Monday, May 25, 2020

The Storm


The Storm

The sky was dark grey and filled with clouds as we stepped onto the beach. The usual warm, soft sand that squished between my little toes was now thick, clumpy and cold. Everything about the usually warm and inviting beach was now cold, as the storm made its way towards us. I looked out into the water, watching it crash against the sand with a harsh snap.
“Come on already.” My brother said as he tugged my hand, moving through the sand
“I don’t know about this.” I said hesitantly, moving slower as I looked at the rough water. “Maybe we shouldn’t…”
“Fine, stay here on the beach, like a baby.” He said as he let go of my hand and ran off to join our cousins in the water.
  The waves were huge and angry, coming down with a force that kept pushing my tiny body to the sand, as I was only 6 and small. I waded in to my knees, and as the waves crashed over me, they hit about shoulder height. I jumped up and down, enjoying the excitement as the white caps hit me. Suddenly there was yelling behind me, hands lifted me out of the water and I was on the cold wet sand again as the other kids walked out of the water miserably. My brother and I stood in front of my father as he looked down at us.
“What do you think you were doing?” He asked us both, then turned to my brother. “You are supposed to look out for your little sister. How was she the only one with the sense to stay at the shoreline? And how could you leave her there? What if something happened, to her, or you?” He said as he pulled us both into a tight hug. He eased back, looked us both dead in the eye and said “By the way, I hope that was fun, you’re both grounded.”

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

...

I'm starting to find that this quarantine is weighing on me. Not only does it make me feel a little less like me as it goes on and on, but it has affected my writing.

I was well on the way to having a novel I really liked, was very proud of, and couldn't wait to finish. I was "in love" with my characters, as most writers are. I ate, slept and breathed them...now, I barely feel like I can reach them. I found them when I was at one of the lowest times I've known in so long. Their story brought me out of my life, and in a sense made me think 'everything will be okay',  because they were a constant.

Recently, within the last 3 weeks or so, I have such a hard time reaching them...I've never felt so disconnected from anyone in my entire life, which is almost terrifying considering I created them. These people, they live in my head...and right now it feels like they've moved, or (hopefully) just gone on an extended vacation.

In the 5 months I've been writing their story, I was so engrossed, in who they were, their story...now a part of me feels a little lost. I'm hoping that as the lock down ends, so shall my writers block. I've begun writing the same story, from the opposite point of view, as well as writing prompts. i truly can't wait to finish these stories and see the characters to the end of their journey's.

Prompt

How were you named?

I have never really heard the story of how I was named. I have heard what I can only hope are jokes, but you never know...

Someone, a family remember, told me I was named Tara after the mansion in Gone With the Wind. I know, not very exciting being named after a house, but it is what it is. All in all, Tara was a beautiful place...

My father, on the other hand, told me I was named after a character on All My Children, a daytime soap opera.... https://abc-daytime.fandom.com/wiki/Tara_Martin

Given the choice, I chose to believe I'm named after the house....



Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Daily Prompt

Describe the perfect home. Make that home come alive; put yourself in your mind in that place. How large or small is it? Where is located?


The two story Victorian sits in the middle of the quiet residential street, hidden in the downtown core.  The street is lined with similar houses, all with their own slight bit of personality in the form of paint, siding colours or even a brightly painted mailbox. The yard is actually quite large, from a city perspective. It's surrounded by a thigh high white picket fence, the gate opens and displays a small stone pathway leads to a set of wide brick steps at the front of the house.

The house itself is tall, dignified and inviting. The large, wrap around wooden porch, complete with a sing in front, softens the facade. The building itself is clad in white wooden siding, painted a soft mossy green colour, with white trim that matches the fence. Once side of the home boasts bay windows, framed in black, making them stand out. The entryway is grand, with double partial glass  doors inviting you in, while a small stained glass window shines above it. On the other side of the doors are a set of sliding windows, framed again in black and surrounded by white trim, and another matching set on the upper level.

Entering through the double doors, the tall ceilings, hard wood floors and soft chandelier lighting create a warm feeling. The small entry bench sits across from some coat hooks along the wall, a small table and an umbrella stand. The long entry way leads all the way to the back of the house. A set of stairs is in the middle, leading to the upper floor. Moving down the hall towards the back of the house, is a small powder room.

Moving to the right, into the bay window room, the library is visible. The high walls hold built in bookcases along them, complete with rail and library ladder. The room has  a nice brick fireplace, and a small grey fabric sofa. The bay window has been transformed into a window seat, and nearby stands a small wooden desk. Moving to the left of the entryway leads to a large living area, painted a soft cream colour. There is a sofa, matching the library one, and two matching armchairs. There is a small tv mounted above the brick fireplace. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling, as well a tables & lamps between the sofa and each chair. A credenza sits behind the sofa, a stereo, resting on the top, and a matching coffee table sits in front of the sofa,

Past the living area is a large wide open kitchen. There appliances are stainless steel and placed appropriately around the space. The cupboards are a pale green, while the counter tops are white quartz with green veining through them. Under the large window, facing into the moderately sized green yard, is a large country style kitchen sink. The room holds a large kitchen island, able to accommodate 3-4 people comfortably. A small table,  sits in front of a set of glass patio doors leading to the yard.

Moving across the house, is a formal dining room. The chandelier lighting, blankets the room in soft lighting. A long, light coloured wood table sits in the middle of the room, with 10 matching chairs surrounding it. A china cabinet lines one wall, while pictures line the others.

The dark wooden steps leading up to the second floor are lined with a white sturdy rail. At the top of the steps is a long hallway. The hardwood floors are draped with a long runner, to soften the noise. The walls hold family photos as you move down the hallway. On the right, there are 2 doors. The first door leads into the large master bedroom. There is a large, soft looking queen size bed in the room, along with a small white nightstand on each side. There is a small fireplace opposite the bed, and a white dressing table nearby, complete with the small white stool. The bay window sports a comfortable looking window seat, complete with pillows and a small stool and lamp nearby.

A doorway at the end of the room leads through a walk in closet and into the master bath. The room has a washer and dryer tucked into the back corner, along with a sectioned off water closet. There is a large, quartz double vanity, complete with double mirrors. Tucked away near the water closet is a claw foot stand alone bath tub and next to it, a walk in shower. The walls are a light cream, the tiles are white, and the accents are all black.

On the other side of the hallway is 3 doors. The first being a bedroom, holding a double bed, small dresser and nightstand. The second door is to the Jack and Jill bathroom between the 2 other rooms. The last room is another bedroom, filled just as the other one. One bedroom is a soft blue, while the other is a soft yellow. The bathroom is decorated with grey. Grey tiles, quartz and accents. The bathroom has a single vanity, toilet, and a tub shower combination.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Daily Prompt

You were granted one superpower. What is the power and what do you do with it?

I think the superpower I would select is fearlessness. Is that a real superpower? For this prompt, lets say it is. I think fearlessness would be a great power to have. The ability to not be afraid seems so minimal, but I think it's a game changer.

People are driven by emotions. Some of those are logical, some illogical. Fear can fall into both categories. Logical fear is the fear of physical hurt, where as illogical fear is fear that has no physical basis. People suffer from so many different fears. I have been in situations where logical fear, physical harm, is so prominent I almost couldn't breathe. I've also been so plagued by illogical fears that I'm reduced to virtually the exact same state. Imagine, not having to feel that?

If I didn't have fears? I would totally do all the things that terrify me. I would step out of my comfort zone, be a bolder person, take chances, travel, say all those things you never say. I think that I would be most excited about being able to travel. Not being afraid of heights would allow me to travel all over and see the places I've always wondered about and wanted to experience.

The down side though, not knowing when you should be scared...

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

prompts


1.     School/Work

When I was in high school, I had to begin to look at schools for college. I considered a few Toronto colleges, but I really wanted to go away for school. I wanted to be on my own, and even try living in residence if I could. I applied to Centennial College in Toronto, Mohawk College in Hamilton and Canadore College in North Bay, with my top choice being Canadore in North Bay. My grandparents were living in South River, so I had also considered living with them and making the 1.5 hour drive to North Bay for classes as needed.

I applied to the journalism programs and the tough part began. I had to write essay after essay to submit for assessments. For Centennial I wrote an essay on how WWF magazine writers had written with a level of bias that I found intriguing. For some reason I didn’t get accepted based on that essay, go figure.

For Mohawk I wrote and essay on my love of reading and writing. On how different writers had influenced my writing styles and how while I was in high school I was driven to take any and every English course I could get my hands on. I believe I was accepted, but I declined the offer…

For my essay to Canadore I wrote an essay on how my brother and I used music as a bridge between us. How my mother used to sit in the middle of the apartment, my brothers music blaring from one side, and mine from the other side. She had equated our music blaring at each other as a form of communication. This did get me accepted, and I was super happy…for about 2 weeks.

My grandmother passed away, and I was living with her and my grandfather. I was the only one who was single and I made the very difficult decision to decline the offer and I gave up my dream of writing. I got a job out of high school and jumped right into the work force. I worked for the same company for about 4 years, then I moved onto a less formal work field for a few years.

During this time, I continued to write, but never in the ‘journalistic’ field. I had always written fiction, all through high school, and I began to expand my writing subjects. By the time I was 30, I had written 4 novels, but I never submitted them for publication. A part of me wonders if I withheld them as a form of punishing myself for giving up on a long ago dream…

Prompt


1.     A Place     

As a kid, one of my favourite places to go was to the trailer. It was my grandparents trailer, we would stay with them for the weekend. We would sleep in the back of the trailer. In the evening, we would huddle around the campfire and roast marshmallows or cook hot dogs while the adults talked. When bed time came, we would go inside and watch the adults from the window, longing to stay up later just to hear what they had to talk about.

Everyday was filled with trips down to the beach for swimming and playing. The beach was beautiful, lots of sand and a huge pool of water, especially to a small child. Lake Bernard is/was the largest manmade lake in Ontario, and I loved ever second of the time I spent there. The water was always nice and refreshing. If you went out to a certain depth, you would encounter slick clay and you would slip around in the water as you swam or walked. Finding clay was always a messy good time.

Every evening there was a tractor ride. The owner would drive a tractor, with a wooden attachment that had benches for sitting and we would drive all over the park. The tractor ride was only about 30 mins long, but it was the something every kid looked forward to. We would all pile on, and watch the park go by. Sometimes, if we felt adventurous, we would try to stand without holding on, trying to keep our balance as the trailer jostled around. If you did it without falling down, you one a certain amount of respect from the other children

There was also a small store and it had a movie room in the back. We could take our allowance, and buy penny candy and popcorn, then sit down and watch a Disney movie in the back room. I remember how much I enjoyed watching Mary Poppins in that back room, and how it introduced me to my first viewing of Bed knobs and Broomsticks. I thought that it was the most unbelievable thing I’d ever seen.

For a few years, there was a pony that would appear on Saturday mornings. Back then, my allowance was only $1, and so were the pony rides. I knew that ride would take all my money, but I still couldn’t resist it, I had to ride the pony. Afterwards, I would be so upset that I couldn’t buy any candy or popcorn for the movie. My dad would give me an extra 50 cents so that I could see the movies. I don’t know what happened to the pony rides, I just remember that all of a sudden they were gone, and I was surprised how sad I was to not have that ride to look forward to.