BB’s (possibly stolen) PROMPT for 04/30/15

The End‑of‑April Last DAILY Prompt (at least for a while- See the last note): Think of three quite different emotions. Imagine which one of your characters might feel all three of those emotions within a fairly short time period. Write a scene which shows the character flipping from one emotion to another, and possibly even back again. Does s/he then come across as a person who has “flipped out,” or one who is displaying expected and rational feelings? Which of those ways would you most like your reader to think of your character? Just have fun with it!

YES! I DID IT! Disgust, Desire, Fear — I’ll take these three. My MC, an early 30‑something male, wakes up at mid‑day from a nightmare and looks around his habitation: it is cluttered and filthy, and it’s all his fault, as he lives alone. He walks outside and takes a short break from his filth, as well as a drag on his last remaining cigarette, and slips psychologically back into a dream‑state, only to see a luscious, though imaginary, woman — with wings! She’s teased him with her presence before. He wants her — too bad she’s doesn’t seem to be real. He dismisses the idea of trying to find a “real” woman like that. In the next moment, a screeching and mewling, as if of a hundred cats, assaults his ears. And the sound all seems to emanate from his upstairs window. In spite of his terror, he runs back into the house, to find the reality: his pathetic and dilapidated apartment is full of cats — some of them hurt or mutilated. And they blame him and begin to attack, wave upon wave.

He moved from disgust with his life style, to desire for a phantom woman, to fear of the cats. I think most readers would believe him to be a rather reprehensible person, but not one who has “flipped out”. Women readers, in particular, might find his life style disgusting and lazy, and might be disgusted at his interest in the “desirable” winged creature, but his fear of the cats would certainly be understandable. I think male readers could more easily imagine themselves in a position such as his, and might feel a trickle of fear (at least FOR him) as the cats attack. They might sympathize to some extent.

OOooo! I liked the idea of combining several emotions, and writing a scene where a character had logical reason to feel one the other without seeming crazy or out of touch with his reality . . . Okay, it’s a given that HIS “reality” is NOT Reality. But the EVENTS themselves seem even crazier than he does.

(Feel free to re‑use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications ‑‑‑ I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . . )

---

WRITING PROGRESS REPORT:

And for my April 30 Minimum GOAL: 1 hour (this should have been a “clear” day, and therefore a 2‑hour goal day, but family circumstances dictated otherwise, sometimes that happens) so — YES! I DID IT! I worked on finding “order” among the events of this very convoluted story I’m writing. Part of that is in re‑doing parts of it, more or less like the Prompt I gave some time ago about creating a SITUATION, and then coming up with COMPLICATIONS within the situation. In fact, I think I’ll do even more of that with the rest of the story as well.

Note from Herb: As many of you know (and some may not) I do not write the blogs. I just post them. Brenda (BB) is the main engine on this enterprise. I have written a few in the past, but this month has been all her.

We’re getting ready to go on vacation, but we will be posting periodically while we’re gone. There isn’t a set schedule at this time or even a set format. We’re open to suggestions. How about a Throw Back Thursday where we republish one of the more popular blogs from the past two years? A weekly or every other weekly book review? Let us know what you’d like to read about.

BB’s (possibly stolen) PROMPT for 04/29/15

From Cheryl: Look at the politics of your world. J.K. Rowling: civil rights to executive actions during war time. Hunger Games, more political than romantic. What goes on behind the scene? Abortion? Gun control? Freedom of Religion? Free Speech? Universal Healthcare? AND WHY do they feel this way? Write it down, but don’t reveal it — and watch characters take on new life. So here’s a writing prompt you don’t need ‑‑‑ in fact, should NOT — to share with your “readers.”

YES! I DID IT! Just a few samples of my thoughts on the politics of my world in Twisted Oaks Hollow: I scarcely think about politics in MY life, let alone in the lives of my characters, so how do I do that? These are good ideas, but how to approach them? Roles of women vs. roles of men might be a way to start. Lackley, for instance, has no property rights, but then her father was an over‑seer more than a land owner. He acted as though he owned the land, but in reality, it would have belonged to the Ultimate Leader, whether King, President, or whatever (I won’t say which here) — and how would I portray that in the story? What if Lackley had been a boy? Would he have inherited his father’s title? Could be. So is it time for Lackley, perhaps on her return, to take over for her father? So far, and I am really at the beginning of this look at their world, she seems to have no siblings, so that might be one way to approach it. What would happen to her father’s “legacy,” if he should die? Or abdicate, or whatever? Since Lackley will have a “sort of” happily ever after at the end — but will have learned much getting there — it only seems natural that she would share the burdens of leadership with her “significant other.” But HE will already have decided to . . . . .

I’ll leave it there, though there’s more. That’s just the beginning of my “secret thoughts” on the politics of Lackley’s world.

(Feel free to re‑use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications ‑‑‑ I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . . )

---

WRITING PROGRESS REPORT:

I made a “happy mistake” on April 28’s report, so here’s the update: I wasn’t supposed to start my 3 hour minimum goal days until May 6, where I wrote it supposing my 2 hours was not enough. So, by doing 2 yesterday, YES! I REALLY DID DO IT!

And for my April 29 Minimum GOAL: 1 hour — YES! I DID IT! and made my one hour by thinking through and writing about the politics of my Twisted Oaks Hollow’s politics. As it turns out, it will particularly have impact on the eventual denouement! Yay, Me!

Tomorrow’s report (for April 30) will be the last of the “daily” blogs which we’ve posted through this entire month. Check in then, to see our announcement of our “What Comes Next” plans!

BB’s (possibly stolen) PROMPT for 04/27/15

I was sick all last night — throwing up (and worse) every two hours . . . my Garmin Vivofit bracelet informs me I got 1 hour and 27 minutes of sleep last night. It made me think about my characters — well, by LATE today, I thought about them. Do any of your characters get sick? I mean, probably with some characters that’s what the story is about. But what about the average Joe (or Jolene) who’s just going about his/her day and then gets really, REALLY sick? How does it interrupt the story? (I know this has knocked me out so far for two full days, and still counting). Who helps take care of him/her? How does s/he deal with the illness? Is it lasting? Or just a blip on the map?

Your prompt: give one (or more) of your characters an illness, short‑lived or long, you decide. What is its impact on the character? The story? The other characters? The flow of what’s happening next?

YES! I DID IT! It has delayed my character’s planned trip into the “outside world,” She is frustrated, angry at herself, unmotivated (at first) to stop and deal with it. But it’s bad enough she has to find a way. It’s effects are NOT lasting, except that it makes her more sympathetic to other characters who’ve had interruptions within their lives — whether long or short — because she “gets” it. Fortunately for her (and for me), there don’t seem to be lasting effects. Hmmmmnnnnnn!

(Feel free to re-use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications — I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . .)

BB’s (possibly stolen) PROMPT for 04/23/15 from CLW

Using these ten words, write three different scenarios: contemplate, single, wonderment, fight, caution, slip, industry, finalize, juncture, easy.

Scenarios:

1. Meeting a love interest
2. In a fight with a parent
3. When you character finds herself in a WWE moment

YES! I DID IT! All scenarios below were written to fit in my current WIP, Thousand Oaks Hollow (as I had to cut these down for length, you may not see all the action implied in the Prompt, not all ten of the words — but I DID get them all in.)

1. MEETING A LOVE INTEREST

L’Aquellian was cold and wet too, but at least she saw a way out — though it was not a way she wanted to CONTEMPLATE. The Ferryman’s barge was likely to run aground if they didn’t hurry and make up their minds.

“Let’s just get aboard. He’s going downstream, and I can see the break in the clouds even from here, Your Highness,” she said to the third princess.

The royal personage had been fairly game up to this point, but now she just looked terrified. “But there’s nothing to hang onto,” she whined. “What if we hit a wave? This raft (the Ferryman glared with annoyance “raft”) tips and we slide off into the River Sticks?”

“We’ll just have to swim to the other side, and . . . ”

”But I can’t swim,” the Princess wailed.

2. IN A FIGHT WITH A PARENT

The two old women rocked back and forth, back and forth, chomping at their gums in time with the full‑body movement.

Lackley didn’t know what to make of them. All she’d done was ask if she might have but a crust of bread, should they have one.

“A crust, a crust . . .” the more grizzled of the two cackled. “Well, sister, have we a crust or not?”

And the two broke into howls, or hilarity, depending on how Lackley might choose to interpret their reaction.

At the next moment, and with no crust or mite of food forthcoming, she looked up as the two huddled together and stared with wide eyes over her left shoulder.

“Ah! Now she comes, NOW she comes,” they screeched.

Lackley’s head all but spun off her neck she turned so swiftly to see what creature came crashing through the tangled oaks behind her. A third? A third old crone?

As Lackley stared at the Old One, she realized they all had the same beak of a nose, though the two — sisters? — one with nose bent to the north, the other with nose bent to the south. And this third? Lackley closed her eyes for the briefest of moments to be sure she was seeing what she thought was: a nose which bent both north and south and the same time!

3. CHARACTER FINDS HIM/HER‑SELF IN A WWE MOMENT

The huge, grey wolf slavered, teeth bared, as Lackley froze in place. She did not want to be attacked by this beast at this JUNCTURE, after all the INDUSTRY she’d shown in surviving the sisters; a raging river; three witches; the filthy, faithless Ferryman; and a demented and demanding dragon. What more would she have to endure? This lone, grey wolf was nothing to what she’d already accomplished.

And then she heard the howls and the thundering of the many feet of the Pack.

(Feel free to re‑use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications ‑‑‑ I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . . )

BB’s (possibly stolen) PROMPT for 04/17/15

From Rick Walton (way back when): Like a lot of Utah writers, I’ve been thinking about one of our most wonderful writers and human beings: Rick Walton. There have been many improvements in his condition but, as nothing is ever certain for any of us, I’d like to share a poem idea of his for today’s prompt: He sent out, over the Utah Children’s Writers blog [if their archives save things forever, these appeared 9/22/09], several poems ‑‑‑ all about Goldilocks: he wrote the story in the style of Walt Whitman, e .e. cummings, Ogden Nash, Emily Dickinson ‑‑‑ and Paris Anderson shared one back (of his own, I presume?) as a William Carlos Williams’ version. I’ll share here Rick’s Lewis Carroll’s send‑up. Then YOU choose a fairy tale and rewrite it in the style of YOUR favorite poets/writers!

And PLEASE SHARE here in Comments:

Jabbergoldie by Rick Walton

`Twas brillig, and the hungry bears
Did gyre and gimble in their bowl:
All mimsy were the bearogoves,
And the mome raths outstroll.
“Beware the Goldilocks, my son!
The fist that knocks, the sniffing nose!
Beware the open door, and in
The Goldilocks she goes!”
She took a vorpal spoon in hand:
Long time the porridge bowl she sought ‑‑
Then tasted she of the first of three,
But oh, it was too hot.
And so she tried the second bowl,
Too cold. And then the third, ate all.
And then three chairs, too hard, too soft,
And one that caused her fall!
One, two! One, two! These beds won’t do.
The third, just right. She hit the sack.
And while she slept, those wandering bears,
They came galumphing back.
“And, who did eat the porridge? It’s
All gone. And who did break a chair?
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
Could that be her right there?
`Twas brillig, and the slithy bears
Did gyre and gimble by the bed;
All mimsy was the Goldilocks,
And home she up‑fled.

YES! I DID IT! Borrowing the idea from David M. Bader, who wrote HAIKU U. (100 Great Books in 17 Syllables [each]) I wrote 3 haiku’s:

Cinderella’s Glass Slipper

Sweeping up ashes.

What have I done with my shoe?

Now off to The Ball!

Goldilocks

Hungry and tired.

I’ll eat and sleep for the nonce.

Did my tummy growl?

Jack’s Beanstalk

A handful of beans

Who wants beans? Just toss them out.

I’ll just aim higher.

(Feel free to re‑use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications ‑‑‑ I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . . )

BB=s (possibly stolen) PROMPT for 04/14/15

From Carol Lynch Williams: Getting to know the plot and subplots of your book, write each as news articles, journal entries, headlines, from the voice of a local newscaster, as an announcement over the intercom at school, etc. Make them as detailed as needed.

YES! I DID IT ! ! ! Choose what you want from the above: I was stuck getting started, so, being a “Pantser,” I chose the easy way out: Several days ago I’d made a list of “habits” for each of my characters. I’d written that with each character’s name on a different colored Post‑It. I’d stuck them onto a LARGE sheet of colored butcher paper which I hung on a wall in my kitchen. So I chose to just write ONE of the ideas in the prompt above: Headlines. Lo, and Behold! AN OUTLINE (of sorts. It was FUN and pretty HILARIOUS to see what I could come up with as each new character was met and dealt with. I may get over my distaste for OUTLINES, between these two exercise4s.

Just a FEW of my HEADLINES, as examples:

• L’Aquellian (aka Lackley) Investigates New Hedge Near Lord’s Compound
• Maidservant Claims to Have Seen Lackley Disappear into Hedge of New Planted Ivy
• Ice Queen Accused of Kidnapping Lackley After Icy Trail Ended at Hedge
• Weather Warnings: Strawberries Found Blooming and Ripening in Mid‑December
• Bird Watchers Claim to Have Seen Smoke Rising From Possible Tower Peak in Giant Hedge

(Feel free to re‑use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications ‑‑‑ I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . . )

BB’s (possibly stolen) PROMPT FOR 4/12/15

AnnDeeCanDee once wrote that she’d read most of Roald Dahl’s writing for kids, but not much for adults. My first thought was, “He wrote for adults?” Well, yes, as a matter of fact. Bio, short stories . . . Now, name three writers whose Complete Works you’d choose to read and why. Then pick ONE book from your author faves, and start reading.

YES! I DID IT! I’m choosing an author — no, make that “some authors” — whose complete works I’d like to finish and/or read again. I’ll go to my #1 Fave: T.H. White, though I’ve read NEARLY all of them anyway. But I’d read them all again in a heart‑beat.

Once I finally discovered the Junie B. Jones stories, I read all I could find by Barbara Park. Now I’d read anything else she might have written plus the Junie B’s again. All but two of the latter would be repeats.

I’ve recently found Garth Nix, and I’m making pretty good headway on his books. Ready for book 3 of one of his series, and have two stand‑alone volumes waiting.

Why did I choose these? White because I LOVE the Arthurian tales, no matter WHO wrote them — but his are probably the most accessible for language. Park’s books for humor — made me laugh out loud every time. Nix for pure inventiveness. WHAT an imagination!

Now, you pick 3 favorite authors AND figure out WHY you’d choose those particular ones. In the comments below, let us know what we’re missing if we haven’t read YOUR favorite picks!

And I’ll throw in a bonus author ” — Isaac Asimov for fiction and non‑ . . . and for the INCREDIBLE intellect and work ethic of this man — WOW!

(Feel free to re‑use my prompts, modified to YOUR specifications ‑‑‑ I “stole” them too from Carol Lynch Williams, AnnDeeCanDee, Cheryl, The ABC Writers Guild and others . . . )

Tips on Tuesday: Filling the Well

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

When I taught full time in Utah’s high schools, I would be completely drained by the end of the school year — my experience is that most teachers were the same. Often I was the drama director, the debate coach, and I taught several English classes, or Special Ed., or Humanities, or . . . whatever. I was usually lucky enough to be able to sleep through most of June.

But eventually I woke up. And, while not sleepy, I still felt drained. All my creativity, my get up and go, had gotten up and GONE . . . What I needed then was more sustenance. I needed to fill up my well to even think about heading into another school year. Sometimes, I had classes I needed to take. Always, I tried to catch up on some reading. And ALWAYS, I turned to theatre. Theatre where I wasn’t “in charge.”

I went to Logan for the Opera Season. I went to Cedar City to see the 3 Shakespearean shows of the year, and the three plays or musicals they presented in that same season. Then I found out about the original play program. Writers would submit new original play manuscripts. They were read by Fred Adams and a few of his cohorts, and, generally, three scripts would be chosen to be produced as “play readings.” Well into their season, in August, they would have author #1 come to Cedar City for a week, see a staged reading of his or her play, listen to comments from the professional actors and the director, often do a lot of re‑writing, and by Friday, see another staged reading with an audience. The audience was then included in the critiquing.

During the second week August week, playwright #2 would go through the same routine. In the third week, playwright #3 would appear. As a “final” performance, during the fourth week in August, play numbers 1, 2, and 3 would be performed again on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

In time, this became my favorite time at the Shakespeare Festival. To be a part of the collaborative effort to give birth to three new, original plays was generally the highlight of my summer. I would return to school with new ideas, new plays to contemplate, plus all the “old” standards. And I would be excited to share what I’d learned over the summer with my next group of students.

As writers in a solitary, and often lonely world, we need to renew our energies as well. When you’ve given all you can to the story which is broiling in your mind, it’s time to re‑call and re‑fine that excitement. I call that “filling the well.”

How do you “fill the well” when you feel you’ve run dry? I think all writers write and read. But what else? Live theatre and live interaction with real people of a like mind do it for me. What ideas do YOU have to fill that well? Please share in comments — we all need some new well‑filling ideas every now and again!

See you next for Thinkin’ on Thursday!

Thinkin’ on Thursday: Women’s Wise Words by the (Baker’s) Dozen

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

I’m thinkin’ about women: women of power—women writers, women movers and shakers, women artists of all types. I’m thinkin’ about women I’d like to emulate, follow, know, and have a sit‑down lunch with. Women whose wise words have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, made me think. Made me take action. Here are a few of the best of them:

A woman whose books touched me in so many ways: “[My mother] said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understand of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors. ~ Maya Angelou

A woman whose songs touched me, and a whole nation, a whole world: “It seems to me that those songs that have been any good, I have nothing much to do with the writing of them. They words have just crawled down my sleeve and come out on the page. ~ Joan Baez

A woman whose voice and twinkle of the eye I still miss: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.'” ~ Erma Bombeck

A woman whose legend inspired me: “It is necessary to try to pass one’s self always; this occupation ought to last as long as life.” ~ Queen Christina of Sweden

A woman who made herself what she needed to be to flourish in her own lifetime: “It always seemed to me a sort of clever stupidity only to have one sort of talent—like a carrier pigeon.” ~ George Eliot

A woman who only became more beautiful as she aged: “I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they’re good—or there because they’re lucky.” ~ Katherine Hepburn

A woman whose strength grew over time into a towering figure: “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” ~ Helen Keller

A woman who inspires me to keep writing: “If you’re going to write, don’t pretend to write down. It’s going to be the best you can do, and it’s the fact that it’s the best you can do that kills you.” ~ Dorothy Parker

A woman whose words I loved even before I could read: “Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality.” ~ Beatrix Potter

A much admired woman whose life matched her words: “You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A woman whose soaring voice made my soul soar as well: “There is a growing strength in women; but it’s in the forehead, not in the forearm.” ~ Beverly Sills

A woman whose strength encompassed a nation: “One only gets to the top rung on the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of abilities which you thought NEVER belonged to you—suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, ‘Well, I’ll have a go, too.'” ~ Margaret Thatcher

And finally, an unnamed woman who offers hope in times of stress: “Fear gives intelligence even to fools.” ~ Anonymous

See you next on Saturday’s Spellbinder!

These quotes came from a Treasury of Women’s Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, Prentice Hall, 1992, in 1998, through the hand of a strong woman whose friendship and laughter I still treasure: Connie Burrup.

Thinkin’ on Thursday: Thinkin’ About Monstrous Creatures

Easy as A, B, C . . . from BB

I’m not actually all that “in” to Monsters ‑ though I understand  they’re very big with a lot of audiences right now.  I guess The Walking Dead or Zombies are popular with lots of teens and younger, not to mention all the adults who really eat them up . . . well, wait a minute.  That may be a little too much!

But I’ve always loved Fantastical Creatures, even from childhood. And  they’ve never lost their charm for me.  The trick for writers is coming up with new twists on “old” creatures.  To that end, when I went to the LTUE [Life, the Universe, and Everything] Conference last weekend, which caters to gamers, fans and writers of sci‑fi, fantasy, horror, steam punk ‑‑‑ any of the more “weird” genres ‑‑‑ I found myself drawn early on into the workshop touted as MONSTERS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF.

The panel was made up of Larry Correia, Andrea Pearson, Mikey Brooks, Robison Wells, Shirley Bahlman whose stories range from shoot ’em ups, the grotesque, the fanciful, and the creepy (and I probably haven’t nailed ALL of them down).

The biggest thing I got out of it was to try looking at other ethnic groups than your own.  I couldn’t agree more.  I lived as a young girl in Hawaii.  The myths I read were filled with the Hawaiian hero, Maui ‑‑‑ the Polynesian version of Hercules, and Pele the goddess of volcanoes.  I loved a Loki‑like imp and the adventures (and troubles!) he got into,  And how funny were the Menehune ‑ Polynesian version of Irish leprechauns.

Every year when we got our “textbooks” for the year, I whipped through all the sections which had myths or fairy tales or any type of fantasy in the first couple of days.  Then I found myself bored when we had to read the “other” parts of the text with stories about children in a town, or on a farm, or in an “ordinary” school.  Loved it, though, when we would read all the ones I’d already read, as a “class assignment.”  I read them over and over.

So what did our illustrious writers recommend for a NEW look at OLD sources?

Mermaids, nymphs, dragons, fairy tales, etc., that were not western‑based.  Look at the Finnish Kalavalla, Atlantis, Eastern European writings.  What about Syria ‑‑‑ so much in the news now ‑‑‑ or the Japanese.  (You want dragons?  The Japanese have wonderful dragons!)

Or take a gander at The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A‑Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic by John & Caitlin Matthews, or Wikipedia’s mythology art books.  They even said there are free eBooks available from Amazon of other countries’ fairy tales.

How about letting your imagination run wild and make up some of your own? Or think about rare monsters someone else has made up:  Larry Correia’s wife told their small children about the Store Wolves ‑‑‑ I think they were located at IKEA ‑‑‑ that ran up and down the aisles looking for small children, presumably to eat!  That reminded me of a friend of mine years ago who told her children that our in‑ground trampoline was where we kept the alligators.  THAT kept them from going out there to jump alone!  Have you heard of the Moving Rocks in Death Valley?  Maybe it would be good to examine territorial urban myths for another source!.

Whatever you come up with, have fun, use your imagination, and Write On!

See you next for Saturday’s Spellbinder!