Prompt–Sunday, December 11
Make up the title of a potential story or poem. Mine is “As Water Rises.” Now write five variations of your title.
1. For Water Rising
2. Water Rising
3. Rise and Fall of Water
4. Water–Watch it Rise
5. Raising Water
Write something with one of these titles.
Honors Project…Complete!
For the last two years I’ve learned how to play Edward MacDowell’s “Woodland Sketches” for the piano. Since January I’ve studied his biography, reading anything I could get my hands on about MacDowell.
And today I printed the final copy of my project.
I wrote ten poems, each inspired by a piece in “Woodland Sketches.” In total, I wrote a 12-page paper, 10 poems, and 3 work cited pages. I’m happy to come to the end of this project, but I’m looking forward to recording my piano performances of the pieces and readings of my poems this spring semester.
For a video of the first piece, “To a Wild Rose,” see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yheSY_nKfGY&feature=related.
The Search for Ink and Stories
Earlier this week I finished my first short story for December. So now I’m in the lead. 1-0. The short story I finished was based on “The Young Man with the Carnation” by Isak Dinesen in “The Winter’s Tales.” Check it out if you haven’t read the collection already.
Last night I made a list of short stories I want to write. There are 21 stories. That’s good news for December. After exams, I’ll try to write one short story a day. And another friend gave me my first fountain pen. I wrote my short story list with it. Fountain pens are quite addicting.
I’m going to work on my April/NaNo novel too in December, and once I find ink for my typewriter, I’m going to revise by typing it on the typewriter. Otherwise, I will revise the new-fashioned way–on the computer. The search for ink continues!
Prompt–Sunday, December 4
Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQZsFJb_gQQ
Then write a scene where one character says sorry to another character, or write a poem where you use anaphora (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphora_(rhetoric) with “I am sorry.”
Here’s mine.
I am sorry that I don’t play the violin
anymore. It’s hard to pull out music
you once enjoyed when we were together.
I am sorry that we aren’t on speaking
terms. I don’t call you and you don’t
call me. I still have your number.
I am sorry that my favorite dessert
is still your grandma’s homemade
strawberry cheesecake. I haven’t
tried to make it myself.
I am sorry that things didn’t work
out between us.
I am sorry that I broke it off
in a way that left you in tears
for a year. I cried too. Several
times. Over the next year
and a half, I couldn’t go out
with someone else.
I am sorry you’ll never read
this poem and realize
it was written for you.
I am sorry.
50119–NaNo
So NaNo is over for this year. At least until I start editing in December after a long nap, deep-cleaning my living quarters, and receiving my treat for finishing a novel in a month with a sprained finger–dinner at Naslada, one of my favorite restaurants in town.
I brainstormed on Monday and put those lines on the page Tuesday. It was nice to have some friends finish so I could congratulate them. I sat down Tuesday night and wrote after being distracted by YouTube. But whew. Fifty thousand words of Charlotte’s story. Oh yeah.
46408–NaNo
I typed last night after getting home from work, about 11:15 till midnight. After working on two of the five remaining scenes and brainstorming heavily throughout the day, the novel is 46,408 words long. Three more days!
Yesterday I finished reading Jack Kerouac’s “Book of Haikus.” Lots of good ones. I’m going to invest in a copy.
Prompt–Sunday, November 27
Set a timer for five minutes. Start a scene that takes place in a diner between two old friends who are no longer friends. Go. Then read mine below.
I never expected to see Jimmy again. We broke up back in high school and it hasn’t been long enough. At least his hair was still red and uncombed. That much hadn’t changed.
“Why, Opal. We haven’t seen each other in so long. How are you?”
Of course he had to sit at my table. Why did Eric have to stay at home tonight and watch basketball?
“I’m fine, thanks. I really should be going.”
With my purse and coat in hand, I was almost out of the booth.
“I’ll buy you dinner.”
“That’s not necessary. It was nice seeing you.”
I stood at the end of the table and was halfway to the door.
“It was cruel of me to say it.”
My feet stopped and refused to continue to the door with the bell above that would announce my exit.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I mean it. And it haunts me every day. Please let me buy you dinner. It is the least I can do.”
Well, I don’t mind a free meal. But as for the company? Not exactly my top choice. Maybe Paul Bettany. Even Cillian Murphy. Not my ex-boyfriend. Not this ex-boyfriend.
Check out my poems
Heavy Hands Ink published two of my poems. If you would like to check them out, they are called “With You” and “Sleep” under my nickname Suzy Anderson. You can download the e-book for free here: http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/hhi-volume-seven-e-book/18492378?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1, but you need to download the Adobe Digital Editions in order to read it, which is an e-reader similar to Kindle. Otherwise you can buy the print version if you would like to do so.
Happy reading!
45038–NaNo
Yesterday I had a total of 42,314 words, and today after my writing session I have 45,038. So close to the legendary 50,000! I am pleased though that I was able to catch up. Spraining your finger during NaNo is not something I’d recommend, but at least NaNo 2011 will be a NaNo to remember.
I have five scenes left to write, all major ones which will dictate how the novel ends. With four days to write them, it will be interesting to see how Charlotte’s story will come to a close.
As for December? I am thinking of taking a break and enjoying a meal at one of my favorite restaurants as a treat for finishing NaNo. Then on to a short story contest with my friend, which we tried to do in September and October. I’ve been playing with the idea of trying to see how many days in a row I can write a full short story. What do you think?
It was fun to sit down yesterday and read after writing and doing some homework. I read “The Song of Lunch” by Christopher Reid and “Show Up, Look Good” by Mark Wisniewski.
My Winter Wheat Session on Prompts
I called my session: Using Prompts to Prompt You in the Writing Direction. My session was from 9-10:15 a.m. Saturday, November 18.
I opened my presentation with a quote from Stephen King’s “On Writing:” “…two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun.” (25)
So for prompts, you can give one idea or both and adjust the prompt if necessary. If the prompt doesn’t speak to you, move on to another one.
To make a prompt you need a Tangible Idea and a Form/Limitation. A Tangible Idea can be a setting, character or situation, although I would recommend picking something concrete that you can describe. There are times when I tend to write in the abstract and have to bring the concrete in to make my writing accessible.
Then it’s time to pick a form or limitation. For poetry I tend to pick a specific form and use the tangible idea as a theme. Other limitations you can use are time, lists and certain words. For fiction I pick a scene, short story, flash fiction, experimental fiction or a novel.
To make your own prompts, pick a tangible idea, pick a limitation, and start writing!
Some books I’ve used in the past to kickstart my writing:
The Write-Brain—Bonnie Neubauer
The Pocket Muse—Monica Wood
In the Palm of Your Hand—Steve Kowit
The Writer’ Book of Matches—the staff of Fresh Boiled Peanuts
The Poetry Dictionary—John Drury
The Poet’s Dictionary—William Packard
The Book of Forms—Lewis Turco
Patterns of Poetry—Miller Williams
It was nice to reflect for a moment on my first post for prompts, which you can find here: https://slawriter89.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/prompts/. Prompts have helped me, so I hope they help you if that is what you need to get started some days.
In the spring I was working on two short stories for my fiction class. My roommate suggested I combine the two in a novel. Thus Charlotte was born and I have been working on my April Novel ever since.
Suzanna and Writing 