Although I often blog about writing, today is the first time I will share a snippet of my original fiction on this site. Below are the opening paragraphs of Chapter One of the novel manuscript I have spent the past few months polishing. As you may have understood from last week’s post, I am not completely satisfied with my writing. I have lost confidence. But I do want to share my writing with others. I will never attain my personal goals of publication and inspiring others if I fail to share what I have written with an audience.

So read at your own risk. I make no promises. This is just an opening, but I think it’s long overdue to be shared.

Using a clean rag, Tayowin wiped the oil and wax mixture from his hands before returning Kleigh’s skull to its proper place in his wicker cabinet. He didn’t know if the mixture protected the bones as it did wood furniture, but after five years of polishing, the remains of his friend had not deteriorated. He looked over the other eleven skulls in the cabinet a final time before shutting its doors with a tired sigh. The hour had grown quite late, but then he hadn’t started this familiar chore until well after dark.

 
With the setting of the sun, the desert air had turned humid, leaving Tayowin restless and disturbed. The monsoon rains had ended weeks ago, the floodwaters long receded. Months would pass before the expected storms returned, but on this night, the air had grown heavier by the hour. Along with the prickle of sweat brought on by the humidity, tension and anxiety raced over Tayowin’s skin. Despite his lingering restlessness, he decided to blow out his oil lamps and slip into bed.

 
Just as he began to settle, the nineteen-year-old thought he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He sat up again and scanned the small, square room by moonlight. The night breeze ruffled his gauzy drapes, but Tayowin ignored them, continuing to stare into the shadows cast by his minimal furniture. His skin itched and crawled as the air stirred. After a strained moment, he shut his eyes to remove the distractions of sight and examined the room using his empathic senses.

Thank you for reading!

Hezzie