Click (Micro-Fiction Monday)

He waited up high, in a tree, an old pistol loosely clutched in his hand. The branches were dead, rotten, and crumbling. They wouldn’t hold his weight for much longer. Luckily, his target was almost right beneath him. There were no leaves to cover him, but that was okay; the thick cloud of polluted air did the job nicely.

Just about there, now. Three more steps. Two. One...

He dropped, silently, from his perch, his feet colliding with his target’s back. The target cried in pain and dropped to the ground. The attacker was satisfied at the cracking and crunching of the target’s bones beneath his boots.

He hopped off of the fallen traveller, and stuck the pistol in between his teeth as he yanked the worn backpack right off his shoulders. The target groaned, rolling in pain, as the attacker rifled roughly through his belongings. Some old photographs, a dirty teddy bear, an empty water bottle. He threw the bag down in disgust and yanked the pistol out of his mouth. There was nothing he could use.

Frustrated, the attacker kicked his fallen target, hard in the gut. The man gasped, clutching his side. “What kind of survivor are you?” the attacker spat. “Not a crumb of food, or a drop of water...pathetic.”

“Please,” the man croaked. “Let me...have my things. They’re all I have left of my family!”

The attacker dropped to his knees, waving the pistol carelessly in the air. “You miss your family?”

“Yes...” Relief washed through the man’s eyes.

His gun clicked. “Then allow me to reunite you.”

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

More Books

Because you can never talk about books too much.

I got a Goodreads account a few months ago, finally, despite the fact that I was extremely reluctant to do so. (I was ticked off with it constantly trying to log me in when I didn't even have an account, thus making me unable to read anything on the website without being signed in. Despite the fact that making an account ages ago would have solved this problem, the fact that it was bothering me made me stubborn. I DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE IN.)

I have to admit, I really, really like the website. I like keeping a record about everything I've read, I like updating a status about what I'm reading, I love rating it and writing reviews...

I find it funny, actually, how much I enjoy writing reviews for the things I read. Even the things I didn't enjoy as much as others, I really enjoyed writing and talking about them. It's a little weird, considering how little I enjoyed English class. I've been trying to figure out, lately, why that is.

Whenever I was in English class, no matter what we read, I never had any real interest in it. Pretty much anything I said in any essay wasn't a result of me looking at it critically, or giving my true thoughts about it. It was always about me trying to say things that seemed smart, or things that my teacher would give me good marks for. Maybe the reason I enjoy it so much now is because I'm not being forced to think too deeply about everything, or being rushed to finish it by a deadline. I move at my own pace, talk about the things that I picked up on, and that's that.

Either way, I'm certainly enjoying it now.

I've written several reviews over on Goodreads, if you wanted to go check them out! I'm thinking of making book reviews a regular thing I do elsewhere, be it on this blog or a different blog or something else entirely. I'll keep you posted on where I go with that (if I go anywhere with that).


Until later,

- Justyne

Micro-Fiction Monday is a GO!

Remember Snippet Sunday? Remember how that kind of fizzled out into nothing?

Well, say hello to a new weekly challenge!

Starting today, every Monday I'll post a piece of micro fiction (or flash fiction). For those of you who don't know, micro fiction is basically a very very short story, with a word count clocking in at 300 words or less. To give myself a bit of a challenge, I'll roll my inspiration dice and create a piece of flash fiction based on the prompt.

I hope you enjoy!

~~

Genre: Children's
Character: Hero (willing)
Motivation: to become

His mother could always tell. The way his eyes lit up at bedtime, she could tell that’s when his world opened up. The way his eyes stayed glued to the page, even though the both know that he couldn’t read. Even though it was supposed to make him sleepy, it did quite the opposite—she caught him staying up late, more than once, a flashlight turned on under his bed covers as his tiny little fingers traced over the words his mind couldn’t quite grab onto yet.

She could tell from the way he grasped the sticks he found in the yard, even though she had scolded him more than once for playing with them. The way he swung with confidence and jumped and yelled and shouted. The way he “saved” his little sister from their pet dog, even though she had little interest in being rescued.

His mother could tell because he was never scared of the monsters hiding in the closet. She could tell because, every October, he pulled out that same old wooden sword. She could tell because of the dragons and demons that he battled bravely in the backyard, every day. They were invisible to her eyes, but he knew they were real.

She could always tell that he was a hero. Her very own little hero.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

"Aspiring"

There is no such thing as an aspiring writer--you either write, or you don't.

If you are a writer, you've probably heard that statement--or some variation of it--at least once, and for good reason.

I feel like, too often, the term "writer" is synonymous with a career--any career--that involves writing. If you refer to yourself as a writer, people automatically assume that you're not only a professional, but successful and financially well-off, as well. I think it happens with other artistic pass times, too; artists, painters, poets, you name it. 

I'm guilty of it, myself. Just look at my blogger bio! "Aspiring writer". How do you "aspire" to write? "Oh, I want to write someday! But not today. I'm too busy today."

Seems more like procrastination to me. Trust me, I'm an expert. (Kinda.)

When I made my first e-mail address, I chose the name "futur_writer". I cringe now, not only because of the terrible spelling (I confused it with the French word, okay? It was one time!), but because of how...wrong it was. I was working on a book series--I think that more than qualifies the title of "writer". No futur/e required.

I think, instead of aspiring "writer", we need to say things like "aspiring novelist" or "aspiring poet". "Writer" is too broad a term, anyway. I love writing, but I definitely like some mediums much more than others. (Has anyone seen me ever enjoy writing an essay for school? Didn't think so.)


You shouldn't aspire to simply write in general--you should aspire to improve.


Until later,

- Justyne

First Drafts

When I was younger, there was no such thing as a second draft. I wrote it all out perfectly (or so I thought) the first go around, and skipped straight to the grammar editing shortly after. No revisions. No rewriting. Just one draft--bam, done, on to the next thing.

I don't know if I've just gotten used to the whole NaNo-approach to things, or if I'm finally realizing that it is nearly impossible to get it right on the first try. Either way, one draft just doesn't cut it anymore.

I used to love first drafts. I used to groan and moan throughout editing, and hiss at even the thought of having to re-write the tiniest of paragraphs. But with several less-than-perfect drafts tucked under my belt, I feel like I've definitely warmed up to the idea.

Just recently, I finished the first draft of a novella I've been working on for the past few months or so. Towards the end of it, I realized that my plot--while prominent in the beginning--was now essentially nonexistent. I had no idea what was supposed to happen, what was going to happen, or how I was going to make it to the end. No vague ideas, no plot outline, nothing. I was stumped.

Although I wanted nothing more than to move on, to switch over to some other project (because anything would be better than what I was working on, I was sure), I knew I had to finish. Because this was only the first draft--if I didn't finish it, I wouldn't have anything to work with later. In the past, the idea of having to work around things I had already written was significantly less than ideal, but now? I yearned for it.

Meanwhile, I'm having the opposite problem with my NaNo novel--the first draft of which I finished just before starting this novella. The only thing I'm sure about is the fact that I want to change the story--but instead of not having a clue, I have way too many. Ideas have been bouncing around my head for weeks now, and I'm relieved to be done with the novella, so that I can return to the WIP I've spent well over a year on already.

Rewriting is fun. It's like writing your characters into an alternate universe--it's almost like writing a fanfiction for your own story! (I'm a nerd, bear with me.) A lot of the basics--characters and their personalities, the world, the basic plot of the story--stay the same, so you're not starting entirely from scratch. At the same time, though, you're starting from a clean slate--every plot point, every event, has been erased. Your characters can learn and grow all over again, and you can grow with them.

In other words: I am very, very excited to get back to this story.

Until later,

- Justyne

A Letter to Grads

Dear Graduate,

Make the best of your ceremony.

It may seem boring, or even a little dorky. But I encourage you--I implore you--to take advantage of this day. Celebrate with your friends, celebrate with your families. Take too many pictures and cheer too loud when your friends walk across that stage. You will not regret it.

Some of you will be happy to leave. Some of you will be sad. Some of you will be--and pardon my French--scared shitless. Maybe you'll even be all three.

That is okay.

I know that people always say that high school is the best time of your life. I don't believe that. Some say that high school was only enjoyable for the "popular kids". But...I don't believe that, either.

I wasn't popular, not by a long shot. But high school? I loved it. It was hard, and it was annoying, and I spent countless times ticking down the hours until summer, until graduation, until the day I could move on to something more. It wasn't all fun--in fact it was mostly anything but--but it changed me. At the start of grade nine, I was quiet. I didn't have many friends. I was too afraid to say or do anything that would really draw attention to myself.

Now? Well, now I'm just obnoxious, overly cocky, and use a lot bad sarcasm. But I'm happy, now, with who I am.

High school changes you. Everything that has happened over the past four years--every person you met, every class you took, every word that was ever spoken to you--whether you liked it or not, it all helped shape you into the person you are today. And the person you are today, after 13 long years, has graduated high school. If you don't think that is an accomplishment, I want you to take a step back and reconsider.

Because, dear Graduate, you did a fantastic job. I don't have to have personally met you to tell you that I, along with dozens of others, am proud of you.

It's only been a measly two years since I've graduated, so if you're not inclined to take me too seriously, I understand. There are other older, much wiser people out there, with more experience under their belt. They probably know a whole lot more than I do. If anything, I'm probably just blinded by my young naivety.

But...I think that's kind of a good thing.

You literally have the whole world at your feet right now. It's easy to be overwhelmed with the possibilities. But this is a time in your life when anything can happen--take advantage of that! Follow your interests, your passions, your biggest, craziest dreams! There is nothing holding you back!

And please, more than anything, remember this feeling. Remember this idea that everything is possible, that you can do anything--because you can.

Congratulations, Graduates.

- Justyne

Wattpad!

A couple of years ago, I made an account on Wattpad.com. I started up on there at the recommendation of a friend, and then proceeded to never post anything on it ever. (I think I favourited like one story or something? I don't even know.)

Yesterday, though, I dug it up from the Ashes of Internet Past, dusted it off, and began posting on it.

I have six stories on there currently; five of them are short stories, and the other one is the first seven chapters of The Decagon Project (a novel I've been working on for quite some time now). I'll post more things as I write them--short stories, micro fiction, novel excerpts, etc etc--but until then, you can enjoy and read what I have at your pleasure.

Click here to go to my profile, or click on the link in the header above. :)


Until later,

- Justyne