So, I've fallen in with a bad crowd. In addition to convincing me to forsake my responsibilities as husband, father, and a contributing member of society, they have also been really encouraging me to write...every day...This is a new thing for me as I have NEVER written everyday for any length of time. Ever. Even when I was writing my angst filled poetry of my teenage years, I never written every day. So, it was with some trepidation that I signed up with this group.
They weren't a bad sort. I'd met a few in person at a local writer's group started by the beautiful and talented Tessa Gratton and Natalie Parker. About 20 of us descended on quiet bar, in a nice hotel, and hung out for a couple hours. Names, email addresses, story ideas, and twitter addresses were swapped. Having never "tweeted" before in my life, I decided to try it out. This was my first tweet. I think it was funny.
Anyway, I loaded up my follow list with all of the people that I had met or had attended that first meeting. I started watching and learning (which is the best way to start). I started seeing the hashtag #writemotivation. Two of the people from the writing group seemed to be using it a lot. I checked it out. If you are a writer, so should you. It's a great idea. The idea is that you make goals and then try to keep up with them. Your twitter-friends and such help you, encourage you, and say pithy things to cheer you up. It's a win-win situation in my book.
So, what does this have to do with "rabid plot bunnies"? Well, two of the #writemotivation people (KT Hanna and Becca C.) started encouraging me to write more. I started off slow with a whopping 150 words one night. That was a week and a half ago. Yesterday, I wrote 1600 words. Tonight? Who knows. I hope to finish with Chapter 2 of my Work in Progress #1, but it may end up being tomorrow (I have homework to do for my Creative Writing class that I'm taking).
So, here is where the "plot bunnies" come in. I woke up yesterday and was hit with a really awesome scene that had NOTHING to do with what I had been writing up until that point. Naturally, I freaked. I got on twitter and made a plea for help. Luckily, my friends were there to calm me down and give me this advice: "Take a day and write it down. Then go back to your original story." Over lunch that day, I wrote it, all 600+ words of it. I had slain the evil plot bunny. That night I was able to go back and continue on Chapter 2 of my first WIP. Since my scene was so awesome (to me!), I listed it as my WIP #2.
So, if you are writing an awesome story and something unrelated shows up, don't panic. Write it down or it will bite you with its big, nasty teeth.
'Till next time.
P.S. You can follow me on Twitter. There is also a link somewhere on the right side of the page. Also, check out my link to the #writemotivation movement.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
An Argument Between Equals
This, impossible, exercise was asked of me as one of my assignments for my writing class. We had to write an argument between equals. The catch? We couldn't use anything but dialog. No descriptions, no "he said's" or "she explained's", just pure dialog. It was "interesting", but ultimately, an impossibility. Why? Because arguments are never between equals. One person will always have the up. If they don't, then eventually, one person will leave or something will interfere and force a resolution. It's human nature. We don't like conflict. However, if you want to see a pure argument between equals, then you should check out the AI vs. AI video. It's funny, and weird.
Anyway, I think I did an "ok" job with mine. The only issue I had was that I kept using "he said" and "he replied" etc. Oh well, this version won't have it.
“I’m just trying to fix this thing.”
“Zachary. You need to stop what you are doing and get ready for bed.”
“I’m just trying to fix this THING!”
“I realize that Zachary, but I TOLD you to get ready for bed.”
“Just a minute, I’m just trying to fix this THING, Dad. You never let me finish.”
“You need to STOP what you are doing and get ready for BED!”
“NO!”
“What?!”
“I HATE YOU!”
“I don’t care if you hate me. You still have to get READY FOR BED!”
"No! I don't want to!"
"Well, that's just too bad. I'm the dad and I make the rules. Get ready for bed!"
"Well, when I'm the dad, I'm going to make the rules and then you'll have to get ready for bed!"
“That’s nice. Now go brush your teeth.”
“I don’t have my PJs on yet!”
“What?! What have you been doing this whole time?”
“I’ve been trying to finish my Lego thing!”
“I told you to get your PJs on! Not mess around with your Legos!”
“But my Legos keep falling apart, and I it won’t work and I need to get it fixed. Then I can go to bed.”
“I don’t care. I told you to do something. Now DO IT!”
“No!”
“OW! Did you just bite me?! You get back here right now. Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m leaving this house! I’m going to go somewhere else, ‘cuz I don’t like you! You’re being mean to me and won’t let me fix my Legos.”
“Oh really. Well, it’s dark outside and it’s cold. Where are you going to go?”
“I’m going to Sarah’s house. I’m gonna live there with her and you can’t come and visit me!”
“Zachary, you take your coat and shoes off and go to your room until you can calm down.”
“FINE!”
"Don’t…slam the door.”
Anyway, I think I did an "ok" job with mine. The only issue I had was that I kept using "he said" and "he replied" etc. Oh well, this version won't have it.
Bedtime
“Zachary, time to get ready for bed.”“I’m just trying to fix this thing.”
“Zachary. You need to stop what you are doing and get ready for bed.”
“I’m just trying to fix this THING!”
“I realize that Zachary, but I TOLD you to get ready for bed.”
“Just a minute, I’m just trying to fix this THING, Dad. You never let me finish.”
“You need to STOP what you are doing and get ready for BED!”
“NO!”
“What?!”
“I HATE YOU!”
“I don’t care if you hate me. You still have to get READY FOR BED!”
"No! I don't want to!"
"Well, that's just too bad. I'm the dad and I make the rules. Get ready for bed!"
"Well, when I'm the dad, I'm going to make the rules and then you'll have to get ready for bed!"
“That’s nice. Now go brush your teeth.”
“I don’t have my PJs on yet!”
“What?! What have you been doing this whole time?”
“I’ve been trying to finish my Lego thing!”
“I told you to get your PJs on! Not mess around with your Legos!”
“But my Legos keep falling apart, and I it won’t work and I need to get it fixed. Then I can go to bed.”
“I don’t care. I told you to do something. Now DO IT!”
“No!”
“OW! Did you just bite me?! You get back here right now. Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m leaving this house! I’m going to go somewhere else, ‘cuz I don’t like you! You’re being mean to me and won’t let me fix my Legos.”
“Oh really. Well, it’s dark outside and it’s cold. Where are you going to go?”
“I’m going to Sarah’s house. I’m gonna live there with her and you can’t come and visit me!”
“Zachary, you take your coat and shoes off and go to your room until you can calm down.”
“FINE!”
"Don’t…slam the door.”
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Writing Image Transitions
This is yet another class assignment. The assignment involved transitioning from summary images to detailed images. It was a fun assignment.
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Sebastian shaded his eyes from the blinding sun as he stared across the beach. The blazing, white sand was littered with the dark corpses of the unfortunate ship. As he looked out to sea, Sebastian could see the tide bringing more remains to the shore. The cool breeze blowing from offshore brought the familiar scent of brine and seawater. With that familiar and comforting scent, was the smell of smoke and death.
Sebastian gritted his teeth, wiped his salt crusted eyes, and headed back down to the beach. The day had just begun and there was plenty of work to do. The salvage would be floating in for the next couple hours and he needed to gather as much as he could before the tide changed.
He picked his way across the littered beach. He stopped every so often to inspect a piece of wreckage or body, looking for anything of value. The bodies of the unfortunate crew, he drug into a pile. He carefully removed items of value, a belt here, a pair of shoes there. It was a gruesome task, but necessary. They had no need of it anymore. He on the other hand, needed as much as possible if he were to survive.
He worked as fast as he could to move as much of the wreckage up past the tide line, sorting as he went. By the end of the day, the once littered beach was cleared and the random jumble of debris was replaced with piles of wreckage. The middle of the beach was dominated by a large pyre. Sebastian rested under a tree and watched it burn as the sun set.
It had been a long day. Tomorrow would be just as long. Tools needed to be fashioned. His meager shelter needed to be reinforced to weather the storms that plagued the area. Food and adequate water were also a necessity. He didn’t know how long he would be stranded there.
He slowly rose from his perch, his body aching from the exertion. He saluted his former crew-mates and made the short trek to his shelter. The smell of burning permeated the air as he huddled under the shelter he had fashioned from a piece of sail and two trees. It wasn’t much, but it would keep the elements off of him for the night. He took a sparing drink from the water barrel that had saved his life, turned over, and let the exhaustion of the day pull him into sleep.
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'Till next time
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Stranded
Sebastian shaded his eyes from the blinding sun as he stared across the beach. The blazing, white sand was littered with the dark corpses of the unfortunate ship. As he looked out to sea, Sebastian could see the tide bringing more remains to the shore. The cool breeze blowing from offshore brought the familiar scent of brine and seawater. With that familiar and comforting scent, was the smell of smoke and death.
Sebastian gritted his teeth, wiped his salt crusted eyes, and headed back down to the beach. The day had just begun and there was plenty of work to do. The salvage would be floating in for the next couple hours and he needed to gather as much as he could before the tide changed.
He picked his way across the littered beach. He stopped every so often to inspect a piece of wreckage or body, looking for anything of value. The bodies of the unfortunate crew, he drug into a pile. He carefully removed items of value, a belt here, a pair of shoes there. It was a gruesome task, but necessary. They had no need of it anymore. He on the other hand, needed as much as possible if he were to survive.
He worked as fast as he could to move as much of the wreckage up past the tide line, sorting as he went. By the end of the day, the once littered beach was cleared and the random jumble of debris was replaced with piles of wreckage. The middle of the beach was dominated by a large pyre. Sebastian rested under a tree and watched it burn as the sun set.
It had been a long day. Tomorrow would be just as long. Tools needed to be fashioned. His meager shelter needed to be reinforced to weather the storms that plagued the area. Food and adequate water were also a necessity. He didn’t know how long he would be stranded there.
He slowly rose from his perch, his body aching from the exertion. He saluted his former crew-mates and made the short trek to his shelter. The smell of burning permeated the air as he huddled under the shelter he had fashioned from a piece of sail and two trees. It wasn’t much, but it would keep the elements off of him for the night. He took a sparing drink from the water barrel that had saved his life, turned over, and let the exhaustion of the day pull him into sleep.
------
'Till next time
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Antivirus, a story
This was one of my class assignments that I just turned in. Unlike previous assignments, I had to write something devoid of all images. This is harder than it sounds. My wife suggested that I try writing something stream of conscious. At the time, I couldn't come up with anything that didn't evoke some form of imagery. An hour before class I had a brilliant flash of inspiration. I have a friend to thank for that because the evening before I was working on her virus infected computer. The story is in no way a reflection of the reality that I experienced, but if you've ever been hit with a virus, or had to fix a computer that was infected, you should appreciate this. This flew out of my head in a record 20 minutes.
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Antivirus
Stupid virus! Why can’t you just go away like a good little virus? But no, you want to lurk inside my operating system, insidiously infecting my files until there is nothing left but garbage. Dammit! Now you’ve shut down my antivirus! It’s not like I paid $39.95 for that thing! What waste of money! Couldn’t stop a flea with a head-cold!
Now, let’s see. Google don’t fail me now. How do I get rid of this thing? Come on, give me something good. Penis enlargement!? Not what I was looking for! Ok, let’s try this site. Um, maybe we’ll just close that site down. Yeah, don’t want to look at that image ever again. Why are all my searches taking me to porn? Curse you virus! Now I will NEVER get THAT image out of my head. Thanks a whole freaking lot!
Great, now I can’t search for anything without pulling up sites that I would rather never see again. Ok, virus, maybe this anti-what-sit-callit program will work. Yeah, it works! Damn, never mind. Come on brain, think. What do I have left that this thing can’t kill? There has got to be some Holy Grail, Hail Mary, full of grace program out there. Oh, wait! I can’t search the internet without getting results that could be used against me in a court of law. NEVER MIND!
Ok, calm down. There has to be a solution. Don’t make me wipe the hard-drive. Please! It will take days to reinstall and reconfigure everything. Not to mention I’ll have to find the restoration discs, backup EVERYTHING, and then start from scratch. Arrgh! You insidious bastard!
You know what? Fine. You want to play hard-ball? Well guess what, eat restoration disc sucker! Let’s see, just pop the disc in, reboot the computer and here we go. Yes! Houston, we have lift-off! Ok, now. Yes, I want to reformat the hard-drive and reinstall the operating system. Yes, I’m absolutely sure. Yes, it will delete…wait a minute! Oh crap! I forgot to back up everything! NO! Stop it! Don’t continue! Quit! Quit! Abort! No!
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'Till next time.
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Antivirus
Stupid virus! Why can’t you just go away like a good little virus? But no, you want to lurk inside my operating system, insidiously infecting my files until there is nothing left but garbage. Dammit! Now you’ve shut down my antivirus! It’s not like I paid $39.95 for that thing! What waste of money! Couldn’t stop a flea with a head-cold!
Now, let’s see. Google don’t fail me now. How do I get rid of this thing? Come on, give me something good. Penis enlargement!? Not what I was looking for! Ok, let’s try this site. Um, maybe we’ll just close that site down. Yeah, don’t want to look at that image ever again. Why are all my searches taking me to porn? Curse you virus! Now I will NEVER get THAT image out of my head. Thanks a whole freaking lot!
Great, now I can’t search for anything without pulling up sites that I would rather never see again. Ok, virus, maybe this anti-what-sit-callit program will work. Yeah, it works! Damn, never mind. Come on brain, think. What do I have left that this thing can’t kill? There has got to be some Holy Grail, Hail Mary, full of grace program out there. Oh, wait! I can’t search the internet without getting results that could be used against me in a court of law. NEVER MIND!
Ok, calm down. There has to be a solution. Don’t make me wipe the hard-drive. Please! It will take days to reinstall and reconfigure everything. Not to mention I’ll have to find the restoration discs, backup EVERYTHING, and then start from scratch. Arrgh! You insidious bastard!
You know what? Fine. You want to play hard-ball? Well guess what, eat restoration disc sucker! Let’s see, just pop the disc in, reboot the computer and here we go. Yes! Houston, we have lift-off! Ok, now. Yes, I want to reformat the hard-drive and reinstall the operating system. Yes, I’m absolutely sure. Yes, it will delete…wait a minute! Oh crap! I forgot to back up everything! NO! Stop it! Don’t continue! Quit! Quit! Abort! No!
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'Till next time.
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