Camp Nanowrimo

[mldonovan]

I've updated my word count...on the thread NaNoWriMo June 2012 thread.
The question was asked "What is your first line?" That's a good question! So Here's mine:

Kita wasn’t supposed to come home—ever.

Good Team Anomaly!!!!

[yoda47]

I'll give my first paragraph or so because it's more interesting:


Elrund jumped out of bed the instant the alarm rang. He fumbled for the switch for the lamp on his nightstand and pulled his pants on as soon as he found them. He grabbed his sword Vinrid and strapped it to his waist.
"Security breach in the detention area," came the announcement over the intercom. "All forces, report in."
Elrund ran for the door. He turned sideways and launched himself through just as the door started to slide open. He ran down the hallway, the columns starting to blur together as he picked up speed.
He skidded to a stop at the entrance to the detention area.
"Let me through!" he yelled.
A soldier snapped to attention, saluted him, and immediently keyed in the sequence to open the blast door.
Elrund stepped through the door into the holding area and looked around to survey the damage. Scorch marks covered the white walls and debris covered the floor. A large hole had been blasted in the roof, and a female Vincetii hovered above the hole.
She had light purple skin. A noble, then, as the commoners had a deep purple, almost blue tone to their skin. She had auburn hair, most unusual for her race, and the claws on her wingtips were larger than average for a female, and sliver. This was no ordinary warrior. The glowing purple cylinder she held in her right hand wasn't ordinary either.
"Status report," Elrund said.
General Torbian stepped forward and saluted him.
"You arrived quickly, your highness. She's been hovering there since she blew a hole in the roof, and has demanded to speak with the king. She hasn't said a word since."
"Any idea what that is?" Elrund nodded at the cylinder the Vincetii was holding.
"No sir. However, it's giving off cardia radiation..." General Tobian's voice trailed off.
Elrund glanced at him, then back up at the cylinder. It looked harmless enough. No controls that he could see from here, just a black cylinder with blotches of purple light wafting around inside. But cardia radiation, that meant that the one hand-sized cylinder could possibly destroy the entire city.
"The king is away on business." Elrund stepped forward and waved the soldiers back. "Will the heir to the throne suffice?"
The Vincetti stared back down at him, her wings flapping just enough to keep her hovering there. Elrund returned her stare. Her violet eyes weren't haughty, or full of hatred. That too, was unusual. Instead, he almost thought he saw fear, or uncertainty in them.
"Are you authorized to meet my demands?" she asked.
The woman's voice was clear pleasantly toned, yet another surprise. The other Vincetii that he had fought had either deep gravely voices, or high shrieking ones. But then, most of them had been yelling at him and trying to kill him at the time.

[paulinecreeden]

The first bit of mine:

Jennie Ransom wanted to throw a tantrum like a three-year-old.
“I don’t think so.” Her mom answered as she finished drying her hands on the dishtowel and looked up at Jennie.
“Why not, I think it’s ridiculous that you are going to keep me home, my roommate is going back.”
“Do you think I care what your roommate and her parents are doing?” Mom’s stern look tried to shame her, but she refused to let it.
“Obviously not.”
“Look, Jennie,” Mom said as she placed a hand on her shoulder, but Jennie ripped away and crossed her arms. Mom did her best not to look defeated, but her eyes looked both tired and hurt. “I don’t like this anymore than you do, but with the state of chaos the world is in right now, your sophomore year of college will have to be put on hold.”

[Kessie]

Here's mine, still extremely rough:

The sun dappled Indal's fur as he padded through the trees. The young antelope's legs dragged the ground right in of his forepaws, and he lifted his head a little higher. Its weight made his neck and shoulders ache. Almost home.
He climbed a steep hill, panting through his nostrils. The antelope's legs snagged on brush and rocks. Indal paused to drop it on the ground, and panted for a moment, tongue lolling out. Then he grabbed the antelope by the neck and slung its body over his shoulder. He loped up the hill, powerful hind legs pumping like pistons.
The trees shrank to scrubby little bushes and cacti. Above him rose a red cliff, scored with lines and holes from years of wind and torrential desert rain. A cave opened in the cliff's base, and he had made it his den.
A fence of sharpened stakes formed a half-circle in front of the cave mouth. Indal padded up to it and dropped the antelope. Then he grunted and growled, and forced himself to stand up on two legs. He pushed at the wolf.
The wolf slowly, reluctantly slid away from real space into a pocket dimension. His claws shrank into human hands. His muzzle receded into a human nose and mouth. His whole body dwindled and became a naked, deeply-tanned man with long, tangled hair and beard.
Indal picked up the antelope and threw it over the fence. Then he knelt and crawled through a hole dug underneath the fence.

[Kessie]

Five thousand words in, the story's starting to intrigue me. It's taking up real estate in my thought life as I work through what each character thinks about finding the body, and what they plan to do next. (A murder mystery is such fun!)

[mldonovan]

Okay, not to be left out...here's my first page:
Kita wasn’t supposed to come home—ever.
Molly rushed through the crowded transportation station, ignoring the sensation of gooseflesh rippling across her arms. Her sister, Kita, left seven years ago on an Abraham Project—a missionary pilgrimage six-hundred light years away. It was a life-time commitment…supposedly. The telecom said Kita would need help getting home. But why?
“Molly Jacobsen, report to gabardine info_mation kiosk.” The announcement aired across the mass comm system, so every person in the transportation station heard it in their personal comm link. Molly reached up behind her ear and pressed her own implanted comm device. The message repeated in her hearing only. Her stomach already felt tight, now it was cramping.
Gabardine information kiosk? She looked around for something—anything that had any resemblance to what gabardine might be. The communication-translation software missed the mark for the word, “information.” Perhaps it missed translating the color and called it gabardine. Was that green? Grey? Brownish-green? Who knows? It made no sense.
Molly half ran, half walked through the T. Station. Fear drove her on. She calculated Kita had been on the planet ten months, maybe eleven, before the decision was made to send her back home. Why? What went wrong? You’ve always been the stronger person, braver too. Still, it was a three-year suspended hibernation trip—how could anybody survive two suspensions in seven years? It just does NOT make sense! The selection process was so thorough. Kita was one of the top candidates. Why would they send her back?
Anger boiled in Molly’s gut. This pilgrimage made her mad from the get go. She knew her sister would go the minute she started talking about it. It was so like her.
Molly believed in helping the underdog, the helpless innocents, the oppressed. That’s why she became a law enforcer. But to trek across the universe for people who needed help with fertility and at the expense of her own family, no way! Not to mention forever leaving her twin—

[mldonovan]

What's up with you Dragonlot!!! You're not posting!!! I'm getting worried! Did you eat too many S'mores?

[yoda47]

I want to read them all!

Yeah, S'more stomachache. That'll do it.

[dragonlots]

2276 words today and know where I'm going to be starting tomorrow.

Nothing over the weekend due to a very nasty lightening and thunder storm. Had to turn off computer to protect it. Yikes! It even scared the cats. Sunday, I took the day off.

I'm also job hunting. So that takes time as well.

Plus, I need to start reading the last half dozen stories that came in for TTC. June is going to be a very busy and nutsy month.

[dragonlots]

Here's the prelude & my first page. For those of you who have read 'Winter Awakening' you'll recognize the first few paragraphs.

Winter Emergence

Dana Bell

Prelude
Mute thought long and hard about what he wanted to communicate and decided a simple message was best. The words appeared on the screen and he sat back proudly.
HELLO? IS ANYONE THERE?
Satisfied it was what he wanted to say, he hit Send. Now all he had to do was wait.

Chapter 1 - Kat

Red splattered white met her eyes while the helicopter blade slowly churned overhead. Yips, ripping and screams filled her ears. A bitter tang stung her nose.
Horrified, she floated above the scene. Furred figures darted among the carnage. Her mouth opened but her shriek never sounded…
Kat awoke screaming, her heart pounding so hard she felt as if it were going to explode. Vaguely it reminded her of the old movie they’d watched a few nights back. It had been filled with vile creatures that used humans to hatch their young.
She shook her head trying to push away both the horrific movie and her dream.
“Ned is out there somewhere. He has to be. He isn’t…”
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
A soft beep finally pierced her dazed mind. Kat glanced at the time and her heart sped up again. “By the mountain,” she swore. “I’m gonna be late again.”
Her feet hit the cold floor and she shivered. “I might just have enough time,” she said as she hurried down the hall to the communal showers.

[mldonovan]

Can't upload word count!!! Argh...I assume they'll fix it soon...but not yet! Patience, grasshoppers.

[dragonlots]

Word count updated on site - 4635 so far.

[mldonovan]

Oooooo! I agree with Aaron, I CANNOT WAIT to read all these stories!

[mldonovan]

I feel back on track after going back and reading what I've wrote...tomorrow will be a better day writing! Besides my characters are heading for the planet and things are gonna get really interesting!!! Can't wait! teehee!

[Bethany J.]

Camp Nanowrimo looks like fun! I've always wanted to participate in NaNoWriMo, but I'm always in the middle of writing something already, and with a 14-month-old I highly doubt I'd make it through the month! It's fun reading all your story openings, though.