The beginning of the next great American novel

So I was right, I haven't been able to keep up with this blog.

But now that I have graduated from college and moved home, my life has settled down.

I'm an intern at a television station, hoping to become a reporter this fall. Until then I have been searching for a job that pays, but I have been told repeatedly that I'm over-qualified. I just got a job working at the state fair, which should be a great way to improve my tan and get out of debt.

But now that I don't have a steady job or any homework, I have been given the gift of time. So I have started the next great American novel. It may take years before I'm published, but it's sure fun to think about making a living doing what I love to do the most; write.

Here's a little preview of a future NY Times bestseller. This is a Sleeping Beauty tale, and the following passage tells the reaction of the royal family and the crowd after the announcement that the Sleeping Beauty will not live past her sixteenth birthday.

"The crowd paused in shock, and then slowly, one by one, regained their composure. They turned to the king for answers, but he stood there motionless, staring blankly at the open doors and the darkening sky beyond. Fear engulfed his face; his jaw was slack, his eyes empty and brimming with tears.

The queen clutched the bassinet and started to shake with grief. She wept aloud, but it was a quiet, mournful, helpless sorrow. She started to shake her head and seemed so weak it looked as if she would collapse. Then she stood suddenly and appeared to stop breathing, which drew the king’s gaze toward her. She grasped her child and held her close to her chest. The princess’s white christening gown draped down to the floor as the queen held her and kissed her head repeatedly. Then she fell to the ground, her skirts puffing around her. She wrapped her child as tight as she could in her arms, rocked back and forth, and started to sob again.

There was no celebration that night."

[all content and intellectual property protected by copyright law; E. Rusk 2006]