- KEVIN GOT A JOB!!!! ^_^ It’s not the best in the world, and he’s already getting burnout from work and college but he’s so thrilled to be working again and the Christmas tree is deffinately going to see more gifts than we had planned on.
- I had Thanksgiving dinner at our house! I made the turkey, mashed potatoes, carmelized onions, and dinner rolls. Mom helped with the turkey, made stuffing and helped salvage my potatoes. Also, we had pie and let my Grandmother play our wii. She now wants one for Christmas.
- Finals! Both Kevin and I had our math finals yesterday. My English final was in the form of an essay due last week. Kevin’s Psych and English finals will be on Friday.
Also, I love to write.
Something about the way I disconnect from my world when I write is pure bliss to me. It’s like reading except that I create the world I fall into.
I’ve lately been trying to get back into writing (and by get back into I mean stare at a blank page/ screen for several hours before I actually begin to type/ write and then cannot stop for trivial things such as food and sleep) and it’s worked with the help of this amazing thing called a photo prompt. I will admit: such things are not my own and thus, the idea and inspiration is not mine. However, there are also those who say that original ideas are fiction, that there is no such thing as an original idea. There are also those who would say that creative peoples of today are exchanging imitation for inspiration (see this link) and that said, I do not suggest using these prompts as a basis for an original story that is written with the intent of being published. They are however great for when you just want to practice or need to escape a bit.
That said, here are some lovely photos for you:
Yes, all of these are inspired by fantasy. I have several dozens of art prompts stored on my computer separated into folders (settings, characters, and 2 other folders holding inspiration for my most current stories) and well, I like fantasy art… a lot. There are a few recurring artists, simply because there are some people who make me love everything they make.
The above artists are from these respective artists:
1) Troll Hunter by kerembeyit
2) March 2 Doodles by B1nd1
3) The Saint by beowulf716
I find these photos through a couple different ways. As a self proclaimed geek and avid D&D player, I often read Wizards of the Coast forums and Giant in the Playground Forums and occasionally you will find a post titled “art that gets it right”, “Everybody loves cheesecake/beefcake” (as a precaution, consider these NSFW) and “character portraits”. Lots of these come from there. (If you haven’t already, go and read his Order of the Stick comic from the beginning, it’s great and even more hilarious for D&D players)
Another great place for inspiration art, Deviantart. I will sometimes search for a particular word (elf, scenery, fantasy, horse, wizard, bubbles, barbarian) but more often, I simply check out the latest art uploaded and their Daily Deviations. If I find something I like, I try to write down or tag that artist in my favs bar so that I can come back to check out the rest of their work.
And lastly, Google. If you have a particular story/character/setting in mind but can’t really picture it, type a few key words that come to mind when thinking of your idea and do an image search. It sometimes gives awesome results, sometimes not so much. fyi: Google’s child-safe/ work-safe filter is sorely lacking.
These are 2 prompts I’ve been working on lately:
1) I can’t remember where I found this image :-[ (if anyone recognizes it, please let me know).
2) Tall Trees by RalphHorsley
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There was a faint creak of wire on wood as she pulled back. Her breathing was deep and powerful, a trademark of her training. The arrow in her hand glowed golden with magic imbedded there by the elders of her land. She would not allow these men to betray her family home.
Unaware of the deadly weapon trained on them, several men stomped through the dense forest loudly. Birds fled from their homes and deer bolted away as the intruders neared. She could see and count them now. There were three of them. They all looked human. Clenching her jaw and planting her feet, the woman pulled her bow back as far as she could. Shifting her weight evenly to ensure a solid shot, a twig beneath her boots snapped. And with the soft sound, the man furthest from her froze. A sliver of fear pierced her chest. A human could not have heard that, he was still the length of a fallen tree away. And yet, impossible though it was, he threw out a hand to his companions, drawing them back.
“I heard something.” He said, craning his head around trees. The red haired man on his left merrily shrugged and laughed.
“You’re in the forest, man, expect to hear a lot of somethings!” he cried, loudly, perhaps drunkenly. The companion on his right nodded but still, his hand fell to the thin blade at his side.
“All the same. It wouldn’t be good to have someone sneak up on us.” The black haired man with the thin sword said, “Get your weapon out and try to sober up.” Still grinning the man wobbly pulled a large sword from the sheath on his belt. The light that pierced the thick forest gleamed off the sharp blade. She would have to take him down first. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she suddenly released her clenched fingers. Darting behind a nearby tree, she listened to the hum of the spelled arrow as it sliced through air towards its target. The man fell with a heavy thud and she could hear his companions rushing to his side, talking over one another.
Moving more carefully this time, she bent down and peeked at the men through a bush at her feet. She had succeeded in taking out their warrior but the other two had now drawn their own swords. The man with the golden hearing to match his golden hair bent over the sleeping form of his companion and turning to the friend pacing around them, sword drawn he rose up also.
“He’s asleep. Spelled or poisoned arrow.” The circling man nodded, holding his rapier before him. The other one drew a second weapon, now wielding two swords easily but he did not circle their friend as the other. He stood perfectly still – listening. Grinning she raised her bow again. He would not hear her this time.
The end (untill I update it at least).
And, is it just me, or did I get a little link-happy there?
