Okay, yes. You caught me. I totally stole these video clips from other sites and I really can’t remember where. Colour me bad! Give me a break, it’s like 7:30 a.m. and I haven’t even had a coffee yet. Trust me, you’re lucky I’m even managing to get a post up before I leave for school, let alone a coherent one!
Before you watch this video I had to admit that I really loved this song when it first came out. Now, I think I love it even more. :-) This version is a hoot!
For you fantasy and adventure lovers out there, I give you the Middle-Earth A-Team:
And for you Science Fiction fans, we have Star Trek. I was actually looking for something else when I found this and it’s surprising how many other parodies with the same idea are out there!
Jun 10, 2009
Jun 9, 2009
Missed It By That Much
I had a plan. My plan was to write my Monday posts on Sunday, and then schedule them to appear on Monday morning. Only I got so busy with other things, I forgot. And what other things occupied me? *sigh* Believe it or not, it was housework. Yes, you heard me. Me, the anti-cleaner, got bogged down in cleaning up the house.
We were only going to be away for 24 hours, but I have this thing where I can’t go away and leave a messy house. It could be that’s just the way I was raised; it could be I just like coming home to a clean house; or it could be I have this irrational fear that we might get into an accident while we’re away and strangers will need to go into the house for some reason and I don’t want them seeing how slovenly I really am. I’ll let you decide for yourselves. :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
It’s a bit of a joke in my family that I’ve never met a disaster movie I didn’t love, with the exception of Perfect Storm, and I’ll give you the reason for that in a minute. Now some might suppose that it’s the violence I love, at least those who’ve witnessed first hand my somewhat aggressive driving style, but they’d be wrong. It’s not the disaster, it’s the survival that attracts me. This is why I didn’t like Perfect Storm, because they all die in the end. For me to really enjoy that movie, at least one of them should have lived.
What got me thinking about this was a post Isaac Espriu made yesterday about books he enjoyed as a kid. It got me thinking about the books I enjoyed, books like the Swiss Family Robinson, Mysterious Island, Day of the Triffids, Lucifer’s Hammer . . . And it dawned on me that whether these books were about a shipwreck, a natural disaster or an unnatural disaster, the one thing they all had in common was that they were also books of survival.
I don’t think I ever realized how much I was influenced by my early reading habits. Now, of course, I prefer watching disasters than reading about them, but I think that’s because there just doesn’t seem to be many quality disaster books out there. But even in my regular fiction reading, I still enjoy stories about characters who are fighting to survive the most.
How about you? Were you influenced by what you read at an early age?
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s goals:
Write at least a page a day to fulfill my Page-A-Day Challenge obligation that I signed up for on AW.
Make the final selection between the half dozen story ideas that are all clamouring to be my Summer Challenge.
Work on my poetry.
Looking at them in black and white (or should I say green and black?) they don’t seem very significant. But I’ve got a lot on the go this week. Starting with my Economics class, which starts in 30 minutes.
We were only going to be away for 24 hours, but I have this thing where I can’t go away and leave a messy house. It could be that’s just the way I was raised; it could be I just like coming home to a clean house; or it could be I have this irrational fear that we might get into an accident while we’re away and strangers will need to go into the house for some reason and I don’t want them seeing how slovenly I really am. I’ll let you decide for yourselves. :-)
* * * * * * * * * *
It’s a bit of a joke in my family that I’ve never met a disaster movie I didn’t love, with the exception of Perfect Storm, and I’ll give you the reason for that in a minute. Now some might suppose that it’s the violence I love, at least those who’ve witnessed first hand my somewhat aggressive driving style, but they’d be wrong. It’s not the disaster, it’s the survival that attracts me. This is why I didn’t like Perfect Storm, because they all die in the end. For me to really enjoy that movie, at least one of them should have lived.
What got me thinking about this was a post Isaac Espriu made yesterday about books he enjoyed as a kid. It got me thinking about the books I enjoyed, books like the Swiss Family Robinson, Mysterious Island, Day of the Triffids, Lucifer’s Hammer . . . And it dawned on me that whether these books were about a shipwreck, a natural disaster or an unnatural disaster, the one thing they all had in common was that they were also books of survival.
I don’t think I ever realized how much I was influenced by my early reading habits. Now, of course, I prefer watching disasters than reading about them, but I think that’s because there just doesn’t seem to be many quality disaster books out there. But even in my regular fiction reading, I still enjoy stories about characters who are fighting to survive the most.
How about you? Were you influenced by what you read at an early age?
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s goals:
Write at least a page a day to fulfill my Page-A-Day Challenge obligation that I signed up for on AW.
Make the final selection between the half dozen story ideas that are all clamouring to be my Summer Challenge.
Work on my poetry.
Looking at them in black and white (or should I say green and black?) they don’t seem very significant. But I’ve got a lot on the go this week. Starting with my Economics class, which starts in 30 minutes.
Jun 5, 2009
Creative Friday
Here's another story from that story-teller collection I mentioned last week.
* * * * * * * * * *
TALKING
Deep in the heart of the jungle, far away from anything that mattered, lay a village close to the banks of the slow moving river Omba. It was a peaceful place to live, mostly because they were so far away from anything that mattered that raiders seldom deemed the village worth the trouble.
In truth, the greatest excitement the people of the village ever had was when First Wife caught Chief Akanni with the Widow and chased him, stark naked, along the bank of the river Omba. He might have got away if he hadn’t tripped on a tree root and fallen into the river.
One day, First Wife went in search of her husband. “Akanni,” she said when she found him. “We have no meat. What are you going to do about this?”
Akanni, who was lying in the shade on the bank of the river, trying in vain to catch a cool breeze, sighed deeply. One of these days he was going to have to do something about First Wife. She made far too many demands of him.
“Well?” she demanded, foot tapping.
“Of course, my wife, I will see to it at once.”
She sniffed, once, then gave a sharp nod and departed.
Akanni sighed again and eyed a group of his warriors gathered around a game of bones. Who to send? He frowned slightly as he watched them, then a smile lit his dour features. Kamau, the perfect choice. Not only was Kamau winning at bones, putting Akanni in a favorable light with the other warriors for sending him off, but it was rumoured he’d been seeing the Widow.
“Kamau!” he called, his choice made.
Kamau looked up from the game, clearly irritated.
“You must leave the game and go at once into the jungle and find meat for the fire.”
“Ask another to go, I am busy.” Kamau turned back to the game. The other warriors drew back a little, muttering. Although Akanni was a good chief in most ways, he was known for his temper. It almost matched that of First Wife.
Akanni rose to his feet. “I am your Chief and I say you will go!” he bellowed.
Kamau rose as well. He eyed Akanni warily, then agreed. “Very well, I will go.” Without another word he picked up his spear and stomped off into the jungle.
Akanni made himself comfortable on the bank again, still glowering. The warriors returned to their game of bones. It was well known that Kamau thought much of himself. It was also known, but never spoken aloud, that Kamau thought he would make a better chief than Akanni.
Kamau gradually slowed his pace. He was on a hunt, best not to scare away the game. As he glanced around, seeking a game trail to follow, he tripped and fell. Regaining his feet he looked and saw that he had tripped over a skull on the jungle floor.
“What is this?” he exclaimed. “How did you get here?”
“Talking brought me here,” replied the skull.
Kamau jumped back in amazement. He looked around wildly. “Who said that?”
“I did,” replied the skull. “You asked, and I answered. It’s the usual way things are done.”
Dropping his spear, Kamau ran all the way back to the village. His arrival made quite a stir, caused no little part by the fact that he’d returned empty handed. So excited was he that he could hardly get the words out to tell everyone what had happened.
Akanni pushed his way to the center of the crowd that surrounded Kamau.
“What’s this? What has happened? Where is the meat you were sent after?”
“In the jungle,” Kamau gasped. “A wonder such as you have never seen. There is a skull that talked to me.”
There were a few snickers from the crowd and people began to drift away. This was not the first time Kamau had tried to pull a prank.
“No, it’s true! I heard it as clear as First Wife yelling at Akanni.”
More laughter.
Akanni was not laughing. He was growing more and more angry. “Kamau, you were warned about your pranks. Now go back and get the meat you were sent for.”
Kamau looked solemnly at his chief. “I swear on my life this is true. I can take you to it.”
In the end, a small party of warriors, including Akanni, followed Kamau into the jungle. Akanni was still angry, more so at having to trudge through the jungle in the hot afternoon. At last they reached the place where the skull lay.
“There,” Kamau pointed triumphantly. “Just as I said.”
“You also said it could talk,” said Akanni, unimpressed.
“Just listen,” Kamau said. “Skull, how did you get here?”
The skull said nothing.
“Skull, what brought you here?” repeated Kamau, a little desperately.
Silence.
Akanni’s temper raged. “I have had enough of you and your pranks! Off with his head!”
One of the warriors, coincidentally the one who had been losing the most in the game of bones, struck of Kamau’s head before Akanni could change his mind. It rolled on the jungle floor, coming to rest beside the skull. Akanni and his warriors picked up Kamau’s body and carried it back to the village for burial.
When they were gone, the skull spoke to Kamau. “What is this? How did you get here?”
Kamu replied, “Talking brought me here!”
* * * * * * * * * *
TALKING
Deep in the heart of the jungle, far away from anything that mattered, lay a village close to the banks of the slow moving river Omba. It was a peaceful place to live, mostly because they were so far away from anything that mattered that raiders seldom deemed the village worth the trouble.
In truth, the greatest excitement the people of the village ever had was when First Wife caught Chief Akanni with the Widow and chased him, stark naked, along the bank of the river Omba. He might have got away if he hadn’t tripped on a tree root and fallen into the river.
One day, First Wife went in search of her husband. “Akanni,” she said when she found him. “We have no meat. What are you going to do about this?”
Akanni, who was lying in the shade on the bank of the river, trying in vain to catch a cool breeze, sighed deeply. One of these days he was going to have to do something about First Wife. She made far too many demands of him.
“Well?” she demanded, foot tapping.
“Of course, my wife, I will see to it at once.”
She sniffed, once, then gave a sharp nod and departed.
Akanni sighed again and eyed a group of his warriors gathered around a game of bones. Who to send? He frowned slightly as he watched them, then a smile lit his dour features. Kamau, the perfect choice. Not only was Kamau winning at bones, putting Akanni in a favorable light with the other warriors for sending him off, but it was rumoured he’d been seeing the Widow.
“Kamau!” he called, his choice made.
Kamau looked up from the game, clearly irritated.
“You must leave the game and go at once into the jungle and find meat for the fire.”
“Ask another to go, I am busy.” Kamau turned back to the game. The other warriors drew back a little, muttering. Although Akanni was a good chief in most ways, he was known for his temper. It almost matched that of First Wife.
Akanni rose to his feet. “I am your Chief and I say you will go!” he bellowed.
Kamau rose as well. He eyed Akanni warily, then agreed. “Very well, I will go.” Without another word he picked up his spear and stomped off into the jungle.
Akanni made himself comfortable on the bank again, still glowering. The warriors returned to their game of bones. It was well known that Kamau thought much of himself. It was also known, but never spoken aloud, that Kamau thought he would make a better chief than Akanni.
Kamau gradually slowed his pace. He was on a hunt, best not to scare away the game. As he glanced around, seeking a game trail to follow, he tripped and fell. Regaining his feet he looked and saw that he had tripped over a skull on the jungle floor.
“What is this?” he exclaimed. “How did you get here?”
“Talking brought me here,” replied the skull.
Kamau jumped back in amazement. He looked around wildly. “Who said that?”
“I did,” replied the skull. “You asked, and I answered. It’s the usual way things are done.”
Dropping his spear, Kamau ran all the way back to the village. His arrival made quite a stir, caused no little part by the fact that he’d returned empty handed. So excited was he that he could hardly get the words out to tell everyone what had happened.
Akanni pushed his way to the center of the crowd that surrounded Kamau.
“What’s this? What has happened? Where is the meat you were sent after?”
“In the jungle,” Kamau gasped. “A wonder such as you have never seen. There is a skull that talked to me.”
There were a few snickers from the crowd and people began to drift away. This was not the first time Kamau had tried to pull a prank.
“No, it’s true! I heard it as clear as First Wife yelling at Akanni.”
More laughter.
Akanni was not laughing. He was growing more and more angry. “Kamau, you were warned about your pranks. Now go back and get the meat you were sent for.”
Kamau looked solemnly at his chief. “I swear on my life this is true. I can take you to it.”
In the end, a small party of warriors, including Akanni, followed Kamau into the jungle. Akanni was still angry, more so at having to trudge through the jungle in the hot afternoon. At last they reached the place where the skull lay.
“There,” Kamau pointed triumphantly. “Just as I said.”
“You also said it could talk,” said Akanni, unimpressed.
“Just listen,” Kamau said. “Skull, how did you get here?”
The skull said nothing.
“Skull, what brought you here?” repeated Kamau, a little desperately.
Silence.
Akanni’s temper raged. “I have had enough of you and your pranks! Off with his head!”
One of the warriors, coincidentally the one who had been losing the most in the game of bones, struck of Kamau’s head before Akanni could change his mind. It rolled on the jungle floor, coming to rest beside the skull. Akanni and his warriors picked up Kamau’s body and carried it back to the village for burial.
When they were gone, the skull spoke to Kamau. “What is this? How did you get here?”
Kamu replied, “Talking brought me here!”
Jun 4, 2009
Progress
Yes, I’ve been making some. :-)
Granted, a lot of my progress can’t be seen, but it’s still something. I’ve been keeping up with my page a day, I’ve been working simultaneously on a couple of poems, and I’ve been editing Driving Into Forever. This is where we run into the progress that’s hard to see. Do I count pages? words I’ve changed? I’ve had to add a green pen to the red for when I make changes to my changes. :-)
I’ve made a couple of false starts on the Summer Challenge . . . Now that I’ve made up my mind to do it, I’ve got several ideas all clamouring for my attention. There’s a chorus of “pick me, pick me” going on in my head. I need to buckle down and choose one.
I’m also feeling the pull of all the reference material I’ve got in my office. Books and magazines I’ve acquired over the years with the plan to use them to generate story ideas.
I have an entire set of Man, Myth, and Magic, both in their original magazine format and in a hardbound format. Why do I have both? I like the hard backs for ease of locating information, but the magazines have really interesting trivia on their back covers.
For instance, there’s an article speculating on where Bram Stoker got his inspiration for Dracula. Surprisingly, the first source cited is Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who was said to have murdered over 600 young women and girls for the sheer pleasure of bathing in their blood.
Another back cover showcases Harry Houdini, and yet another quotes passages from the Book of Ezekiel in an effort to prove that he met up with men from space. These articles are not part of the hard bound editions, which is why I keep both.
I also have a handful of UNESCO Couriers, the magazine put out by the United Nations. These are thin little magazines, but they’re packed with world history and information. I just recently acquired several volumes of Horizon, a hard bound magazine of the arts. Each volume has articles on history, art, archaeology, ideas, and the world around us.
From Time-Life I have the Great Ages of Man series, the Time Frame series, the Planet Earth series, and most of the Enchanted World series. And let’s not forget the multitude of books bought through the National Geographic Society.
One of these days I might actually get around to reading them all. :-)
For now, I think I’ll just keep writing.
Granted, a lot of my progress can’t be seen, but it’s still something. I’ve been keeping up with my page a day, I’ve been working simultaneously on a couple of poems, and I’ve been editing Driving Into Forever. This is where we run into the progress that’s hard to see. Do I count pages? words I’ve changed? I’ve had to add a green pen to the red for when I make changes to my changes. :-)
I’ve made a couple of false starts on the Summer Challenge . . . Now that I’ve made up my mind to do it, I’ve got several ideas all clamouring for my attention. There’s a chorus of “pick me, pick me” going on in my head. I need to buckle down and choose one.
I’m also feeling the pull of all the reference material I’ve got in my office. Books and magazines I’ve acquired over the years with the plan to use them to generate story ideas.
I have an entire set of Man, Myth, and Magic, both in their original magazine format and in a hardbound format. Why do I have both? I like the hard backs for ease of locating information, but the magazines have really interesting trivia on their back covers.
For instance, there’s an article speculating on where Bram Stoker got his inspiration for Dracula. Surprisingly, the first source cited is Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who was said to have murdered over 600 young women and girls for the sheer pleasure of bathing in their blood.
Another back cover showcases Harry Houdini, and yet another quotes passages from the Book of Ezekiel in an effort to prove that he met up with men from space. These articles are not part of the hard bound editions, which is why I keep both.
I also have a handful of UNESCO Couriers, the magazine put out by the United Nations. These are thin little magazines, but they’re packed with world history and information. I just recently acquired several volumes of Horizon, a hard bound magazine of the arts. Each volume has articles on history, art, archaeology, ideas, and the world around us.
From Time-Life I have the Great Ages of Man series, the Time Frame series, the Planet Earth series, and most of the Enchanted World series. And let’s not forget the multitude of books bought through the National Geographic Society.
One of these days I might actually get around to reading them all. :-)
For now, I think I’ll just keep writing.
Jun 3, 2009
Whimsical Wednesday
Today, for your amusement, I have a selection of strange, but true, news items:
Torvald Alexander, 39, was able to chase away the unlucky home invader who hit his apartment on Dec. 31 in Edinburgh, Scotland, according to a BBC News report. The two men inadvertently came face to face just as Alexander was preparing to leave for a New Year's party, dressed in full regalia as Thor, the hammer-wielding Norse god of thunder. Alexander said the burglar took one look at him, turned and climbed hurriedly out a window, sliding down a sloped roof and landing on the ground, where he took off running.
Nathaniel Johnson, 19, was arrested in March in Tampa on burglary charges when police produced solid evidence of his presence in a neighborhood that had reported several break-ins. Johnson was revealed to be at each crime scene because he was traced by the ankle monitor he was wearing from a previous court appearance.
In February, David Hampton, 23, was charged in Charlotte County, Fla., with robbing a BP gas station and became the latest such robber to run out of gas in his getaway car even though minutes earlier, obviously, he had been present at a gas station.
A masked man escaped in December after trying unsuccessfully to rob the Washman carwash in Portland, Ore. In the middle of the job, the man's gun literally broke apart and fell to the ground. As he continued to demand money, it became clear why robbing a carwash is tricky. The employee grabbed the nearest tool, which was the wand of a pressure washer (2,000 pounds per square inch) and hosed the robber, sending him fleeing.
Matthew Peverada was arrested in Portland, Maine, in December and charged with attempting to rob Dipietro's Market. His first attempt, at about 4 p.m., was rebuffed, but he announced that he'd be back at 11 p.m., and that they'd better have some money for him. He returned, and police were waiting.
Michael Reed, 50, was charged with attempted robbery of Eddie's Fried Chicken in Fort Worth, Texas, in December. He was armed only with a tree branch and was quickly neutralized by a 56-year-old employee, who grabbed a broom, and the men proceeded to duel until Reed dropped his branch and fled (but was arrested nearby).
A 49-year-old Leavenworth, Kan., man was hospitalized in November after (according to police) using a front-end loader to pluck an ATM from the Frontier Credit Union. He was hurt when he drove to the edge of a 50-foot embankment and tried to drop the ATM, imagining that the fall would break it open, but instead, he, the loader, and the ATM all crashed to the bottom.
William Jarrett, 38, was charged in Hempstead Village, N.Y., in November with swiping a necklace from a 32-year-old pregnant woman and running off. Despite her condition, the woman chased him, screaming, for six blocks and caught up with him just as a police officer was arriving on the scene
Jose Diaz Jr., 35, was arrested and charged with shoplifting from a Wal-Mart in Madison Township, Ohio, in October after attempting to run from the store with a digital camera. He first crashed into the glass front door (which looked open, but was closed), cutting himself badly, but then exited into the parking lot, where he almost immediately ran into a cement post, allowing security personnel to catch up with him.
What started as a "strong-arm" street robbery in Warren, Mich., in October, ended when the victim turned out to be stronger than the perp. When it was over, the victim had gotten his money back, plus $30 of the mugger's as the man fled, according to a police report in the Macomb Daily.
Torvald Alexander, 39, was able to chase away the unlucky home invader who hit his apartment on Dec. 31 in Edinburgh, Scotland, according to a BBC News report. The two men inadvertently came face to face just as Alexander was preparing to leave for a New Year's party, dressed in full regalia as Thor, the hammer-wielding Norse god of thunder. Alexander said the burglar took one look at him, turned and climbed hurriedly out a window, sliding down a sloped roof and landing on the ground, where he took off running.
Nathaniel Johnson, 19, was arrested in March in Tampa on burglary charges when police produced solid evidence of his presence in a neighborhood that had reported several break-ins. Johnson was revealed to be at each crime scene because he was traced by the ankle monitor he was wearing from a previous court appearance.
In February, David Hampton, 23, was charged in Charlotte County, Fla., with robbing a BP gas station and became the latest such robber to run out of gas in his getaway car even though minutes earlier, obviously, he had been present at a gas station.
A masked man escaped in December after trying unsuccessfully to rob the Washman carwash in Portland, Ore. In the middle of the job, the man's gun literally broke apart and fell to the ground. As he continued to demand money, it became clear why robbing a carwash is tricky. The employee grabbed the nearest tool, which was the wand of a pressure washer (2,000 pounds per square inch) and hosed the robber, sending him fleeing.
Matthew Peverada was arrested in Portland, Maine, in December and charged with attempting to rob Dipietro's Market. His first attempt, at about 4 p.m., was rebuffed, but he announced that he'd be back at 11 p.m., and that they'd better have some money for him. He returned, and police were waiting.
Michael Reed, 50, was charged with attempted robbery of Eddie's Fried Chicken in Fort Worth, Texas, in December. He was armed only with a tree branch and was quickly neutralized by a 56-year-old employee, who grabbed a broom, and the men proceeded to duel until Reed dropped his branch and fled (but was arrested nearby).
A 49-year-old Leavenworth, Kan., man was hospitalized in November after (according to police) using a front-end loader to pluck an ATM from the Frontier Credit Union. He was hurt when he drove to the edge of a 50-foot embankment and tried to drop the ATM, imagining that the fall would break it open, but instead, he, the loader, and the ATM all crashed to the bottom.
William Jarrett, 38, was charged in Hempstead Village, N.Y., in November with swiping a necklace from a 32-year-old pregnant woman and running off. Despite her condition, the woman chased him, screaming, for six blocks and caught up with him just as a police officer was arriving on the scene
Jose Diaz Jr., 35, was arrested and charged with shoplifting from a Wal-Mart in Madison Township, Ohio, in October after attempting to run from the store with a digital camera. He first crashed into the glass front door (which looked open, but was closed), cutting himself badly, but then exited into the parking lot, where he almost immediately ran into a cement post, allowing security personnel to catch up with him.
What started as a "strong-arm" street robbery in Warren, Mich., in October, ended when the victim turned out to be stronger than the perp. When it was over, the victim had gotten his money back, plus $30 of the mugger's as the man fled, according to a police report in the Macomb Daily.
Jun 2, 2009
Insert Witty Title Here
Did anyone besides me catch the Discovery Channel program on the Crystal Cave in Mexico? Fascinating stuff. Even after watching all that scientifically based information I know there’s a story in there somewhere, something magical . . .
Here’s a link if you want to explore a little more about the Crystal Cave.
After careful consideration, I’ve accepted the Summer Challenge over on AW. This is kind of like an unofficial NaNoWriMo, only you have until September 1 to complete a rough draft. Why would I do this when I seem to be struggling so much lately? Because I’m a glutton for punishment, that’s why. ;-)
Well, that may be partially true, but the real reason is I’m hoping it’ll give my fiction writing a boost, the way the PAD challenge gave my poetry a boost. It may seem a little counter-productive to start a new project at this point, but there’s a much longer time limit than the 30 days of NaNo to complete the challenge, and there’s no word restrictions.
Of course there’s no official check ins either, which means I’ll have to set up a progress meter of my own to shame me, I mean encourage me, into producing more.
For the month of June I figure I’ll be lucky to get in my page a day, plus the occasional poem, but after June will be a different story (hopefully!).
So, new goals for June:
New progress meter for the Summer Challenge.
Not sure yet how I’ll keep track of the Page-A-Day, other than a simple yes or no . . .
At least one new poem a week (which can take minutes to write or days to write, it depends on whether one just pops into my head or I have to sweat over it using a poetry prompt).
Editing, hard copy only. I’ve been really uneffective in this department. I keep using the hard copy as a reference, but I’ve been doing my editing on the lap top as I go along. I’ve printed out a copy of Driving Into Forever, now I need to shut down the lap top when I’m in editing mode.
I’d just like to add that all this grey weather we’ve been having lately is really not helping. I can handle one grey day, two at the most. After that I start getting the headaches and the tiredness and it’s just one great big energy sink.
Okay, enough of that. Less talking, more writing!
Here’s a link if you want to explore a little more about the Crystal Cave.
After careful consideration, I’ve accepted the Summer Challenge over on AW. This is kind of like an unofficial NaNoWriMo, only you have until September 1 to complete a rough draft. Why would I do this when I seem to be struggling so much lately? Because I’m a glutton for punishment, that’s why. ;-)
Well, that may be partially true, but the real reason is I’m hoping it’ll give my fiction writing a boost, the way the PAD challenge gave my poetry a boost. It may seem a little counter-productive to start a new project at this point, but there’s a much longer time limit than the 30 days of NaNo to complete the challenge, and there’s no word restrictions.
Of course there’s no official check ins either, which means I’ll have to set up a progress meter of my own to shame me, I mean encourage me, into producing more.
For the month of June I figure I’ll be lucky to get in my page a day, plus the occasional poem, but after June will be a different story (hopefully!).
So, new goals for June:
New progress meter for the Summer Challenge.
Not sure yet how I’ll keep track of the Page-A-Day, other than a simple yes or no . . .
At least one new poem a week (which can take minutes to write or days to write, it depends on whether one just pops into my head or I have to sweat over it using a poetry prompt).
Editing, hard copy only. I’ve been really uneffective in this department. I keep using the hard copy as a reference, but I’ve been doing my editing on the lap top as I go along. I’ve printed out a copy of Driving Into Forever, now I need to shut down the lap top when I’m in editing mode.
I’d just like to add that all this grey weather we’ve been having lately is really not helping. I can handle one grey day, two at the most. After that I start getting the headaches and the tiredness and it’s just one great big energy sink.
Okay, enough of that. Less talking, more writing!
Jun 1, 2009
Deja Vu All Over Again
Here we are, another Monday.
It was a pretty uneventful weekend. Wasn’t on the computer much, which of course means I didn’t get much writing done. But I don’t feel guilty about it. I think sometimes it’s good to take a bit of a break . . . Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. ;-)
I did think about writing a lot. I’ve got another space/adventure/romance that’s been intruding on my thoughts. The last thing I need right now is to start something new, but I don’t know that I really have a choice in the matter.
The last time this happened was right before NaNo. A story popped into my head and pushed everything else out. For two weeks I couldn’t even think about anything else, let alone write about anything else. No reading, no writing, just going over the story in my head and refining it. Of course the good news there was that once I started writing there was no hesitation at all and I even finished NaNo ahead of schedule.
We’ll have to see how it goes with this story. So far it hasn’t shown the same intensity as the NaNo one, so I might be able to just do an outline for it and leave it simmering on the back burner.
You might have noticed that my Progress indicator is under construction again. Yeah, I had issues with it. I’m working on a new goals/progress widget but probably won’t have anything up until later today.
June is going to be a busy month for me, what with the daughter getting married at the beginning of July. I’m going to have to go over that chapter in my text book about time management and put it to good use. I’ve got a lot of sewing and other stuff to get done, I’ve got school taking a chunk of time out of my day, and I want to set reasonable writing goals. I’ll probably have to allot a specific amount of time to writing, rather than wordage goals. And then of course I’ll have to learn to make the most out of my allotted time.
Is it just my imagination or am I sounding more like a wannabe writer than a writer these days?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
*sigh*
It was a pretty uneventful weekend. Wasn’t on the computer much, which of course means I didn’t get much writing done. But I don’t feel guilty about it. I think sometimes it’s good to take a bit of a break . . . Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. ;-)
I did think about writing a lot. I’ve got another space/adventure/romance that’s been intruding on my thoughts. The last thing I need right now is to start something new, but I don’t know that I really have a choice in the matter.
The last time this happened was right before NaNo. A story popped into my head and pushed everything else out. For two weeks I couldn’t even think about anything else, let alone write about anything else. No reading, no writing, just going over the story in my head and refining it. Of course the good news there was that once I started writing there was no hesitation at all and I even finished NaNo ahead of schedule.
We’ll have to see how it goes with this story. So far it hasn’t shown the same intensity as the NaNo one, so I might be able to just do an outline for it and leave it simmering on the back burner.
You might have noticed that my Progress indicator is under construction again. Yeah, I had issues with it. I’m working on a new goals/progress widget but probably won’t have anything up until later today.
June is going to be a busy month for me, what with the daughter getting married at the beginning of July. I’m going to have to go over that chapter in my text book about time management and put it to good use. I’ve got a lot of sewing and other stuff to get done, I’ve got school taking a chunk of time out of my day, and I want to set reasonable writing goals. I’ll probably have to allot a specific amount of time to writing, rather than wordage goals. And then of course I’ll have to learn to make the most out of my allotted time.
Is it just my imagination or am I sounding more like a wannabe writer than a writer these days?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
*sigh*
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