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Oct, 13, Did You Write? . Wow, a week passed already? Where did it go? It is that time of the week where one can fess up as to how much writing one has done. This note is an attempt to prod myself, and others into writing, by having a regular, easy to achieve goal to reach. What can be easier than writing SOMETHING at some time during the week. I can tell you that at some periods of the year, it is darn near impossible, but at least we try. This note is the prod to write something. Of course, WHAT is writing, is an easy to hit target. If you decide you wrote, it counts. As suggestions, here is a list of what might be considered writing. Any new writing, of course. Editing, even if it is not yours. Poetry Articles, blogs, Writing assignments. E-mails, if they are wordy and pertain to writing. World building as long as something gets on paper. Of course, you can justify anything else as writing if you feel you need to.
[He puffs out his chest with pride.] Yes, I did write. I did very good this week. On my rewrite to my Waxy's birth story, I added two pages and well over a thousand words. It is coming along nice and in discussions with my writing partner, we have created some ideas for excellent scenes. Many of which I have to change what I already have to make the changes. On the Waxy vacation story, I added over 5 thousand words and eight pages. I also reached the end of the draft. I now have to do some heavy editing, punching it up and possibly changing the story some. The ending is pathetic, but at least I got it to an ending. That, hopefully, will be changed. My writing partner finished the second story of the series but has to heavily edit it for consistency. Hers ended up over sixty pages!!!! Usually, these stories are pushing it if they get over twenty pages. One has to use as many pages as necessary to tell the story.
I am doing well on the story idea front, keeping a story ahead, until Thursday when I have a club meeting. I will back on schedule, unless I decide to make up for it over the weekend.
On the woodworking front, I decided to get into pastry making. The thought crossed my mind to set up a thanksgiving dinner scene. I have a turkey bowl, I have made some wooden pumpkins over the years, I have plates and cups. I have made apples and pears. I have some "silverware" under construction, that I had not gotten to for years. Last weekend, I dug through my wood pile and found some pieces of wood that were of interest. This weekend, I decided to make pies. I used a light wood for the pie tin, and a brown wood for the crust. I then used a different wood, less red than I had hoped, for a cherry that would be the handle for the container. The first one I made, was small. I had problems with getting the inside bottom smooth and even. When I was done, I had a new design opportunity. Instead of a pie, I ended up with a big muffin. I think I have had muffins that big. My second one did become a pie. It looks good. I cut grooves in the "tin" to represent the folds that aluminum pans have when the foil is folded up to form the container. The end result was quite good. I plan to make a couple more over the next weeks. they will make good gifts while I am at it.
To make that apply to writing, consider the master of the area is a giant "termite" a creature that lives on wood. It is tired of just munching on logs and want something else. it cannot eat human foods, but wishes it could have something similar because it looks so good. A craftsman decides to make a gift for the master. He goes into his work shop, and keeps shoveling out sawdust, but refuses to let anybody know what he is doing. He uses as many types of wood as he can get his hands on. The time comes, the anniversary for the Master's coming to power, the craftsman sets up his gifts. The master comes out and sees human food. The craftsman tells it that this is a gift. It checks the stuff and is surprised that it is all wood. It hesitates eating it as it looks so good, but then digs in. Each thing is made of different woods, each with a different flavor and texture. The master finishes the day happy with the gift it received.
AS to the question of the day, YES, I DID WRITE!!!!
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Yes. Working on backstory insertion in my WOTF entry. Went over and over the same three paragraphs all day. Wrote a dozen different versions. It's working better now.
Posts: 1580 | Registered: Dec 2005
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Yes, I did. My biggest achievement of the week was a chapter revision for Odal's Story. Really, I rewrote most of the chapter, which is currently at 14 pages.
Posts: 1139 | Registered: May 2008
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I finished a new story, posted it to the Short story forum and have decided I love the story but hate the start. So I am sitting on it for a few days so I can have a fresh eye.
I also edited my Q1-09 WoTF submission (not ready to send out for crit yet).
I worked on my novel outline for NaNoWriMo; I am nearly ready (hear the knuckles crack?).
I have been close reading Analog and F&SF magazines and critting a variety of work. I like to think that also counts! 8)
I have also been playing a 'memorable scenes' game while I drive to work. I think of a favorite book, and then think of the first scene that comes to mind. That is my "memorable scene' and then I try to figure out why that scene was so memorable. What is it that made it stick. when I get home, I grab the book, find the scene and re-read for the features of the scene that gave it stickiness.
Like today, I picked "Ill Wind" by Kevin Anderson and Doug Beason- (could it be because I was stuck on the Dumbarton bridge crossing SF bay? hmmmm).
Anway, I love that book! My most memorable scene is early in the book, where a MC (Spencer Lockwood) is stuck in traffic on the San Mateo Bridge. A helicopter is spreading the overenthusiastic oil eating bacteria over a tanker spill in SF Bay. That bacteria will soon destroy all oil-based compounds on earth. The overspray coats the cars with, well, gummy oil eating bacteria and Spencer, while watching a nasty traffic jam, comments that he hopes it's not toxic. It's a compelling scene with wonderful foreshadowing. I can almost feel the rubber start to decay to that sticky black goo that you find in old cars. Makes me want to wipe my hands on my pants.
When anyone comments on that book, I see the scene above.
So, yep, I did write, and maybe learned how to write a bit better, too.
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You know I did...and am. Tough, though. Azincourt is good and wanting me to devote my time to it. Posts: 3687 | Registered: Jan 2007
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Yep. Finished another draft of my most recent short screenplay. Also worked on the prologue of my novel project.
Inkwell ------------------ "The difference between a writer and someone who says they want to write is merely the width of a postage stamp." -Anonymous
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yes i wrote.... mostly journaling and writing exercises to figure out who i am, what i fear, what drives me, blah blah blah. i have great stories that want to be told (three right now that are being very patient), but i dont have the craft yet. step by step. i started an outline for NaNoWriMo- an ambitious project i thought i would add to my overbooked schedule (yes i am insane and overdriven). it might be a disasterous flop, but experience none the less. so, for what its worth, yes i wrote.
Posts: 171 | Registered: Oct 2008
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I might have typed a few sentences for one of my short stories, but everything else I did revolved around my SF novel. Character creation. World-building. Maps. Order of events. Descriptions. Dialog. I was all over this story!
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Nary a word. I've been on vacation---went out of town for a week---got back Sunday night---and it took till now to machete my way through the e-mails and websites till I could get here.
But I've got more than a week of vacation left and I'm hopeful...
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Yes! I spent most of my week bogged down with revisions, but I finally finished those and wrote a flash story yesterday, my first flash ever. Posts: 299 | Registered: Oct 2008
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I wrote replies to forums; I wrote case notes for work; I performed some revisions on a piece, so that I could crest a rambling hump in the road of my writing; I followed it up with a couple of pages; and I paused as I now contemplate my ending.
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