It’s the last weekend before Nanowrimo begins. Sensible people are preparing for their writing frenzy. I’ve been called a lot of things in my lifetime but I don’t remember anyone ever calling me sensible. Nonetheless, I’m one step ahead of my usual routine. I actually have an idea and I might spend some time this weekend sitting down and getting to know my characters. When Thursday arrives, I’ll be ready to rumble.

Well… assuming, of course, that the superstorm hasn’t knocked out power…

To celebrate this awesome time of year, last weekend I chose to share six sentences from my very first Nanowrimo. That was a great year writing even if I didn’t end up with a story that I could share with the world. (It was tough enough pulling out six sentences!)

After that first Nanowrimo, I was hooked. There was no resisting the temptation of joining in a second year. Today I’m picking out six sentences from my equally crazy second year disaster from 2009. That year I wanted to go for a bit of a comedic story and I came up with the vague notion of a single mom turned porn star. (I know, I know…) I wasn’t sure exactly how this would happen but I knew I wanted a lot of laugh-out-loud moments to get from point A to point B. I didn’t disappoint myself.

Granted, just like the first year, I didn’t end up with a story that I felt worthy of revision and sharing with the world and it never really did take the porn star turn that I’d originally envisioned … BUT I did end up with something quirky and fun that maybe someday I will revisit. You never know. There might be the seeds of story in all that craziness that is just waiting to grow.

So without further ado, let’s dive into my six for this happy Sunday…

Poor Amy. Her husband has up and left her in favor of a sunny life in Florida. Amy has to find a way to move on with life for the sake of her nine year old daughter Casey but despite the ways he’s devastated her, she still believes he’ll wake up one morning and realize the mistake he’s made and return for her. She sleeps with his photo by her side. Amy’s sister Mary is quick to push Amy back into the real world leading the way through disastrous job interviews and the craziness of online dating. (Ah, who couldn’t love a character who becomes infamously referred to as ‘Fish Guy’.) In the meantime, a mysterious, yet handsome stranger, shows up looking for Mary and he’s got something urgent to tell her that will plunge them both into a perilous mystery. The mutual attraction hits hard but Amy still clings to the life she had before … at least for a while.

Here Amy meets our mystery man…

***

I got up to rummage through the nearby desk looking for anything that would pass as paper. He didn’t look convinced but he’d relaxed enough that he didn’t make a run for it like a scared rabbit when I got up. He was watching me closely when I turned back to hand him the yellowed envelope and pen.

“What?” I asked. Okay, so I wasn’t wearing my most attractive outfit but I didn’t think I looked that awful.

“Nothing,” he said as his cheeks flushed.

***

Make sure you check out the official Six Sentence Sunday website for more fun from fellow writers and tell them Stephanie sent you!

Next week (gasp!) I’ll be ready to share my first six from this year’s Nanowrimo fun.

And just in case you are curious what happened to my third and fourth Nanowrimo endeavor, well, let me tell you. During my third year, I expanded on a short story that I had written for a contest. It was a little messy, of course, but after November I kept at it and eventually rewrote most it – turning it into my first published novel titled The Between World.

During my fourth year, I decided to take the comedic turn again and played around with a girl and her demon lover. That story is undergoing yet another round of edits and will soon make its way into the world as Ghosts Don’t Wear Silk Stockings.

And this year? Who knows! Let’s see where this takes us, shall we?

Until we meet again…