Pushing back the deadline...

Yeah, so today is the last day of April and my book is not ready to be sent out just yet. That's the "bad" news. The good news is that I am making headway on the edits of the manuscript (I have to get used to calling it that... it's such a professional word). I'm finding a lot more errors while reading the paper copy so I'm glad I did it this time. I really should have read through the printed version of the first draft as well other than looking through the various typos that were marked by Micah.

Regardless, I'm really going to try to have a third draft ready to be SENT OUT by the end of May. I can do this, eh?

News: New Week

Another session of the Daily Dime comes to an end. It's a fun thing to do so if you're reading this and haven't checked it out, go here. I don't know when I will start up again but it may not be for awhile. I started something with these Mordyra stories but who knows where that will go; I am a guy with a ton of ideas but not a lot of finished projects.

On the book front, I didn't touch it all weekend. Big surprise. I was too busy looking at wedding/reception sites, fixing my car and going to church. I might see how much work I can do on it tonight while I get caught up on some domestic chores. If the weather is better than forecasted I might try to do some work outside just to stay away from the PS2 and other distractions but who knows how that will go. I may end up having to go to Starbucks; coffee + lack of internet = work done.

I would still like to be ready to send my "manuscript" out by the end of April but that deadline is fast approaching and I only have so many available hours in a week. It is getting harder and harder to juggle priorities.

The Daily Dime: "Burn"

Burn
by Todd Newton
^^^

Sometimes I wonder what fire is made out of. As I watch it dance and whisper it raises so many questions of composition and promises of adventure. Where there is smoke there is fire but where there is fire there is consumption. People exist whose entire job is to contain and destroy fire but the opposite does not exist. The opposite is evil in the eyes of the law; it suggests psychological damage. Sometimes it is difficult to pretend to do something other than I was meant to.

I strike a match. I watch it burn. A good day’s work.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Nostalgia"

Nostalgia
by Todd Newton
^^^

As I watched the young kid pay for his cigarettes I saw the disdain in the clerk's eyes. The boy in the flannel jacket picked up his treasures and took his change then rejoined his fellows in the jacked-up truck in the parking lot. I watched the celebration commence as they continued to loiter. Turning back to the clerk, I presented my purchase.

The clerk's attention was still diverted to the parking lot. He was a young man; definitely not much older than myself. His abnormal beard and hairstyle suggested he might even be younger, a child of a generation hellbent on standing-out-and-never-fitting-in. The clerk turned to me with a mixture of anger and nostalgia in his voice.

"When I was their age I was out getting fucked up on a Saturday night, not hanging out in a 7-11 parking lot."

I smirked, sharing his sentiment. As I paid for my own items and turned to leave I commiserated, "Me too, man. Me too."

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Tomorrow's World"

Tomorrow's World
by Todd Newton
^^^

The future is an uncertain thing. That's what we thought back in the early 2000's when the chaos of the new millennium showed us a world that could not be united. A new presidency in 2008 took a different approach than most, choosing to focus on improving the world rather than policing it. The results were much the same as before; people dissented, there was bipartisan negativity, and Americans generally didn't notice who was in office except for the occasional jibe from Jay Leno or The Daily Show.

But in 2010, everything changed. Contact from a distant world ruled out the possibility of our singleness in the universe in a heartbeat and the world collapsed into complete confusion. The foreigners didn't invade or show any violence toward us at all; they merely watched, and it drove every religious and spiritual leader to angry and sometimes violent calls to action. All of the rumors and speculation about aliens seemed true but rather than reliving a Hollywood experience of terror and death at the hands of these newcomers, we learned.

Those who were willing to understand the teachings of these new beings, creatures who had evolved steadily over the last hundred thousand years similar to us, soon became the new ruling class. As humans tend to do the powerful kept their power instead of making it available for everyone, and since America was the only country bold and foolish enough to keep open contact with the aliens it was they who brought about their own demise.

The intelligent philosophers and historians will likely talk about the goal of peace and its holy blessing on our world but the single most important and undeniable fact that the history of the other world taught us was that peace was impossible. Peace goes against the nature of humanity. Peace requires more than billions of unique personalities can muster, since not all of them can agree on how to go about it, and there will always be inherent advantages in us all.

But, as all things must end, by 2020 things are back to normal. A female sits in the President's seat after an incredibly long and arduous election and the country of America is governed by her whims. The knowledge passed onto us by the visitors is nearly forgotten and life carries on as it has for hundreds of years. Ignorance is bliss and humanity wants bliss over everything else.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Mordyra 2"

Mordyra, Part 2
by Todd Newton
^^^

"That wench Mordyra has declared war on us, daddy!" Cried the prince. The whelp's father sat on his throne in deep contemplation for a moment before responding.
"Is this how you speak of royalty? I wonder how you refer to me while I am out of the room."
Prince Popus stared at the floor and fidgeted for a moment, ashamed.
"My apologies, your highness," he spoke with a deep and clumsy bow. "Queen Mordyra has declared war on our mighty kingdom. Should I muster the troops?"
The king ground his teeth while listening to his son's effeminate lisp. The boy had been twenty and three years but had not so much as looked at a girl in the king's presence. King Tragacus could not go to war with such an improper heir to carry on his family name.
"No, no." The king waved the notion of war away as if clearing imaginary smoke from his face. "There is a reason why she has done this and we must figure out what it is and deal with it. We must rectify whatever wrong has been done to Queen Mordyra."
The prince was outraged. "Father! Forgive me for again speaking plainly but I have seen this Mordyra and she is nothing more to fear than a grazing cow!"
All of the servants in court whispered to each other in amazement at the prince's sudden, rare and unexpected show of masculinity. The lace of his collar almost became ruffled for a moment. I was the first girl to attend the king's supper that night and he had much weighing on his mind.

^^^
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More drafting...

I am meticulously examining the printed version of my Second Draft. My God, I want to mutter. It's definitely not crap but I can't believe I missed so many flaws in my last revision. I can see now why the writing books I read advise against "getting caught in endless cycles of revision" because sometimes the work is just imperfect. I know I have reviewed the text at three times now but I am still finding small spots where more detail is not only necessary but crucial to what I am really trying to say. I'll finish this novel but I am wondering right now if I really should go for the 80,000 word goal rather than stop at the 71-some-odd-thousand that I have now.

9000 words / 392 = about 22 more pages of writing. I don't know if I can produce THAT much more, especially by the end of this month, but seeing as how I'm only 1/3rd through proofreading and fine-tuning the Second Draft it might warrant an attempt. I'm just a little apprehensive because I am dying to get this thing sent off to a publisher but I don't want to do it if it's incomplete or sub-par. So, I guess this means I will continue to work on it over the next week-and-a-half and if it is ready to send by then I will send it. Otherwise, the work will continue.

On a similar note, I have truly started "writing" the second book of the trilogy... I use quotes because all I've really done is typed up a few thousand words of short-chapters with the ideas I want the beginning of the book to convey. It's better to write something down and move it around later than try to remember it when it comes time to type. This way, half the work is already done. Half meaning the idea + some of the typing. It's easier to build a house if you've already put up the walls, right? We'll see. I wouldn't call any of this "easy."

The Daily Dime: "Envy"

Envy
by Todd Newton
^^^

The bottle hung in the air as if in slow motion. The air trapped inside seemed unsure which end it should retreat to so it held in the middle like the goo of a lava lamp. The plastic phallus swung end to end overhead finally reaching a crest and subsequently began its descent. As it reached his hand its spot in the air had been filled by another swinging plastic item and then another, flying in perfect tandem. I watched in complete fascination, mouth agape.

"How do you do that?" I marveled.

"It's easy," replied David. "First you start with one, then move to two, then three. I've done ten at the same time before."

"Wow..." I was practically drooling over the thought. Just think how impressed the girls would be if I could juggle.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Mordyra 1"

Mordyra, Part 1
by Todd Newton
^^^

The Queen announced the Declaration of War immediately after her morning meal. The people knew this because crumbs from her biscuits littered the bib that had not been removed. As a queen, Mordyra was as unprofessional as a woman could get. But she got things done. To punctuate the Declaration all ten of her personal guards flanked the disheveled woman. As she spoke her last words they drew their large swords and pointed to the heavens in salute. The peasants and merchants cheered though they did not know the hardships they would soon face. Fields would have to be guarded, trade routes would be sacrificed, food would be scarce, and there were rumors of a draft. Even so, the people adored their slob queen for her honesty and passion. If war was what Queen Mordyra wanted then war it would be. I was the first man to report for conscription.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Jane Doe"

Jane Doe
by Todd Newton
^^^

She is the most beautiful girl in the world and I'll never have her.
She'll always be out of reach and I can never change that.
I have studied the curves of her face a hundred times and stared into her eyes a thousand. Her lips haunt my dreams and I can only imagine that her voice sounds like harp music over the gently lapping waves of the ocean. Each hair on her lovely head seems groomed perfectly but they never move so they could never betray an imperfection. She never moves and she never talks because photographs don't do those things.
I still remember the day I found her on the sidewalk outside the bank. Every day for a week I went back, hoping and praying to catch some glimpse of her or learn something more about this amazing girl. I almost showed her picture to someone yesterday but I did not want to share her with some stranger.
She is mine.
She belongs to me.
But I don't even know her name.

^^^
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Late!!

Yeah, I posted late and cheated. Sorry, but I didn't expect to fall asleep when I did last night.

Hopefully some of you recognize the relation of this final story to another project of mine.

Legends are awesome.

The Daily Dime: "Vexen"

Vexen
by Todd Newton
^^^

"Wandering ministrels may recite this all different ways. They may use embellishments and other fancy word tricks to enamor you with their talent for storytelling. But no one may tell it like me."

Many years ago in the Castle of the North, a great king was blessed with ten children. He had five mighty sons and five beautiful daughters. All were raised with the love of a king and queen and the blessing of a peaceful nation. Their future seemed bright, but a shadow was looming on the horizon.

Being the youngest of the children, Vexen was not usually consulted for matters of court and politics. In truth, she was away from the castle while her father took his last breath on his sickbed. She was not even present when the king's greatest advisor read the monarch's will to the inhabitants of the castle; the one bequeathing everything to the youngest daughter.

Not only did this perplex the other nine children, it incensed all five of her brothers. Each of them wanted to be king and follow in their father's footsteps. Ignoring and burning the will, the brothers fell into a battle against each other. The eldest, Pentarus, had set things into motion by slitting the throat of the advisor. Ultimately he was victorious in defeating the other brothers but was not satisfied with their surrender.

He had them beheaded.

In his lust for power, Pentarus slaughtered many of the old servants and other inhabitants of the castle. Anyone who questioned his authority tasted the cold steel of his sword until the entire kingdom bowed at his feet.

Vexen was crushed when this news was delivered to her all at once. She had sought refuge in a nearby town and hid from her brother's ambition for she was the final piece of the bloodline to secure his triumph. Abandoning all caution, the young girl ran out into the wilderness alone as far as she could, to escape her fate and live or die as far away from her brother as she could get.

But something happened; something changed her. A magical force seized her anger and despair and twisted it into power. She was the rightful heir to the throne and she had been wrong to the ultimate degree by not only having her kingdom stolen but her siblings and subjects killed. Magic gave birth to her revenge.

For ten years the tyrant Pentarus reigned over the Northern kingdom with the heaviest of hands. Lawlessness was punished by death without regard for the severity of the crime but the king remained free to succumb to his whims as a ruler. Never before had the palace been filled with so many concubines and so much debauchery. The stench of sex, alcohol, and pipe-weed permeated the castle grounds from end to end.

Vexen returned on the tenth anniversary of the day of her fathers death. Her long, red hair flowed behind her as she approached the castle gates. Stretching out her arm, a powerful blast of energy shot from her open palm and threw the obstruction aside in a mass of twisted metal. Nothing could stop her revenge, not even the elite guards who barred her path with sword and shield.

The power wielded by the girl had slain scores of the king's soldiers before she exited the keep and entered the castle proper. Tendrils of magical energy erupted from her eyes and ears, seeking out the usurping whores and eradicating all traces of their wanton lust from the castle. The marble floors were bathed in blood and screams echoed through every hallway and alcove. Through it all, Vexen smiled as her vengeance was carried out.

She found Pentarus cowering behind his throne. No one knows what happened after this but neither the king nor the sister were ever seen again.

"Vexen was chosen by one of the Nine Pillars of Magic to become its Avatar in the world. Her spirit, in whatever form it currently resides, now blesses the righteous revenge of those who have been wronged. Sometimes she even grants them similar powers to her own so that they may carry out their task. To speak her name is to invoke the power of justice."

^^^
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Steve - http://tactilecontact.blogspot.com

The Daily Dime: "Difference"

Difference
by Todd Newton
^^^

Her husband wouldn't know the difference.

Or would he? Suddenly apprehensive, Sally asked the clerk what the difference was.

"Ma'am, I have already gone over this with you four times. I'm sorry but there are other customers waiting. You'll have to move aside if you can't make up your mind."

"Listen missy," Sally bristled and shoved her finger in the pharma-whoozits-assistants face, "I am perfectly willing to discuss this with your manager!"

This brought groans from the nearly twenty people who had amassed in line behind her. Sally knew that one set of pills contained aceta-mezzo-forte-poxa-hamin and the other's main ingredient was fobraxo-sneeza-camper-floggin. She knew one was six dollars and fifty-nine cents and the other was five dollars and sixty-nine cents. Sally even knew the doctor had explained it all to her half a dozen times himself before she left his office. All she wanted to know was one simple thing.

"Just tell me one last time and I promise I will buy one and be on my way."

"Fine." Said the girl curtly. "These," she said while holding up the bottle in her left hand, "are green. These," she held up the other, " are red."

Frowning, Sally made up her mind the only way she knew how; the same way she'd made it up every single time.

He'd never know the difference.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Uplifting"

Uplifting
by Todd Newton
^^^

He could see the flock of moving masses even before he reached the crest of the cliff. Barad climbed with reckless abandon, needing to get the full view that the top would provide him. The tips of the hills and the mountains beyond were all too far away to get to before they were gone. With his chest heaving Barad rushed up the steep slope until, at long last, he reached the top.

Airships.

Their wings and propellers operated in perfect tandem. The hum of their cylindrical engines was the most beautiful sound Barad had ever heard. The hat almost flew off his head as one not fifty feet away rose from the gorge. A smile glowed on his reddened face as he watched their graceful ascent. Soon they would be high above the troubles of the surface of the world and become nothing more than specks in the distance. But for the moment they were near; tangible.

The young boy saw soldiers and officers milling about across the decks hitching lines and gauging the wind. A lookout from the closest ship noticed him and waved. Barad returned the gesture, elated. The soldier wasn't a face he recognized but the boy didn't care. He wouldn't have missed their departure for anything in the world.

Barad continued to stare and wave as the ships turned away from him and headed toward the horizon. Their future was the sky and the boy felt a reassuring tug at his heart as he contemplated that. Barad's father was on one of those magnificent machines and, if he was lucky, someday he would be too.

^^^
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Whew... commentary

DAMN, my writing is dark.

I swear, tomorrow will be a happy story.

Maybe not bunnies-in-the-meadow-chasing-butterflies happy, but a hell of a lot happier than the last three. Geez.

The Daily Dime: "Reverse"

Reverse
by Todd Newton
^^^

The echo of the gunshot rang throughout the large room.
Will pushed his last dismal thoughts from his mind and pulled the trigger again, for the last time.
His palm was sweaty against the cold steel of the pistol.
He swallowed the last of his pride and closed his eyes to the macabre scene.
Her blood was everywhere.
Will said his final goodbye to his wretched and unfaithful wife.
The smile disappeared from his face.
Will said goodbye to his unmoving son.
He let out the breath he had been holding for the last minute.
He had done it.
Two blasts of the pistol and the worst of it was over.
Will decided that they all had to die.

^^^
You are viewing a Daily Dime story on http://initialdraft.blogspot.com
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The Daily Dime: "Obsession"

Obsession
by Todd Newton
^^^

Matthew stared at Sasha from across the room.

Everything about her was beautiful; exotic. Sasha was the embodiment of his desire.

From her sparkling eyes to her dark, wavy hair Sasha was the very symbol of the wild passion that Matthew knew was lacking in his life. Her cheekbones were high and her skin was smooth like brown silk. The curve of her neck seemed to invite his imagination to caress it.

Matthew felt a touch on his arm. “Matt? Honey, are you ready to go?”

Deflated, Matthew followed Helen and their children out the door of the restaurant.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Secrets"

Secrets
by Todd Newton
^^^

I shut off the car and wait, just for a moment. There's no particular reason for my pause; nothing good is on the radio and if I wait too long I will be late. It's all the same, I tell myself. I grab my keys and my badge and walk across the chilled parking lot. After edging between two cars I bypass the sidewalk in favor of the grass. The frozen blades crunch under my booted feet announcing my arrival to anyone around. I hold my breath past the demons smoking just outside the entrance, cursing them inwardly even as I remember I used to be one of them. I make my way into the lobby still trying to decide whether to take the stairs or the elevator. The burden tugs at my shoulders and I press the button signed by the UP arrow.

The elevator doors close mere inches away from my face. I see my eyes in them; I see my breath form mist upon the chrome surface. I stare straight and tell myself that they'll never know. I steel myself for another day and wait for the chime of the elevator, knowing I will be doing the exact opposite approximately nine hours later. With a sigh, I drag my secrets off of the elevator and swing open the front door of my prison. At least there's free coffee.

^^^
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The Daily Dime: "Endangered"

Endangered
by Todd Newton
4/6/2007
^^^

The man in the suit paced across the length of the courtroom in deep contemplation. His hands wrung; he knew he was in trouble this time. He'd gotten himself in too deep with a government case and now he had a man on trial who, regardless of his appearance, was obviously much smarter than him.

"Just to be clear here, Mister Boone, your reputation is not what is at stake here." His words were punctuated just the way he'd learned at Harvard. The bearded woodsman grinned his response to the astonishment of the court and impatience of the female judge.

"Answer the counselor's question, please." Her voice was low and deep, as far away from the melodic tones of femininity as one could possibly get.

Boone cleared his throat and leaned toward the bizarre microphone. The eyes of the entire court were on him, expecting slang and curse words. Instead he spoke with eloquence.

"Yes, I killed it. I have been living in my forest for almost thirty years and I have killed many of those animals for food, their skins, their teeth, and their bones. I use every piece of the animal and nothing goes to waste. There is nothing wrong with what I have done."

"Aha!" Exclaimed the stiff lawyer, raising his finger to the ceiling. "That is where you are wrong, sir. This animal that you have killed, that you have admitted to killing, is one of the most endangered species on the planet!"

The bearded man considered that for a moment before responding.

"In these many years that I have lived among them I have noticed that they have become thinner in number but it isn't possible that I have caused this scarcity." He looked around the court for a moment before continuing, "Do you think the animals have become endangered through my actions, or yours?"

^^^
You are viewing a Daily Dime story on http://initialdraft.blogspot.com
The Daily Dime is a daily writing challenge created by Gabe and Cuyler. View other entries here:
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