Monday, June 8, 2015

Inkling Explorations Link-up // June 2015


Inkling Explorations is an exciting link-up for any and all story lovers who love discovering treasures in everything they read—whether it's in an old favorite or something crisply and deliciously new on the shelf.

It's completely optional (you can enter some months and not in others) and it's open to entries from literature and film—and with selections from fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, romance, action, poetry, even sometimes non-fiction! The range is pretty much limitless. (Note: Entries will be moderated, however, and must be clean, edifying, and suitable for all ages.)

*Rules*


1. Post the Inklings button on your sidebar.
2. Do a post on your own blog relating to the month's selection/subject (a literary excerpt as short or as long as you like AND/OR—if specified that month—a screencap from a film with an explanation of how the scene builds/develops the story). Link back here somewhere in your post.
3. Come back here and paste your link in the comments box and I'll add it to the post. Then enjoy visiting and reading everyone else's contributions!

That's all there is to it!

June Topic: A Gripping Story Opening in Literature


(June specific notes: "Gripping" doesn't necessarily mean high action; specifically, it's anything that caught your interest and kept you reading! ;) Also, book selections only this month, i.e. no film entries.)


My entry is from A Sea Queen's Sailing by Charles W. Whistler 


(It might seem cliché here, highlighting a story beginning in the aftermath of a fight, but this opening drew me in so hard I was quite literally eating, sleeping, and breathing the story for several days till I reached the wonderful ending.)


“The black smoke eddied and wavered as it rose over my father’s burning hall, and then the little sea breeze took it and swept it inland over the heath-clad Caithness hills which I loved. Save for that black cloud, the June sky was bright and blue overhead, and in the sunshine one could not see the red tongues of flame that were licking up the last timbers of the house where I was born. Round the walls, beyond reach of smoke and heat, stood the foemen who had wrought the harm, and nearer the great door lay those of our men who had fallen at the first. There were foemen there also, for it had been a good fight.”

Action, reflection, and conflict…


The rest of the story is delightful—tense in places, quite original, and tremendously satisfying. It’s an old book and hard to find, but if you can hunt it down I highly recommend it!

 ~     ~     ~

Now let the fun begin! Entries are open through the end of the month and I can't wait to see your selections!

Up next month: A well crafted animated film climax


11 comments:

  1. Mmm. Have to think what I'll do for this one! Very good theme. :-)

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    1. Naomi,
      Looking forward to it! And as a side note, I did add a little clarification to the topic summary on the post. ;) Hope that helps and thank you!!

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  2. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. This is going to be a hard choice.

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    1. Hamlette,
      Yes, indeed! I was tossing between two and actually ended up going with the one I wasn't originally thinking of. ;P Looking forward to your entry!

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    2. I'm having the most awful time deciding between two very different openers. Do I go for the extremely dramatic one or the wryly funny one? Hmmmm.

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    3. Hamlette,
      Here's an idea! How about we do "funny/humorous" opening selections sometime in the next couple months? I can already think of a good one I'd like to share so I think it's a great idea -- and would that help with your decision? :)

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    4. Brilliant! Totally fixes my problem.

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  3. Heidi,
    I had hoped to do a post for this, but I'm afraid I'm just not going to have time. :( Sorry! I hope I can next month. :)

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    Replies
    1. Natalie,
      Thank you for letting me know! And oh dear.... I would have loved to see your selection! It is open through the 30th, though. Also remember, don't feel like you have to go into tremendous depth with your post. :) So if you end up having time and are able to do it I'll be thrilled, but I know you're super busy, so either way I completely understand! ;)

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    2. Awww, thanks. :( I am sorry I couldn't do it! I've been so busy and I just remembered this today...I still have one day left, but to tell the truth I haven't even begun to think of a story opening I could use and I'd rather just wait till next month. I'm sure I'll be able to participate again then! :) Thank you for understanding!

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  4. Your opening selection made me think of the opening of The Red Badge of Courage:

    *The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring
    fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting.
    As the landscape changed from brown to green, the army awakened,
    and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors.
    It cast its eyes upon the roads, which were growing from long
    troughs of liquid mud to proper thoroughfares. A river,
    amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the army's
    feet; and at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful
    blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of
    hostile camp-fires set in the low brows of distant hills.*

    :)

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