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March 23, 2009 Did You Write? . This is another weekly prompt to get you to write. The idea is that each week this note is posted. The hope is that you will know this note is about to go on line, and, on some day of your choosing each week, you post whether you wrote or not. The idea is that you will realize you have not written, and get to write something, anything, just so you can brag that you were productive, or cry that life got in the way of writing. It is also a place to tell about what else is going on in your life.
What one can call writing, is quite varied. My list may not fit your opinion of what is writing, but it might get you to think, "I did that, So I guess I did write." Any new writing, is by definition, Writing. Because none of us can create perfect works first try, Editing is writing, even if it is on someone else's work. Poetry is also writing. Technical reports, articles, writing assignments, Blogging, are all writing. World building, as long as something gets on paper, is also writing. One might not think so, but E-mails are also writing, as long as they pertain to writing, and are extremely wordy. I am sure many of these won't fit your definition, and others not listed will. They are suggestions to open your mind to the opportunities.
I did write. I attacked another Waxy Dragon vacation story, going deep into it. I am about a third of the way through the story now. At least the bare bones action of the story. I got to 2250 words on page 4, all written in one blast session. It was fun. I also got the easy part done so the next part will be a real challenge. We had visited two Museums during our vacation and this is the second one. We still have to write the first one. Because of plane flight costs, We were able to schedule another vacation up there for June. I doubt we will finish these vacation stories by then, but I will try. We will have another whole new set of vacation stories from my next trip. Maybe we will have to combine them.
I am doing well on my story ideas. Including the story I am posting tonight, I have 40 story ideas in my compost pile. Some weeks I just don't come up with a lot of new ideas. it is why a big compost pile is desirable. I am still even for the month, with 23 story ideas in 23 days. I had two in a row that were four pages long, and another two that slipped onto three pages, which is still quite long for most of my story ideas. One of the three page pieces was so exciting to write, I forced myself to take short cuts or I could have turned it into a full long story. Tonight's story is also four pages. Those are fun stories, but it really kills a lot of free time.
ON the wood working front, Last week, I modified one of my wood turned vases. It had a really thick base since it was made before I had any real skill. It was good, but did not excite me. I cut in on the base, making it thinner, but leaving three extensions, feet, on which it would stand on. I finished that up, and still did not like it. Saturday, I saw I had thick walls too, again a lack of skill, so I cut in on the sides, setting in the area between the feet so it had legs up the surface. It looked good, was an improvement, but still not right. Sunday, I took a power tool with a ball shaped cutter and put little pock marks all over the inset area and the bottom. when I was done, I had a piece I could be proud of. It was what that bowl needed. I am impressed with the results. I am now planning to look over a whole bunch of second rate pieces I have made to see if decorating them will help them. Some are second rate simply because I have not put out the effort to fix them up properly. Many are not a type that decoration will help. I will look them over, though. Back in December, I saw a ivory bat that was really cute. I just could not afford the price it was worth. I decided to make my own bat. I went back at the beginning of this month and the bat was gone. I wanted to see how close mine was to that one. Oh well. I did remember some details, though. I just got some light colored hard wood, Maple I think, and started a second bat. Having something to look at, makes this one easier to do. I have a long way to go, but it is coming out good. Week after next is the art show I am part of. my next two weeks will be devoted to getting ready for that. Only a small part of my stock will be on display.
For a story idea, she is an artist. She makes a piece of art for a wealthy patron, possibly a king or emperor, and the piece of work is displayed only for one event. Everybody is in awe over the quality, the design, the imagination of the piece. The artist gets plenty of praise for her work. Since the piece was only for that one event, the artist gets it back. The artist, looking it over, decides it could be improved. She studies it for a long time, planning out the improvement. The patron then asks for another piece of art work that is better than the one she displayed before, for a new event. she looks over what she has and sees the one that she had displayed before. She goes about and modifies the piece. She fixes little flaws and makes it that much better. The piece goes on display and everybody again is in awe for the work. She is said to be a genius. No one seams to notice it was the piece she showed off before. She gets it back and immediately makes another improvement. It is still not right, but better. She shows it off at another event, organized at the last minute. She has to buy it back as several people wants it. The patron has a super event, that will include artwork that will be on permanent display. She makes her final changes, decorating it in a way that just makes the piece look perfect. She decides there is no way she can improve on what she has. She puts it on display and her patron gushes over it. She had topped her other displays with something that much better, and no one realizes it was the same piece each time.
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Yes. I wrote about a chapter and a half on Book Three. Currently, I'm avoiding working on that (which I should be doing) by trying to polish Book One up and get it ready to submit.
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It was a productive week. A number of late nights.
1. I built a world complete with map and 6,000 word description. 2. I re-wrote a novel plotline to go along with the world. 3. I wrote an 8,000 word short story prequel to the above novel in one sitting: 7 pm to 1 am. 4. I wrote a 2,600 word hard-ish SF short story. 5. I wrote a pretty complete first draft of a 1,300 word fantasy. 6. Revisions on the above, plus a couple of drafts on a previously written 6,000 word fantasy.
Since I just started this writing stuff, I feel the need to build up a respectable pile of work in process. I have two novels started and suspect things will slow down really quick. I don't know if I can keep up this pace.
My wife is doing my grammar reviews. At least she's noticing better technical writing, so practice is progress.
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I'm new to this forum but excited to have found it. I wrote, but primarily in the final, FINAL edit for my novel, Earthbound, just shy of 80,000 words. It feels so good to have my long project completed. I write fairly quickly, but got stalled out on one transition section and I'm really happy with the results.
Posts: 9 | Registered: Mar 2009
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I (finally!) wrote a little - a couple of flash fiction pieces designed to get me to think a bit more about style and economy before I start editing my last novel.
I also (finally!) made a little progress on a novel plot that I'd been meaning to have well formulated by now (sigh).
In other and good news, I'm also almost walking normally again after my motorcycle fall in January; I'd say that it's no coincidence that I'm writing again now as well. Being even 'barely' an invalid does hamper one's self motivation and creativity. I really feel for people who've come out of such events a lot worse off.
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Nothing. I'm still coming off the finishing of my last thing, and had a busy week besides.
Sometime in the next day or so, I hope to do some last tweaking of my MS, then print it out and mail it out. (I also have to buy some Priority stamps for that, too.) Then---then---maybe I can get to something else...
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I have set my novel aside for a couple of days, just to let it percolate for a bit, but did some work on two short stories I have in progress. Hoping to finish those by the end of the week.
Posts: 128 | Registered: Jan 2009
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