Sunday, December 22, 2013

Happy Holidays :) Stretching your Writing SKILLZ.

Greetings fellow writers,

This year has been a really good year writing wise for me.  I had two pieces published!   One of which was a short story (see link below), and a tribute to the late Gene Roddenberry for the website "InGenre."  I have also put the link below.  This has encouraged me to keep going with my writing dreams.

Sure, I'd been published before, but that was eons ago, in a galaxy far far away.   But I actually was kind of let down by that one.  The publication was copied, and the photos and ads were all copied onto the page, not professional in the least, and it had a spiral binding.  The publication wanted $50.00 a year for a subscription.  I was stunned to say the least!  But I actually was published!

Fast forward to 2013, and now I have two credits under my belt.  And am going for a third hopefully very soon.  Still have to submit this one for consideration.

So the topic of this blog (you thought I would forget? fooled you!) is "Stretching Your Writing Skillz."  I know it should be an "s" on the end there, but I like the buzzing sound the "z" makes.

So the topic is about going out on a limb, to boldly go, to stretch your writing wings; however you want to say it.  Trying something new in writing.  Something that has always scared you, something that you would never have thought of doing.

Yes, I too am taking my own advice.  I'm writing a story entirely in...drum roll please....Haiku.  Now this is something that has been done by other writers, though I've never seen it yet. I was told just recently that I was not the first to do so.  Which is really cool, I think that the Haiku is a very unique form of poetry.

So my piece is destined to be put into an anthology for charity.  And the theme is about wolves.  The rules of Haiku have changed over the years, and nobody really agrees with what they should be.  So I am going to go with the way I've been writing Haiku; the 5/7/5 (five syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables), and going to try to connect two ideas that are seemingly dissimilar.  The middle 7 syllables is what is normally used to do this; but I feel I will end up not doing a traditional Haiku, but only the style.

I've also done a story told entirely in dialogue.   It is very hard to do that.  Any setting details, or anything that the character sees, has to be told in dialogue.  It was very fun, and as soon as I get done with this piece for the anthology, I'll be working on finishing it, and will post it here.

So now that I've told you about stretching my writing chops...what are some things you have tried as an exercise in expanding your writing skillz?  

Were you successful; had them published?  

Happy Holidays, and have a Happy New Year!


Link to "Resting."
http://www.withpaintedwords.com/view_submission.php?news_id=618

Link to InGenre Roddenberry Tribute piece.

http://ingenre.com/2013/08/a-tribute-to-gene-roddenberry-week-3/






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