Sometimes you just have to scoop up all the words from the page, put them back in their box and go find another box with new words. There are numerous reasons why some of those words no longer shine. Maybe your story has taken an unexpected turn and the foreshadowing you put in no longer applies to the story. Or the relationship between your characters takes a turn that enhances the story but makes earlier conversations seem out of place. Bottom line is you need a solid foundation of polished stones to hold up those sparkly gems you're so proud of.
The other thing I've been spending time on is a book cover for my novella. I can't afford to hire someone to design a cover for me and also be able to pay a professional editor. To me, editing is more important than a fancy cover. I've been going to different online sites trying to come up with something that looks good enough not to scare readers away. One of my online friends has taken pity on me and volunteered to put a cover together. That is a huge load off of my mind.
This week is another short scene from my fan/fic. Rand and Perrin come together after being apart for over a year. Thanks for reading.
A hush fell over
all who were gathered there. The two men stood no more than five feet apart and
stared into each other’s eyes. One set the color and hardness of blue-grey
gemstones, the other, golden soft like those of a wolf. The air around them
began to warp and shift as if the Pattern was unsure whether to keep them in
the waking world or project them into the World of Dreams. Min fell to the
ground, blinded by the light and the swarm of images swirling around the two ta’veren. The others stood frozen as if
time had come to a standstill.
“He almost had me,
Perrin.”
“I know. I was
there.”
Rand frowned and
his eyes narrowed as he studied the man in front of him who had once been his
best friend. “What do you mean?”
“I was there on top
of Dragon Mount, along with the spirits of every wolf, alive or dead in the
Wolf Dream. Somehow the wolves knew that the fate of the world hinged on the
outcome of your fight. They knew that if you won, they would have a chance to
fight in the Last Battle. If you lost, they would be lost as well. I don’t know
what it was like for you, but in the Dream it was as if all the darkness in the
world was poured out there. The souls of the damned screamed in the wind and
lightning bolts fell like rain. It was all I could do to keep from being swept
away and destroyed. The darkness flowed around and through you until you were
no longer visible. I thought all was lost until a crack formed in the black
shell and a ray of pure light shown through. More and more cracks formed until
the entire shell exploded in a flash of intense light and a column of
light poured up into the sky. You vanished along with the storm and we knew you
had overcome the dark. What I would like to know is how.”
“The hope of life
Perrin. I realized that as long as men can hope for love and a better future,
they have a reason to live. That is what he wants to take away from us. If he
can remove all hope from men, they will have no reason to live. I also allowed
Min, Elayne and Aviendha to bond me. The love that flows through the bond from
them was enough to give me an anchor to cling to. Without that I would have
been lost.”
A smile broke out
of the confines of Perrin’s beard as he laughed at his old friend. “And here I
thought you knew more about women than I did. Light, Rand! I can barely handle
one woman who loves me. What are you going to do with three?”
“Me? You were
always the one who knew how to talk to the girls. I figure they will probably
tell me how I am to handle them,” Rand smiled back.
“You have no idea
how much it lifts my spirit to see you smile again. The smile fits the boy I
grew up with but your eyes and smell tell me a different story. I sense ageless
wisdom, power and strength that does not belong to the simple sheepherder I
knew. Who are you?”
“I have always been
him and he has always been me, Perrin. I finally grew up to be the man I used
to be. I am Rand al’Thor, the Dragon.”
Rand took a moment
to study the man standing before him. Did Perrin realize just how much he had
changed?
“And who are you,
my old friend? When last we met, you were a simple blacksmith desperately
trying to deal with the changes in his world and in himself. The person I see
before me now is a king the likes of which this world has never seen. I can
sense the Pattern twisting and wrapping around you in an attempt to conform to
your will. However, behind that powerful exterior I see a pit filled with pain
and loss, some of which is connected to your hammer. Who did you lose, Perrin?”
Perrin squeezed his
eyes shut trying not to let the tears show as Rand’s words reverberated through
his soul. The pain of loss was still too fresh. Taking the hammer from his
shoulder, he held it out before him and opened his eyes to stare at it.
“The first rule of
a blacksmith is that you must understand all of the parts and how they work
together before you can create something useful. That applies not only to the
making of this hammer but to myself as well. The one whose soul is forged into
this hammer helped me understand the parts of me that needed to be forged to
become the man I needed to be. The first time I heard the term ‘the Wolf King’
I laughed thinking how the wolves would react to that. Now I understand that it
never meant being the king of the wolves. I am the Wolf King, Rand, and I carry
the hammer of a king.”
“I am sorry for
your losses Perrin, and maybe someday you will be able to tell me about them.
What is important now, are we still friends?”
Without hesitation,
Perrin reached out to grasp the hand that Rand proffered. “Friends. Always and
forever.”
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