So, I have decided to try something new this year. Since my original fic writing is at an all-time low, I decided it was time to take some sort of action to try and get back into the game.

I am starting with Daily Drabbles (one for each day, but not necessarily posted on a daily basis). I often hear a song on the radio and immediately think of an SPN episode, whether due to the lyrics following the plot or just the feel of the song makes me think of a character's emotional state. So, I will use them as inspiration.

Let's see how long this lasts, yeah...
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1.1.10

inspiration: "Thought it was a nightmare; lo, it was so true. They told me don't go walkin' slow, the Devil's on the loose."

Run through the Jungle – Creedence Clearwater Revival

episode time frame: during 'The Monster at the End of this Book' (4.18)

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The dreams – nightmares – sucked. Years ago, they were few and far between. Lately, they're a nightly occurrence and, well, they totally suck out loud.

As a kid, ghosts were for Dickens' stories and monsters were masked dudes that were foiled by meddling kids and Scooby-Doo. His nightmares? That crap would make King, Barker, Lovecraft – wet themselves.

Only thing that even slightly helped was writing down the details, turning nightmares into fiction. Didn't fix it but helped a little.

Then, his characters came to life, to his house, told him all that terrible stuff was nonfiction. Yeah, life really sucked.

1.2.10

inspiration: "I feel it deep within, it's just beneath my skin. I must confess that I feel like a monster. I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun. I must confess that I feel like a monster."

Monster – Skillet

also: Nietzsche, "Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?" and "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster."

episode time frame: during 'Metamorphosis' (4.04)

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The hunger was sudden, all-consuming. He didn't need two random guys coming to his house (explaining how he can choose not to be a monster) to know that eating raw meat straight from the package or breaking out in a cold sweat (that had nothing to do with fear or grief) at the sight Michelle's blood wasn't normal. Jack could feel something happening inside himself.

He didn't want to let this creature out. But, when faced with a man calmly explaining that Michelle, their unborn child, have to die... How do you fight a monster without becoming one yourself?

1.3.10

inspiration: "Out for summer, out 'til fall. We might not come back at all."

School's Out – Alice Cooper

episode time frame: end of 'Abandon All Hope' (5.10)

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When Bobby was a boy, his granddaddy came to live with his family. Mom said he 'wasn't quite right,' Daddy said he was a hero, but to Bobby he was the only grown-up that treated him like a man instead of a child.

Granddaddy told him about The War, about the men he served with, about the folks who never made it home except for in a box. Hardest thing, he said, was burying good people before their time.

Now, Bobby's an old man himself, and knows something worse. When good folks die and there's nothing left to bury.

1.4.10

inspiration: "All because of you I believe in angels. Not the kind with wings, no, not the kind with halos. The kind that bring you home when home becomes a strange place."

The Good Left Undone – Rise Against

episode time frame: just before 'The Pilot' (1.01)

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Carrying a bulky, heavy box into the apartment, Sam couldn't help but smile. He looked over and saw that Jess, unpacking an odd assortment of dishes, was wearing a matching grin. And, that's when Sam knew... it didn't matter that they couldn't feed four people using matching dishes, that their furniture was an eclectic mix of second-hand pieces, that their bookshelves and various side tables were made out of pilfered milk crates (no, not the cheap plastic kind you buy at the store, but actual crates from a local grocery store)... this was theirs. And Sam couldn't be happier.

1.5.10

inspiration: "Rumor spreadin' around in that Texas town 'bout that shack outside La Grange and you know what I'm talkin' about."

La Grange – ZZ Top

episode time frame: beginning of 'Hell House' (1.17)

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Not much to do in small town Texas. Not many creative outlets. Sure, the school's lit mag is OK but it's pretty narrow. Not like the stories Dana and I wrote as kids. The one with the girl with bleeding eyes? Awesome! Couldn't get that past the lit editors unless 'bleeding eyes' was a metaphor for crying. Terrible.

But, this new story rocks. Mordechai Murdoch's Hell House is a winner. Our 'test audience' gave us raving reviews. Word's all over town. And, two reporters even came in to the music store to ask about it. We're totally gonna be famous.