I realized this afternoon while I was being lazy and sitting around that while my mother has written a novel and is working in two more, and my sister has throughout her childhood written many short stories as well, I never have.
I used to write a lot, in middle school especially I filled books with my poetry.
But I never wrote a single story. I have made stories in my head, long involved stories with plots that range from fantastical to tedious to every day ordinary stories about life, but I have never once written one down. So, here is the first chapter of the story I've been musing over for a good month now, perhaps two.
I'm not trying to waste your time with a windy, babbling story. It's short, and this first chapter is intentionally vague. I'd really appreciate some feedback, as I said I'm completely new to this so any advice or criticism you have would be great. I promise I wont cry if you think I suck
Thank you :]

------------------Chapter-1--------------Fener------------------------------------

The creaking of oars and the gentle lapping of waves against the hull lulled her into an uneasy sleep. They had been at sea for almost a year now, and were on their way back north, back to the icelocked land of their ancestors. Back home.

This thought soothed the seasoned crewmen, they'd had their fun but now longed to see their families, to see the difference a year could make. Perhaps there were babies born, perhaps elders had passed. The time at sea had been rough, and man to man each was longing for the peace and solidity the heart associated with the snow coated northlands.

It was late afternoon, and the captain observed his weary crew with seasoned eyes before turning his gaze to the horizon. He too felt the pull of home, but something felt amiss somehow. Something had been tickling at his mind now for several days. A nagging worry, for which he repeatedly assured himself there was no need.

The girl felt it too. In her restless sleep she stirred, burying her face deeper in the dog's side. She cringed at an unnamed fear in some unknown nightmare, letting out a small whimper that drew the captain's gaze.

His brow creased as he mused over the small child that lie curled up on the deck. With her ability the girl had aided the ship to pass nearly unharmed through many a treacherous sea, but now he wondered what else her curious mind detected rising in the distance.
He had seen power such as hers only once before, in an elderly man on a sea far south of here. Of course, a young girl of scarcely six years could only begin to grasp such a power, yet already the ship had reaped the rewards of it. Simply by listening to what the unknown voice of the wind told her, they had avoided countless tempests and stormy waters with ease. With time, that benefit could only increase... what a brilliantly lucky find she was. And in his own village too. He couldn't help but grin at his good fortune.

The girl in question jolted awake, startling her canine pillow. The dog yawned and stood up, dumping the girl on to the wooden deck.
She scowled at him before rising to her feet as well. The two shared a look, as though communicating silently with a gaze.
It unnerved the captain when he saw this, as it always did. He hated the creature, mistrusted it for everything it was. A wolf, five years old at least though is still resembled a year old pup, and black as a ravens wing. It stayed by her always though, and the girl had refused to come aboard without it. He'd been forced to comply.
"Fener's hungry" the girl's face was sullen, as always.
The captain nodded, gesturing off towards the cabin. He sighed as the strange pair ran off. His eyes returned again to the horizon, which had darkened ominously.

"What should we do about that?" he inquired after the storm clouds when she returned.
"Nuthin." She replied around a large hunk of bread. "It's moving inland."
"The coast is there."
She looked up at him.
"Will the wind pick up tonight?"
She nodded.
"Towards the shore?"
She nodded again.
"Will it be safe here?"
She smiled reassuringly, though her eyes remained distant.
"It's moving inland." She repeated.
"Hm. Alright."

With a deep rumble from the ominous clouds in the distance the storm commenced.

"Stow the oars! Take in the sail! Put out the sea anchor!" The captain bellowed.
The crewmen scurried like ants to comply, each man knowing his place and moving quickly to fill it.

The crew ate their dinner as the sun set, drifting on the restless waves as the wind howled by, rocking the boat with choppy waves and sending a fine mist of sea spray over the stern. A fine drizzle started as the sun was swallowed by the open ocean and soon built up to a steady downpour. The night watch settled in as the bulk of the men went below to sleep.
But the girl and her companion stayed awake, impassive in the face of the falling rain and silent in fearful awe at the breaking storm before them.

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Wow I thought that was really good, damn the only thing is that there's no more .... please keep writing.

I read it last night but forgot to comment...

I thought it was really good, very descriptive and easy to picture the environment and people but at the same time didn't get bogged down with describing things like people, you were left to make up your own mind how people looked just given basic information and I like that, and it kept my attention, I look forward to reading more of it

What an amazing imagination you have I thought it very interesting.

The only criticism would be it was a little difficult to fallow in parts but I think that's maybe cos you do not give lots of info on the characters in there. Or maybe its cos sometimes I can just be a simpleton that needs everything spelling out to him lol I mean Books I have read ever? 1 lol So what do I know.

I should really try doing a story myself. But I would not be anywhere as good as that.

A natural talent that you should develop and show off. It read very well...thank you.

Alright, here's the deal. I was working on this chapter and the content was getting too broad, like, too much stuff in one chapter. So I split it in two and made the first be chapter 2 and the second one, when I'm done editing, will be chapter 3. This is just a short in-between chapter but I felt I ought to sepparate it from the next bit so here it is, chapter 2. It's short, hopefully sweet and to the point. I'll do my best to get to the action and make it good in the next chapter, but for now, chew on this.
Thank you, and Enjoy :]

----------------------Chapter-2-------------Skålvik--------------------------------------

The dawn broke to find the girl and her companion passed out asleep on the deck. The air was still and clear, crisp after the night's storm. The crew set up for breakfast and cleared the deck of standing water taken on in the night. Fener stirred and woke as the smell of sizzling meat reached him. He circled twice aroung the girl before trotting off for his breakfast.
The girl awoke and followed soon after, then returned to her post at the bow of the ship with a fistfull of bacon strips to observe the skyline for fluctuations in the weather.
She never related to people, they didn't make sense to her and never tried to relate anyway. To the sailors, she was as much a tool as a compass or an anchor. But the wind, it was familiar. Playfully friendly at times, passionately violent at others, but always wild and untamed. And always open for her to read.
But not now. Something was in the way, and her young mind was troubled by this. She had never encountered another with her own ability, and was perplexed by it. The concept of controlling the weather was a thought that had not yet presented itself to her, as such her mind now faced an overwhelming proposition far beyond her comprehension; someone else had created and controlled that storm. And that someone else was still out there.
With her attention raptly drawn to this nearing paradox she hadn't noticed as her companion approached and laid at her feet, nor as the captain came to stand beside her.

He cleared is throat, startling the girl out of her intense focus.
"What's..." he began, but she cut him off.
"Something's wrong." She looked scared.
That fear alarmed him.
"What?"
"I don't understand why it's doing that. All the air is going that way." She pointed inland. "The big currents are changing direction to go there."

Realization crept into his mind. Someone, or something, was controling the weather. And that person was here in their homeland, dangerously close to their village. He tugged worriedly at his thickly braided beard. The rocky cliffs of the norseland coast loomed closer as the longship altered course, running parallel and farther north.

They were about a half day's sail from the river mouth that marked the entrance to Skålvik. The village was built atop a small hill that bordered the river, encircled by a wall of spiked stakes. The intent was anti-cavalry, though mainly it kept wolves out and children in. The woodshingled rooves and log walls of the longhouses were unlike the dwellings of any of the southern regions, more solid and homey in the captain's biased oppinion.

Though the village was heavily fortified, it's walls were no barrier to the wind that now sliced like blades at the direction of some unknown foe. Now a tornado tore at the town square, now gusts of wind ripped off rooves and caved in walls. Now daggers of air brought blood to the lips and townsfolk to the ground. Not a whimper nor a scream was audible above the howl of the hell-bent winds.
All at the discretion of a sightless foe.

Though understanding was an unknown dove that lit upon the mind, the girl knew. In her heart or through whatever nameless sense the wind spoke she knew now, the truth. The village was gone. And her young heart knew, it was her fault.

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I sure can't tell that you haven't written down any stories before. If that is a sample it would appear that you have a talent for it and that should get honed even further with continued writing. Even with my short attention span these days i read it all, and would read more.

LOL
I mean you say chew on this then you go on to white up a chapter like that. It was quit poetic in placers I thought as well.

I like how she used the wind as a weapon. If it was her?

you'll see!
I'm not going to spoil it for you

it's good, keep up the writting i really like it