Virden, Victoria: My Portfolio: My Writing Life : simplebooklet.com

Table of Contents: X. Thank you page & dedications …....... 1. Reflective essay This Writers Life....... 2. Part 1 Poetry …... 3. A Rock in Roll Sonnet ….... 4. The Lost Morning My 100-word poem...... 5. Part 2 Short – Stories...... 6. The Raven-Man........... 7. The Overcomer …........ 8. Part 3: I take a bow 9. Writer’s Block my one-act play...... 10. Closing …................................ …...............................................................................................................

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Dedications & Thank –You Page First, I would like to dedicate this Portfolio to my Grandpa Joe Beecham and my mom and stepdad, and Mary Gann, and my dad, who all have been supporting this writer’s life in one way or another. Next, I would like to say some thank-yous to the people who have supported and made this life possible for me. Mary and Jeff Gann for their continued support and help when I need it! My mom and stepfather for introducing me to writing and reading, at an early age! Marlys Cervantes for approving me into her class! And Jim Brown, to help me get into this class! Finally, I would like to thank my dad for his love of Music and Writing and teaching me a lot of what he has learned! And My Grandpa Joe, for all the rides and life lessons and our journeys together! Thanks to you all! …................................................................................................................................. Dear Readers, Writing this collection of work has been a truly rewarding experience. This collection of my best works has really pushed me to bring out and show my creativity. Before this class I just wrote and was interested in poetry. Then I think of my own short story that would keep you the reader involved and wanting to read more! I think my two short stories in this collection, The Raven-man and The Overcomer, have done just that! I have truly grown as a writer! I have always wanted to do this! This is my dream! My poems are my typical style, with a more bittersweet tone due to the times! I wanted to do something different than the boring old box I was stuck in.

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Soon after I took this class my writing really started to improve! Floods of ideas came to me! I am thinking of diverse ways to write and new things to write about how I feel in this world! I always pictured myself hunched over my lap-top someday drafting my books! When I was just beginning! I hope you enjoy these works, as much as I enjoyed writing them! Remember we are all not perfect, embrace your uniqueness that makes you, you! One more thing I must say before you turn to page one! Happy reading! Enjoy this journey of words, may it take you where you have never been before! Sincerely, Victoria (Tori) Renee ‘Virden Part 1: Poetry ….......................................................................................................................

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A Rock in Roll Sonnet Guitars and drums blare and beat sweet nothings to my ears from up an occupied stage. As these rebellious rockers sing with love and rage. Flashes of light keep them forever this way. Forever in a moment and a memory. In a time that is kept forever in our ears and our hearts As the rockers, guitars, and drums, take a halt and slow down, their beating and blaring for it is getting late now. For they are beginning to wear on down, much like their old guitars and drums. Then we sang along to every over repeated over done sing along.

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The Raven Man Tonight, I read in my bed with tons of thoughts running, and racing threw my head. It is dark: Midnight to be exact. Dark clouds flood my room and under my bed. I have just read the "Raven' by Poe. Not thinking of much, my eyes began to flutter, like flies in the night trying to reach the light. Soon, I see a winged figure, in my doorway! A Raven man with a cane. 'I'm not scared, I said, as cold sweat, like ice was creeping, though, my body and my brain. The clicking, noise, tap, tap, tap of his cane. The endless cackling's of the Raven man wakes me back, to reality again! I grab the side of my bed in fear and stressed-out nerves, and I give a load cry to any passerby! 'No "one came around! 'No" I cry. Tonight, as I read in my bed, frustrations hit me hard, I must write, to make my dreams come true tonight. For my future, my career, my life! The raven man began to speak coldly, like icy nails, to my weak and faint heart. "You crazy woman'. 'Do you really think you will wake up alive"? i gave a loud desperate whimper and a cry. 'Why are you doing this to me"? I began to shout, for the world to hear, but no one came near. The raven man cackling with much, boast and pride. "You don't know why?" "No why"? I cried out! I soon began to feel my anger, depressed, sleepless soul. "You woman trying to do better than me"? "For you are just a Raven man "? I spoke in much power and pain, I heard Raven Claws climbing up the wall fast and I turned edgy and more stressed, for fear of my life! "You think just because you write? He started to say, but I soon stopped him there anyway! I suddenly. hear a cat meowing., down the hall. The Raven man's coal black feathers shake and slightly tremble like a frightened soul. "You woman trying to do better than me"? "For you are just a Raven man "? I spoke in much power and pain, I heard Raven Claws climbing up the wall fast and I turned edgy and more stressed, for fear of my life! "You think just because you write? He started to say, but I soon stopped him there anyway! I suddenly. hear a cat meowing., down the hall. The Raven man's coal black feathers shake and slightly tremble with some fear! I suddenly grab and get some confidence, from an unknown source from deep inside! I was going to write and save my once hard blocked up life! I began to slowly tremble and then I rose, like a flower with roots cut down inside, out of my bed, with a very dizzy and shaking head. I walk, madly, and coldly trot to this birdman's side. I decided a midnight stroll around my room would be nice! In deadly boiling anger, I said " these words as I tried to beat him

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with his cane! 'You mean nothing to me; I will Wake up once again! More fear I heard in the raven man s voice than I would have heard again. Feathers shake and slightly tremble with some fear! I suddenly grab and get some confidence, from an unknown source from deep inside! I was going to write and save my once hard blocked up life! I began to slowly tremble and then I rose, like a flower with roots cut down inside out of my bed, with a very dizzy and shaking head. I walk, madly, and coldly trot this birdman's side. I began to pick up his cane in joy and delight! I decided a midnight stroll around my room would be nice! In deadly boiling anger, I said " these words as I tried to beat him with his cane! 'You mean nothing to me; I will Wake up once again! More fear I heard in the raven man s voice than I would have heard again. "I decided a midnight stroll around my room would be nice! In deadly boiling anger, I said " these words as I tried to beat him with his cane! 'You mean nothing to me; I will Wake up once again! More fear I heard in the raven man s voice than I would have heard again. sleepless soul. "You woman trying to do better than me"? "For you are just a Raven man "? I spoke in much power and pain, I heard Raven Claws climbing up the wall fast and I turned edgy and more stressed, for fear of my life! "You think just because you write? He started to say, but I soon stopped him there anyway! I suddenly. hear a cat meowing. down the hall. The Raven man's coal black feathers shake and slightly tremble with some fear! I suddenly grab and get some confidence, from an unknown source. "You woman trying to do better than me"? "For you are just a Raven man "? I spoke in much power and pain, I heard Raven Claws climbing up the wall fast and I turned. The new dawn is rising. The rising light. from above lingered through my bed, Thoughts, cut slower and slower through my head. I was tired and in a lot of pain. My bones felt like dry cement, just beginning to dry! The raven man, began to shrink, he spun, around flashing, and frolicking his coal black features, before my eyes. "I thought you were gone "? I said with blood shot, and tired eyes! Then in a soft, cackle like whisper he spoke." I'm your worst enemy, Your inner demons, Your worst critic and your shame"! "Woman, are you going to try to write again to stop your blocked out shame"? As he began to speak those cold black words, He began to turn into a fully and weak crumpled old man. "Oh, my goodness you are Edgar?

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The new dawn is rising. The rising light. from above lingered through my bed, Thoughts, cut slower and slower through my head. I was tired and in a lot of pain. My bones felt like dry cement, just beginning to dry! The raven man, began to shrink, he spun, around flashing, and frolicking his coal black features, before my eyes. "I thought you were gone "? I said with blood shot, and tired eyes! Then in a soft, cackle like whisper he spoke." I'm your worst enemy, Your inner demons, Your worst critic and your shame"! "Woman, are you going to try to write again to stop your blocked out shame"? As he began to speak those cold black words, He began to turn into a fully and weak crumpled old man. "Oh, my goodness you are Edgar Allen Poe, I said". "Yes, the old man weakly spoke trying to push out fear in me with ever y word! "Am I dreaming something"? I spoke gently to myself. So, then I asked him what I was dying to know. "Did you ever get back to her? Your sweetheart Lenore? "No, he spoke with grieving pain! I suppose you expect me to say "nevermore" too, he spoke in a lot of angst and pain. Then, I hear a loud buzz -buzz-beep-beep. Warm loving hands tap my shoulders. I jolted in a panic! The raven man is gone. The sun is shining, and it is a quarter after nine! 'Wake up someone spoke. "Okay" I said half asleep. 'So was it a dream I said and asked myself, repeatedly. Then I spot a huge pile of books by my bed. Coal black feathers, and a note that read. "You set yourself free, you are gifted ". 'Now what do you believe "? Edgar'? Did I imagine all of this from my half-asleep mind? Yes, I must have! Now, I know what I have known, my mind shocked, shaken much like the coal black feathers the midnight before! Then like a fiery spark comes over me in my heart, and an urge to write comes over me. I grabbed my pen and paper, and began to write this tale of truth down, as a warning, not to let darkness come and cut you down! A reminder of good things comes to those who wait. It does come, but sometimes just sometimes you can be stronger than you think you are! do come to those who, wait for the sun to shine! Wait, it does come, but sometimes just sometimes, you can be stronger than you think you are! good can always win. I have never seen things quite the same again since my midnight dream, I was too hard on myself! I almost let the darkness swallow and overtake me! Do not be how I used to be! The Raven man comes in the cold icy dark midnight to strike the less confident. Goodbye and happy midnight!

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The Overcomer I watched as the sea gulls fly from sky to sea. I carried a heavy burdensome suite case of my memories, of my now quickly faded past. I was drastically changing my hunger for gold, and money I watched as the sea gules fly from sky to sea. I carried a heavy burdensome suite case of my memories, of my now quickly faded past. I was drastically changing my hunger for gold, and money and fortune was changing my life. I was going to be a pirate. There was no other way I was seen as a radical, somehow even though I just wanted money and that was all! Soon I saw an unlit light house in my distance, which I thought nothing much of. It was a hot and sunny summer’s day, and I splashed some ocean water on my face and headed for my year’s journey, to the 7 seas. My hunger for gold grew with each passing day! The first day gently turned to night as the gules sang us their siren songs, and our crew of only 12 hungry girls danced about. We all knew it would get hard to get challenging. There we sailed for 6 days to an island and found no gold! My frustrations, and the gold fever put me in a true uproar! It took us 3 years to find any speck of gold. Don t ask how we found it because even we questioned how? Gold made me happy for a speedy second, I thought of all the things it could not buy! Soon the gold had been gone and spent. We hardly ever used any violence, unless you got in our way of our one goal to get rich and look pretty, while doing so. Island after island we saw we climbed many steps. Many seas and awe yes, we even got shipwrecked twice! Nights came, and they went as hunger grew in our rumbling stomachs. All we cared about was the gold and doing better than the male pirates we heard about! In the news we had no doubt we could. So, we did surprisingly good! For our time. By the end of the year's journey, we gathered up over a billion pounds, but not all at once, for we had lots and lots of shopping we had to do. By the time all the other ships came in they did not even come close to our victory! The gulls would fly from sea to our ocean blue skies, soon more we had to Overcome, the boys tried to tell us, we were down so we kicked, screamed, and lived out the pirate dream, and sadly I had never ever wanted to hurt or to kill any one before but, this sadly. There was a war! We won of course. Do I think we should not have used something, other than force of course! The blood was a mess and hard to clean, I guess. I sailed us to a much new and calmer place, where we got our last gold pieces and jewels by case! We left with smiling faces,

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our minds and our hearts were racing, as we ran, to the ship in peace. As we dreamed of all we could do with it! All the dresses and guys we could impress! Hungry along with me those days and those nights! As we danced what would soon be my last dance, we saw a lit light house in the distance this time, for now it was not a passing thought because it was a cloudy falls night. As we tumbled and fell, and it was soon to be one of my last! As, I write this with my soon to be dying breath. All the things I would regret were the pirate's life. Before that life, I was ordinary bland, just like any other girl. I would guess. I was soon to be married to a man I could not never ever love! I was 18 he was much older! So, I gave that life the shove, and moved on to the exciting adventures I spoke of. But, oh how I now regret the blood on my hands, I wished I could soon forget! And the other girls my friends who contracted the gold virus, and greedy hungry along with me those days and those nights! Now my suitcase is light for I no longer have all that much. I also regret my pride and my thinking about how money can and could solve anything! Oh, as I breathe my dying breaths of all my sadness and regret. There is one good thing I learned from all of this, I overcame, in the end I repented, and came back to solid ground, as I became a spinster now! gave my life to God and I must say that s all that s made me feel ok with how my life is now, anyway, as the wind blow my now white and grey hair, I say a prayer of me putting these wild days to an end, and fast. Soon morning dawn will break, and I will be free of all the circumstances of the past! That led me to kill and feel and feed the greedy monster. It thankfully did not last! Now the lighthouse is lit again, as it takes me to the long and ever so forgiving journey home! Now I see more gules flying telling me to come home with them to the heavens! Now as the wind frees me of this, I hear laughter and can laugh once again. Looking back to those days, I feel a sudden rush a letting goes of my pirate past and now, I know I could have done things better. But a las I am free as the gules fly and spin under me repeatedly, Now, I am like one of them. Such a carefree day! Now that my old life has been whisked away into the land and sea, nothing but a distant memory. We did things you only read about or think about in wild adventurous daydreams of childhood. But now I m or I was 89, by the time word gets or got out! Now I have no more doubts. I keep on flying with not a thing or burden I am carrying. I am free, that s all I ever wanted to be! free for the circumstances that inhibited me from being free! And I did not need money, for

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that do I? as I hear the sea gulls sing the old familiar song. I have heard all too well and all too long. My moment of reflection is gone. I am free of the mistakes I made now; I can live. And say goodbye. Life number 2. I am a sailor of a different kind I give money. I do not take from others anymore! Again, as it takes me to the long and ever so forgiving journey home! Now I see more gules flying telling me to come home with them to the heavens! Now as the wind frees me of this, I hear laughter and can laugh once again. Looking back to those days, I feel a sudden rush a letting goes of my pirate past and now, I know I could have done things better. But a las I am free as the gulls fly and spin under me repeatedly, Now, I am like one of them. Such a joyous day! Now that my old life has been whisked away into the land and sea, nothing but a distant memory. We did things you only read about or think about in wild adventurous daydreams of childhood. But now I m or I was 89, by the time word gets or got out! Now I have no more doubts. I keep on flying with not a thing or burden I am carrying. I am free, that s all I ever needed to be! Those who are shipwrecked, and almost made the same mistakes! I sailed on the 7 seas looking, trying to help all those who have almost got what I had, Gold, fever. Now I can live proudly. My second chance at this new good life. I stalk the 7 seas looking for those like me. And now I can safely say I am an overcomer, that is all. For now, I am headed and keep on sailing till I am, done with my second chance and breathe my second dying breaths. I saw the sunshine for the first time in a long time. I will keep on searching not for gold but for souls and hearts to save. This was an unlikely happy conclusion, I would say! The end.

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Writers Block Inside a busy College library, Young Hanah is studying for the big final, Will she get out of this writer's block? Hanah: A 20year old college student Tom: A 30-year-old college student Setting: The college Library. Present time Lights up on a quiet table, at the college library, with young Hanah struggling to get her one act play turned in. She has wads of paper all around her. She is near tears when Tom is an older student and remarkably successful in the class. He enters to offer some help. He enters with the sounds of Hanah sobbing and the paper is thrown into the trash. Lights up on a quiet table, at the college library, with young Hanah struggling to get her one act play written and turned in on time! Tom: May I help you? Hanah: Why? It is not like you can do this for me! Tom: No! But you are sobbing, and this is a library. So, be quiet, you know? Hanah: I hit a writer's Blockade. Nothing I write seems worthy, and it is due, and time is ticking! I still have nothing! I still have nothing! Tom: Well, we are in the same class! Hanah: No! Rubbing her eyes with a tissue. No! You will just take my ideas! Tom: No, I will not! Tom: walks over and sits down beside her with his notebook and pen hidden beside him.

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Hanah: Why do you want to help me anyhow? Hanah: Well, this is my favorite class too, you know? Tom: Why do you think you are struggling so badly? Can you take a break? Hanah: I am not sure, everything else in this class has been easy except for this! No, I cannot take a break! Hanah: No! I said time is ticking away! This is due tomorrow and I have been working on it ever since! Hanah: She backs away from Tom, and stares at the ticking clock! Hanah: Okay, I am willing to try anything Hanah: well, I do not have all day! Tom: What are your favorite books to read? Hanah: What has that got to do with anything? Hanah: You really are wasting my time! Tom: If you have been listening in class any at all? You would know reading helps you write better! Hanah: I daydream my creative mind tends to wander! I cannot help this! Tom: Yes, you can, and you know it! Hanah: Really? Can you get inside, my mind? Can you give me a good cliff hanger, like A King book Would do? Tom: I have had enough of going around in circles! Do you want my help! Hanah: I said yes like centuries ago! Hanah: Well, you are an A student! This is all you have gotten! Tom: Okay but I am running out of things to do to help you! She backs up ever so much closer to Tom and his paper. Tom: hey what are you doing? Hanah: I just wanted to see what a successful student wrote about?

Virden, Victoria: My Portfolio: My Writing Life

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