Eva Pasco's Blog, page 6

Eva’s Byte #491 – Convictions

Not the only writer whose hard drive retains incriminating evidence of macabre research data, I’m in the same camp with those authors who strive to write fiction with conviction.

Why, most authors wouldn’t even harm a fly!

Operative word, “most”.

Some have been convicted of murder.

With Halloween coming around the bend, my morbid curiosity behooved me to research such truths stranger than fiction.

Lo and behold!

Having no intention of glorifying criminals who’ve crossed the line onto non-fictitious territory, I’ll merely gloss over the murder warranting a conviction for which they’ve served time:

At the age of sixteen, bludgeoning a friend’s mother to death with a rock.

Accidentally shooting and killing a spouse in a drunken prank.

Shooting and killing a classmate, then cannibalizing the remains.

Foretold in the title of the author’s book, murdering a spouse.

Killing it in the capacity of a writer, I’ve crossed the fictitious finish line for the draft of chapter 3 (950 words). I’ve begun puttering around drafting chapter 4.

*May literary crime pay for those of us who write fiction with murderous content.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #490 – Mechanics

Aside from unleashing one’s imagination to run wild when composing a story, the mechanics of writing are important. We owe our readers clarity and readability vis a vis the components of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and adherence to basic grammar rules—before we hit “publish”.

At this juncture in the literary journey of drafting my Contemporary work in progress, I’m motoring along chapter 3 (447 words thus far). I’m greasing the wheels of my mind and gearing up the scene with tools of the trade:

1967 Chevy C-10 pickup
Carburetor installation
Socket wrench

Setting aside struts, a key part of a car’s suspension system that helps with handling, ride quality, and steering—it’s more important for me to strut my stuff about auto mechanics rather than dwelling on writing mechanics. I daresay, I’m kicking asphalt.

*May each of us kick-start a creative endeavor using the tools of our trade.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #489 – Irony

Eva’s Byte #489 – Irony

While one might be hard-pressed to find anyone who irons clothing these days, it's full steam ahead for me. Until my old faithful geyser of a steam iron shorted itself out.

Hacks aside, such as clothing steamers or wrinkle-removing sprays, I prefer pumping iron. Hence, I purchased a steam iron of the same pedigree for its proven track record of having smoothed out wrinkles practically every day over the past sixteen years. The new workhorse sputters and gurgles like a champion Glidesdale.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m pressing forward along the draft of my Contemporary work in progress, gliding toward the end of Chapter 2 (755 words thus far).

*For those kindred spirits in the throes of writing, may each of us strike while the irony is hot.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #488 – Keyed Up

The key to my mailbox in the cluster box unit at my apartment complex took a turn for the worse. All of my frantic key jiggling couldn’t engage the lock to open the mailbox. My struggles to retract the key resulted in mangling the metal shy of snapping it! On the manager’s day off, I keyed up to take matters in my own hands.

Cutting through all the red tape to get to the point:

With moments to spare before the local post office closed, I arrived in the nick of time to report my issue. The postal clerk straightened out the key, useless, due to its deep rift. I ended up filling out a form to hold my mail. I paid $35.00 to replace the lock and key, despite pleading my case against doing so.

A key factor:

The next day, I brought the matter up with management. Since the owners of the apartment complex are responsible for the mailboxes, the manager called the post office and spoke to the supervisor on my behalf. I’m getting my deposit back.

In the capacity of a writer with little time to spare, I’ve managed to tweak the draft of chapter 1 to 661 words. I’m winding along chapter 2 (454 words thus far).

*May each of us hold the key for unlocking our imagination.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #487 – Murder in Fiction

If you enjoy treading on the dark side of the human equation when it comes to writing, nasty business comes with the territory, be it staging an accidental death or plotting a murder.

As I embark on the initial stage along the journey of drafting my new Contemporary work in progress, I’ve undertaken the process of elimination and I’m unraveling the aftermath.

Of course, in the capacity of a writer, the matter of murder must involve creativity and cleverness.

What my murder or two won’t involve has already been well-done in Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. A jilted wife bludgeons her husband with a leg of lamb, roasts the weapon, and serves it to the police officers investigating his death.

Writing Progress:

At this point in time, I've completed the draft of chapter 1 (653 words). I’m now composing Chapter 2 (150 words thus far).

*May each of us writers make good use of our poetic license to kill.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #486 – Going the Distance

Often enough, we hit the ground running to go the distance for someone near and dear to us. The same person who used to go the distance for us. In that regard, all else is on hold and you’re missing in action where you don’t need to be.
In retrospect, you marvel at your own strength and stamina to keep going the distance until all criteria is met where you can finally glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel.
In the capacity of a writer, advancement along my brand new contemporary work in progress had taken a proverbial back seat. Nevertheless, the windmills of my mind are still spinning ideas to further the distance along the draft of chapter 1 (475 words thus far).

*May each of us go the distance from start to finish.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den: Page:http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #486 – Going the Distance

Often enough, we hit the ground running to go the distance for someone near and dear to us. The same person who used to go the distance for us. In that regard, all else is on hold and you’re missing in action where you don’t need to be.

In retrospect, you marvel at your own strength and stamina to keep going the distance until all criteria is met where you can finally glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the capacity of a writer, advancement along my brand new contemporary work in progress had taken a proverbial back seat. Nevertheless, the windmills of my mind are still spinning ideas to further the distance along the draft of chapter 1 (475 words thus far).

*May each of us go the distance from start to finish.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #485 – A Change of Scenery

A welcome change it was during my sister and her family’s annual summer visit to the East Coast. One of our traditions is that of boarding a ferry to undertake a 30-mile, lighthouse sightseeing cruise on Narragansett Bay.

Cruising at speeds of 30 knots in between ten Rhode Island lighthouses, the ferry would slow down to a crawl for close-ups of each structure, and for views of mansions and yachts in Newport Harbor along the 95-minute narrated tour.

Although overcast, gusty, and blustery on the upper deck at the expense of catching the full narration, there’s nothing like experiencing what the ocean has to dish out.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m cruising at a slow crawl for drafting my Contemporary work in progress. Simultaneously conducting research and incorporating what I need in a storytelling fashion, I’ve finished drafting the prologue at 545 words. I’m in the process of composing Chapter 1 (218 words thus far).

*May each of us take time to enjoy any scenery which serves as a beacon for inspiration.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #484 – Mettle to the Pedal

During the past week, one of life’s hairpin turns mandated I step up my A-game. Catapulted from the comfort zone of my office in the capacity of a writer, I literally hit the road for them thar hills by way of the interstate. Previously avoided due to traffic congestion in the aftermath of a bridge closure and lane conversion, I put my mettle to the pedal behind the wheel.

Piece of cake! Until the eastbound return trip during rush hour which entailed a 30-minute delay.

Not my first A-game rodeo by any means, it just goes to show you what an adrenaline rush under fire can accomplish.

Now, to put my mettle to the pedal in fabricating my next work in progress, put on hold during a crisis that’s stabilized, and a visit from family. I’ve come up with names for the characters who’ve made themselves known and began drafting the prologue (177 words thus far).

*For every strike, may our resilience enable us to get back in the game.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #483 – Laying the Foundation

Actually, I’ve just started digging to lay the foundation for my next Work in Progress in the genre of Contemporary. Always in need of a premise on which to build upon—one has inveigled its way into my psyche to till my imagination.

In keeping with a Rhode Island setting, this time around I’m favoring the coastal town of Warren, spanning 16 miles of shoreline. Its working waterfront is one of the oldest in New England. The downtown area hosts local art and antique shops, restaurants, and the George Hail Library.

Small-town charm affords me plenty of leeway for blending my own “facades” somewhere along Main Street and Warren’s side roads.

No stranger to my neighboring town of Warren, I’ll be driving around and taking notes, while mentally mapping the layout of my story.

The next stones to overturn pertain to aspects of the human condition with regard to my premise. Meanwhile, I’m counting on the two characters emerging in my mind’s eye to nudge me in the right/write direction.

*May each of us lay our creative foundations without cutting corners.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco