Darling Six
I have been, at best, neglectful of this blog.
I seem to come up with every excuse not to write in it. However, I am very excited about the next few posts. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and was inspired by someone who recently asked if I was still “working on that same book”. The answer is yes, yes, I am still working on “that same book”. The reasons for that are many but it mostly boils down to one simple concept: when I started this book I assumed that I knew how to creatively write. It was honestly an amazing display of ego and one I’m rather proud of because if I had known how much I still had (and have) to learn, then I might not have ever taken on this project.
While I have created this blog explicitly to not share writing advice, I will share this one little nugget: don’t give up. If you’ve been working on the “same book” for years or have great ideas but haven’t jotted them down, that’s okay. Everyone’s process is different.
It is scary and oftentimes intimidating to do something creative and share it with the world. I am extremely fortunate that I have amazing people in my life and helping me with this project that I feel supported and encouraged.
I hope that these next few posts demonstrate how/why creative writing takes time and is a constant process of editing and refining, and I hope that those reading it who are feeling frustrated with their progress understand that they are not alone.
So after this extremely long intro here’s the gimmick. I am going to post a few “first chapters” and then edit them and post the edited version. Sort of a before/after type situation. Below you will find a completely raw version of my very first chapter ever. It resembles nothing close to what actually ended up being in my book so there are no spoilers to be found here.
It is humbling to post this. Please read with kind eyes.
Part I: Fall
Chapter One: Charlie
A chestnut beauty shimmied past the other students as she made her way to the back of the massive lecture hall and found a seat. Charlotte eyed her as she passed, making her frown and reflect upon her neglect towards her appearance. It wasn't that Charlotte (or Charlie as her friends often called her) was unattractive. It was that she was more lazy than vain. Her white- blond hair was almost always held up in a messy bun on top of her head, and her matching eyebrows stood out too starkly against her freckled skin. She grimaced again as she looked down at her thumb, its dull ache and slow bleed was a reminder of her horrible habit of chewing on the hangnails she often got. She pressed her index finger over the wound to staunch the bleeding, readying herself for the lecture to begin.
Charlie was in the fall of her senior year at Georgetown University. At twenty-three, she was already ahead of her peers academically and one of the top students in her cohort. Charlie rarely attended parties, often preferring to spend her weekends squirreled away in her one bedroom apartment located above the only gas station in Georgetown. She had invested the money she earned through working odd jobs during her gap year. Its dividends had allowed her to move off campus in her junior year. Regardless of her wise investing, she still had to take a job waitressing at a local diner and would be graduating with a hefty amount of student loans.
Her reclusive nature did little to endear herself to fellow students. She was friendly with most of her peers but had never allowed for any relationship deeper than acquaintances. The only exceptions were a few ex-boyfriends and her best friend, Alan. Her incredible lack of social life did allow her more time to pursue her academic interests. It was her position at the top of the class that landed her the coveted teaching assistant position with the highly regarded head of Theology.
Having never considered herself particularly religious or at all spiritual, she was surprised when she had taken an interest in the subject. The class itself had been a blow off class to fill one of the few humanities electives required to graduate. However, she was drawn in by the complexities of the subject and the way spiritual beliefs had shaped the course of human history. Charlie was so much taken by the topic that she ended up adding it as her second major alongside foreign affairs. She was slated to graduate with both in the spring, assuming she didn't do anything to mess it up she thought with a sigh.
"You know your face will stick like that if you keep it that way," said a curly ginger-haired boy as he took the seat next to her with his backpack crashing loudly to the floor. A few heads turned to look at the pair and then resumed their preparations for class.
"What's got you so cheerful this morning?" asked the boy.
Charlie rubbed her eyes with a groan "It's nothing, Alan, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." She spared a glance at her friend and attempted to smile to prevent further questions about her worn appearance.
Charlie had met Alan during their first week at college. He sat next to her during their Introduction to Statistics class. It was his unkempt hair, ratty Dragon Ball Z t-shirt and a casual smile that made her instantly comfortable with him. It didn't hurt that Alan Never took himself too seriously. They became inseparable after the first few weeks of college, sharing the bond of being an over-eager freshman who evolved into disillusioned seniors.
Alan was the opposite of Charlie when it came to academics; he was never one to turn down an invitation to a weekend kegger. At the beginning of their college careers, Alan attempted to drag Charlie to parties or events on campus, but by the end of their sophomore year, he had given up entirely and left his friend to her own devices.
Alan had changed his major several times in the past few years, taking turns with Ceramics, Classic British Literature, and Women's Studies. When the later turned out to not help him win the affections of the ladies in Kappa Kappa Gamma he finally settled on Anthropology.
"But seriously, you should try to get more sleep." He added before taking out his laptop. It was true; dark shadows were present under her eyes, and Alan took note and shook his head.
"You always were an overachiever; you should strive to be more like me. I mean, look at me, straight C average, and I look younger now than when we started college." He grinned.
Charlie rolled her eyes and turned to face forward as the overhead lights turned out, and the projector illuminated.
A tall, broad-shouldered figured stalked towards the podium in the front of the room. It was not only Dr. Roan Ashwoode’s age that made him stand out amongst the other faculty members but his appearance. His classes were notoriously full of silly coeds vying for his attention. Charlie could hardly blame them, with his sandy blond hair tied back into a low bun, two-day scruff and athletic figure Dr. Ashwoode looked more like a surfer than a college professor. He had managed to achieve tenure at the incredibly young age of 30 and was head of the Theology Department. With a casual flick, he turned on the small reading light and began to lecture.
"Who can tell me what they know about fairies?" Dr. Ashwoode spoke with a rich, baritone voice that carried throughout the hall. A few of the students snickered when they saw the first slide. Dr. Ashwoode’s mouth twitched into a half smile as he paced in front of a projected image.
It was of a beautiful female whose breast was only partially covered by long flowing raven hair; she wore a small cloth that ran from her left shoulder down her abdomen until it tucked between her thighs and behind her right leg. What was most striking about the image was not the overtly sexualized nature of the woman figure but the gossamer wings that sprang from her back, expanding through most of the picture.
"I'm going to assume that when most of you think of fairies, this is similar to the image that pops into your minds."
The professor continued and clicked to the next picture, which depicted the image of the Disney fairy Tinker Bell.
"Or something like this." He made his way back to the podium.
"However, the history of fairies is far more complex than half-naked women, and flying cartoon characters. The Celtic myth of Tuatha Dé Danann is one of the oldest passed down through oral tradition, literally shaping the Celtic culture today. The Aos sí is the mythological Fae folk of Celtic mythology. However, it might be more accurate to compare them to the many Gods and Goddesses depicted in Roman and Greek Mythology. As such, many serve various purposes, such as healing, hunting, and blacksmithing."
Dr. Ashwoode continued as Charlie felt her focus drift, and her eyelids grow heavy. Sleep had evaded her the past few nights, and the lecture hall had become stuffy. She blinked a few times in a struggle against her fatigue. There was no fighting against the sleep that pulled on her. She drifted off with her head resting against her hand.
A student opened the door to the hall allowing for a rogue wind to blow through the entire classroom. Papers scattered everywhere, and students frantically grabbed at their notes as they whirled around them.
Debris hit Charlie straight in the face, startling her from her sleep. She woke with a loud swear causing the entire lecture hall turned to look at her. Dr. Ashwoode abruptly stopped his lecture. His eyes pinned Charlie in her seat. Alan's face was triumphantly amused; he was the one most often caught sleeping during the lecture.
"Something to add Ms. White?" the sting in his words only heightened her sense of humiliation.
Charlie felt her face grow red as a cold bead of sweat dripped down her back, and her palms were icy cold, she cleared her throat and croaked "Sorry Professor."
Dr. Ashwoode starred at Charlie for a few seconds longer, holding her gaze before turning his attention back to his lecture. The breeze that swept through the hall was now a memory, and the students resumed their natural rhythm. Charlie sunk in her seat, fighting back of a wave of nausea brought on by embarrassment. Alan bit back the urge to laugh at his friend.
