NaNo Prep Challenge - Antagonist Story

Saturday's Writing.com NaNo Prep Challenge was to write out a brief story involving one of the antagonists of our upcoming NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) novel. I decided to sketch out a short scene involving one of the council members, particularly one of the two judges, of Spectrum, Arnon Raskarat.

Arnon Raskarat sat in the judge's booth beside Reisha, the other council judge. The case was one Arnon had seen before - a child left abandoned in the Raskarat wilderness by parents who decided, quite harshly, that it was an inconvenience to deal with the consequences of unbridled romantic encounters.

"Go easy on him," Reisha whispered in Arnon's ear.

Arnon said nothing, just stared at the unshaven man standing before them. The Fountain of Judgment rose behind the convicted man, crystal clear water bubbling from the top of the stone and glass structure that stood in the shape of a capitalized 'A'. Arnon wanted nothing more than to watch this man, this delinquent of society, drown helplessly under the fountain's cleansing waters. He knew Reisha would have nothing of it, though.

"Your child was found dead," Arnon said in a trembling voice. His anger was almost uncontrollable. "Wasteland cannibals killed her and -" He put his fist in his mouth and bit down on his knuckles.

Reisha picked up for him, as she usually did in cases involving abandoned children. "Peera, you abandoned your child to the wilderness. Now that child is dead."

The man said nothing. Did nothing. He just stood, hands crossed in front of him, head tilted toward the floor.

"You have nothing to say for yourself?" Reisha pleaded. "This is your one chance to offer a defense, possibly help us understand why you did what you did."

"Understand?" Arnon grumbled. "You want him to make us understand why he killed a child? A newborn? Defenseless -"

Reisha put a hand up to stop Arnon. It was her way of saying she understood his feelings attached to this case, but that she would be the one to offer the final word. He would object had he thought it would do any amount of good. Reisha could argue that Arnon couldn't be objective because of his own past as a baby abandoned in the Raskarat wilderness. She would be right. She never did complain about Arnon to the other council members though. He was grateful for this.

Arnon shut his mouth and let her speak the final judgment.

"Peera, you've offered no defense to your abhorrent actions. We have no choice but to offer swift justice in this matter. You will, as of midnight this evening, be cast out of the city, into the very wilderness your newborn was left to die in. You will be given until midnight to gather supplies and say goodbye to loved ones. You will not take anyone with you into the wilderness. Those who follow you outside of the city will be killed on the spot. Is this understood?"

Peera nodded.

Arnon sighed, somewhat satisfied with the fact that Peera wouldn't be able to bring his wife into the wilderness with him. Justice, he thought, will be served.

NaNo Prep Challenge - Setting #1 Description

Today's Writing.com NaNo Prep Challenge is to write out a description of a setting that will appear in my NaNoWriMo novel. Yesterday, the task was to draw the setting - which I did - but since I am a horrible artist, I think I'll keep that 'illustration' off this blog. For now, I'll give a few details to the Fountain of Judgement, a landmark which sits in the center of the council chambers of Spectrum.

Positioned directly in the center of the council concourse, the Fountain of Judgment is a stone and glass structure reaching twelve feet high in the shape of a capital A. The fountain cycles through fresh, filtered water that is scented with lavender and jasmine. Aside from acting as a decorative piece to the chambers of the five council members of Spectrum, the fountain is also the place where those who are sentenced to death by the two judges on the council are drowned. The sentenced individual is restrained to the center statue of the fountain as gallons of water pour down over them, eventually drowning them. After their death, their bodies are left in the fountain for two weeks, while the council chambers are opened to the public to showcase to the other citizens of Spectrum what happens when the law of Spectrum is not obeyed in full.

NaNo Prep Challenge - Protagonist Story

Saturday's Writing.com NaNo Prep Challenge was to write out a brief story involving one of the protagonists of our upcoming NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) novel. Since the only solid protagonist I know of so far is Stephanie Bascomb, I decided to do the story on her. (For a brief background sketch on Stephanie, check out my last blog post.)

Hot coffee, pumpkin flavored. The dirty street scent of trash and exhaust blowing by on a bitter breeze. The changing leaves - oranges and red, in shades that rival blood and orchards. Fall. A terrible season, fraught with horror and themes of death and tricks.

Has it really been a year, brother? I sit here and stare at the bus stop sign - repaired now since the accident - and I have to wonder if there was something I could have done to prevent your death. I should have been with you that day. I should have been the one the bus hit. Not you. You shouldn't have had to go out like that.

A year is too long to dwell on these things, and yet not long enough.

"M'am, can I take your plate?" the barista asks.

"Yes. And please don't call me M'am." Twenty-four is hardly an age to be given such distinguished titles.

The barista nods, blushes a bit, and takes the dish away.

I wonder if you can take this ache in my chest while you're at it? Probably not.

NaNo Prep Challenge - Protagonist Profile

For the past week now I've been participating in Writing.com's NaNo Prep Challenge, which provides a writing exercise each day in the month of October to prepare me for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) next month. The point of the exercises is to build the background for my story, characters, and environments so when November 1st hits, I'm ready to write like the wind.

Today's exercise is to sketch out some of the profile to my main protagonist. Even though I'll be writing a novella that takes place in the Black Earth universe, the characters are all brand new, making this a healthy challenge, and somewhat freeing to be able to do a story somewhat disconnected from the main Black Earth storyline.

Here's what I've sketched out for (one of) the main characters of the novella -

Stephanie Bascomb - Female - Age 34 - Doctorate Degree in Business
Stephanie's parents died years before Earth's last days. She had a brother, Victor, who was killed in a freak accident involving a city bus years prior to the beginning of this novella. A lawsuit against the city was filed and the money awarded was used to send Stephanie through college. She pursued criminal justice in memory of her brother, but then changed her major to business halfway through after finding out that her brother was actually murdered by a powerful businessman involved in the mob. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get to the man via the criminal justice system, she decided to gain a doctorate in business, changed her identity to Bethany Sanders, and infiltrated the man's corporate structure, eventually moving up to the head of his main headquarters. After gaining the man's trust through a deceitful love affair, she was eventually appointed a position high enough in the corporate structure to allow her to force the company into liquidation. Shortly after going into hiding, Stephanie secured her seat on a SilverTech shuttle bound for Anaisha.

In the beginning of Black Earth: Spectrum, Stephanie is aboard the Adengors, relieved to have finally left Earth - and her past - behind, able to start afresh on Anaisha. Or so she thinks...

NanoWrimo Prep Challenge

For those that don't know, November is National Novel Writing Month, or NanoWrimo (www.nanowrimo.org) for short. Putting writing fears and insecurities aside, everyone is encouraged to blow out a 50,000 word manuscript in the 30 days that exist in November. If you succeed, you are given a special certificate of completion and bragging rights to all those around you. I've participated and completed the challenge for the last five years now.

I know that writing - let alone 50,000 words - can seem a bit daunting to some. That's why I'd like to bring to everyone's attention a great challenge that takes place in October to prepare you for NanoWrimo in November. It's the Writing.com NanoWrimo Prep Challenge. Essentially, it's a writing activity each day of the month of October that gets you ready for NanoWrimo. Each exercise takes maybe 15 minutes and covers everything from who your characters are to what your setting is. There are contests in this challenge that you can enter to win great Writing.com prizes like merit badges and gift points.

I've participated in this challenge for the last two years now and I've found it immensely fulfilling each time. Aside from preparing me for the novel I'm going to blow out in November, it's also a great discipline to do some writing every day.

To enter, simple go to the following link (http://www.writing.com/main/forums/item_id/1474311-October-NaNoWriMo-Prep-Challenge), read the rules, and sign up. The challenge starts October 1st and goes until October 31st, ending just in time to start NanoWrimo. You can complete your October 1st challenge as late as October 3rd, so don't worry if you don't have a chance to jump into the fray today.

Hope to see you all over there!

Graphic by Karin Dalziel