Napowrimo Day 10 Poem: Dichotomy

Prompt: an un-love poem

April 10/13

Dichotomy

Two sides of the same coin,

So different

But integral to one another.

The sun creates shade.

Dazzling light laughs and plays,

Tickles any fancy,

Dances through the day,

Relaxes and kicks back.

Reflects beauty.

Everything is fun,

Kick-butt amazing.

Loveable.

Dark shadow protects what's inside,

A guitar string wound tight,

Snaps when plucked.

Concealing, disguising

Repulsive fear,

Paralyzing anxiety

With a pretty shell.

Un-loveable.

Hard to love when the shell breaks,

Shadow creeps through the cracks

Dims the light.

Writing Wednesday: Writing A Poem a Day is Hard

Writing a poem a day is HARD, much harder than I expected it to be. I am a huge fan of Nanowrimo and can usually write 2000 words a day when properly motivated, but a poem a day? Even a short one? Well, this is turning out to be a different kind of challenge for me.

Part of it is the lack of flexibility. With Nano, you could take a day off, or only write a little bit, but make up for it later in a great show of writing frenzy. At times, the novel takes on its own momentum and almost writes itself.

A poem a day is much more disciplined. And it uses a different part of my brain. Which is good. Which is why I chose not to join Camp Nano this month and do Napowrimo instead.

I also need a different kind of head space to write a poem - it's a struggle to come up with a unique idea and form and carry it out every day. With novel writing it is different. Even when I don't know what to write, there is usually some logical thing to do next, or I can have characters bash around together until something happens. With poetry, I have to make it all happen. Though, I must say, the prompts help. And I do write random words or ideas down until something solidifies.

Also, in the past, I only wrote poems when inspired. I'd have a niggling in my brain, an urge to write something that wouldn't go away, so I'd write it all down and move on. With Napowrimo, I've been writing a poem every day, whether I feel like it or not.

And, today is only the 10th day! It's been a long road to write the nine poems that I've posted so far. It's been hard to post them. Again, with the novel writing, I write bad first drafts and I know it, I don't show them to anyone until I've edited for months. I feel raw and exposed posting these poems every day.

I would love to hear from others writing Napowrimo or taking on other writing challenges and hear how you are doing.

If you are interested in Napowrimo, click here for the link.

Book Blast: January Black

January Black

Sixteen-year-old genius Matty Ducayn has never fit in on The Hill, an ordered place seriously lacking a sense of humor. After his school’s headmaster expels him for a small act of mischief, Matty’s future looks grim until King Hadrian comes to his rescue with a challenge: answer a question for a master’s diploma.

More than a second chance, this means freedom. Masters can choose where they work, a rarity among Regents, and the question is simple.

What was January Black?

It’s a ship. Everyone knows that. Hadrian rejects that answer, though, and Matty becomes compelled by curiosity and pride to solve the puzzle. When his search for an answer turns up long-buried state secrets, Matty’s journey becomes a collision course with a deadly royal decree. He's been set up to fail, which forces him to choose. Run for his life with the challenge lost...or call the king’s bluff.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Amazon Kindle

Praise
Refreshingly intelligent and loads of fun!
I lost a few hours as I read this book. It's a Young Adult novel that is refreshingly and astonishingly intelligent, and the love story is perfectly played out.
~Christine Ashworth, Amazon Review

The mystery was intriguing - I loved how Wendy Russo weaved in all her secrets throughout the book, how she incorporated just enough to keep you reading, while never actually divulging much of anything. I was guessing for most of it and that's pretty hard to make me do.
~Julie, Clean Teen Reads

Wendy Russo has created a masterpiece.
~Ivan Amberlake, Author


Book Trailer

Author Wendy S. Russo

Wendy S. Russo got her start writing in the sixth grade. That story involved a talisman with crystals that had to be found and assembled before bad things happened, and dialog that read like classroom roll call. Since then, she’s majored in journalism (for one semester), published poetry, taken a course on short novels, and watched most everything ever filmed by Quentin Tarantino. A Wyoming native transplanted in Baton Rouge, Wendy works for Louisiana State University as an IT analyst. She’s a wife, a mom, a Tiger, a Who Dat, and she falls asleep on her couch at 8:30 on weeknights.

FACEBOOK * WEBSITE * TWITTER

GOODREADS * AUTHORGRAPH

Tour Schedule

BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 5/5/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Napowrimo Day 9 Poem: Noir

Prompt: Noir - actually film noir, but I chose to simply go with something dark.

April 9/13

Noir

Noir.

Dark.

Shadows.

Creates interest,

Intrigue,

Mystery.

Slide up closer.

Turn on the light.

Take a peek.

The boogy man is

Revealed.

Cringe at its

Ugly face,

Jagged teeth,

Knife nails,

As it reaches out to

Stroke your

Soft cheek.

Light flickers.

The truth

Shies away from the

Light,

Comfortable in the

Darkness,

Suited to

Monsters.

Napowrimo Day 8 Poem: Panic

No prompt used. I tried and tried to use the prompt, which was to write an ocatva rima, but it just wasn't working for me. I like the idea of that form, so will try to come back to it. I actually wasn't sure about this poem, but thought I'd post anyway. It's pretty raw and I may come back to it.

April 8/13

Panic

Teeth clenched,

Shaky inside,

A tangled knot.

Darkness oozes,

Fills,

Overcomes.

Paralysis.

Stuck.

Can't move.

Deep breaths

Don't calm.

Overwhelm.

On edge.

Anxiety,

Fear.

Panic

Attacks

Me.

Winner of Fool For Books Giveaway Hop

Thank you to everyone who entered the Fool For Books Giveaway Hop. I loved all the comments about what authors you're a fool for - I now have dozens to look up. Thank you.

The winner of the $15 CDN book from The Book Depository is:

Siti N.

 Congratulations!!!

I have contacted her by email.

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by my blog.

Napowrimo: Day 7 Poem

Prompt: Write a poem where each line is a statement and the last line is a question.

April 7/13

The Muses

I know the best people.

We call ourselves The Muses.

I know a woman with a seven foot fairy costume.

I know a woman who sees fairies.

Another friend uses chunky colours to evoke happy feelings on canvas.

Some of us write bad drafts together.

One woman uses Pez containers, clay, and paint to make whimsical statues.

At the coffee shop we drink too much tea, eat gluten free muffins, and stay too long.

Our creative selves are drawn together, no matter our ages or backgrounds.

We get together and laugh, though sometimes we cry.

With these friends, I am safe to be myself, explore, and play.

Don't you wish you had friends like mine?

Book Review: American Gods

Book: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, 2005 by Headline Review, 635 pages.

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm or preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, AMERICAN GODS takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what and who it finds there...

My Thoughts:
I want to start off by saying that I loved this book. It captured my interest right away and kept it all the way through. I've been telling everyone about it and can't wait to get my hands on another book by Gaiman. The storyline is unique and off the wall and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then there is the writing. Gaiman is a master of language. There are even passages I marked because I loved them so much and want to reread them again later. All that being said, I did not race through this book, but savored it. It took me a while to read because I didn't want to rush it..

It is not only the writing that's intriguing, but the subject matter.  Gaiman explores interesting issues and philosophies, the way our culture has changed since people started coming to North America, and even what has happened since. This all revolves around the gods - the ancient ones from the old country and the new one's of technology and money.

Shadow is in jail for a bank robbery and, after three years, is going to be released. He has everything to live for, until he finds out that his wife and best friend (also his future employer) have been killed in a car accident. Shadow leaves jail and goes home, unsure of what he will do. Along the way he meets Mr. Wednesday, who offers him a job. It turns out that Wednesday is an old world god, trying to rally up other gods to fight the new world gods for survival.

I don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to give it away. There are so many twists and turns, rich explorations of ideas, and stunning writing, that it will keep you turning the pages.

One of my favorite quotes (because I love books so much):  

“What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore it knows it's not fooling a soul.”

Napowrimo Poem: Day 6

Prompt: A valediction (a poem of farewell)

I wrote this one in honour of the novel I'm currently writing called Fatal, which is a mythological fiction about Clytemnestra, Helen of Troy's sister.

April 6/13

A Farewell to Agamemnon from Clytemnestra

"Farewell,"

I say to Agamemnon, my husband,

Who today returned home,

Victorious,

From the Trojan War.

Tonight the victory is mine.

His eyes grow wide, he sits up,

Sloshing water from the tub.

I throw the net over his naked body,

And watch him struggle,

A fly in a web.

The knife at his throat,

Stops his fight.

"Why?" he gasps,

Like he really doesn't know.

I laugh.

"To gain a kingdom,

You ravaged me on the night you made me

A childless widow.

You shredded my life with your knife.

But that wasn't enough for you.

Hate festered when

You traded a ten year battle

Leading the thousand ships,

To return Helen, my beautiful, fickle sister,

To the husband who couldn't keep her

In the first place,

For the life of our daughter.

Iphegenia was an innocent sacrifice.

Though you have blood on your hands,

I sacrifice you to Nemesis,

The goddess of revenge."

I look up and meet the eyes of my lover,

The usurper, Aegisthus,

And pull the knife across my husband's throat.

"Farewell."

Napowrimo: Day 5

Prompt: a cinquain (5 lines, syllables/line = 2-4-6-8-2)

April 5/13

School's Out

Bursting,

Doors flung open,

Freedom, finally,

Laughing, screaming, running, playing,

School's out.

Writing

Thoughts fly,

Frantic scrawling,

Brilliant, I'll change the world,

On second read, it's terrible,

Or not.

Fairies

Peeking

Out from behind

A tree. She beckons me

To dance in the fairy ring. What

a night.