wordwhacker

Written for Prompt 167: Antapology over at

tamingthemuse.

I had a weird week - was feeling really under the weather for a lot of it. Slept a lot, and cooked a lot, and generally have taken it easy otherwise. I started this story a few days ago and then couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it, so I gave myself a half-hour time limit tonight to finish it up, something like my 15 minute flash fiction (but, um, twice as long.) Next week I am putting my nose to the grindstone and finishing the first draft of the horror audio play, which will eat up a lot of my time. I may take the same approach with next week's short story. We'll see.

( So Am I - flash, 711 words )

Current Mood: mellow

Written for word 123 over at

15_minute_fic.

I wanted to write something that was heavy on description this week, as a change of pace. So... I did. Yep.

( Wood and Mud - flash, 385 words )

Current Mood: chipper

As painful as it was (and as damaging to my sleep schedule, apparently), I'm really glad that I squeezed out the story / glorified outline of the short horror audio play the other day. I abstractly knew that there were lots of things to work on (ie: every possible facet?), but now that it's on paper (or will be, once I print it) I can actually see not just what those things are, but how to start working on them.

I mentioned earlier that I want the bulk of the work on this to be done before November rolls around. So instead of trying to edit a play / short story every week, I'm going to focus entirely on the audio drama (code name: "Broke Open"). It's going to be my main focus for the next two months. I'm still going to write a short story every week for

tamingthemuse (11 weeks down, 19 to go!) but I'm going to scale them down a bit, maybe write flash fiction in the 500 - 1000 word range.

And, of course, I need to read more.

Because I love them so, here is my editing "To Do" list for this week:

Print "Broke Open" and take a red pen to it. Highlight things that need:

World-building and character work.

Thematic and plot work.

Formatting and structuring work (ie: translation to "audio drama" needs).

Further research.

Take care of the research stuff first, as it'll impact changes to plot, etc.

Work on the big-picture issues: world-building and theme.

EDIT: Read the radio play section of Michael Straczynski's "Complete Book of Scriptwriting".

There. That should keep me busy. Next week will move from macro to micro stuff, and try to get this whole thing to gel.

Current Mood: contemplative

Written for Word #122 over at

15_minute_fic.

Not terribly thrilled with this one, but hey - 15 minutes is 15 minutes, and I don't want to write quirky relationship goofiness EVERY time.

( A Story for Readers - flash, 300 words )

Current Mood: curious

I just signed up to write a sci-fi / horror audio drama for an anthology called The Omega Road Chronicles. I'm already involved with these folks as a voice actor for Age of the Zombies, which is how I heard about the project.

I'm pretty excited. As I told them, I've never written audio drama before, but I a) write short stories and b) have SOME experience writing thatre/screen scripts. A new format plus a relatively new genre for me equals a BIG challenge, but it's one I feel confident about and am really looking forward to sinking my teeth into.

Since I'm doing NaNoWriMo again (as always - and more on that later), I want to have the bulk of the work on this (including redrafts) done before November.

Now that that's out of the way, here's my writing etc. "To Do" list for today:

Edit that play I want to submit for Script Happens (an hour and a half)

Brainstorm and outline this week's prompt for tamingthemuse

Submit a story to Critique Circle

Critique a story on the above.

Current Mood: busy

Written for Word #121 over at

15_minute_fic.

( At Least - flash, 469 words )

Current Mood: content

Written for Word #120 over at

15_minute_fic

( Pandora's Speech - flash, 499 words )

Current Mood: creative

As much as I am enjoying the frenetic (and usually VERY last minute) challenge of

tamingthemuse every week, I am realizing that I need to have some structured, dedicated writing time (not just a stolen few hours at work.) With that in mind, here are my goals through to the end of September:

Continue writing every week for tamingthemuse, but be better prepared for it. Brainstorm / outline over the weekend, and then take two dedicated hours during every work shift to write (more on the last night if necessary.)

Spend at least an hour and a half over the weekend doing editing work on an older story. The newer, tender ones need time to set before they're toyed with.

READ MORE. SERIOUSLY. You like reading. What's the hold up? The internet is not your only toy at work, you know. Read a short story every other night, and get a novel on the go.

Read and critique at least two stories per week on Critique Circle. Experiment with different genres.

I'm hitting about 60% of July's goals. I'm cutting "finish the lingering play" off, because I don't really know where I'm going with it. As for editing the other short plays, if I don't pick at them during my weekly editing time I'll make sure to put a specific push on in October. Before NaNo starts I need to have my material ready to submit to the theatre company next year. (Speaking of which: maybe it's time to start writing plays for

tamingthemuse instead of short stories? What a concept!)

Current Mood: tired

Now that I'm moved into the apartment (woo!) and have prised my life back from the clutches of The Bard, it's time to start working through some of the stories that I've written over the past year (read: the past three months, but one of them is a year old, so technically...) I've hit about 50% of my goals for July, and the end of August is fast approaching.

I want to accomplish a few things today. I'm trying not to over-tax myself, so I'm keeping it short and sweet:

~~Spend an hour and a half working on First Born / That Story That Needs A Title~~ - DONE!

~~Brainstorm for next week's tamingthemuse prompt~~ - DONE!

~~Read. Pick up a short story and enjoy it thoroughly.~~ - Done, though as it was a re-read for a critique on CC, it's a bit of a cheat. Will try to get a "purely for pleasure" story read once D&D is done for the night.

Of course, I've got other stuff in the works for tomorrow - non-writing stuff like cooking, cleaning, hanging out with people. But I will feel a lot better about myself if I make time for these things, now that I have time to make.

Current Mood: amused

Written for Word #119 over at

15_minute_fic

( Had Me Going - flash, 343 words )

Current Mood: curious

Written for Word #118 over at

15_minute_fic

( Change is Good - flash, 531 words )

Current Mood: sleepy

Written for Word #115 over at

15_minute_fic

( Voyeur - flash, 353 words )

Current Mood: accomplished

Written for Word #116 over at

15_minute_fic

( Mabel Could Wait - flash, 421 words )

Current Mood: creative

At least once a week, I'm writing a 15 minute piece of fiction in response to a prompt of some kind, usually something from

15_minute_fic. These won't be friends locked. Going to catch up on a few of these now, as well as a couple of longer stories that I've been working on.

---

Written for Word #117 over at

15_minute_fic

( Quiet Like the Dead - flash, 349 words )

Current Mood: creative

Well, it's been a while since I updated - luckily only a couple of months this time. To make matters even better, I actually have been writing in the interrim.

But let's see how I've fared in my writing-related goals thus far, shall we?

( And let's do it below a cut, because I am a classy fellow like that. )

If I was grading myself, I'd probably be generous to award a 4/10. Given that I went into it with a 0/10 average, I'm not too disappointed. Still - lots of room for improvement.

I'd like for my goals to be more simple, and to revisit them often so that I can make adjustments as necessary. I'm also pretty busy this summer, so "writing every single day" doesn't necessarily make sense. With that in mind, here are my short-term goals:

JULY

- Write a short story every week for the

tamingthemuse prompt.
- Write a 15 minute flash piece every week for

15_minute_fic.
- Finish my lingering short play.
- Edit the short plays I wrote earlier this year.

I'd like to start editing Blue Goo, too, but if I don't get started on this until August I will be in good shape.

Ahh yes, the same sad tune plays over and over again: I haven't updated in months. But not to worry! You're not missing out on anything, because I haven't written anything in months, either. So, you know. That solves THAT.

My general updates, in a nutshell:

FREAKIN' GRADUATED. Rawk.

Wrote 49 pages for Script Frenzy. Not a win, but a few completed short plays under my belt.

Won an essay-writing contest for a paper I wrote last term. Had another potential winner this term, but couldn't submit because of the first win. (Oh noes! I'm so sad!)

Submitted four stories to VOX. Had all of them published. Woot!

Won (and generaly dominated) a photo context for VOX, too. Got 50$ for my troubles. Also Woot!

Went to an English conference and presented a paper about Batman Begins.

Directed a Tom Stoppard short play for school. Have also participated in some local theatre-type workshops, which has been fun.

Played Hamlet. Rocked the world. Fulfilled a life-long dream.

Now in... less than eight hours, I'll be starting work at my old job at the giant computer company. I feel a little ambivalent about having made essentially NO progress in that regard, but it's a job with great pay (yay for debt reduction!), an awesome boss and good coworkers, and it's one that I already know how to do and which gives me the shift I need to keep my theatre prospects open. Um, yeah. The choice is kind of obvious.

The destruction of my debt is only one part of my plan for the coming year-and-four-months, though. Part of the reason I'm not going straight on to grad school is that I feel a bit burnt out on the academics and need to recharge other areas of my life. Playing various instruments, singing, acting, being more physically active... and, of course, ( reading and writing. Behold my master plans below the cut! )

I am really excited to have some time to devote to this stuff. Tomorrow is my official start date (and I should probably go the heck to bed, since I need to be up at HOLY CRAP AM for work.) I'll try to keep the minutae off of this journal, but expect more activity in general.

Current Mood: creative

I submitted some stories to VOX, my school's literary journal. I significantly reworked a couple of them, and substantially touched up a couple more. I feel bad that I don't have anything RECENT or NEW to submit - I think the newest thing is two years old, minimum. However, I do feel that I have grown at least somewhat as a writer since then, and as such I was able to rework/edit the stories in a way that makes them much stronger. So I can't COMPLETELY bash myself.

But I can MOSTLY bash myself.

Having said that, though, I am really happy that I have finally submitted some stuff: I have gone over some things that I have written and, after some work, thought, "Yep, this is strong enough that I am not embarassed to show it to people - heck, I'm not embarassed to suggest that it might be publishable." I'm not fooling myself into thinking that VOX is a particularly difficult place in which to get published, but hey. It's something. And some of my profs, who are highly esteemed as writers in their own right, are going to be reading it. That's pretty cool.

( A bit more rambling about writing processes lies within. )

Current Mood: accomplished

Now that my Media Living class and NaNoWriMo are over and my school projects are winding down, it's about time I actually made this blog into my writing journal again, wouldn't you say?

I've taken all of the legitimately for NaNo stuff that I wrote last month (not counting school papers, etc.), as well as the short story I wrote in mid July, and updated my total all-time wordcount:

401591 / 1000000 words. 40% done!

Not bad! I'm up 4% from last time. (Which was back in JUNE. Ouch.) Have I been keeping up my pledge to write 500 words per day? Heck no!

I've got a couple of projects in the works this month though: Vox, my school's literary journal, is accepting submissions until December 15. By a strange twist of fate, the Saint John Theatre Company is accepting short play submissions until the same date. Now, my submission for Vox is fairly easy: I'm going to edit and submit a couple of existing short stories, as well as send in a few of my best travel photos. But the SJTC thing is VERY exciting - last night I brainstormed an idea that I am going to work on over the next week as I wrap up the school stuff. If they like it, it could wind up in the Theatre on the Edge festival next summer, which would rock.

There's lots of time left in the month that needs to be filled up with projects, though, so I am trying to decide what to focus on. I need to get into some regular writing exercises, and crack open Blue Goo again. It's hard to believe that it's been kicking around for over four years now, eh? About time I sat down and did something with it. Maybe I'll focus on the above while I do some reading - I have a couple of lovely SF anthologies given to me by the Script Frenzy peeps in Sydney that I am dying to get into, and I don't think it would hurt to spend some time soaking in my favourite medium (namely, short stories).

[Edit:] Oh yes, and I am embarking upon a massive scriptwriting project in order to hone my skills and exorcize some demons. What is this project, you ask? Why, re-writing and re-scripting the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy, of course!

Having just subjected myself to Episode I again, I have decided that the material is still useful - as background information, to be alluded to at opportune moments (you know how Leia and other people obliquely reference "the senate" in "A New Hope"? That's what I'm talking about.) The re-write is going to be fun, engaging, caper-like and character-driven, because there's no Big Scary Death Star to center the plot around. I've started making some broad notes, and I am making it my mission to re-write at least the first prequel for Script Frenzy next year.

Current Mood: determined

Well, it looks like this is it for the Media Living journal. I have a few closing comments to make that have to do with the last reading for the course, and a few more media use-type things to mention, too. Then this journal goes back to being my writing journal, and none too soon - I've got to get a few submissions to Vox out by the end of the week, and now that NaNoWriMo is over for another year (and as you can tell by my icon, I am a WINNAH!), my creativity has been kicked into high gear.

Last week was basically paper-writing week, which means that my life has basically been cycles of MS Word usage and, briefly, Rock Band / The Bully playing as brain breaks. I've been downloading stuff a little more lately, too - found a Cat Stevens song that I wanted to learn on the guitar, and one of my study breaks on Saturday was my learning to play it. And does anybody else remember "Saga," the Canadian progressive rock group from the eighties? My folks liked their stuff a lot and, as much eighties music does, it inspires me with nostalgia. My dad was listening to the radio the other day and "Wind Him Up" came on, and I remembered how much I liked it, so I poked around online and found that album. It's decent, but I don't know if I would bother purchasing it - there are only two songs that interest me (the other being "On the Loose").

I found "Wind Him Up" on YouTube too, and the "more info" that accompanies it is interesting:

Saga - Legendary Canadian Progrock
Live at the Metropolis - Montreal 1984
Rock Etc Canadian TV Broadcast
www.saga-world.com

Over half the songs from the show including this one, DID NOT make it to the Silhouette official DVD.

Here it is for your enjoyment.

This is kind of cool because it shows that putting concert footage up on YouTube isn't usually about any kind of disrespect for the bands, or even for the companies that have the rights to the footage. Lots of info about the group and the concert, even where the concert was broadcast, is included there. But there's obviously some annoyance about the DVD not having this and lots of other songs - how are consumers supposed to have any iota of support for centralized production and distribution if they're going to omit desired material? I recently found some Utopia videos from a concert in 1982 which belong to a discontinued DVD, as well. Obviously lots of stuff that IS available is spread around, and that's the main concern that copyright holders have (I'd wager), but it isn't the ONLY thing going on. People will happily distribute things themselves if they aren't worth it for a company to do it, or if a company is slack about it (like with the Saga DVD above.) And it isn't all about simply sticking it to the man.

( More hides behind the cut! )

Yikes! The term is, apparently, almost over. I'm hoping to make at least two more journal entries (including this one) before I have to turn it over to Dr. M. This week is all about getting my paper for Lit Theory done, and (of course!) finishing the novel. I have some major work to do on both fronts. Tonight I have been going back and forth between reading stuff for the paper and adding to the novel word count. I'm not sure if I'll catch up today, but I'll be pretty close.

When it comes down to it, I really have to cut myself off from (most of) the internet in order to get a lot of work done on papers. For these journal entries and lighter fare (even some readings that I've had to do online) I can deal with the background distractions, but for some reason they are KILLER once I'm in paper-writing mode. Tomorrow I'm spending a few hours at the school library after my classes so that I can do a bit of research and get some serious rough-draftage happening. The library and the Tim Horton's on King street are effectively my "hide away from the world and work" spots, and I like both of them because they have a little bit of white noise and people sounds in the background without being so intrusive as to be uncomfortable. I think that's why that atmpshere is conducive to writing: I don't feel totally isolated, but I feel in no way obligated to interact with anybody. Like a cat, I like being around people, but I am much more productive when I don't have to actually talk to them.

It's a relief to have Chicago done with, though I am going to miss seeing everybody and getting to listen to such awesome performers (both the singers and band) all the time. I'm also enjoying things like Rock Band, which I haven't played since sometime early last week, and I like that I am home to catch my regular re-runs of The Simpsons (they just happen to be really well-timed for meal breaks. What can I say?

I did the reading for this week a little while ago, and I should probably talk about it a bit, though it may be in a slightly abstract way since my PDF reader doesn't let me cut and paste stuff. But as this is boring I shall do it ( under a cut. )

Current Mood: chipper

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Recent Entries

Flash Fiction: So Am I

Flash Fiction: Wood and Mud

A change in priorities

Flash Fiction: A Story for Readers

A new project! (and today's "To Do" list)

Flash Fiction: At Least

Flash Fiction: Pandora's Speech

Some goals for the next few weeks

A short "To Do" list (to be updated throughout the day)

Flash Fiction: Had Me Going

Flash Fiction: Change is Good

Flash Fiction: Voyeur

Flash Fiction: Mabel Could Wait

Flash Fiction: Quiet Like the Dead

(no subject)

Time flies when you're... um. Doing. Stuff.

I feel good! I knew that I would!

Back to the old grind...

Media Living: The Last Stand

Media Living: Gender online, and general musings