Smiles

I'm so happy. I love it when the world makes sense. I love it when the words are all that matter. I love escaping to another world. I love it when I love my characters. I love it when I can wrap my mind around a good story. I love writing.

I love feeling like something matters again.

NaNoWriMo Excerpt: Current word count 31,216

“Why do you want to go to Ireland?”

Gracie stifled a sigh, remembering at last why she had been so glad when her sister had moved out.

“Because. It’s beautiful, and—inspiring.”

“But you hate the rain. Do you know how much it rains in Ireland?”

“Oh don’t you have someone else’s dreams to crush? Why don’t you go tell Aaron how much it costs to get a pilot’s license or tell Ellie that most princes are creepy, amoral or too old for her, so the chances of her every being a real princess are incredibly low.” Gracie scowled, standing. Kim, who was too weighed down with baby-bump to chase after her, merely smiled maddeningly, and replied with perfect innocence.

“Well I was just wondering. I am sure you will have a wonderful vacation—”

“Thank you.” Gracie said, sighing.

“—in the rain.” Kim finished. Gracie rolled her eyes and made an exclamation of frustration, throwing her hands in the air.

“There’s just no pleasing you pessimists, is there?”

“I’m not a pessimist. If anything I’m twice as happy as you are. I’m just a realist, that’s all.” Kim shrugged, resting her hands on her belly.

“Well you seem like a pessimist. And being an optimist doesn’t mean that you’re happy all the time, you know. It means you’d rather search for the good in things in life.”

“Well, I would rather have low expectations and never be disappointed, than have high expectations and be disappointed constantly.”

“And I would rather hope and be disappointed than live in the mundane satisfaction of knowing that everyone and everything is destined to disappoint me.” 

“Well I guess that’s the difference between a realist and an idealist.”

“Oh you can’t be serious.” Gracie said incredulously. “Do you really mean that you would rather live under a cloud of gloom like that?”

“Oh grow up, Gracie. Watch the news sometime, why don’t you.”

“They only show all that horrible stuff to get good ratings. Everyone knows that.”

“But it does happen. ‘All that horrible stuff’ is life Gracie. That’s the real world.”

Gracie crossed her arms. “I don’t believe that’s all there is to the real world. Don’t you thing that there’s some good left in most people?”

“I doubt it. People are liars and rip-offs, and the sooner you learn that the less likely you’ll be to get taken in or ripped-off yourself. All people really care about these days is themselves.” Kim glanced longingly at the plate of sugar cookies on the coffee table. She grasped for them but she couldn’t sit up enough to reach. “Grab me one of those, please Gracie?”

“Why should I? I’m just a liar and a cheat, out to get you. What’s in it for me?” Gracie mumbled satirically. She pulled a reindeer from the stack and handed it over.

“No, I want a mitten. Please?” Kim turned her brown puppy-dog eyes on Gracie with full force.

“Okay,” Her sister said laughingly, surrendering a soft pink mitten. “Is a mitten going to be enough or do you need a bell and a snowman too?” She grinned teasingly.

“Oh psh. I saw you with that fudge yesterday. You can’t talk.”

“Well, I guess even if all the people in the world go bad, there will still be good food.” Gracie sighed, pacing to the window.

“Oh don’t take it so hard. Everybody has to figure out at some point that life sucks. You’re lucky you made it this far.”

“Thanks. I’m so grateful.” Gracie replied dryly.

“Well be grateful enough to go grab the Russian tea cakes for me.” 

NaNoWriMo Excerpt:

“Don’t you get it? I want a story. Not just some silly little thing. I’m not looking for that Saturday night movie that you see in the theater and laugh over and then forget about for the next five years. I want a real story. Something that’s going to stay with people. Resonate.” I stared into his eyes, hoping to see something of myself in them, and finding nothing. He didn’t understand, even now. “Haven’t you ever felt a story become a part of you? It takes hold of you somewhere inside and never lets go. I want to write a story like that and hold on to it. I want to feel it changing me into the person I’m meant to become.”  

NaNoWriMo Update: Success

Finally made it back up to the pinnacle that is the gray dotted line. Hallelujah. My life is so much happier now. 18,879 words and only 31,121 left to go. Lesdothis.