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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Gáire Milis

le temps est venu, mes amis, quand je dois dire adieu douce pour le moment.

Tá an t-am tagtha, mo chairde, nuair caithfidh mé tairiscint beannacht milis le haghaidh na huaire.

è giunta l'ora, amici miei, quando devo addio dolce per il momento.

The time has come, my friends, when I must bid sweet goodbye for the moment.
 I'm taking a leave from Blogger and probably the Internet in general to focus on the big projects coming soon in music and school, and I want to write TLOS without the pressure of thinking I should write more Briste {which is turning into a full-time project} or work on a new blog post. I'm such a perfectionist {which I hate} that its getting to be a problem, especially when the stuff I post is not my best. Sometimes a single sentence will bother me for weeks.
 Anyway, I will be back - not sure just when - a day, a week maybe, or a month. This isn't forever.
I will still do my best to manage Cleiti, but I must give up my character Erin, perhaps to a new writer. I will also be checking my email somewhat regularly, so you can write me if you want :)
Farewell, for now. I hope the next post here on A Celtic Cowgirl tells of a refreshed me with many ideas to come.
Dia,
-Gwyn

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Searching

via pinterest
Sometimes all you need is a cup of tea, and some dark chocolate morsels.
After being stuck on the opening pages of The Legend of Skyrian for weeks yet again, I think I've finely broken through. I say that, however, with fingers crossed, for I still have a major problem: I have no idea of the plot.
I realized some days ago that I have characters, events, settings, and even a history behind my novel; but no plot. My worst fears were realized.
 The Legend of Skyrian has changed so dramatically since I penned the first lines - indeed in the last two months - that I suppose it's hardly surprising I lost the thread of the story. It could quite possibly be the whole reason behind all my other issues in the story.
 In my efforts to find the essence of my story I have mercilessly hacked and stripped away so much of what I call either obsolete information or completely unrealistic elements, so that I am left only with the bones. And somehow they don't fit together.

When I first set out upon the rocky way, Skyrian, a magnificent black stallion of lore, took center stage with Cilla, the heroine. His very name is in the title. So how come at if I carry on with the idea for a plot  I have at present he becomes obsolete by chapter four? More to the point, how can I make him more of the story? What can he, as a horse from the pages of Ithreal's history, do? I'm beginning to fear that I might just have to scratch him - and that would be tragic.

Another headache inducer is my villain. What a rat. Oh, he's evil enough, doing many unspeakable things. But why? He's so evil he won't even tell me. He's not like most villains in adventure/fantasy who hunt the main character(s), and I wonder if that will be a problem; make him feel like less of a threat to the reader. After all while he's out destroying the countryside and starting a civil war, Cilla is off... somewhere else... sheltered and partially oblivious to the outside world. Out of sight, out of mind?

These are just a few of my problems. Some, I am happy to say, I have solved. Most recently {last night} what I called the AC Predicament.
 The Anoad Cappal {ANO - add CA - pöl}, a secret independent force in the Western wood, has gone from a band of around ten to fifteen, to a force of two-hundred, to... three men in their late fifties.
 For reasons I cannot go into throughly I have opted for the three older men, who happen to be brothers. The Anoad is very much in decline and yet should prove the perfect spring board for future events for which certain persons must be prepared.

The second 'I've got it!' is the issue of Cilla's parents and how they will affect her future. Cilla is an orphan. Now, before you go get the cheese and cliché crackers, let me say that I am not going to follow the usual knock-off the parents recipe {Died in childbirth, didn't want the baby, sacrificed themselves for child, etc.} but rather make up my own scenario - taking perhaps a dash here and there from Chaucer and a few classics that not many read anymore. Just to make it interesting.

Still, even though I've fixed a few of these, the dark thunderhead of little or no plot looms. I'm thinking I need a day or two with nothing at all to do but search and imagine and maybe, just maybe I can figure it out. Until then, it lurks.

Sometimes all you need is a cup of tea, and some a lot dark chocolate morsels.

-Gwyn

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Untethered

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Today I was nearly killed by a cat.

There I was sitting mildly on Shyanne, minding my own bees wax ... enjoying the fall air and relaxing on my bare-backed no-bridled mare ... when Kitty decides she wants up there too. So what does she do? Why, climbs up Shyanne's back leg of course!
 Shyanne tucked under and bolted, I went with her, and the cat hit the dirt.
 I love Sundays.
They're so quiet, you never know what might happen.

-Gwyn
p.s. Did you know if you squish a gnat they smell exactly like mold? Didn't think so. Bam! The random fact ninja strikes again.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I be antelope

Remember when we were kids and we used to run and jump and climb and build forts in the backyard? Yeah. What ever happened to that?

Why is running now a chore?

Is getting older really that good of an excuse? Really?

via pinterest
These thoughts have been bouncing 'round my brain cells for... ever. I figured it was time to do something about them when I tried playing soccer with little brother and I collapsed breathless and with a major stitch in my side on the sidelines. Wow. I thought, This is pa-the-tic!
 I'm fed up with wishing for better endurance and then going and reading a book in stead of actually getting out and doing something about it.
 So, Self, listen up! I now demand you run 1/2 mile everyday, to the best of your ability. And work on those skinny arms, soldier! Winter's coming and you can barely lift a five gallon bucket of water, let along carry it, you sissy!
via pinterest
Sometimes I have to be my own motivator sergeant-major. 

The first day was painful, but today getting out there felt great, plus I ran twice as far. It's like my body is remembering how good it feels to outrun all the boys my age. Ha. I'm a long way from that, but I'm on my way.

Fall is the time to remake priorities. What are yours? 

Dia,
-Gwyn

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I attempt to capture autumn

... and learn that I really can't spell today. It took me four tries at 'attempt' before I broke down and used spellcheck. Pathetic.

 I've been feeling desperately crafty the last few days, but have found nothing of worth to unleash my torrent of creativity. Which means I go bumping about the house at high velocity unable to sit down to any one task. ADHD? Perhaps. I think it might also have something to do with the gorgeous weather too -- which has again changed drastically since my last post. Yesterday and the day before were in the 90s {crazy stuff} but today is balmy and filled with sun. Autumn's crisp air has arrived. Break out the teacups, cider, and scarves! And watercolors, as it turns out.
I found this fireball of a tree out in the pasture and knew I'd found my outlet. I don't believe I did it much justice, it had such rich color. Lots of yellow, but some reds and oranges, too. I used as much pigment as possible on these little concepts, but the yellow ocher(sp?) was rather grainy. A result of using ancient colors.
I really like painting small. The itty-bitty gems of color, and the delicate feel of the whole piece. I'm easily daunted by large canvasses and sketch pads. I also like being slightly vague when it comes to drawing or painting, not really being one with the patience to put hours of detail into a single work. I love simple and uncomplicated.
I also love spot-painting{for lack of a better word}. Just little blots here and there to make an image. This little bouquet is about an inch long. Granted, its not very fall-ish, which is the theme for this post, but.... I like it too much not to share :)

I darted out late one morning, camera in hand, on a mission from Mum to capture the lovely of Fall before everything dried up and died. Autumn is so sort here, you literally have to get out and take photos the moment the trees turn. So.....

I'm blessed to have this for my backyard. What more could a kid  growing up {or a snap-happy photographer} ask for?




The sky is so unbelievably blue in the fall. It has something to do with the way the sun's rays bounce off the atmosphere, but I'd rather think of it as summer's way of saying goodbye. 
This season is far too short and beautiful. My days are filled with learning, reading & writing, bareback riding, music, thoughtful walks.
  I wish this would last forever.

Dia,
-Gwyn