This is the weekly attempt to embarrass myself, and anybody else interested, into writing. One is to realize the week is about to end and sit down and write SOMETHING to be able to say YES I did write. It should be noted that Editing is also writing, even if you are editing someone else's work. We all love to count only NEW WRITING, but that cannot always happen. Nothing to be ashamed of.
I have continued on my story ideas. The first two this month are shorter than normal. What I do with my story ideas is to take the basic concept, which can be told in a paragraph or less, and show how it might be used in a story. The story idea I am posting tonight says TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE, BUT ONLY IN YOUR LIFETIME. HE IS THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD. That is the actual story idea. Exciting isn't it? I have about two pages of writing from that short sentence, showing how to use the story and what the story line might look like. I do this every day. I have always had problems with story endings. I don't have the problems as often as I used to but sometimes they still show up. One of the story ideas I posted, had not real ending. Instead of writing until I came up with something, I ended it after I had what I needed and left it to whoever might like to use the story to come up with something of their own. The second one did not have much of an ending either. I told in a couple sentences what the ending might be.
Oops, I started another Waxy Dragon story. I now have three in process. The oldest one is 11 pages long and about a quarter of the way through the story. I realized I needed to explain something to Waxy to make what happens later make sense and the story work. I added about 450 words to that. The second one did not get any attention this week other than some thoughts about it. The third story stemmed from a discussion with my writing partner. I visit a friend in a nursing home every other week. Last time I was there, I noticed a teddy bear I gave her needed to be sewn up. I did a story last year about a teddy bear needing to be sewn up. We came up with the idea to write a story about the repair job. We decided that Waxy and her teddy bears had to be there to visit and have some fun. We started to have it based on my friend at the nursing home, but it has changed so drastically that my friend won't be the character at the home. Anyway, I now have that story up to 4 pages at 1949 words. So far this week, I've written 2400 words. not horrible, but not bad in my spare time. BTW, you can find the Waxy Dragon stories on line at http://www.xprodigy.net/board/index.php scroll down to the WRITER'S ROOST. there are 49 of them posted, most are numbered. My writing partner had created a character called Lazlo and his stories and some with Waxy are also in the stories.
On the woodworking front, I had some wood to use up, so I decided to make some pumpkins out of wood. These are hollow with lids. Now that the wood is gone, I doubt I will make another one in a long time. I have other projects to make. One could do a story of a magical wood worker who makes pumpkins all year long, then they are delivered to the plants for Halloween. Not all pumpkins are made by him, just a few special ones. If those special pumpkins are carved, they do magical things. There is not many of them so most end up rotting, or being eaten, rather than being carved.
I have new glasses. I can see again. I can now walk into walls with immunity.... I mean Not walk into walls now..... sheesh!!!
The answer to the question, Yes I did write. Did you?
Posted by Umi-chan (Member # 5881) on :
Hahaha...in fact I did write. I've been posting small bits of writing for one of my friends on a blog and today's was a diary entry from a not so stereotypical church-girl. Having people who actually read what I write is excellant motivation to keep it up.
Posted by debhoag (Member # 5493) on :
yes, I did, in spite of my intentions to do nothing of the kind. And I submitted two pieces today, one to Baen's Bar, and one to Ray Gun Revival. Still not sure how that happened.
Steg, I just checked out Waxy - what a cutie! And i loved the magic heart. That's what I need when our family goes on a roadtrip. What are you doing with these right now?
[This message has been edited by debhoag (edited September 03, 2007).]
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
I did some writing on personal history this morning, as opposed to autobiographical fiction which is totally different and which I have, for the time being, decided to give a rest.
Posted by darklight (Member # 5213) on :
Er... well, I got a new laptop so I could write, and then I didn't write; that's what happens when you have a new toy to play with. Actually, I did write about 700 words, and I've done some critique this week.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I thought the week would be a washout...all that trouble at work kept blowing through my mind...but Saturday early morning at work a variation on an old idea commanded my attention...I'd worked it out enough to start it Saturday afternoon when I was home...and I've written fifteen hundred words in three sections.
(It's a problematic story---I may not finish it---I have some nice characters and settings, but I'm a little stuck as to why anyone would be there, much less my characters. Still, it's good practice, and if I grow weary of it, I still have my novel to work on again.)
Posted by InarticulateBabbler (Member # 4849) on :
Worked on three stories, though two might merge. I worked on the short story I'm committted to do, and began to plot out Pantroth's full story (as in Novel), which might coincide with another WIP. I'm all fried-up again!
[This message has been edited by InarticulateBabbler (edited September 04, 2007).]
Posted by debhoag (Member # 5493) on :
Pantroth is a great character. He deserves a book.
Posted by annepin (Member # 5952) on :
Ugh... I've been in a rut recently, though I'm clawing my way out of it bit by bit. So, I wrote a little bit. I wrote about three different versions of the first chapter of my wip. None of them feels right. One of my protagonist feels stiff as cardboard, her emotions slippery. It's frustrating when all my other characters feel as if they are ready to spring out of the text. She's dragging her feet, and I don't know what's wrong. Though I have several protagonists, I've always seen this in many ways as _her_ story, but it's not working out that way. Should I cut her out? That would mean writing an entirely different story...
But all of this to say, yeah, I wrote _some_. Very little. Argh! But I did a hell of a lot of thinking, and that has to count for something, right?
Posted by SeraphM (Member # 6250) on :
I am quite proud that I wrote yesterday, despite the wicked heat (and no ac) and having only gotten 3 hours of sleep (because of the wicked heat and no ac) AND having to work the Shift From Heck at work (I work online, moderating forums that are an eyebleeding color scheme). I did my free writing exercise plus I managed to do a few lines on the second novel that Co-Writer and I are working on.
Today, of course, no Heck Shift, so he's going to expect thousands and thousands of words from me ("Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we just finish the chapter today?" He's something like an enthusiastic puppy, which is probably good for me, because I am old and cranky.
Posted by Wolfe_boy (Member # 5456) on :
I did not write with paper or pen. I did not write again and again. I looked at my screen with nary a thought and said to myself "You're stuck with this lot. The ideas are flowing and characters are chatty but you've been so damn busy you're like to go batty. Now get off your duff and find you some time 'cause clearly your skill does not lie in rhyme."
Jayson Merryfield
Posted by The G-Bus Man (Member # 6019) on :
I didn't write anything for the last one but this week so far I at least wrote a little passage of another novella, that, well, really came by accident because I was frustrated on the first novella I was working on.
Posted by debhoag (Member # 5493) on :
I never write with pencil or pen; a decades-old laptop is my special friend. The thumb pad glitches the spell-check twitches duct tape covers a multitude of sins. it takes ten minutes to pull up a page; just like me it shows its age. I'll save my pen for that special occasion; when I'm center stage, crowned with adulation it won't be prose my pen will strut, just my autograph, no if, ands or buts.
but this week so far I at least wrote a little passage of another novella, that, well, really came by accident because I was frustrated on the first novella I was working on.