Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Wednesday Word Vomit



I love words, but it dawned on me recently that my word pool had grown stagnant. Instead of mixing things up during the writing process, I’ve found myself forced to make the changes during edit, turning an already daunting process into an excruciating one. So as part of my efforts to exact some positive changes in 2017, I am introducing a new feature to Rainbow Lyrics and Mellow Mushrooms.

Every Wednesday I’ll take the word of the day from www.wordsmith.org and use it to craft a scene/setting/dialogue for one of my current works in progress.

Today’s word: ineffable
Today’s WIP: Rockin’ Ryker’s World

Ryker stared at the closed door, listening to the soft guitar chords that drifted out into the hall. Lingering echoes of his nightmare jackknifed through his mind in bright flashes and metal tossed so high it obscured the sun. Gritting his teeth, he tried not to brush his hands down his arms, seeking the phantom dirt and blood his mind insistently screamed was clinging to his skin.

You’re not there anymore, you’re here, you’re safe.

He whispered it over and over, a mantra, a prayer for peace that fell into rhythm with the heartbreakingly haunting notes Jesse was wringing from the guitar. He wished he could shove the door open, crawl across the floor, press his front to Jesse’s back, wrap his arms around his body, bury his nose in Jesse’s hair and breathe in his scent. Anything to ground himself.

The bathroom after Jesse’s showers always smelled like rain in the forest, woody, earthy, taking Ryker back to a time before he’d left Vermont. Home. Jesse smelled like home and all Ryker wanted in that moment was to get closer. Replace the guitar in Jesse’s lap with his head and cling there until the last of the nightmares were gone.

Instead, he slid down the wall, fingers gripping his hair so tight he could feel his fingertips pressing into his scalp. Behind his mind everyone was still screaming, he was still screaming into the com, ineffable horrors  taking place around him. Squeezing his eyes shut he willed them away. Told himself to focus on the music and the soft tenor of Jesse’s voice singing along.

Breathe in
Breathe out

You’re not there anymore, you’re here, you’re safe.


Jesse’s lilting voice rose above the chaos crashing through his mind, wrapping around him, helping him to keep his breathing even. Resting his head against the door, he focused on Jesse singing, wishing he was on the other side where it wasn’t so lonely and cold. 

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