Author Journey: April 7, 2023 - Camp Nano Update & More
Welcome! Taking the scenic route can be quite inspiring for anyone who enjoys creating things. From stories to crafts, from metalworking to fine art, from music to comedy, there's so much be discovered on the roads less traveled. Don't you think? I've got a few things to share with you today, so I better get started.
Author Journey: Camp Nano Moves Right Along
...With or without me. *wry grin* I haven't been editing as faithfully as I'd hoped. I guess I'm overwhelmed with the changes going on around me and how much we've been on the road lately.
However, when I do get the chance to edit, I'm working my way through about two or so chapters each time. That satisfies me fairly well. I hope things will even out over the next week or so and that I'll find my groove.
I absolutely love the new flair for camp this year. What do you think of it?
Writer's Life: What's Been Happening Lately?
I would say chaos and mayhem have been ruling the days but it's not true, unless you count controlled chaos and mayhem. But then it's not really chaos and mayhem, is it?
Neither of our girls have their drivers' licenses yet, though they're both working on it. We still drive them where they need to go. And often they go in different directions. It's been tiring for me. I look forward to vacation time when I can at least let go of the household chores for a little bit.
Spartacus is thriving but he's definitely not happy with us when we have to leave him for extended periods of time. We are sure to give him tons of love and attention when we reunite with him. He's such a good cat!
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Just Keep Writing: Friday Fascicles
If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.
Rules:
- You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.
- Please keep the material you write clean (ie. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to.
- Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.
Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required.
If you're writing fantasy or adventure stories, these words should help. I can see many possibilities for other types of stories, too, including nonfiction. What will you create with this prompt?
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Just Keep Writing: Beads & Baubles by Robin McElveen
Here are a few things you might like to know before reading today's short story. Please also keep in mind it's a snapshot, not a complete tale. This is one I'd like to keep working on and add to. But, what do you think? Let me know in the comments.
- Naiva Grenban - (NIGH vah GREHN bahn)
- Tsimik(in) - (TSEE meek [een]) - year(s)
- Shinnoahn - (she NOH ahn)
- Mem - (mehm)
- Tugansol - (too GAHN sole) - the name given to the creator deity in the Shinnoahn Clan.
- Glashiin - (glah SHEEN) - something like our glass
- Elden Faukin - (EL dehn FOW keen)
- Han’sal - (hahn SAHL) - insects which make a sweet byproduct, like honey.
- Jinj - (jeenj) - a sharp, pungent herb
- Limna - (LEEM nah) - a strange shrub whose leaves smell sweet, but taste tart, used mostly in the kitchen.
- Metcha - (MEH tchah) - tiny insects which travel in swarms, most often pesky in the halflight before the suns rise or set. They bite, but aren’t poisonous.
- Bix’n - (BIX uhn) - a type of slow-moving cattle raised in Shinnoah for their shaggy wool, milk, and meat.
- Bon’jii - (BOHN jee) - something like mochi, it’s a soft and chewy outer layer which is sweet. The inside is filled with a tart cream. It’s a covetted dessert all over Y’Dahnndrya, made only in Shinnoah.
“Beads and baubles! Baubles and beads! Beauty and shine from all parts of Y’Dahnndrya are right here. The perfect gift for your loved one!” Naiva Grenban advertised her wares faithfully at each market as many dawnings of the tsimik as she possibly could. The only break she allowed herself was the Shinnoahn holy day, Mem (?). The reason she did so was to feed her spirit properly and worship Tugansol as was just and right.
She’d only been working at this trade for about three tsimikin, having failed at glashiin working. Still the glashiin called to her. If she couldn’t create the beautiful beads she’d wanted to, then she was resolved to help the artisans sell their gorgeous wares in as many places as possible. Such beauty should not be hoarded. It was created to be shown.
“Is there a special this dawning, Naiva?” a warm, slightly nasally tenor asked from her blind spot.
She groaned and pasted her merchant’s smile on her face. This Elden Fauken had been making purchases at every place she settled. Only one purchase and never anything extravagant, but always. Without fail, he seemed to find her no matter where she went. His behavior was starting to worry her. But she was resolved to make a sale. It little mattered to whom.
“I do have a special this dawning honored customer. It’s good to see you again. You must appreciate fine glashiin work to keep coming back to my stall.” She offered him a grin once more. “These,” she said as she set a beautifully carved wooden tray filled with hairpins in front of him, “have come all the way from Oxyl. I worked hard to acquire them.”
Delicate shards of glashiin nestled into finely carved wooden forms. A M’Neshunnaya liilum in it’s pink, white, and yellow glory, looked so real, one would expect it to have a scent. Then there was the D’Koruyin hawhikh. Less bright, but the neutral flecks and the minute carving details along the border were pretty amazing.
Naiva knew though, from previous purchases, that this particular customer seemed to be partial to the cooler colors. “How about a replica of the moon Min?” she asked as she pointed to that hair clip. She’d tried to acquire things which would appeal to all six clans of their world. The plan for that piece was set to benefit someone from Genzet. But who was she to quibble?
“There’s also the Shinnoahn triple flame done in shades of purple with flecks of metal dust in the glashiin to give it a rare shimmer.” She pointed to the hair clip that bore the symbol of her own clan.
Elden nodded and said, “Yes, that’s the one. I’ll take it.”
“But you don’t even know how much I’m asking for these.” The words were out of her mouth before her shocked brain could stop them.
“Then what do I owe you for that one?” he asked. A touch of color darkened his cheeks, but the stern set to his eyes spoke of his determination.
So Naiva bargained with him. In the end, she still thought he paid too much but she was happy to have made such a lovely profit on the purchase of only one item. Of the forty-five coin she’d gotten, her profit would be twenty. With that, the start of a successful trade dawning began.
Taking the hair clip carefully out of the tray, she wrapped it in protective fabric, and placed it gently into a roughly woven bag with a drawstring tie. As she placed the packaged item into his waiting palm, she said, “Thank you very much Senya Eldin Fauken. It is always a pleasure.”
Before she could pull her hand back, he’d closed his own fingers, trapping hers. For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t let go. That would’ve been awkward for certain, since they were on opposite sides of her selling plank. But then he slid his hand away, his fingers leaving burning traces behind.
No. Absolutely not. She’d barely escaped a horrible match with a horrible man. She was not going to fall into that trap again. Mayhap she had no babei to help weed out the bad matches. And mayhap her absent moyri could have helped her learn some discernment, but the fact remained that she had neither of those now. And she was too busy to study the habits and behaviors of any human being right now. She didn’t want a life-mate coming along and complicating things.
“Why do you keep coming back, Elden Fauken?” The question squeezed past her lips and she clamped them shut to keep from uttering any other such nonsense. She didn’t want to know the answer to that question. Not really.
She didn’t have to worry, though. He simply gave her a saucy smirk, winked, and waved as he turned and walked away. Naiva watched until the red of his bright vest faded into the sea of color and moving bodies that filled the market area.
Shaking her head, Naiva turned her attention back to the wares she had on hand. She worked diligently throughout the time the suns made their trek across the sky-dome, stopping only when it became too dark to see clearly without a torch.
The dawning had proven lucrative. Truly it seemed as if Elden was some kind of blessing from Tugansol. Any time he made a purchase, she seemed to always do well in sales. When he didn’t, she didn’t fare as well. Oft’time, she spent a whole dawning shredding her voice in the vain attempt to hawk her wares to people who weren’t interested.
What was going on? Was there really a connection or was she imagining things? She decided that the next dawning, she was taking a break from work. Not complete, but she would take a few hesps and wander the market area. Mayhap she was missing something vital.
The booths woke with the rising of the suns, and trade buzzed like a hive of han’sal, she put her plan into motion. Naiva wandered the passages created by the shops until the suns neared their apex in the sky-dome. Her stomach growled and she determined to find a food vendor. The hint of jinj and limna and savory meat drew her like a light in the dark drew metcha. As she neared the row of food vendors, she heard it. Elden Fauken’s particular tenor rose above the others as he marketed roasted bix’n with tubers, spiced vegetables, and bonjiis.
Naiva couldn’t remember the last time she had a full meal like that. Taking her coin pouch from the pocket of her skirt, she checked it. There should be enough. Taking a deep breath, she offered up a prayer to Tugansol for guidance, and then stepped up bravely to his booth. “I would like a plate with everything, please.”
Elden stood frozen before her. She cocked her head to one side and asked, “Are you alright, Elden Fauken?” She had to ask him twice more before he blinked his eyes, as if coming awake after a long sleep.
He nodded. “I’m fine, Naiva. What brings you to my booth?”
She repeated her order, uncertain whether she welcomed his casual use of her name. When he handed her the wooden platter heaped with a bountiful helping of each thing, her jaw dropped. “I couldn’t possibly eat all this.”
Elden shrugged his jaw. “It’s what you paid for, what everyone pays for.”
“Yes, I understand, but why are the portions so large?”
“They aren’t usually, but on trade dawnings, there are lots of people, tension runs high, conflicts break out, and people spend so much energy. So we decided to start adding more to our servings.”
Naiva nodded and remained mute, but then she picked up on what he’d said. “We?”
He nodded. “My business partner. When he comes back, I’ll introduce you.”
Wonderful. Now she had to meet someone else, as if speaking to him wasn’t terrifying enough already.
“Please,” Elden urged, breaking into her thoughts, “you can sit here in our eating area. When you’re done, you can bring the platter to that table over there,” he gestured across the booth, “and we’ll collect it, clean it, and reuse it.”
She nodded, all thoughts a jumbled up mess in her head. She’d sat, eaten, and deposited her platter where Elden had directed her before she realized she’d done it. Shaking her head, she marched back up to the Elden’s table at the booth entrance.
“We need to talk.” Perhaps she could have asked that better. “Please? When your work is done."
His eyes sparkled, but gave nothing away. Elden Fauken would answer her questions soon. For now, it was time to work.
Let me know what you found most helpful or fun in today's post in the comments below. I confess to rushing through this post. You'll probably find typos galore, but at least it'll be out there. I didn't want to short my readers a story if I could help it.
Now, I need to get back to my other work and editing. Next week, I'll have more prompts, reviews, and updates for you.
Until next time,
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