Hey all, Sam here.
Okay, so I missed out on doing this post last week, due to an unexpected break thanks to stress and burnout.
If you’ve been around here for a little while then you know that this particular Weekend Writer post (normally the last Friday of the month, but made into a bonus post this time around) is time to share some writing and creativity that has been created over the month.
That’s right. For the first Friday of any month, I use a few different creativity and inspiration generators to create some prompts to help spark creativity…and then the final Friday of the month, I share some of what I’ve been writing. Then for all the other Weekend Writer Fridays, I study up and discuss different aspects of creativity, inspiration, and the craft of writing. This could be books on writing, episodes of podcasts, lectures, panels, workshops…or just a general discussion about a topic related to writing and creativity.
If you missed out on the August prompts, you can find them here…and I’ve already posted the September prompts as well, so feel free to join in the creativity fun with me.
Tarot/Oracle Deck
Prompt: Insight, Bond, Warning
Once again, I used my Urban Crow Oracle Deck by MJ Cullinane for this prompt. I really like using this oracle deck, because the card names are different from a tarot deck. I do have a few different tarot decks as well, and I might use those at some point for future draws, but for now I’m really enjoying my crow deck. What can I say? I just like crows.
Here’s the writing snippet…another for my WIP Harbingers of Death…
“Rúna?” I called out, my voice much softer and rougher than I’d prefer. My throat felt raw, torn apart by how much of the death wail had been released. From the time we woke in the morning, we had known that it was not going to be a good day. Clusters of actual crows had gathered in various trees around the flatlands that had become a battlefield.
At least we knew enough to pick up the signs. There was a chill in the air, despite the warm temperatures. Add to that the gathering murders, all croaking and cawing, and the low keening that kept escaping from my lips, a sound that I was learning came before an uncontrollable death wail…well, it didn’t mean anything good.
In the past few weeks, despite the nearness of numerous skirmishes, things had settled into a routine that was almost normal. The panicked need to get away and to be alone no longer overwhelmed me. I supposed it was harder to feel that sense of fear when you had a tall fierce warrior at your back.
I had to admit that being near the Battle Crow left me feeling more right than I had in years. There was a sense of belonging that came from being around Rúna, and even near her fellow Crows, although I was still rather cautious around them. I was introduced as another Harbinger and it was left at that, thank goodness. We were all bound together by the weave of life and death, but even still, I knew it would be dangerous to reveal my full identity to them.
Hopefully Rúna would be returning soon. She had been here for the beginning of my latest stream of death wails, and we had both been able to tell that they were not meant for her, but the sounds of battle had waned and then dissipated completely and she still was nowhere in sight. It made me uneasy, especially when I could feel the lingering chill, the hint of more to come, the beginning edge of my keening building up within and begging to be released.
There had been too many signs, too many omens, too many warnings lately, and I was tired of it all. All I wanted to do was to run away from it all, to take Rúna away with me and seek out some peaceful corner of the world, a place where we could both escape the paths we were on and forge some new life and future together.
I allowed myself a moment to indulge the luxury of that daydream, but even that moment was cut short as I heard the snapping of wooden branches behind me. And as I turned, the wail began anew.
Two figures, large brutish men, were moving in quickly, and there was really nowhere for me to run. They would catch up all too soon…but I was no fighter. Running was the only option left to me, because it was clear they had spotted me, and there was no place to escape their gazes in order to hide.
Run, Maeve. Run! My mother’s voice echoed in my mind once again and I obeyed, turning and taking off, hoping to outrun them long enough for help to come. Perhaps one of the Battle Crows would see me, see us, and intervene.
I had to hope, anyway.
“Rúna!” I yelled as soon as my death wail receded. “Help!”
All right, well that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
Free State of Geek 