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Black Water Slough Pt. 1Black Water Slough Pt. 1 by *Penfury
She walked across country from the junction carrying everything she could lay claim to in a shoulder slung bag. Someone would have come to meet her if she had called but it felt fitting to return as she had left. Town lay sprawled before her, lost in the shadow of High Street as the sun crept upwards. Little had changed while she'd been gone, including the figure pedalling the blue Schwinn through the early morning mist. A wind-breaker clad arm raised in salute and sailed its folded newspaper to a well practiced landing on a front porch. She had chosen to return in the predawn when few people would be stirring, but she should have know
Black Water Slough Halley crouched in the shadows eyeing the cabin before her. A full moon lit the door-less entrance, highlighting the woman where she had been flung on the floor trussed like a pig for the spit. There was no sign of the abductor, no vehicle in evidence. Should she go ahead or call for help? The boss wasn't likely to be happy with her either way.Black Water Slough by *Penfury
A slight noise or maybe a stir of air sent her sideways and scrambling to her feet. She flung one arm up to deflect the swinging club aimed at her head. She was certain she didn't know th
SurvivalI am a skillful liarSurvival by *Penfury
telling myself white lies
I pretend to believe.
Things will change.
Tomorrow will be better,
There will be time . . .
After the bills are paid
and the chores completed,
each obligation met.
Tomorrow I will
look beyond the sunset,
dream beneath the moon
Loose my passions on the page
play each scene as if on stage
Race my pony, risk my heart;
I can hardly wait to start.
Oh.
I am a skillful liar
telling little white lies
I pretend to believe.
Without them,
I have no reason to
breathe.
What Happened? - Part 1What Happened? – Part 1What Happened? - Part 1 by ~Kira73
The putrid stench of vomit intermingled with burnt cinders greets my nostrils the moment I enter the mausoleum.
I yank the sunglasses from my face to allow my eyes adjust to the dimness. From a shattered skylight high above the entry foyer, a single ray of light penetrates the darkness like an unforgiving knife, pointing at the source of the ashy smell. I step towards the black mess on the floor, curious yet wary. As I move closer, I begin to remember. Brief flickers of memories play through my mind as I investigate the charred circle on polished marble. Like a teaser for a movie. One which I did not want to see
The Use of Adverbs in Fiction WritingAdverbs are dying. Over the barren wasteland of Adverbia, a cold sun sets over the crest of tangled, bony branches on gunmetal-gray trees, silhouettes of mountains in the distance, and long shadows stretched over cracked, curling pads of parched clay.The Use of Adverbs in Fiction Writing by ~DarcKnyt
Why? Why are adverbs relegated to the path of the dinosaur in fiction writing? What's so doggone wrong with adverbs, anyway??
Well, there's a few simple reasons for it -- and maybe there are a lot of reasons for it, but I've identified a few simple ones.
The goal here, of course, isn't to make you feel foolish or inadequate if you're one of those adverb-happy writers, but to demonstrate a better way for you to improve your writing. For those of you still in school below the University level, think about this: you can blow your English or creative writing teachers out of the water with this information, and won't you be the envy of the rest of your adverb-reliant classmates?
I know,
An Overview on Point o' ViewIn keeping with the Back to Basics month on dA, I've had a few of my writer friends say they'd like some clarity on which POV to choose while putting a story together. In that vein, this is an attempt to help them with their artistic struggle, and shed some light on what POV is and how to choose one.An Overview on Point o' View by ~DarcKnyt
All that being said, it's important to note that POV is writer's discretion. It's about your story. Whichever perspective gives the story the light, the insight, the flavor the author wants it to have will ultimately be the deciding factor on which POV to choose. Each has advantages, and disadvantages; knowing what they are and how to best capitalize on them might help you, as a writer, decide how to frame your story and get your message across the way you want it to.
Sounds pretty easy, doesn't it?
Well ... yes and no. Like I said, there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of POV, so it's a matter of being careful to
YOU LIE!! -- Or do you Lay??I recently posted a poll which indicated several of my watchers, and possibly writers outside my circle, are confused about using “lay”, “lie”, “lay”, “lain” and “laid”. Don’t feel bad — it confuses a lot of people. You’re not alone.YOU LIE!! -- Or do you Lay?? by ~DarcKnyt
So, in keeping with Back to Basics month, let’s try to clear it up.
Resources
If you’re a podcasting kind of person, check out Grammar Girl; she covered this topic at some point, and I’ll be using her transcript as my primary information source. Her “quick and dirty tricks” are so cool. But to be fair, this site helped a TON too. And there were other sources as well; just Google “lie vs. lay” and you’ll find them.
Okay, so what’s the problem with “lay” and “lie”?
First, let
I'm doing good. Hope you are too.
Tearful 
Thank you, Veratai! 
Good to see you.