera. Jason could imagine the man rubbing massaging his forehead. “Did I not say? I thought I did? Sun did I – oh well! These tests are to trigger the element’s integration with your vital statistics and DNA markings. Hopefully the end of the experiment will provide enough data for the element to evolve into it’s final pattern. I’m hoping that pattern will be something useful.”

                “Something useful?” Jason questions.” I thought you told us it could help us fight; you made it sound like a type of weapon.”

                “Did I now? Well I don’t remember using the word ‘weapon,’ my dear boy. The pattern created by the element is very unstable and impossible to predict.”

                “For crying out loud, that’s just great!” Jason punched his arm to the wall. Surprisingly the solid element pierced right through it. Shiri raised her eyebrows in surprise and came over to see the gaping hole.

                “Wow that’s kind of impressive,” she said, pointing at the silver plank glued to his arm.

                “Yeah I guess. Still, I want to get this thing off me. Let’s just go to the next trial and get this over with.”

===========

NaNo Day 26 - Still a day ahead

There are like...3.8 days left on my journey to write a novel in one month. I have come so far already. I really feel proud of myself with reaching 45,198 words as an epic milestone today! 

All I need to do is write 4800 words before Sunday and I'll be a winner in NaNoWriMo!!!!!
Woot!

And there is no possible way I have enough energy left to edit ANYTHING for an excerpt. I am so mentally drained and pooped. Thank you, thank you my amazing writing buddy for cheering me on today! It might have taken me like FIVE HOURS to write 900 words but gosh-darn it I did it. I did it without strikeouts or bullet points. I didn't leave in crap. Hey, I only used TWO bracket tricks. 

Keep going my fellow Nanites! keep it up! Power through Thursday, especially those of you who aren't celebrating the holidays. Let's get this done and win it!

NaNo Day 25 - I caught myself

I can't believe I just spent the last two hours wondering if I should edit my novel. I was actually considering it. I had found some amazing essays by "Chuck Palahniuk," which are amazing to read (go read them right now!):  http://litreactor.com/essays/36-writing-essays-by-chuck-palahniuk

I had my novel draft open and was looking through the chapters - I thought about revising my outline and doing chapter outlines....

Then I caught myself.

I looked at the clock and saw the last two hours of NOT WRITING fly past me. And now it's already past noon and I can't stop thinking about sandwiches. So now I have to waste another hour to go eat (while watching Youtube because that makes lunch way funner). Losing my morning to an "should i edit" fantasy is kinda discouraging, but it also strengthened my will power not to do it.


I will not edit goshdarnit until December, when it's official editing month, and I have my dragon-slaying-50k- winner tshirt!!

Just wanted to get that out of my system. What I did do this morning with a lovely 3 more cups of coffee was scribble some hand-written notes about the next scene in my chapter. At least typing them up will jump start me into writing again for today! I'll just have to suck it up that my morning is gone.

**UPDATE** I was able to get up to  43,534 words  today. I'm still a day ahead weee!

EXCERPT

Here is what the test is all about. Looking back at my excerpts, you probably have no idea why they are even performing trial tests in the first place. Oh the mystery! But hopefully you can still enjoy the writing. 

=================

The doors opened to reveal a dimly lit hallway. Even through the darkness Jason could tell this room was out of place. The walls curved around them to form a tunnel of hard, chiseled granite. The stone made a weird contrast with the neatly placed white metallic tiles under their feet. The only source of light came from the floor, a musty orange glow creeping through the tile cracks.  Jason couldn’t see but a foot in front of him.

The place was quiet and the orange ambiance made the place look haunted. They have no choice but to move forward. Shiri moved in front of him and stopped, starting to hum to herself in thought. When Jason joined her, he began to frown as a tingling sensation filled his mouth. His lips contorted and opened to expose his teeth like he just ate something spicy. “Hmm my lips are tingling!” he said out loud.

                “My teeth are buzzing too,” Shiri replied. She flicked her tongue over her teeth. Taking another step forward, she kept poking and prodding around her mouth with both hands. With her next step, Jason heard a faint click of a lock being released. 

A deep vibration began in the walls, along with the room’s audio system cracking to life. “Don’t move!” the old man’s voice blared out.

Shiri froze into place as a rushing sound of wind grew into the sweep of a hurricane; a giant wooden mallet the size of a house swung from one side of the wall to the other. In defense Shiri crossed her wrists to protect her face. Jason grabbed her elbow to pull her out of the way. In the moment, he swore the gray material on her hand began to shine. Then she screamed and fell backwards into his arms.

                “What in the world?!” Jason sputtered and inspected his sister’s contorted face. “Shiri are you okay?” His frantic babbling must have reached her and her eyes fluttered open. She looked weak and in pain. He cupped the side of her face with one hand, his touch making a fragile smile appear on her face. Now he was angry.

                “You have got to be joking me!” Jason yelled toward the corners of the room where he assumed the cameras would be. “I thought you wanted to test your experiment, not kill us!”

                “Perish the thought young man,” came the voice on the speaker, along with a snicker. The volume got lower like he was talking over his shoulder and spoke. “That was a bad pun wasn’t it? Ahem anyway - Now I did warn you not to move, didn’t I?” his voice came closer to the mic. “The data I just recorded from the element responding your vitals is amazing. Just listen to the rest of my instructions and you’ll be just fine! Carry on then.”

Jason started barking out insults when he realized there was no response. Shiri patted him on the chest and shifted to get up from his arms. “Hey it’s okay. I feel better now; I’m not hurt or anything.” Jason took her hand and helped her to her feet. She pulled on the muscles in her arm, looking to see if everything was still intact. “Yep, still in one piece.”

                “Maybe it’s better if I lead from now on,” Jason offered, his voice still tense.

                “Be my guest.”

Jason put his senses on high alert and led his sister forward into the room. As they did, the tiles behind them started to illuminate. The back of the room was now lit up in a bright green light, while the piece before them was still covered in shadow.

                “Let me explain what we’re trying to do here,” the old man spoke over the intercom. “Have you ever heard of a centuries old scientist named Ivan Pavlov?”

                “Err, not really,” Jason spoke and warily inspected each step before he took it.

                “The man was a brilliant researcher in the field of classic conditioning. He developed a specific reflex among animals when combining two different types of stimuli. Smart man, but I would rather test my theories on a more modern animal. Humans!” the man exclaimed with a sense of triumph. “I want test how well you rely on your senses. I will combine a specific energy pulse with a – shall we call it – dangerous situation. Will you trust your eyes or your senses to complete the trial successfully?”

                “What is that supposed to mean? That every time I’m about to get smashed with a flying a hammer, you’re gonna vibrate my teeth?!”

                “I knew you would pick this up quick!” the man said.

                “He really is one of our best volunteers so far, isn’t he?” the distant voice sounded like Sun.                 

                “I couldn’t agree more my dear.”             

                “Okay enough conversations,” Jason growled back. “Just tell me how to get out of this room in one piece.”

                “Oh well, it’s quite simple. Just get to the exit at the other side,” the man said in a thoughtful voice.

                “Right, easier said than done,” Shiri griped under her breath.

Jason ducked, ran, crawled and wall-jumped around seven different hammers that popped out of the dark hallway walls. Shiri screamed, fell, and did some kung-fu magic to follow behind him. Each set of floor tiles lit up the room as a hammer was passed successfully. Now at the end of the long chamber, Jason and Shiri limped over to the double glass doors they assumed was the exit. For a moment they just slid to the floor, exhausted.

=================

NaNo Day 24 - Double-up Monday!

EPIC STARE

You know what I'm looking at right now? A double-up Monday. That's right peoples of the world and beyond. I did DOUBLE the Nano par word count today by writing 3554 words today. I basically wrote an entire chapter in one day!!!

I kinda made this deal with myself that I wouldn't buy my Nanowrimo winner's shirt until I was completely sure I could make it to to 50,000 words. And the only way I can know that is to reach my goal before November 30. I really, really want my t-shirt. Oh and to be a winner, of course :D

So my word count for today is: 42,122 words!!

I'll keep this post relatively brief because I TOTALLY want to go waste my time on something else like watching Youtube videos or playing a video game (and not the iPad). 

And here is a *cheer* to everyone that is continuing the NaNo journey to the very end! No matter what you think or do, DON'T GIVE UP YET! There is still plenty of time to make it if you believe in yourself and just put your butt in that chair. 

Coffee helps too. A lot. 

You can do it, world!

EXCERPT

So again, please keep in mind that the decoration of my sentences is going down and my words might not be very pretty any more. Some sentences might be downright bad. But hey! December is like nano editing month, right? I'll be taking advantage of that. 

=============

That should just about do it,” the man said. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a remote control. It was filled with switches and levers. Jason started to have second thoughts about what was really going on. The man flicked a switch and the devices on their chests buzzed and clicked. “Now the data sensors are activated and we can start recording some field data! The testing area is at the bottom of the stairs,” The man stepped aside and waved toward the open door. “Enter when ready!”

                “Good luck down there!” Sun waved happily. Her confidence was still really creepy.

Jason looked at his sister, who gave him a nervous nod and stared down into the stairwell. Without thinking he stretched out and clasped her hand in his. She smiled, but didn’t look up at him. Jason used his other hand to give Isaac a thumbs up. “See you on the other side!”

                “I’ll be watching you!” Isaac called after them, but his voice already sounded far away. The passageway seemed ancient, but Jason could see multicolored wires tacked along the walls under the handrails. It was a strange contrast that Jason was used to. The energy humming from the wires filled the stairway with a familiar hum. 

A set of glass double doors greeted them at the bottom of the stairs, the floors and walls shifting from gray stone to shiny white metallic. A camera was position in the top corner and moved itself into focus. A jovial robotic voice echoed through its audio system “Welcome to Training Lab Number 3! Please watch your step as the doors in front of you will open automatically.”

Shiri squeezed his hand a little harder. “Let’s do this,” she said with more confidence filing her voice.

“You’re pretty cute when you’re trying to be brave.” His eyes went wide in disbelief. Why did I just say that?

“’Trying?’ I don’t have to try, this kind of bravery just comes to me naturally.” She played along with the joke, even if there was a faint blush on her cheeks. The whooshing sound of the open doors was a welcome change of an awkward moment.

The two of them released hands and walked inside. The dark room quickly illuminated with hidden lights in the white tiled ceiling. The room was empty except for a single glass table in the middle of the room. Two petri dishes filled a single helping of gray goo sat waiting. “The test is about to begin. Please take your designated amount of Element 219 from the table in front of you,” the overly happy announcer said.

Jason looked around and Shiri pointed at the table. “I guess they mean this stuff?” she asked. “Can you just pick it up or…?”

                “Well I don’t see any gloves or warning stickers,” Jason looked around and up at the camera who waited silently. Focusing back on the gray goo, he shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah I guess we just take it.”

                “It looks like a piece of clay,” his sister observed. She reached out and picked of the goo. After a moment of sitting in her palm, the goo started to move; it expanded almost like liquid, covering the inside of her hand and reaching up her fingers. “Oh my god, it’s taking over my hand! Jason do something!”

Jason reached over to do – he didn’t know – but the substance didn’t respond to his touch. He picked up the petri dish and used it like a shovel to pry the goo off her hand. Nothing worked. When Shiri looked about to cry, a loud cracking sound echoed throughout the room followed by a high pitch ringing. 

Then it sounded like someone was clearing their throat. “Hello, hello! Can my two volunteers hear me?” the voice of the man rang out. “Tell the young lady not to be alarmed, it’s a totally natural process. The metal will bond with the first person it touches in order to absorb their DNA. Completely safe.”

                “This stuff is glued to her, how are we supposed to get it off?!” Jason cried in distress.

                “You really worry too much young man. It’s simple! The process of imprinting at the end of the experiment will detach the substance, whether you are successful or not.”

Shiri sniffed back her tears and stood a little taller. “I’m okay Jason. I just got a little scared. Go ahead and pick up your piece.” Her curvy eyes lifted with a smile. “At least then we would both be stuck like this.”

                “How reassuring to hear you say that,” Jason joked back. He picked up the blob and it worked the same on his palm as well, coating the complete underside of his hand. The robotic voice happily cracked back into the speaker. “Please proceed to the back door and use the hand scanner to confirm successful contact.”

The audio cracked again and the voice of the professor came back into the room. “Eh yeah I forgot to mention that this test runs with an automatic tutorial system. I haven’t figured out how to disable it yet, so just bear with the protocols okay?”

                “How can you forget something important like that?” Jason called out.

                “Ha ha,  must of slipped my mind.”

                “Right,” Shiri sighed. She straightened up and smiled at her companion. “Let’s get out of here. The sooner this test is over the better I’ll feel.” 

Both of the them walked to the back and saw a scanner with the shape of a handprint. Shiri offered her hand on the pad first. It lit up with a grid-like light and ran over the palm of her open hand. The robotic voice chimed in “Contact with Element 217 confirmed! Next test subject please!” Jason offered his gray hand in the same way and a green light flashed above the exit. “The test trials will now begin. Good luck!” the friendly voice offered.

=============

NaNo Day 23 - Only seven days left!

It's like 12:30pm in the afternoon and I already reached my 'on par' wordcount for the day! Squee! I am so freaking happy about my new writing techniques and proud of my ability to keep moving forward no matter what kind of crappy descriptions I'm putting on paper.

Side-note:  writing while listening to the "Mirrors Edge" soundtrack is pretty inspiring. I didn't like the game, but the music is amazing! Check it out if you need some background noise.

So you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna take a nice super-long lunch break to make an epic lunch and watch some anime! It's gonna be awesome and the best part is that I won't feel guilty at all. It's like a little reward to myself fore being so good. Personal reward systems are important!

Now that I think about it, I haven't played a (console/PC) video game during the whole month of November either! It's like I'm either writing or taking notes on my story like every day! It kinda makes me sound eccentric.

(Personal note: playing matching games on my iPad does not count. Those aren't real games. They are time suckers, procrastination stations, or brain cell jump-starters. And I might have spent an equal time playing them as I did writing. Oops)

Right now I'm sitting exactly on NaNo par with:  38,384 words!  There's plenty of time to write more and an even greater temptation to do something other than writing for a change. Like, a hobby! I have hobbies, I swear!

EXCERPT

Now the downside of being so productive and using my expanding bullet-point technique for writing is that my excerpts are getting harder to find. My "good writing" is becoming less with every "the man pointed" phrase I dump into my story. So...please be gentle with this excerpt and the following ones to come. I've already released my fear of editing and now I know it will happen within the next month or so. 

=================

The man was shorter than the Amazon warrior standing next to him. Thin-rimmed glasses made of bright silver accented the stormy color of his eyes. Perhaps he was a middle-aged man, but his side-swept hair was still dark brown. He wore a dull sweater above a white tee shirt and jeans, but the simple fabrics failed to mask the bulk of his muscles. His frumpy clothing style didn’t match his appearance of being battle-ready.

                “Guys…” Isaac mumbled out the side of his mouth. “We’re surrounded by crazy people…” Shiri shushed and elbowed him hard in the ribs.

The man walked forward with a smile and clasped Isaac’s hand first. “Ah it is good to meet you. And erm, who are they again?” He asked to Sun. She pointed with a smile and said “They are human. I found them wandering outside the institute just like you said.”

                “Humans, did you say? Why that has been a long time, hasn’t it? I told you they would come along eventually,” the man chuckled. The way that Sun laughed along with him created a really awkward moment. Jason was started to side with Isaac about this. They were trapped between a lady with a sword and a man that could light himself on fire.

Still partially hidden behind Jason, Shiri peered around his shoulder to inspect the man. “It’s nice to meet you too.” She pursued her lips.” Are you sure you’re okay?”

The man genuinely looked around and patted his chest. “Ah yes sorry to frighten you. When I get lost in a good book it really…sparks my imagination!” He threw jazz hands in the air and smiled wide with the bad punchline. At first no one said anything. Then Jason forced a chuckle and tried his best to smile. Sun laughed out loud and clapped. “Haha, that was one of your best fire jokes yet. You should remember that one!” The man unfroze from his clownllike pose and tipped his head. “Thank you!”

This conversation was just getting weirder. In an attempt to change the subject, Isaac stepped forward. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Yes, sorry if I didn’t mention that before. The Spirit of Truth, at your service. I’m in charge of this institution.”

“Ah if you work at the institute, you must be Dr. Harrington, correct?” Jason asked, relieved to make some sense of the situation. 

The man tapped his lip and pondered the question a little too long. Then looking satisfied with his thoughts, he replied.  “Yes you could call me a doctor. Although I was always better at counseling.” He wiggled his eyebrows for effect. “People seemed to like me.”

“I don’t think this man is Dr. Harrington,” Shiri replied slowly. “The records we recovered from the old map device suggest his research is at least 90 years old. This man doesn’t even look half that age.”

“Well, I say that you are only as old as you feel. And I’ve always been young at heart!” the man replied with a flick of his wrist. It felt like his jovial attitude was either hiding something or proving him more eccentric. Jason couldn’t decide which.

Isaac approached the man with cross arms and a cross expression to match. “Honestly I don’t care who you are,” he addressed the man. “But warrior lady over here mentioned that you knew how to get past that monster outside. So it’s time to start answering our questions.”

The man almost looked hurt. “Of course I will help you,” he offered in a sincere gesture. “That’s why you came to me in the first place, right? To gain knowledge!”

Shiri decided to take the initiative. She cleared her throat and started to count off on each finger. “Okay, so first of all, it’s obvious you aren’t who you say you are. Second, it’s pretty clear you won’t give us a straight answer. The fact remains that you two…” Shiri gestured toward the warrior and her companion, “…know exactly what is going on around here. Clearly you’ve had experience with that….’daemon’ thing. What is it exactly is it?”

The man stops to think for a moment and beckons the group to follow him.”There’s something you must see first. Knowledge can be heard, but true wisdom must be learnt.” He shuffled around the conference tables and splashed through the puddles of water left over by his watery transformation. The group followed him single file, with the woman taking up the rear. Jason could see the little metal table making circles ahead of them, almost like it was waiting for them to catch up. It was showing images of two armies running across a field.

The man clasped his hands behind him and started to speak to the people like a tour guide. “What you saw outside was a creature we call a ‘daemon.’ It is an eternal being that can only be seen on this side of the veil. It cannot be killed, but sometimes it can be destroyed.”

                “I don’t know what you mean. What’s the difference?”Shiri asked.

                “When a daemon is destroyed, it will lose its body and ability to regenerate for a time. Essentially it will turn to dust,” the older gentlemen explained. “The dust is its essence. As long as it remains, there is a possibility for the beast to be reborn.”

=================

NaNo Day 22 - Staying calm and keeping on

Today I was productive: I actually did the laundry.

Yeah, I wish I could end this blog post with such an achievement, but that's not very exciting. Laundry is amazing sometimes though, since you can put your mind on zero and think about other things while your hands are folding. While matching socks I had an amazing breakthrough in my story! I left the confetti of footwear behind me and ran to get my purple notebook. I was able to write a whole new page of bullet points! And when I went to the computer to type them up, I was able to type out a half page!

I love how NaNoWriMo has taught me all kinds of new techniques about writing. The thing I've learned the most is:  there is no ONE technique for writing a book! I can do something different everyday, either with hand-written notes, bullet points, sprints, it doesn't matter. I can write picture-perfect descriptions or simply say [...put cool description here..] just so I can move on to the next scene.

And the most perfect feeling is when you write EXTRA words! Today I'm over the par by 394 words! That's 394 words less that I have to write tomorrow if needed.

In total I brought my word count up to :  37,060 words!  Go me, go me!

EXCERPT

So suck it, I'm totally introducing another new character at 35k! Woot! I've already let go of any expectations of completing my book within the 50k limit. If I actually had to guess it might be double that count at least. So technically the story is still just beginning right?? 

Here's the new guy, read and enjoy!

==================

The woman seemed genuinely pleased with their pathetic encounter. She tapped a finger on her thigh and started to hum to herself. Satisfied with her thoughts, she jammed a fist into her other palm. “Right! It sounds like you’ll need some things explained and I know just the person to take you to. Follow me.”

Little blue lights lit up the floor as she led them into the lobby. Soon the whole interior of the room was lit and everything looked brand new: white concrete walls without blemish; large colored paintings hung without dust. Even the full red carpet under their muddy shoes was clean.

                “This place is amazing,” Jason breathed. “It’s like the whole building was untouched by the last one hundred years!”

                “Oh this place is a lot older than that,” the woman chuckled behind her. “Personally I liked the clean style of the twenty-second century and suggested we update the interior.”

                “We?” Shiri inquired.”Who else is here with you, Miss Sun?”

 “There’s no need for formalities. Just call me Sun.” They had passed the reception desk in the lobby and now stood before a wall of silver double doors. The woman chuckled as she pressed the ‘down’ button. Instantly the steel doors opened and she walked inside.

                “Incredible! This is a working lift system, right?” Jason spoke in excitement. “I’ve always wanted to ride on a working one.”

“I believe it’s called an ‘elevator’,” Sun replied.

He stepped inside and ran his hand over the wall hoping to find a sensor or touchpad. As he started to poke the wall in various places with his hand, Sun spoke out loud. “Basement Level 5.” The doors closed and the small little room shot downwards. The momentum made everyone grab the handrail, but Jason just giggled.

Once they had their footing back, Shiri cleared her throat and looked up at the woman, who was clearly enjoying herself. “So you mentioned that other people are here with you, correct?” she said.

                “Hmm, well there’s only one other person here. I’ve just never thought about him that way,“ Sun explained after a moment. “He can help you fight the daemon’s outside.”

                “Woah, hang on there a minute,” Isaac replied. “You want us to fight those monsters? There’s no way we can fight like you…whoever you are.”

                “Oh don’t worry. My master has been training human fighters for as long as I can remember. He knows the right kind of weapons to use in order to defeat the daemons. There are also other ways to fight than brute force. He can teach you much, if you are willing to learn.”

Jason squared his shoulders and crossed his arms. “I want to hear what your master has to say.” Shiri and Isaac looked up to study him. Today Jason had seen too many incredible things. Impossible things. And yet here was a woman named Sun who claimed to be waiting for them. If she knew they were coming, then so did her master.

The sign above the elevator door indicated they were almost at Level 5. There was time for one more question. “So Sun…when we came inside the building, I saw you activated some type of energy barrier on the door,” Jason asked. “Does that mean the whole building is protected with force fields?”

                “Forgive me, I don’t know what you mean,” Sun frowned. “It seems there are still many human words I’m not accustomed to. If you are talking about the entrance to this building, all I did was seal it with a Message. That will keep the daemon out.”

                “A message?” Shiri questioned.

Sun nodded. The elevator stopped and opened its doors to a sight Jason couldn't image was so far underground. The group stepped out into an arched portico with columns on either side. Cloth hangings of deep red velvet trimmed in gold hung from the columns. Their colors looked dim, but the light revealed no dust to be seen.

The ground was tiled with striped marble and the grand domed ceiling was lit by large chandeliers of different shapes and sizes. There were hundreds of bookshelves and glass cases placed haphazardly throughout the chamber. Twirling iron staircases on both sides of the room led up to higher floors filled with exhibits and tables to study on.

When Jason’s chest began to hurt, he realized he’d been holding his breath. Shiri weaved her arm into his and shared his aura of amazement. Isaac was less enthusiastic and appeared to be checking the room for exits. As Sun lead the group toward the middle of the grand auditorium, Shiri kept pointing at things to gape at. Oil paintings rested beside holographic projectors; a full set of medieval armor sat beside a framed blueprint for an advanced air fighter. The whole place felt like forgotten museum, full of curious things from a forgotten age and people.

The center of the chamber culminated under the center of the dome. Long conference tables circled its center and were piled high with open books and digital knick-knacks. Even the chairs were used to hold more stuff. There was barely space to sit.

A motorized metal table wheeled itself into sight. Projected  above it’s simple metal top were scenes from a battle, highlighting several of its participants in heroic and tragic poses. And behind the moving table walked a man completely covered in flames, with his nose buried in a book.

                “Holy crap that man is on fire!” Shiri exclaimed. At the same time Jason took his shirt off and ran toward the man. “Sir, you need to get down on the ground and try to roll out the flames!”

                “Lady, help me look for the fire repellent!” Isaac barked and flapped his arms at Sun.  

                “There’s no time for that!” Shiri cried out. “Help Jason suppress the flames. Use the books if you have to!”

Sun continued to walk toward the burning man as if the flames didn’t concern her. She tapped him on the shoulder and he stopped walking. He turned his fiery expression to the woman and then noticed the teenagers trying to hit him with their clothing. Confused he spoke out in a booming voice, “Oh! I didn’t know we had visitors.”

From somewhere within the fire, water bubbled from the man’s skin. It gushed from the top of his head along his arms and finger tips, filling the room in a flash of steam. And a lot of puddles.

Isaac dashed in front of the others and used his body as protective wall. That allowed Jason to pull his sister down into a crouch beside him. The hot vapors scratched at their throats. Then as quickly as the steam appeared, it was sucked into a vortex circling around the room’s ceiling.

                “Ah sorry about that, I tend to wet myself when I’m startled,” the older man apologized. He thought about what he said and added, “That didn’t come out right, did it…” He tried to bat away the little wisps of steam still floating up from his sweater vest.

Sun stood proudly next to the smoking man and waited until she had their full attention. The three of them hacked out a final cough and slowly rose to their feet. Her smile widened. “May I present my master to you, The Spirit of Truth!”

==================

NaNo Day 21 - Motivational look at the finish goal.

I am so thankful there is plenty of stuff I can watch on the internet while procrastinating against writing. And after watching one, you feel pumped to start again! I'd like to take the time to present the famous Katytastic to you (and yeah I know the days don't match up, deal with it). I want her helmet.

Thank you Katy for screaming at me that 'there is no magical secret!!' I'm already super-impressed with myself that I have written every day for three freaking weeks! I've never done that before either. I am determined to WIN!!!! WOWHWHHHHOOOO!!!!

MOTIVATIONAL SCREAM while jumping through hoops of fire and dodging footballs!

Also another fun fact that could be related to motivation:

47 CUPS FOR NANO!



=======================================================================

Why am I so motivated, you might ask? Well let's just say that some of the most recent messages in my NaNo inbox have freaked me out! 

1. You can actually validate your novel already?? How can there even a possibility that people are done already??
2. Think about the ending to your story....what?? I'm supposed to be towards the end now??

I read the latest blog excerpt from one of the NaNo coaches that is talking about wrapping your story up toward the end of November: 

http://blog.nanowrimo.org/post/103128323281/nano-coach-4-tips-for-ending-your-story

Seriously though, there's no way I'm near the end >_>

She tells me not to introduce any new characters...Well I just introduced a new person yesterday and I'm planning to introduce another one today. And for the record, another one in 2 chapters. 

CHAPTERS! I'm only on Chapter 10, how the heck can I be close to finishing my book? What does this mean? I'm a really slow writer that tends to babble on about nothing and in reality I'll need to slash 5 chapters just to get to the point?

Now you see why I was trying to stay motivated and positive instead of freaking out? 

So anyways. I feel proud about my novel so far, and no matter what kind of crazy shocks I get from my emails or inbox urging me to follow a particular writing path, all I can do is continue at my own pace. And you know what? My book isn't over at 50k. Nope. I'll win NaNo, but my book will just continue on until I'm satisfied :D

Hooray for happy endings!

Using my expanding bullet-point technique within my document, I was able to meet my wordcount in THREE HOURS!!!! That is a freaking new personal record! So at 1pm in the afternoon, I'm sitting on par at exactly  35,025 words!  That means I have half a day remaining to write more!

EXCERPT

It's time to meet my new character from the last excerpt and fight a monster! Woot! As always, this is my first time writing about monsters. I guess it's officially my second action scene as well? I was trying to make the monster really creepy and well...yeah. Just take a read and let me know what you think. Feel free to add tips about making it more scary!

================

The golden woman warrior lost her smile and marched toward their flailing arms. “Children, you should know it’s not wise to quarrel on this side of the veil. You could attract unwanted attention.”

Her strange comment made Jason pause a little too long and Isaac’s elbow hit him right in the eye. Jason covered his face and tripped, falling to the ground in a pathetic pile. Shiri took the gun and forced it back into Isaac’s gun pouch to end the argument. After throwing her chaperone a deadly stare, she promptly bent over to inspect Jason’s eye. Satisfied it would heal, she helped him to his feet. “Now Miss Sun, was it? What exactly would we be attracting?”she asked.

                The woman tensed and pulled out her sword, her eyes wild. 

Almost if on cue, an animalistic roar emanated from the bottom of the hill. Two large black horns appeared from between the trees, followed by the head of bull without any eyes. Thick, muscular legs coated in inky scales brought the rest of the beast into sight. Its clawed feet resembled that of an eagle, while it’s long bony tail whipped around it like a snake.

                “A daemon,” the woman whispered.

It stood taller than the broken lampposts that lined the walkway up to the institute. Each step the creature took shattered the little red bricks to dust, but the debris didn’t bother the it. Jason didn’t dare to breath. The beast paused to take in the surroundings, but Jason knew it couldn’t see. The big ugly head lifted to sniff the air, although its nose was missing. Then giant flaps of skin unfolded like paper and fanned out behind its horns. They looked like ears; of course!

Isaac wasn’t so quick to realize what the beast was doing. Instead he thought it was smarter to shoot first and ask questions later. Little glowing beams hit the ugly cow on the snout, but it was Isaac’s pathetic battle cry that got the beast’s attention. The black beast swung his head in the direction of the group and dug his foreleg into the ground.

The monster roared, revealing a mouth without teeth and dripping with black goo. Then a red glow began at the bottom of its open throat. Something churned inside its belly and it looked like the beast was about to gag. When it did, a web of ropes fell from its mouth and landed with a clank on the bricked path. The sound was metallic. 

                  “It’s getting ready to feed. Don’t let those chains touch you!” the woman cried out. She lurched forward from a crouch and jumped over Jason’s head. The base of the monster’s throat glowed red and it charged at the sound of her approach. The chains turned red hot and came alive, shooting out of the beast’s mouth like rockets on autopilot.

The woman’s armor burst into glowing lights and she skipped along the ground in a stream of golden fury. As Jason watched each chain whiz past her face, he couldn’t shake the severe feeling of déjà vu. The fear already collecting in his stomach jumped into his throat.

 Kicking off from a lamppost, the woman hurled her sword at the beast’s head and the blade lodged itself horizontally in its neck. However the blade continued to move of its own accord, ripping the rest of the beast’s head off.

Inky bile and charcoal scales exploded like smoke from the neck. The head plopped down next to its feet and the chains fell with it, but the mouth was still moving! A burst of flames erupted from the decapitated head, while the body continued to run towards the group.

The golden warrior ran over to reclaim her sword and was now trying to dodge Isaac’s shots. “You need to stop shooting and get inside the building!” She yelled over to him. “All you’re doing is making things worse!”

Shiri was screaming uncontrollably and tried to climb Jason like a tree. Isaac had two wet trails down his cheeks and he couldn’t move. Jason avoided being burnt to a crisp by hauling his sister on one shoulder and side-stepping a tree root.

He grabbed Isaac’s arm and attempted to pull him forward. However his cousin interpreted the touch as an unseen attack. He yelled out in terror and turned his gun on Jason’s chest. The electric blast knocked Jason to his knees and his vision was fried.

Almost in response to the gun blast, the monster head gave a throaty laugh and finally stopped moving. The monster body started to wobble. Black ooze bubbled around the gaping hole between its shoulders. Two black tendrils coiled out of the opening, growing two new heads to replace the one it lost. Now it roared twice as loud and the smoke from its throat stank like rotten meat.

                “This is not good!” the woman yelled and already jumped onto the back of the monster. Steadying herself on its shoulder blades, the warrior thrust her sword through one of the heads while the other one coiled around to bite her ankles. She punched it square in the jaw and black ink spattered across her peachy face.

“I can’t destroy the beast with humans so close by! Jason!” the woman jerked her head towards him. Hearing his name through her voice somehow focused his attention. His limbs filled with a new type of strength.

“Take your sister and the crying boy into the building! I can distract the daemon until you get inside!”

Jason didn’t stop to think how she knew about their family relations. His sister slid off his shoulders and Isaac was frantically apologizing. He didn’t listen to either of them. All he did was grab their hands and pull them from the next singeing fire ball. 

Trees cracked and bent under the pounding steps of the monster cow. Jason didn’t look behind him, but focused on the cement stairway in front of him. Isaac was now leaping two steps at once and Shiri was so frightened that Jason had to drag her up behind him. Jason’s hand pushed through the revolving glass doors of the research institute, triggering a last desperate howl from the beast. It’s shriek hit a particular tone that made the windows shake. It was losing its prey.

Out of nowhere the golden warrior burst through the windows above them and landed inside the entrance hall. All three teenagers flung their arms up to protect their heads from falling glass. Strangely nothing fell. She left no hole or missing glass. It was like the woman just materialized on the other side of the wall.

Already on her feet, she stood in front of the glass entrance with her hand outstretched. A thin circle of light flowed from her fingertips and raced along the doorframe like water. When the two ends of airy liquid met, it glowed brightly and disappeared. She sighed with relief and turned to the group. “That should keep you safe in here.” With her job done, she leaned back against the wall. She wasn’t breathing hard, and after all they’d been through, she didn’t even seem fazed.

                “Who are you?” Jason could blurted out.

The female warrior cocked her head to the side. “I thought I already told you,” she said with confusion. “My name is Sun. I’m your new guardian.”

================

NaNo Day 20 - Digging myself out of the word pit

The first question I ask myself while writing this blog post is: should I type a laundry-list of complaints and excuses why there's a giant gaping hole in my blog? On one hand I'd like to explain myself and on the other, I shouldn't have to. Life happens to me. Life is great and lovingly distracting.

But there is absolutely no way I'm giving up on my NaNo novel. I simply got stuck for the last two days without meeting my daily word counts. I have been stuck on every, single sentence! I've been question dialogue options and "brick building" with my descriptions. I'm been so afraid of my bad techniques that it's seriously put a stop on my writing. 

For example (and please don't  laugh), I just found out the difference between third-person limited and third-person omniscient. Now I knew that I was writing in third-person...and for some reason, I was limiting myself to only ONE CHARACTER'S viewpoint for my whole story so far. I thought that was how you stayed out of omniscient. Perhaps I had heard on a youtube writing advice video that "head-hopping" was bad and should be avoided. And yet I've read plenty of stories that switch between characters.

Today I found a great blog post that talked about the differences between the two viewpoints AND gave some nice examples to get me on track: http://www.aliventures.com/head-hopping/

Now I know the real definition of third-person limited: it's no sticking to ONLY one character, but sticking with one character at a time.

Ah hah! Lightbulbs are blinking in my brain!

I've already gotten over the fact that my first draft of this book will not be perfect: there are strikeout paragraphs, missing scenes, and highlighted brackets were I need to think of inspiring book excerpts that characters can read from. What harm will it be if I all of a sudden start switching characters in the middle of the story? What can I lose right?

The last two days I've used a technique with bullet points per chapter, to get me on track and motivated to write my scenes instead of flapping around my computer like a fish out of water. (So proud of my pantster writing buddy for making bullets for HER WHOLE STORY!!!!)

Today I began Chapter 10 with a twelve bullet point synopsis. Then inspiration from my buddy hit me to try a new technique: continue to expand my bullet points within my document. So before I tried this, I got through 500 words in like 2 hours. 
Ouch. 
Using my expanding bullet point technique within my chapter, I got 500 words in 30 minutes. 

Eureka! I think I've discovered a new way to write! Not only does this jump-start my imagination, I feel "freedom" to type stuff that isn't perfect because it's in a bulleted list. And this freedom continues my motivation to write more, and add another layer of detail, and then another. Then add some dialogue!

Finally I removed the bullet point icons and was left with a whole page :D
Freaking awesome!

Hopefully that will help me write 2,496 words in one day so I can catch up to the NaNo par. Usually that takes me like, 8 hours in the day to do.
...

Take this trivia and eat it! I finally met par with a word count of  33,424 words!!!!
I wrote a LOT between my breaks at work and I was freakishly AMAZED at my progress today. I am so thrilled to be back on track and hopefully continue to write into the evening. 

EXCERPT

Since I missed a couple days, and I did actually do some writing, there's a lot I could use. But let's skip some of the dialogue and hit the next big bullet point in the story: introducing a new mysterious character! Basically my three main characters have ran away from their hometown and are now stuck out in the woods. Things are about to get a little strange...

=============

“Dammit!” Jason yelled. His bandaged arm slammed into the tree behind him, and the shock made him actually cry. The three of them stood in the gray, misty woods at a loss for words. After a moment, Isaac attempted to help Jason out of his backpack. “Well I don’t need an automatic navigation system to show me how to get to Doctor what-sists lab. Lemme take that pad of yours and I’ll lead you straight there.”

 Shiri eased the pack’s heavy straps over his hurt arm without touching it. “Yeah that’s a good a plan as any, under the circumstances. It will give us some shelter and time to plan our next move.”

Jason didn’t protest. Instead all he could think about was that Isaac, the guy who wasn’t supposed to be here, was the one taking charge. He was the one helping Shiri. Not Jason.

Soon Isaac was appointed the official trip navigator and Jason dully explained how to use the Digipad. Isaac took a couple seconds to study the holographic maps and pointed to the left. Shiri gave Jason a nervous smile, but he couldn’t even look at her. Then she started to punch him in the arm. Repeatedly.

                Jason gasped in pain. “Don’t touch me in the painful spots. Please stop hitting me!”

                 “I swear I just saw something moving over there,” she pointed at the trees in front of them. Isaac unstrapped his gun from his belt and took a defensive stance. With a flick of his head, he motioned for the others to get behind him. Being protected by his cousin gave Jason mixed emotions of feeling completely useless and immensely grateful.

A familiar flash of gold shined between the trees, but it was too faint to make out. Unfortunately it was headed in the same direction of Harrington’s lab. Isaac figured moving forward was better than waiting for another sinkhole to pop up. Slowly he led them toward the golden light.

The research institute sat at the top of a sloping hill. Tree roots cracked through the little brick walkway that led up to a large double staircase. Lush green plants reclaimed the arched entrance way and thick vines had broken through the second story windows.

And pacing at the top of stairs was a woman in full battle armor made of gold. Plates of carved metal wrapped themselves around her legs, waist and arms, covering her torso to the neck. Shafts of afternoon sunlight in just the right places made her body seem to glow. Her hair flowed down her shoulders in waves, and seemed to move as if under water. Her clear caramel eyes tracked the group with great precision. She was the most beautiful woman that Jason had ever seen. He also felt she could kill him in fifty different ways.

When Isaac abruptly stopped walking, Jason kept going right into Shiri’s shoulder. They collided with each other like a path of dominos. Shiri bumped into Isaac, who it turn let out a nervous yelp and a stray shot erupted from his gun. The energy beam missed the golden warrior; or rather, disintegrated before it touched her.

 “Geez Isaac, watch where you point that thing!” Jason scolded his cousin. He called up to the woman to apologize. “Hey, sorry about that. It’s our first time out here and we might be, uh, a little jumpy. We didn’t expect to meet anyone else. Are there more people inside?”

The woman abruptly looked behind her and then back at the group. She reached for her sword, a brilliant weapon with silver and gold designs etched into its long blade. Her alert eyes melted into dark brown as she took a single step onto the stairway.  

                “Can you…see me?” She questioned in a melodic voice.

Jason took a step back, thoroughly confused. “Uh…” he started and looked toward his companions for visual confirmation. They both looked a little freaked out and deliberately nodded their heads in slow motion. Jason turned back to the woman and shrugged. “Yeah, we can all see you. Standing there. Alone, at the top of a stairway.”

She took the rest of the stairs down to meet them, each step taken with great poise and tension. Her hand never left the hilt of her sword. Now she stood in front of Jason, so close their noses almost touched. She had no scent and it was weird how she didn’t blink.

                “So then,” she addressed the group. “You are…humans?” 

=============