Like Wonder-wounded hearers // Snippets of Story
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What is he whose grief
Bears such an emphasis, whose phrase of sorrow
Conjures the wandering stars, and makes them stand
Like wonder-wounded hearers?
-Hamlet-
I can hardly believe that it is already late September and Spring already is underway in Australia, with warm weather, rather hot sun, occasional storms and rainfall, and a general hectic couple of weeks where there's been hardly a moment to really sit and think and write. I have been rather sparse around here lately, taking an unintentional two-week blogging break and leaving you all without any posts or anything of particular interest. I do apologize, my dear friends. But it is a jolly good thing that there are the school holidays at the moment, so I have a wee bit more time to write and hopefully I can write up posts more regularly in the near future.
So, for this edition of Snippets of Story by Katie from the blog, Whisperings of the Pen, what have I to show you all? I do not have much, except bits and pieces of oddments that I scribbled away in my notebooks throughout the months of August and September and that I perhaps shall refer to throughout my writing of The Crown of Life. Those scribbles hold some useful tid-bits and some rhetoric that is worth the trash-bin. But I shall cease speaking doom-and-gloom! The bulk of my writing this last month has been focused on an earlier scene, namely the Prologue, a sort of flash-back or back-story to the rest of the tale. It has been rather a hard-going section, particularly as I have very little historical resources handy or geographical knowledge of that time and place (think Roman Britain in A.D. fifty-something when most of The Crown of Life is centered in A.D. 60-67 in Ancient Rome and Israel), not mentioning that most of the characters being featured in the Prologue are entirely new! I am not sure how or where this Prologue scene will go or if it will turn out successfully, but there is always an amount of risk in being a writer and one cannot hold back from writing something simply because he is afraid what he will write will be trash or it will not turn out the way he wants it. But like Dickens once wrote, "Nothing that we do, is done in vain. I believe, with all my soul, that we shall see triumph.” That's so true! In God's Word we are also challenged so that we should not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint or lose heart. So, with this in mind, I hope you enjoy these snippets, even if there are glitch-ridden and not shimmering with hues of brilliant literary diamonds :).
September Snip-Whippets
"Why not? Have I trodden amiss or defrauded you, that you should stab me with daggers and speak in a manner uncouth and gross to your fellow man?"
"I make no jest, nor do I speak in riddles. I believe you understand me well enough."
Valerius smiled grimly. "Well enough."
- The Crown of Life
The consul smiled generously, but Julius could see beneath the bright, friendly eyes a serpent ready to pounce, strike and slay.
- The Crown of Life
As he ducked through
the green, scarlet and gold flapping, something like a needle pinched him... a vague premonition of danger, but it was as veiled and undefinable as
the faint scent of blood hovering over camp that would soon become a stench if
Julius’ worst fears came true that day.
- The Crown of Life
Anthea scrambled out of her cozy cocoon and fetched the scroll from where she had flung it a moment ago at the other side of the room. Falling lightly on a stool by her mother’s feet, she unrolled the scroll and started to read from where she had left off. It was an ancient ode about the glory of Rome and the power that had made it great, and Anthea could not think what made her mother insist on listening to her boring narration of it. But as she read, she realized that the normality of what she was doing was easing her burden of sorrow just a bit, and would be doing the same for her mother.
- The Crown of Life
- The Crown of Life
A shadow flickered in his eyes, pale grey and wolf-like yet without ferocity.
- The Crown of Life
The wine swirled in the cup and flickered mirroring the consul's face. Julius thought he could see the true reflection of the man within the pools of the liquid, hovering between shades of scarlet and brown, like the colour of old blood.
- The Crown of Life
Valerius could feel the parchment in his hand grow heavy... a dread thing it was now...
a thing that demanded the judgment of his friend and jeopardized the peace of
his conscience.- The Crown of Life
- The Crown of Life
On the table Julius glimpsed a rough outline of the Britannic Isles, with the little eagle-sticks struck all over it signifying Roman encampments... Roman Legions... Roman power unchallenged.
- The Crown of Life
The crisp autumn leaves blew and fluttered beneath his feet in a whisper of earth and rain. Slowly, he traveled the expense before him with another vision, seeing as though for the first time the tall pine trees to the north, heavily blanketed with a spiral of thick fog, and to the east, the rugged cliffs jutting out with deadly strength to meet the rushing emerald sea at its feet. This land was so unlike his home... so unlike Rome.
- The Crown of Life
I
wasn’t a very tall child, and my slight, skinny figure made me inconspicuous in
anyone’s company. My eyes were as blue as forget-me-nots, just like my Papa’s,
and that made me glad. As to my face... well, there was not much to tell of it:
it was small and oval and all rather plain and boring. The only thing that
probably made anyone like me was
my smile... you see, I had those same adorable dimples on my cheek as Aunt Cahalin,
and Aunt Cahalin was Beauty Incarnate.
- Lancashire Secrets*
- Lancashire Secrets*
Tiptoeing wasn’t my brand of walking; I stomped and thudded with my woollen socks on the timber flooring to the other side of the bed, shaking the narcissus flowers dangling from a glass vase set near Heather’s dresser.
- Lancashire Secrets*
- Lancashire Secrets*
“Quintus! In the name of every immortal god, stand back!”
- The Crown of Life
The early days of spring clung pitifully to winter's chill, though little stabs of yellow marigolds and daisies and bleeding violets tenaciously defied the sever temperatures that whipped like a cold gale up in the Galilean hills; it was an icy wind that challenged the arrival of the new, vibrant season of spring, when frisky lambs danced on wobbly limbs over the heather downs, and flowers sprung up from the ground like a triumphant army, blazing with a cacophony of colours to greet the golden sunshine.
- The Crown of Life
"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"
Lamentations 3: 21-24
*Lancashire Secrets is a random children's story I started last year, but never got any further into than a few pages. It is mainly a fun little nonsense of no significance... yet it might one day grow into something...who knows!)
Your "Crown of Life" snippets are beautiful! I don't know if I could pick a favourite. There were all so rich and real, just the thing I like. ^.^
ReplyDelete"...something like a needle pinched him...a vague premonition of danger..." Hurrah! I love foreshadowing and premonition. I feel as though it lends such character to a story, and pulls at the reader's attention even more.
Julius thought he could see the true reflection of the man within the pools of the liquid, hovering between shades of scarlet and brown, like the colour of old blood. FAN.TASTIC. Gah, I want to steal this line away, I love it so!
Valerius could feel the parchment in his hand grow heavy...a dread thing it was now... Again, beautiful touch! As a reader, I can imagine coming upon this line and, with Valerius and the parchment, the book in my hand suddenly grows heavy as well. Excellent!
The crisp autumn leaves blew and fluttered beneath his feet in a whisper of earth and rain. And this one, in closing, just tugs at my heart. I know it is spring where you are, but it is autumn here and how I love autumn and all its colour and voice! Beautiful, Joy. Just beautiful. ^.^
These really were splendid, Joy! You are a wonderful writer, whether you realize it or not. It actually inspires me to grab my notebook (or perhaps the computer ;), and begin scribbling (or tapping) away! :)
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing! I can't choose a favorite! Spectacular job! *applauds*
ReplyDelete:) Bekah (from the link-up)
The cockles of my heart have been greatly warmed by your sweet and encouraging comments, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteFunny thing... I could not spell 'premonition' correctly on my notebook I had to check it up, but I KNEW it was the right word for the scene :).
You love that one of "hovering between shades of scarlet and brown, like the colour of old blood"?! Hurrah, because I personally loved, but was wondering if I was being melodramatic. Glad you enjoyed it so much!
Autumn is beautiful, isn't it! The one that I currently affiliate with the most (snippet wise) is the one "The early days of spring clung pitifully to winter's chill..." because I got inspired by it due to the current weather at the time of my writing. The early days of spring truly clung to winter's chill.
Thank you so much for encouraging me, Jenny!
Aww, thank you so much, Emily. It is a sure delight to read your heart-warming comments always, and know that you enjoyed these little snippets.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I inspire you to grab your virtual scribbling book and write, but I really think that that's what 'Snippets of Story' are for, to inspire others and to challenge you to keep writing up something for every month! I admit, this month's edition was a challenge to do :)
Hi Bekah, thanks for stopping by and your sweet comment. I am glad you enjoyed these snippets.
ReplyDeleteBlessings in Christ...
Marvelous! I so enjoyed the Crown of Life snippets, especially the one about the shadow in the man's eyes. :)
ReplyDeleteJoy, Lancashire Secrets has completely piqued my interest. It is My Kind of Book. I really want to read it now!! I hope you will write more of it one day. ;)
Reading your heart-warming comments always brightens my day, dear friend!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked this round of 'The Crown of Life' snippets :D.
Ah! Well, I am glad you got interested by my sharing of these two bits from 'Lancashire Secrets' :). I suppose I might as well tell you that I've only written say about 3 pages in it (so you'd be hard-pressed to find much to read from at the moment!), and when I wrote it last year one afternoon while studying (naught me!), I really did not no where it would go from there and still really don't know either. But from the enthusiasm you've shown for it, I may indeed try to work on it sometime :).
Oh, yes please. I'd love to hear more of Lancashire Secrets. There is just Something about it that appeals to me strongly if you know what I mean. It's such torture sometimes to have books one really wants to dig into but can't because they are either not published or still being written.
ReplyDeleteWriting during school, eh? Joy! How terrible!*grin* I've actually done that quite a few times as well. ;)