Elise VanCise's Blog, page 4

Eve of Battle

1864Ben rinsed his tin plate with the last sip of his coffee.  The ragged tent did little to keep out the winter winds. He longed for another hot cup of brew but his ration was low and the troop’s supplies had not yet made it through the fighting. What he had left would better serve him in the morning.
His breath fogged the air in front of him as he searched his pack for his last sheet of precious paper. He carefully set out his ink and pen before lighting the nub of a candle he had left....

Don't Breathe

Hold your breath when you walk past a cemetery least a spirit enter you!Victor and Nicholas stumbled down the walk. They leaned on each other; one thought he
was holding the other upright. Victor took a deep swallow from the bottle then passed it to his friend.
Nicholas took the offered libation. “Ah, there’s still half of the amber left in there. We must be getting light my friend.”
Victor chuckled. “Light? Nay, well, you maybe. You know what we need Nicky boy?”
He passed the bottle back to Vic...

Cóiste Bodhar The Black Coach

A wail cut through the night, a warning, the black coach was coming for him. The dying man pulled himself from his bed. He fought with his weakened body to reach the door and lock it tight. He called his wife to push the dresser over, blockade them in. Maybe it would stop him.
The banshee’s wail called the Dullahan from slumber. The large chest took a deep waking breath; he could feel the moon high in the darkened sky. It was time once again to ride. He walked out to the barn hidden deep...

Breaking the Block

All writers have a moment where everyhting goes blank. How do they write out of this corner or what
on earth is supposed to happen next? They call this, writer's block and it can make you crazy.

There is only one way break that block. Write. Take an active role in getting past whatever is blocking your prose. Instead of sitting in front of the television for the next episode of Walking Dead try one of these ideas to get wake up your muse.
We all have looked in someone else’s medicine cabinet, s...

Alternative Words

Geeze louise there's a lot of ways to swear!Writers have a tendency to get hooked on certain words. You find them speckled too often amongst our work and we need to find a different way of saying it. 
We also look for word substitutes. A word to use instead of said or a different way to describe a smell or action other than the over used versions.  Maybe you don’t want to use a swear word? You could try one of the alternative swear words on the list pictured. If not it will at least...

April is the write month for writers!

April is filled with chocolate bunnies, spring, and three huge writing events for writers. NaPoWriMo, Camp NaNoWriMo, and the A 2 Z Blogging Challenge.

NaPoWriMo celebrates National Poetry Month and challenges writers to pen a new poem every day of April. You can sign up at their website and get more information to participate with other poets around the world.


Camp NaNoWriMo is a spin-off of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Camp NaNo takes place in April and another session in July...

Tips and tools for making your 2018 writing goals #Row80

2018 is still a new born year. A stumbling foal just learning to stand. This first week is a great time to really think about the year ahead and what we want to achieve. The problem is staying motivated and reaching those goals. Here are a few tips and resources to help us do just that. 
We'll start with tips. The biggest and best tip I have is to set only one or two major goals. Such as write one entire novel. Once you have your 'big' goal down in ink it's time to thi...

It Happened in Mt. Dora....

I am way behind on blogging and am working on blending my librarian life and my writing life a little better. August 12th, 2017 was one of those days where it all worked. (Yeah, I know that was months ago. Told ya I was way behind J)
WT Bland Library of Mt. Dora, FL held their annual Writer’s Expo. This year they talked about some fantastic programs that were coming to Mt. Dora and Leesburg Public Libraries. (Hopefully the rest of the Lake County Library System soon!)
The conference talk...

Grave Dancer

It was dark in the chapel, a new moon shed no light in the old abandoned building He sat on a pew moved under a window he watched and waited. Tonight he was prepared with camera, recorder, extra batteries, and a thermos of hot coffee to combat the chill of the night.


His hands wrapped around the tin cup absorbing the heat as he took a long sip. It was almost time, almost. He was afraid they wouldn’t come, he wouldn’t see her again. That it had been all a figment of his drunken mind.
Every...

The Rosary

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