TBT: Ma seconde tentative de livre

Bonjour, ça fait longtemps que je n'ai pas publier sur ce blog! Je me concentre cette année sur mon nouveau blog d'écrivain, Conatus, oú je travaille sur mon projet PAWW, Pictures Are Worth Writing, mais aujourd'hui j'ai retrouvé ce chapitre tiré d'un livre que j'avais débuté à écrire en 2011, Aujourd'hui, les zombies, sur une invasion de zombies, évidemment, mais qui n'a jamais eu lieu. Le document total a quand même 45 pages. J'ai décidé de partager ce chapitre avec vous, puisqu'il contient de la romance et des fleurs. ;) Avertissement pour violence graphique et mortalité infantile.

Jour 54

Dîner aux chandelles ou comment être obligé de dire adieu à son bras

Aucun zombie à l’horizon. Un regard vert forêt s’en assura avant de bien remettre le morceau de tissus entre les planches de bois bloquant une fenêtre. Il retourna à la cuisine, et ses doigts effleurèrent la hanche du fusil de chasse posé sur une commode. Il sourit à sa femme qui mangeait avec leur fils et les rejoignit à la table. La seule source de lumière était quelques bougies placées çà et là. Ils mangèrent en silence, ponctué parfois par des paroles à demi chuchotées.

Ils avaient trouvé refuge dans une vieille maison en campagne, loin de toute urbanisation, et leur stratégie semblait porter fruits puisqu’il n’y avait eu que quelques zombies depuis qu’ils y étaient arrivés, il y avait de cela quelques jours.

Plus tard dans la soirée, la femme lisait à voix basse un livre à son fils pour qu’il s’endorme lorsque son mari vint les rejoindre.

« Tam, viens voir », fit-il d’une voix qu’il se voulait calme malgré son anxiété.

Après avoir souhaité une bonne nuit à l’enfant, ils le quittèrent pour aller à une fenêtre derrière la maison. L’homme lui fit signe de rester silencieuse avant de lui montrer ce qui causé son trouble.

Six zombies étaient amassés contre une des parois de la maison, silencieux avec leur air hagard. Il y eut soudain un septième, se présentant à quelques centimètres d’eux, son regard directement dans celui de la femme, Tamara. Celle-ci recula, effrayée, et se plaqua une main contre la bouche pour éteindre son hoquet de frayeur.

Le mal était toutefois fait. La créature se mit à geindre de l’autre côté du mur, et les six autres firent pareil. Il y eut un bruit sourd, puis d’autres lui firent écho.

La maison était si fragile, ils allaient détruire le mur. Le couple ne savait que faire. Devaient-ils se risquer à sortir pour les descendre avant qu’ils n’attirent d’autres de leurs semblables ? Leur hésitation leur fut fatale.

Il y eut un lourd craquement dans le bois, et ils virent une craque s’élever tout le long du mur, puis disparaître dans l’autre pièce à l’étage, où leur fils dormait. Un autre coup agrandît la fente, et Tamara vit une créature de presque deux mètres. C’était elle qui cognait le mur. Aucun doute que celui-ci ne tiendrait plus longtemps.

L’homme courut chercher son fusil de chasse, et il entendit d’autres zombies qui essayaient de détruire la barricade d’une fenêtre. Il retourna vers sa femme, mais n’eut le temps de la rejoindre.

Le mur lâcha, se brisa en un nuage de plâtre pour laisser passer le plus gros zombie que le couple n’eut jamais vu. Le fusil fut utilisé contre lui, et l’homme cria à sa femme d’aller chercher leur fils. Elle ne voulait pas le laisser seul face à ces créatures, mais son cœur fit un nouveau bond lorsqu’un bruit lourd se fit entendre à l’étage. Elle courut pour rejoindre la pièce où leur fils dormait, mais déjà, c’était trop tard. Il était déjà mort, une goule s’empiffrant de son petit corps.

C’était la fin. La femme le savait. Toutefois, elle n’allait pas leur donner sa vie sans combattre. Elle sortit une arme automatique de sous son t-shirt et tira dans le derrière du crâne du zombie qui s’écroula. Sanglotant sans que les larmes ne coulent, elle s’approcha du cadavre sur le lit.

Sa gorge avait été déchirée, le sang avait imprégné une bonne partie des draps et dégoutait sur le sol de bois. Il pouvait se transformer d’un moment à un autre maintenant, et la femme savait ce qu’elle avait à faire. Son arme automatique était toujours logée dans le creux de sa main. Elle la leva et visa le front de  son enfant.

Non, ce n’est plus mon fils.

Elle détourna les yeux. Tira. Et cria lorsqu’une goule râla derrière elle. Elle se retourna et se recula pour avoir un meilleur angle de tir. Son pied nu glissa sur le sang qui s’étendait toujours, et elle tomba, sa tête cognant contre le montant du lit. La femme fut désorientée un instant, mais se força à reprendre ses esprits pour tuer le zombie. Une fois fait, elle voulut se relever, mais elle était encore trop étourdie pour ce faire et tomba de nouveau sur le sol. Sous la force des chutes répétées, celui-ci craqua et brisa, envoyant la pauvre femme un étage en dessous.

Elle resta un instant sans bouger, la respiration coupée par l’impact. Elle était tombée dans le salon, heureusement sur une moquette épaisse et verte. Malheureusement, elle était aussi tombée sur une table basse en vitre épaisse, du style qui ne servait qu’à être toujours sale, et dont la base en acier n’était pas recouverte par une protection en caoutchouc. La table était renversée, et un des pieds avait traversée son bras gauche.

La douleur la réveilla de sa demi-inconscience, et elle cria. C’était terrible. Elle n’osait bouger du tout, la panique totale s’éprit d’elle. Le métal râpait contre son os à chacun de ses sanglots.

Elle avait peine à entendre ce qui se passait autour d’elle, avec son sang qui lui tambourinait aux oreilles, sa tête qui n’était pas encore remise de la chute et la douleur cuisante de son bras. Que se passait-il pour son mari ? Pourquoi n’y avait-il pas de zombies qui venaient la dévorer ? Elle se força à se calmer, prenant de longues respirations malgré l’inconfort qui envahissait sa tête. Il y avait des pas rapides dans le couloir, des voix d’hommes. Était-ce son mari ? À qui parlait-il ? Tamara ne comprenait pas, et même si elle se concentrait, une allégresse lui disait d’arrêter de combattre, de simplement s’endormir et se laisser porter…

Elle distingua un visage d’homme au-dessus d’elle, et ce n’était pas son mari. Elle émit un faible bruit, mélange d’un gémissement et soupir, avant de difficilement déglutir. Elle ne comprenait pas ce que la personne lui disait, et puis quelqu’un d’autre se pencha de l’autre côté d’elle. Il bougeait ses doigts devant ses yeux, ces derniers devenant trop lourds pour elle. Ils se fermèrent d’eux-mêmes, et elle perdit conscience.

28.09.11

PAWW! (Fr + En)

Dans mon dernier article, j'ai mentionné un projet d'écriture que je voulais faire portant sur 52 semaines. J'ai créé un nouveau blog sur Wordpress pour le publier, et aussi commencer à neuf un blog d'écrivain. J'ai créé Pensées d'une Folle/Morue quand j'avais 14 ans, je n'avais pas les mêmes intérêts à l'époque.

Je vous invite donc à visiter Conatus, mon nouveau bloye, pour plus d'informations sur PAWW. :)

--

In my last article, I mentionned a writing project I wanted to do for a whole year. I created a new blog on Wordpress to publish it, and also to start a new writing blog. I created this one when I was 14, I didn't have the same interests at that time.

I invite you to visit Conatus, my new baby, for more informations on PAWW. :)

2014's end is nigh (En)

Here we are again. The end of another year. We can't say that this year wasn't uneventful, a lot happened, and sadly it seems it was more negative than positive things. Wars, protests, murders; some went public, some others went unnoticed, at least by Canadian media. If you follow the K-Pop industry, lots of shit went down too, lots of bands were disbanded, members left and SM Entertainment still is having the good end of the bargain(s). Anyway I'm not gonna start on the bad news, because I prefer to be optimistic and see the good side of things. So on with what good things that happened to me in 2014.

It seems to me the first half of 2014 was a long series of sighs and waiting and school and work. Then in April I decided to do the 100 Theme Challenge. It was a lot of work, of swearing and mind struggle, but in the end, I succeeded and did a hundred stories in a bit more than 100 days. I'm still working on my major story Teardrops Burn, but I wasn't able to do much before I decided to enter the NaNoWriMo contest. In October I began the outline of what would be my book Fountain of Life (title might change), and November was cray-cray with school, work and this. More than once I had to write 3k words in a day, and sleep was optional.

I wrote a post in mid-November whining about how the contest worked, but I admit I was weary and frustrated at myself for not being able to put up as many words as I wished I could. My story came out brilliant, however, and I'm in the process of editing and polishing it. One of the NaNoWriMo's goodies for the winners were two copies of a paperprint version of my book, so it shall be done once I'm satisfied with my work, and then I'll embark on a journey to send my book to publishing houses. It's thrilling yet nerve-wrecking.

*Googles search some houses* oh god

On another note, as I do watch a lot of shows, I wish to point out 2014's TV Shows that I liked enough to remember as I write this post.

I watched Hannibal's Season 2 as it aired back in the first semester of this year. It was freaking good and ended as usual with me laying on the floor begging for mercy. Not only the plot is absolutely brilliant, inspired by the books but not dictated by them, but the scenes are beautifully put and the music creates the right atmosphere to tie everything together in that gory masterpiece.

Outlander was also aired this year, and I never actually knew what it was before I checked the show's plot. I remember seeing the serie's books in the wardrobe when I was younger, but I never knew how Le Chardon et le Tartan (French's title which has no connection with its original title, thus the reason I never understood what it was all about) would be this good and filled with a sweet ginger hottie. After watching the three first episodes, I was hooked and began to read the book. I love Claire's feminist point of view!

Penny Dreadful was also a big crush of mine. I'd heard of it before it began airing and thought it was all I needed for a show : science-fiction, classic literature's characters and Eva Green. Billie Pepper is also in it, so it's a double! Bonus: the plot is excellent and the character development very well done.

The Leftovers is another mystery/science-fiction show I've watched and loved, I thought nothing of it when I began to watch it, but the way this show keeps you guessing at the events made me wait for it every week. There's a season 2 coming up, which gives me time to watch the first season again, because I'm sure there's plenty of stuff I didn't see the first time I've watch it.

There's also comic TV Shows like Marvel's Agents of SHIELD and DC's The Flash I've enjoyed. The second season of AoS is a lot better than the first one, probably because Joss Whedon doesn't need to drag main plotlines because of the movies coming out, so there's a lot more action and awesomeness. The Flash is a show I'm actually surprised I enjoy this much, since I'm not that much of a fan of Arrow, and when I saw the main actor, I was like "wait isn't that the gay dude in Glee?", but the role fortunately didn't stick with him (unlike his tight fitting suit).

How To Get Away With Murder is a show I usually wouldn't enjoy, but the scenario is well paced and the cast is brilliant. It might also be because there's majorly only gay sex scenes, but that's just me.

Orphan Black is another really good show I've watched this year, It's Canadian, isn't it a good enough reason to watch it? Also there's only about 2 actors in the cast, because the main actress does all the characters.

HBO series The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones are a classic that everyone loves, so I'm not going to talk about them, but if you're not already watching those, do it already.

Vikings and Da Vinci's Demons are worth mentioning as well!

I might do the same for video games I've enjoyed in 2014, but I'll do that on my gamer's blog. I know I watch a lot of shows, but it's not that much when I watch them as it airs.

For 2015, I never really have resolutions because I know I won't keep up to them anyway, but I wish I'll continue writing as much as I did in 2014, I'm working too on another writing prompt that'd last a whole year, but let's begin by finishing my other projects I have.

Happy New Year!

Ask-Meme for Writers! (EN)

So I've found a writer quiz!! I really like some questions, so I decided do it. ^_^

01:When did you first start writing?
About ten years ago, so when I was 12 years old. It was a Harry Potter fanfiction that I never got to publish, sadly. :P

02:What was your favorite book growing up?
I read hundreds of books during my teen years, I'm not even kidding. I used to contest with a friend for the one who'd read the most books in a year. I won, of course. You can only imagine that I didn't have a favorite book, but I've always loved the Vampires Chronicle by Anne Rice, I read it growing up and Lestat was always on the back of my mind ever since, that elegant ruthless child of the night.

03:Are you an avid reader?
See the previous question. I do read less than before, but I still do - whether it's fanfictions, original books on Wattpad, etc.. I'm currently reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and the latest book of Anne Rice, Prince Lestat.

04:Have you ever thrown a book across the room?
Not really, perhaps when I was younger. 

05:Did you take writing courses in school/college?
Other than the obligated ones, no. I learnt all of my tricks by myself!

06:Have you read any writing-advice books?
Not books, no, but articles on the internet about specific scenes. Kissing, smut, how to write a good ending, that kind of stuff.

07:Have you ever been part of a critique group?
No, but I was a beta writer for a few authors once.

08:What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?
A lot of feedback that I receive is positive, to tell the truth, but what I really enjoy is when someone tells me that my story keeps them on edge all the way through. This is what a writer lives for.

09:What’s the worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten?
A feedback is never bad, it's always constructive, unless it's someone along the lines of "Your story sucks balls!" I think I once received a review about how I didn't follow a character's personality, but that's about it.

10:What’s your biggest writer pet-peeve?

Writer specific pet-peeves? I hate when they write "it's" instead of "its", even though it's a common mistake. Other than that, I can't really think of any, except for mine. I know I tend to write long sentences with many coordinators, and I hate it. I like to diversify as much as possible, even if I'm probably the only one looking at that stuff.

11:What’s your favorite book cover?

The latest one I really enjoyed was Anne Rice's Prince Lestat. It's really neat, red on black, and the cover is made of that velvety paper that can get scratched easily but is really soft and superb otherwise.

12:Who is your favorite author?

Dean Koontz and Anne Rice in ratio of the number of their books I've read.

13:What’s your favorite writing quote?

"The Beautiful is always strange", by Baudelaire. He's my all-time favorite poet, but other than that, we share a lot of common opinions (he disliked children as well). In my opinion, his quote means that what is beautiful may not appeal right away to the common eye. Too many "bad" features; a crooked nose or wide jaw, yet the whole face is still beautiful. That originality, singularity is what makes a person or a piece of art beautiful. Also the fact that many artists' works are sometimes too early for their time and they become famous only after their death.

14:What’s your favorite writing blog? c;

Mine, of course. Look at that layout!

15:What would you say has inspired you the most?

All the books I've ever read. I've always had that need to write though.

16:How do you feel about movies based on books?It depends, but usually they're not that good. Some are good when taken on their own because the universe is just too big. but some rarities are good, like Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, Trainspotting and the whole Hannibal serie of movies.

17:Would you like your books to be turned into TV shows, movies, video games, or none?

I'd love to! I couldn't be happier to witness an universe taken from my little brain brought in some other people's hands for them to examine and convert for other people to see. Imagine a video game with my characters, that'd be awesome! (Gays everywhere!)

18:How do you feel about love triangles?

I think they're overused, especially when in the end it comes to the one caught between the other two to choose who gets rejected and who "wins". It's stupid for me to even think about waiting for someone, I guess, so that must be why I think the whole concept is useless.

19:Do you prefer writing on a computer or longhand?

Both! I feel like I lose less time when I'm writing on paper, or longhand (whatever that means), but I go more quickly when I'm on computer if I'm actually focused for it. I have some concentration problems, and I actually write better when it's dark outside - not easy when you have a day schedule!

20:What’s your favorite writing program?

ZenWriter for Windows or WriteRoom and Bean for Mac to really focus, but also the good old Microsoft Word. The thing when I used ZenWriter was that I was customizing my background and stuff and not focusing on my writing. You see my problem now.

21:Do you outline?

I do! At first I thought it wasn't necessary, but I found it very useful when I wrote Teardrops Burn, which was my first try at a mystery thriller/film noir story. Even though I don't necessary follow it while I write, it helps me to know where I'm going and what elements I have to include in order to reach the ending I want. Other people might think it's a waste of time, I also did at first, but it's not, because the time you take to write your outline down, you'd waste even more trying to figure out what comes next in your story or adding parts because you need to want a new element in your story for the plot to develop. I guess it also depends why you write the story, whether it's a long-processed idea you want to put down or just something spontaneous during a sleepless night. I'll just say that my outline for my NaNoWriMo is 3,5k words.

22:Do you start with characters or plot?

Once again, it depends on what kind of story I'm going for and the idea that creates the whole story. I usually think of a situation rather than a character, but they quickly come together, because for me the personality of the persons influences the story. If I do a pairing, for instance, I rarely do two cheerful characters together, it doesn't fit the mood I'm looking for. TL;DR I start with whatever I feel inspired by.

23:What’s your favorite and least favorite part of making characters?

Nothing really. The characters are the essential part of your story, so if you don't take the time to create a realistic personality for them, a background and even some ridiculous details about them to make them more credible, it doesn't give that human feeling to your story, if I can say. A character has to have weaknesses and problems, otherwise people can't relate to them. I feel like this ask-meme is me telling my opinion on main points of any story instead of really answering the questions, my bad!

24:What’s your favorite and least favorite part of plotting?

The transition between two main events for big stories. I want everything to move smoothly, but sometimes my mind just doesn't know what to write to make it happen.

25:What advice would you give to young writers?

Write for yourself, and not for the others. Writing what you want is what matters most, and if people likes it, then it's a plus. Also, there's always room for improvements, so don't compare to the others' writing, because nobody writes the same way. Instead, compare your current stories to your old works, notice the improvements. I've always been really hard on myself, but I realize that things I dislike in my writing isn't noticeable by my readers, and writing your best is what's important.

26:Which do you enjoy reading the most: physical, ebook, or both?
Both. Nothing will ever beat the smell of paper and the weight of a book in my hands, but reading a good story on my cellphone doesn't bother me either. Words are words, whichever way you read them with.

27:Which is your favorite genre to write?
Science-fiction! I rarely write non-fiction. (Wow I didn't write a whole paragraph for this answer)

28:Which do you find hardest: the beginning, the middle, or the end?
The end. Where to finish exactly to give the most feelings.

29:Which do you find easiest: writing or editing?
Editing for sure.

30:Have you ever written fan-fiction?
Of course, I've written like 80 or something. You can find me on FFN and AO3.

31:Have you ever been published?
Sadly no, but I'm planning on it!

32:How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?
I really like it, I think it's more awkward for me to show my work to acquaintances instead. What I write represents a lot of my thoughts and opinions, so it's like baring a part of me right from the start when I usually prefer to stay secret when I meet someone new. For friends and family, I don't mind, for I know what I write is good stuff  anyway. *brush imaginary dust off my shoulder*

33:Are you interested in having your work published?
Yes! I know it's a lot of work, but I'm slowly putting it together. Participating in the NaNoWriMo helps me a lot.

34:Describe your writing space.
Messy, to say the least. I'm working with a MacBook Pro, but I have a 23" display and an USB keyboard because my other one doesn't work anymore. It's actually a miracle my laptop even works still after I dropped water twice on it.
I also have coffee with me, always. When I'm writing on paper, however, I can write about anywhere.

35:What’s your favorite time of day for writing?
When there's no sun left to distract me.

36:Do you listen to music when you write?
I do, with my good old pal 8tracks.

37:What’s your oldest WIP?
Back in 2008, I began a book about a witch of some backwater village who could see the future and had to prevent the death of the Prince. Basic plot, right? I still wrote 14 chapters before leaving it in the depths of my folders.

38:What’s your current WIP?
I have a lot of WIPs: Teardrops Burn (that I first published during my 100 Theme Challenge), The Sadler Contract that I'm publishing on Wattpad, and The Fountain of Urd, which is my NaNoWriMo book. 

39:What’s the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had?
A remake of the Red Riding Hood involving a ginger gay boy who had sex with the wolf... I was 15. I was young and wild.

40:Which is your favorite original character, and why?
... D: I love them all! They're my babies, how could I love one more than another? 

41:What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline?
I make the story still works. 

42:Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?
I do, actually. Life isn't all smiles and happy endings, mistakes and flaws are what makes people more human. Their suffering is what makes them stronger... except when they die.

43:Have you ever killed a main character?
... :D

44:What’s the weirdest character concept you’ve ever come up with?
The main character of a zombie story I was working on that never saw the rays of light. His name was Elwin, son of crazy scientists who'd built a zombie-proof house. He was emotionless yet felt that his mission was to save humanity? I don't even know.

45:What’s your favorite character name?
Probably Eibhilín from one of my 100TC's stories.

46:Describe your perfect writing space.

A calm place with calm music, with no window because it could distract me, and a beverage with me, be it water, tea or coffee.

47:If you could steal one character from another author and make them yours, who would it be and why?
Probably Jamie from Outlander, because he's just clueless about some things but so damn smart about other things, and he's just a sweet muscular cuddly guy with dimples and ginger hair. Who wouldn't love him?

48:If you could write the next book of any series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?
I think I'd write a book based on one of the stories I wrote for my 100TC, even if it's not a serie. I got so many ideas, and I'd love to expand some of them.

49:If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?
I'd like to write something with one of my sisters, a suspense story would be interesting with people dying. Let's see if one of them take on my bait. :P

50:If you could live in any fictional world, which would it be?
What's up with the difficult questions... It's not a book but I'd live in Final Fantasy VII's world, 'cause materia and Cloud.

I hoped you enjoyed this Ask-Meme! I know I did. 

How do I not like NaNoWriMo 2014 so far (A ramble by yours truly) (En)

I'm writing this illegally. I should be working on my NaNoWriMo cause I'm a day late - oops. I absolutely love my story so far, but it's really hard for me to balance quantity and quality. In fact, I don't, thus the reason I'm late. I don't want to write shitty plot just for the sake of my words count, which I believe some people do. It never was my intention, through participating in this contest, to butch my story because I was late of a day or two, and for that, I think it sucks. I see a lot of writers are almost done with their 50k words, and I think it's great for them, but I wonder how's the quality in that work? Writers don't write the same, I'm aware of that, but say you need to write someone's feelings about a certain situation. Do you babble nonsense until you're satisfied and think you've said enough on the matter? Personnaly, this is not how I work, the feelings' developement has to make a sense in order to flow smoothly.

What I'm trying to tell is that I don't like certain points of NaNoWriMo. It probably wasn't like that at its beginning (back in 1999 :O), but now, I receive lots of messages to donate to receive a halo on top of my image (um, hello, I write horror and homoerotism, do I look like I want to get an angelic symbol on my profile? If only we could get the choice of the symbol.), and they keep pushing us to write, write, write. Like, last saturday, there was this Double Count Challenge or something, you had to try to double your words count... I was like, sorry but I work? (And I need to do my daily tasks as well, you know, like eat and stuff...) Beside, I'm about able to puke 2000 words a day max, don't expect me to write 15000... I can't imagine people with 40k words already. I'm kind of angry about that, because I DESPISE being pushed around to do something, and in fact, I usually do the opposite. Yes, this was me whining about the contest, but I still like it... kinda. I already write 1,7k words a day, which is alrerady a miracle, don't expect me to do 5k when I work and go to school.

The positive thing that I like is the stats and how they help you keep track of how many words a day you need to write in order to be done by November, 30th. Hopefully, I'll stick to myself and continue to write with quality over quantity without being late (best lucks tbh). I divided my book in three parts, and the first one is done. It's freaking awesome so far!

Don't tell me what to do