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/

The "Thank God It's Over Post NaNoWriMo Blues"

          So another NaNoWriMo is done.  For those who made it to the 50 thousand words.... CONGRATULATIONS!    To those who didn't,  CONGRATULATIONS, you participated for a grand adventure and worked on stories that are near and dear to your hearts.   
          Honestly, it's about the writing and not winning.  You got on the path to your goal of a first draft.  So I bow to you all, and say, "WELL DONE!"
          A lot of folks in my Facebook NaNoWriMo group are asking, "What now?  Some of them are also sad that NaNo is over.  Yes, NaNoWriMo is over, but did you finish your first draft?   If the answer is "no," then you can finish now that nano is over, though there is a NaNoFiMo (National Novel Finishing Month), see the link below.  
        Once you have finished, then you edit.  And only after you get it polished as much as you can (I recommend this part), you get a Beta Reader.  Beta Readers will catch something you did not.  It never fails in my case, I am living proof!  I had rewritten and edited a chapter of my NaNoWriMo 2010 Novel, and my beta caught something I had missed in the 10 revisions that I had done.  But then again, I am a bit of a perfectionist!  
        If you are writing for pleasure, and not for publication, that is fine, there is nothing wrong with that.  If you share, you do need to edit some, for readability and clarity.  If you don't want to share, that is okay as well.  

      But no matter what you choose.  Keep Writing!


Link to NaNoFiMo:     http://nanofimo.proboards.com/index.cgi

"******* ******* & Writing"

What is served on a plate, is folded around the edges and resembles an odd looking clam?  You see them, usually after dinner, when the check arrives?  It’s a dessert type item that people all over the US both dread, and like…though it seems innocent enough.  I’ll give you a hint, they are served in Asian food restaurants.

They are of course fortune cookies.  And what do fortune cookies have to do with writing?  Well, more than you might think.  The fortunes inside make awesome writing prompts, or story starters. 

For instance.  I had one that said, “Beware of the man sitting across from you.”  At first I was, “What the heck is this supposed to mean?”  I was with a writer friend of mine, and I made a joke of it at the time (this friend is male).

How it can be used as a story starter:

The above fortune became my story “The Misfortune Cookie.”  It was about a girl on a blind date, and the date was going very well.  Until she opened that fortune cookie.  Something warned her that she was in grave danger, and she made a hasty exit from the ladies room.  She goes out in front of the restaurant, and starts to cross the street, the totally bewildered guy following her when the screech of tires is heard, and….well, I won’t give away the ending. 

Another fortune cookie that I received in my past, came from Wendy’s Hamburgers, who had a restaurant in what is now the “Center of Science and Industry” (AKA COSI), who at the time was the “Son of Heaven” exhibit.  Wendy’s for the event, served the cookie caged papers.  My family and I were about to go on the first ever cruise, and my fortune cookie made me really nervous.  It said, “Leave your boat, and travel on dry land.”  I showed it to my parents, and my dad laughed at that.  Turns out the cookie may have been right.  For the day we were supposed to get on the ship…we missed the boat!  Literally, we left home late, and even though we drove straight down from Columbus Ohio, to Ft. Lauderdale, we still missed the boat. 

So any time I get one, I keep it, and type it into an excel document for possible projects. 

So I’ll give you one to try out, or try out one of the others mentioned above. 

“You will meet a tall handsome stranger.”

Enjoy and Oh….

GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roddenberry Tribute Week 2

This past Tuesday was week 2 of the Gene Roddenberry Tribute on the site "In Genre"  They are a really great site for all things Science Fiction, Horror, etc....Check them out.  Here is the link to Week 2, but I'm not in this past Tuesdays.  There are two more Tuesdays to go...hopefully I'll be in the next one :)


http://ingenre.com/2013/08/a-tribute-to-gene-roddenberry-week-2/


I'll post another blog this weekend...stay tuned :)


Thank you for all your support!

To Boldly Go... A Tribute To Gene Roddenberry

The time is almost near

To honor the great Bird.

Who taught us to dream beyond the stars,

That we were only a small part of the universe.

That we can overcome our problems

And live as one. 

Thank you Gene Roddenberry,

We miss you so much.

         It was about a month ago, that I was asked to participate in a tribute to a great man.  This man created a series so groundbreaking, and different than anything that had come before.  A show that he touted as a “Wagon Train to the stars.”    

      He not only introduced us to fascinating characters, and alien races; but he showed us our own problems with a futuristic slant.  They were lessons that entertained and inspired.  That is what the show meant to me.

       So every Tuesday in the Month of August 2013 (or beginning Stardate 67059.8 per this link:  http://trekguide.com/Stardates.htm) or August 5, 2013, the following link will be where to find the tribute pieces to Gene Roddenberry, (AKA:  The Great Bird of the Galaxy). 

Here is the Link to the tribute:  http://ingenre.com/category/ccontent/to-boldly-go/

Following is a list of those also contributing to the cause:

Valerie Douglas

Jacqueline Driggers

Cody Martin

my blog http://codylmartin.blogspot.jp Twitter handle @kitamurafan FB Author page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cody-L-Martin/130001853834362

Resonant Blue

codylmartin.blogspot.jp

Dan Peyton

Karen A. Wyle

Cassidy Frazee

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwideawakebutdreaming.wordpress.com%2F&h=zAQFSxWge

Star Trek Authors:                         

David Mack

Dayton Ward

Details....Shmetails...

                Details are the backbone of a story.  They breathe life into it, evoke emotions, and even memories.  They are the difference between making a good story into a great story.

                Natalie Goldberg, the writer of “Writing Down the Bones”  [1]  describes details in terms of “specifics,” and she even makes that one of her “Rules of Writing Practice.”  “Be Specific.”  An example of this would be instead of saying “Car,” one should say, “1995 Camaro Z28.”   Another example, “Oak” instead of “Tree.”  If you want more specific, then you could add “Cherry red, soft top.”  So it would look something like this:

                                “My friend Chris bought a cherry red Camaro Z28 soft top today for her birthday.”

                Or, the description of a Ohio summer would not be complete without the, “…cloying scent of honesuckle wrapping itself around me and pulling me into nirvana.” 

               

Details make a story vivid.  The scenes are more ‘alive.’   I can bring them to my minds eye, and appreciate the story more.    The importance of detail was brought home to me by a speech I once heard at the Hawaii Writers Conference (formerly Maui Writers Conference) several years ago by Erik Larsen, author of “Devil in the White City; Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America”  [2]

In this speech, he talked about statistics, details about the population of Chicago during the time frame of the 1893 Worlds Fair.  He told of the numbers of humans, horses, and other domestic animals;  plus he additionally talked about the industries that were highly polluting the city, the stock yards, etc.  He even estimated the amount of excrement, urine, and other bodily wastes that permeated the entire city, and you could smell the place as he described it.  Those details were vivid and definite.  They made the story all that more interesting.  And this is actually a true story!  The story is told about 2 men, of totally different backgrounds, that only have the Fair in common.  One is an architect who actually was on the Titanics Sister ship the day Titanic went down.  The other a common man who becomes a serial killer.  It’s really worth reading. 

                Lastly, the details remain in your soul long after the last page is turned.  The story is in our memory banks forever.  If you don’t believe me?  Then try reading  “Devil” or even fictional Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  These will be with you for the rest of your days.  I know they will be with me until the end of mine. 

---

[1] Natalie Goldberg, “Writing Down the Bones”  c.  2005 2^nd edition.  Shambhala Publishing

[2] Erik Larsen, “Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America: ”  C. 2004 Vintage Publishing.  

Guest Post

As promised, my friend Heidi Nicole Bird has published her first novel, "Through the Paper Wall."  It was released on Valentines Day.  I've had a chance to read the first couple of chapters, and really thoroughly enjoyed the story.  And now, a Character sketch from her book:

Jesse (main character)

Jesse was born in San Diego and grew up as an only child. From the very first time he stepped onto a beach he knew it was where he belonged. When he started Kindergarten he attended a class that met just off the beach, which enhanced his love for the sand and ocean waves even more. In Kindergarten he met Spencer, who became his best friend, and soon the two of them were inseparable.

Jesse grew up with a very comfortable life, going to school with his best friends, taking surfing lessons, and taking advantage of everything San Diego has to offer. His father had a steady job, but it was really his mother’s well-known prowess as a chef that helped the family live so comfortably. Growing up in a large and spacious house and having the beach only seconds away, Jesse came to believe that his world was perfect and that he couldn’t be happier.

Things changed right before Jesse’s twelfth birthday though, when his mother passed away quickly due to illness. Jesse’s world was turned upside down, but with his friends by his side he was able to go on living, even though Dad was much more distant. On the eve of Jesse’s thirteenth birthday, his Dad announced that they were moving to Oklahoma because they needed change. Eventually Jesse’s theory was proved right – they moved so Dad could date Jessica, a girl he had dated in high school.

Newly thirteen years old, Jesse finds himself in a new place he never could have imagined. No beach, no sand, not even a lake – Just miles and miles of sage brush and dirt. Forced to leave behind everything he had ever known, including his friends, Jesse grudgingly accepts his new home in Oklahoma, but only after he makes a new friend and they make a discovery that changes both of their lives forever.