#writerinspiration

[xariaseesred]

Novel by Xaria Ryu

chapter one

GENESIS

Brief: In the opening chapter of 'Cursed Shores', we're introduced to a world brimming with challenges – a cityscape plagued by the consequences of unchecked super-powers. Keitaro, navigating a hazardous environment, seeks refuge in a bar, surrounded by a populace drowning their sorrows in a daily struggle for survival. As the night grows darker and the rain starts pouring mercilessly, we witness a mysterious encounter, a brief yet intense confrontation, and a glimpse into the Keitaro's internal struggles. We are then taken to a basement filled with aged books, where a complicated dynamic with Haruki, is explored. The chapter ends where stage is set, not with grandeur, but with a quiet intensity, inviting us to a world where survival is an art and secrets lurk in the shadows.

CHAPTER LIST:

chapter two: FLAMES

Chapter starts below the break: keep reading! :)

Monsters, genetically modified plants trying to kill us all, abuse of power that leads to massacres and wars or incurable diseases, would all be perfectly good and logical reasons as to why I am plastered at a bar scanning for someone who might know a way off this island. The people here are nearly all understandably drunk out of their minds, none of them able to live their daily lives for longer than a work day. Children darting between tables without supervision, while lurking hazards stand poised to exploit even the slightest misstep. The place is loud, save for the moments when someone gets too reckless with their curse and gets dragged off the premises. The silence that washes over the room feels like a cold blade threatening to slit your throat. At least to anyone with something to hide. Once that is revealed, you can kiss this hell goodbye and welcome another one right after hours and hours of wishing you were never born. 

Gloves hide my curse, but my temper needs more than gloves to be concealed, and it is rising by the second. The alcohol stench and the soldiers posted up in every corner of the place are not helping. 

“Fresh meat, huh?” a velvety voice asks in a hushed tone standing next to me. 

“Walk along,” I nearly snarl, keeping my head down and not sparing them a glance. Whoever it is does not let up and slides closer to me, alcohol reeking off their person. 

“I know what you are,” they go on, voice sounding almost like purring now that we are standing shoulder to shoulder. With swift movements, I have spun them around, grabbed both their hands and pinned them behind their back under the bar’s edge so no unwanted eyes witness what just went down. It is a woman covered in rain protective gear looking a little younger than she sounded. Former military employee I would assume. No one else could get their hands on anything like that. Half my body covers hers and I tighten my grip around her wrists. 

“Eager to end up in jail I see,” she laughs. Drunk, I make out of her behavior. I will spare her the questioning and I tell her as much until I have convinced her that she is out of her mind. I let her go, leaving her giggling by the bar as I walk out into the neonate night. Cannot risk someone taking her seriously. I would rather have my trial that is barely two days away than get beaten to death in a jail cell. 

With no plan to ever return and risk my identity being outed, I make my way to a place I have learned to love and despise.

♦

The basement, crammed with thousands of books, exudes an icy chill between its shelves covering just a few square meters. I wish slamming the book shut in frustration was enough. Throwing it across the room would be a crime in here. Burning it up into ashes is out of the question, but painfully desired. You cannot win in this dreadful city, let alone the whole Island. Leaving is not an easy feat either. 

The flame dancing between my index finger and thumb, dies down gradually, turning a transparent pastel blue as it gets smaller and morphs into faint smoke. Rather than reigniting the flame, I allow the darkness to envelop me, accompanied by a deafening silence. I sit there by my miserable self until I hear indistinct footsteps grow louder and louder evoking a curse from deep in my chest. I don’t have the patience for this right now. I glance towards one of the shelves. It doesn’t take long for the inconvenience to step into my little corner and lean onto one of the coarse wooden shelves sporting a sad smile. Calling him an inconvenience is wrong on my part but not entirely untrue. I try too hard, way too often to avoid him only to have my night end like this. 

“You okay in there?” he asks after a heavy sigh. His tone is just light enough to come across as friendly. It has been a skill people have to learn to master around me since they know better than to step out of line with me. 

“I’ll need you to keep your mouth shut.” In the weak light that is seeping through the window from a street light, his staple black cap casts a dark shadow across his face at all times so all anyone ever sees is his mouth, which is now shaping a strained line in reaction to my words. 

“Always a ray of sunshine, yeah? I’ll need you to leave. Now.” Too pure for his own good. 

I am a walking hazard to these preserved books. I should in fact not be here in the first place, is what he should say. He is just too nice to say it. 

“Haruki…” I know it is nothing I can say that really helps my case but it is not like me to hold back what I truly feel around anyone either. Be it complaints or hateful remarks. There is not much on the good side of things around this one since his very existence has been a deep sorrow to endure dating back years. The only defense my brain seems to have against that is spite. 

“Light this candle, will you. Can’t see shit in here.” My body temperature and temperament is irregular as it is, but right now I can feel the blood sizzling far beyond its boiling point. He knows better than anyone that riling me up could have dire consequences. None that I will ever be proud of. That should also keep him away from me. Why he lets me stick around is beyond my ability to comprehend. Words do not suffice these days, but I’m willing to bet good fortune that unimaginably mean things would come out of my mouth to someone who’s never truly wronged me. 

After much inner turmoil I decide to light his candle. Haruki had started getting antsy as well, eyes glowing a terrifying dark red shining through the shadow as if ready to strike any second. People might think he is perfect but even he is not immune to impatience. 

“That’s not really your color, Ki,” I tell him under my breath, but still making sure I also don’t cross his boundaries. That nickname is one I gave him when we were just toddlers, playing in the tunnels under the city, both of us, along with a couple dozen other kids, having been strictly told to never show our faces on the surface until we were deemed ready. We were naive souls back then. Not our fault, but we could’ve never guessed what challenges awaited us. 

“What on earth did I do to get you actually talking, huh?” Fake smile or not, it could rival the sun in its brightness, teeth gleaming like the most expensive pearls. In the dim light of his candle the sharper angles of his youthful face get the spotlight. No wonder people idolize him the way they do. It’s almost aggravating how beautiful he is. Sometimes I think holding a grudge towards him for that reason would make more sense. That him always turning heads, getting what he wants all the time and people praising him for damn near everything is annoying enough. Him in his whole casual suit and tie get-up should be annoying enough.

“I’ll leave,” I exhale sharply before I make a fool of myself. While I grab my things I see Haruki’s eyes lose their color and disappear behind the shadow, his smile fading back into a strained line.

“Help me put these books back, Keitaro,” he utters firmly and I get the feeling that he could sense I did not want to be around him anymore. “Please?” The place is a mess and it is too late to argue with anyone at this hour.

I sort the books for him to the best of my ability, just to make it easier for him to put them back on the shelf. They are all old and torn. Most of them are missing pages, some have been found under water so the pages are uneven with the black words faded. Haruki finds this aspect of the library-keeping very intriguing. As illegal as it is for him to keep these books here in this region, he would protect them with his life and he has made that much unmistakably clear for me. He knows this place as well as his own bedroom. Down to every nook, secret passage and whatever people back then decided to hide within the books. Even theft is completely out of the question since he would know within a second if a thought like that appeared in someone’s head.

As we inch closer to being done with the books, my thoughts drift deeper into darker territory, further down memory lane and I once again see how close Haruki was to losing everything he ever held dear. Haruki senses the shift in my aura and makes the mistake of looking up and meeting my eyes. His now gleaming a concerned gray. The candle that he had set on the table lights up the rest of his face. Big innocent eyes asking questions I cannot answer and the burn mark I feared making an appearance from his temple down to his cheekbone. Still covered in angry, deep scars. The work of which I caused.

Until now, the anger I held earlier had started to subside. Now it awakened like a tiger held captive for too long, ready to kill anything that moves. I freeze for a second knowing that if it gets too intense, I am totally in the wrong place. I put the last book into Haruki’s cart to dart out of the library and into the night’s thunderstorm. Before Haruki gets completely out of earshot for me, I hear a barely audible “good night” as an overdue apology is stuck, heavy on my tongue. 

Heavy raindrops fall against my hair feeling cold everywhere it is parted as I make my way off the streets out toward the fields. The houses there are safer since these thunderstorms are constant. Sometimes accompanied with rain and sometimes not. They destroy more in a matter of minutes than what we can build in years, and that’s not to mention the relentless flooding this city goes through weekly. It has been like this for years and years so it is hard to remember what a normal day was like. 

As I approach the coast, a sense of unease washes over me like the tidal wave crashing against the shore. Something is different tonight, as if the air itself is charged with an electric energy that prickles my skin and sets my nerves on edge. It’s eerily quiet and in the distance I hear the whispers of patrol getting closer. Not a good sign.

And then, I see it.

Hovering above a small lonely piece of land on the horizon, a strange craft hangs suspended in the air like a phantom from another world glowing red. Its sleek contours are illuminated by the faint glow of the city lights, casting eerie shadows that dance across the water's surface.

My heart pounds in my chest as I watch in awe and terror, the sound of helicopters cutting through the air like a knife. With trembling hands, I raise my scope to get a better look, my breath catching in my throat as I witness the craft unleash three beams of light that stretch for miles in every direction.

I duck behind a nearby rock, my heart racing as adrenaline courses through my veins. This is no ordinary sighting; this is a warning, a sign that something far more sinister is at play.

As the echoes of the craft's arrival fade into the night, I know that I can no longer ignore the call to action. Whatever awaits me once I am away from this island, I must face it head-on, for the fate of my sister and those I hold dear hangs in the balance. But come hell or high water, I will not rest until I uncover the truth behind this mysterious intrusion and put an end to the chaos that threatens to consume us all...

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[piperjdrake]

Boathouses under the Freemont Bridge provided a few #plotbunny inspirations while I was out on Lake Union this afternoon. . I was also reminded of Hunting Grounds, the second book in Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series. . Gorgeous afternoon to be out on the water here in Seattle. . #seattle #lakeunion #inspiration #writerlife #writerinspiration #writerlife #cityscape #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp6ZuJzrfCy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[zentechia]

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[inventingreality]

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[angelicakatebooks]

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[writers-republic]

In the digital age, self-publishing has become an increasingly powerful avenue for authors to share their stories with the world. The allure of retaining creative control, reaching a global audience, and maximizing royalties has drawn countless writers to try their hand at becoming independent authors.

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[blogwavein]

Writing Skills Made Easy: 7 Expert Tips for Rapid Improvement

Here are 7 Effective Strategies to Enhance Your Writing Proficiency Enhancing one’s writing skills is paramount in today’s professional landscape. Regardless of your vocation, the ability to express thoughts and ideas coherently through writing is a valuable asset. Fortunately, refining your writing aptitude need not be a daunting endeavor. This article presents seven pragmatic strategies that…

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[cabinetofoldsecretloves]

The Road So Far WIP oil painting Remember I did say it takes me forever to do a painting but In the end I have to be happy with it. This painting has been a long time coming. My aunt who lives in Little Rock loves wolves and asked me to paint her one like 2 years ago ; the wolf happens to be her spirit animal. Anyway, I finally tackled the project. Never painted a wolf but so far I like him. I didn’t like the witch in the cloak so I removed it and gave her a dress. Still need to work on her hands ( a first again for painting hands) and shade her dress , face and shading the baby wolf and papa wolf. Hope you like the painting so far , Pat. Oh, and yes , Supernatural has inspired me in many ways as well as my daughter’s stories she is writing for Supernatural Fan Fiction. So proud of her. My writer in residence🎃♥️@batandmaggie Watching the last season with my daughter and husband. Amazing show🧡🎃🧡🎃 @batandmaggie @addiesandoranges @hauntedwalk @twistedtales_walkingtours @ghostales1957 @supernatural @jaredpadalecki @jensenackles @misha #wolf #baby wolf#supernatural#art #inspiration #oilpainting #writersofinstagram #writerinspiration #writerofig #painting#witch#halloween #october #spooky #pets #pet#nature#woods#forest#fantasy (at Kemptville, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkQyeX8gKTx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[serlinarose]

Tranquility in nature bring peace of mind. -Serlina Rose🌹 Here's a writers tip for you #writeonprompts Find what inspires you, ponder on your reason for writing, and tell your story while sticking to your reason and goal. ©SerlinaRose ❤️ 💛 💚 Like, Follow, Share!👇🏽 👉🏽@ Serlina Rose Authoress 🇩🇲✍🏽 ❤️ 💛 💚 #serlinarose #writingtip #serlinasquotes #tranquility #peaceofmind #nature #emeraldpool #emeraldpooldominica #dominica #natureislerosewriting #naturephotography #natureislelife #travelphotography #nationaldayonwriting #inspiration #inspiring #writerinspiration #writerscommunity #writingcommunity #amwriting #writergoals #writerlife #authorlife #authorpreneur #igwriters (at Serlina Rose Authoress) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj74uPjrTVv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[joannerockauthor]

If you look at the shadow behind me you will guess where I am! #italytravel #tuscanyitaly #writerinspiration #creativityeveryday https://www.instagram.com/p/CjbO5tfPIW8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[leftyfelix2]

The hobby or passion you’re working toward is beautiful. Don’t ever give up on your dreams, because they are God-given and that means He gifted them specifically and uniquely for you. #inspiration #rosepics #writerinspiration #nevergiveuponyourdreams #writersofinstagram #writerslife #neverlosehope #publishing #authorsofinstagram #writingtipsandtricks #writertalktuesday #amwriting #amediting #momlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CdZw1plA9k-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[piperjdrake]

If you've read Total Bravery or Fierce Justice from my True Heroes series, you might have figured out that butter mochi is one of my favorite comfort treats. How could I not get a piece from @leonardsbakeryhawaii ? . Also, their malasadas! Mmm. . #foodie #hawaii #hawaiianfood #malasadas #foodiesofinstagram #writerlife #writingretreat #workanywhere #writerinspiration (at Leonard's Bakery) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5VHiRP3el/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[zentechia]

How can I get a writing job online?

If you have a knack for wordsmithing and a passion for storytelling, landing a writing job online could be an excellent career path for you. In today's digital age, the demand for high-quality content is higher than ever, opening up a plethora of opportunities for aspiring writers. Whether you're a seasoned wordsmith or just starting, here's a comprehensive guide on how to snag a writing job online and kickstart your freelance writing career.

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Building Your Portfolio

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Networking and Building Relationships

Networking plays a pivotal role in the success of online writers. Joining writing communities, engaging with fellow writers on social media, and proactively reaching out to potential clients are valuable tactics for expanding your network and securing writing gigs.

Applying for Writing Jobs

Crafting persuasive cover letters and resumes tailored to specific job postings can significantly enhance your chances of landing writing gigs. Following up on applications in a timely manner demonstrates professionalism and persistence.

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Managing a freelance writing career entails setting rates, negotiating contracts, meeting deadlines, and handling client revisions and feedback effectively. It's essential to maintain professionalism and deliver high-quality work consistently.

Upskilling and Continuing Education

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Success Stories and Tips from Experienced Writers

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Conclusion

Securing a writing job online requires a combination of skill, persistence, and strategic networking. By honing your writing prowess, building a strong portfolio, and proactively seeking out opportunities, you can carve a fulfilling and lucrative career as an online writer.

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[inventingreality]

#WritersLife #MyWana #writerinspiration #amwriting #writerslife #witingcommunity

[ashleyearley]

“Edit it or regret it”—Unknown One thing you should never, ever do is hit PUBLISH right after you finish that first draft. You shouldn't even publish a second draft of a book. Just the thought of this makes us cringe. Combing through your manuscript again and again is important. When people tell writers to write the book they want to read, it's because they're going to have to read it repeatedly to get the story just right while also making sure the book is error-free. Don't make the mistake of hitting PUBLISH before it's too soon. Tag a friend who needs to hear this! 🤎 • • #proofreading #bookedits #bookedit #bookeditingservices #bookeditor #editing #noveledit #bookeditors #lineedit #lineeditor #lineediting #writingcommunity #writings #writerwarnings #writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writersnetwork #writersblock #writers #writerslife #inspirationmonday #mondaymotivation #writingmotivation #writinginspiration #novelist #booknerdigans #writerinspiration #developmentaleditor #developmentalediting https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch2dtrXM-sG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[acorntops]

Day 9 of my six writing challenges! #FantasyIndiesJune: I've already shared some moodboards for my WIP, An Impossible Dream, so I thought I'd make & share a new one for one of the characters, Gracelynn! As on beta-reader recently described her, "she is both the rosebud & the thorn!" 🌹 #WriterFriendsChallenge: I've already shared a little about my handmade fairy & scented business, @acorn_tops, so I'll share another activity I enjoy outside of writing! Gardening! Grew up gardening! It features heavily in a number of my children's books! I, sadly, cannot have a garden as we are currently in between places, but my peace rose is still with me! 🌷 #AroundtheWorldInIndieAuthors: To snack or not to snack might be the question, but the answer is ALWAYS to snack!!! I have a huge sweet tooth and love to gnosh on many a tasty bite... Or three! 😋 #TheMoonShadowandSkyChallenge: Romantic plots or subplots? In general, I prefer a subplot, in both reading, writing, & even watching TV shows. That being said, I have been known to enjoy some romance and I do love a good romance movie. More often than not, though, I opt for no romance or to have it peppered in. #SpilltheNovelTea: I always struggle with not wanting to share too much, but certain beta-readers have complained to me that they lament the fact they will not get a virgin read EVER!!! In my defense, I get very excited about my stories! #MeetMyBookCommunity: Inspiration is everywhere! I'm inspired by EVERYTHING, from reading to shows I watch to daily conversations to a vibrant rose to just everything! #animpossibledream #beseries #bebookseries #wipwednesday #upcomingbook #bookseries #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #readingofinstagram #rosesofinstagram #peacerose #moodboards #bookmoodboard #charactermoodboard #characteraesthetic #bookaesthetics #authorhobbies #authorgram #authorsnacks #writerscommunity #writersofinstagram #writingofinstagram #writerinspiration https://www.instagram.com/p/CemGtUlPb-6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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