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Hitting the Ceiling Light ( Day 6 )
The Challenge for Day 6 ” Tell Another Person’s Story” The challenge from Jeff Goins today is to tell a story from someone else’s point of view, perhaps even a friend. I reached back into my past and this is what I came up with. Part fiction, part memoir, but told from a friend’s point of view. Hitting the Ceiling Light… Hitting the Ceiling Light “Look at the pair of ye.” Miss Hennessey has me and Annie Smith standing out in front of the class. Rows of wooden desks in front of us and her sitting behind us. I can’t even see her face, but her voice makes me jump.…
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Old McDonald had a Car ( Day 5 )
The challenge for Day 5 Today’s 500Words Challenge( Jeff Goins ) is to write about a day you will never forget. Everyone has loads of those days that stick out in the memory for one reason or another. I went for the day I attempted the driving test for the second time. Most of it is true to the original event, though I changed a few small details. Here it is, Old McDonald… Old McDonald had A Car Just an hour to go. I’m sitting in my car, the little orange Punto, waiting. And breathing. Calmly. In through the nose, out through the mouth. My heart doesn’t seem to…
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Free Writing ( Day 4 )
Free Writing The email from Jeff Goins today is to do some free writing. Now, this is a concept I’m quite familiar with because it’s something I do regularly as part of my creative writing course. Basically, you just keep writing for a set period of time, usually on a suggested prompt. You are supposed to keep going no matter what. No self-editing or revisions, the grammar police are banned. The aim is to encourage creativity. This is how Jeff describes it: “Master the art of silencing the inner critic, letting go of perfectionism, and embracing your art.” Jeff Goins So, if you can’t think of anything, you…
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Before Coffee (Day 3)
Before Coffee Help! The latest email from Jeff Goins suggests that the best time for writing is first thing in the morning. He even recommends getting up an hour or two earlier each day, just to write. Before coffee, before food, before anything. Now, anyone who knows me can testify that I am not an early riser. And to make it worse, it takes me ages to tune into life. But, maybe that’s the whole point…Perhaps waiting for the fog to clear is the wrong approach? Tomorrow, I am going to find out one way or another because I intend to take up this part of the challenge in the same…
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Three Questions (Day 2 )
Three Questions Today’s suggestion for the 500 words challenge is to outline my main goal for taking it on and then explain how I hope to achieve this. These three questions should help me clarify things: Why did I take it on? What do I want to achieve over the next 31 days? How will I go about it? Hopefully, by the time I finish this post, we will have some answers to these three questions.. And yes, as you’ve guessed, I’m winging it here. Why did I take on the challenge? This question is easier to answer and I mentioned some of the factors in the Day 1…
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500 Words Challenge Day 1
500 Words Challenge Day 1 A new start today! It’s the first day of my 500 Words Challenge and I’m feeling quite excited. Over Christmas, I got lazy about my writing and let things slip. Then when I tried to get back to normal, Writer’s Block whacked me head-on. It wasn’t a nice feeling and it took a lot of soul searching and perseverance to find my way back. Words, Words, Words It was like a fog had descended on my brain and I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Words that made sense. Words that told stories. Words that connected with others. But I was missing the whole point. The words didn’t…
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Short Story Writing , Five Useful Websites
Short Story Writing Generally speaking, a short story is a piece of fiction under approx. 5.000 words in length. Is it just a shorter version of a novel? Not really, short stories actually have more in common with the genre of poetry. You are taking a specific character/event/emotion and focusing in on it like a magnet. “To see the world in a grain of sand” William Blake It’s like concentrating on one photograph on someone’s Facebook, rather than their whole timeline…But, of course, that photograph would need to have something unique or intriguing about it. And, of course, create a strong emotional response. That, to me, is the most important…
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Pod 125, Hebrus Valles, Mars
Pod 125, Hebrus Valles, Mars Ting bip bip bip. Ting bip bip bip. Ting bip bip bip. The buzzer beeps relentlessly until I point my index finger at the red, flashing square. It takes quite a bit of finesse because it’s located right in the middle of the Pointer Box over the door. Smart move, there’s no way you’d be able to turn it off unless you were fully awake. The switch-off starts the predictable morning routine in motion. I stretch myself up on the bed…A loose term really, it’s more like a flat-packed coffin. The only difference is that it’s made of white recycled plastic and it…
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Seven January Targets
Seven January Targets Having read over my December Review, I realise that I’ve been slacking a bit. It’s okay to make the usual excuses about Christmas etc, but if that’s true, so is this: January is traditionally a time for making new starts, so here goes with my seven January targets. Seven January Targets Read “On Writing” by Eudora Welty, Pulitzer prize winner and one of the 20th century’s greatest literary icons. Write a post about this book. Edit and publish some of the stories I’ve written as part of my Creative Writing course with Pauline Clooney. Take some new photographs and publish at least one in the Photography section…
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December Review
December Review I have to start out by admitting that I didn’t achieve many of my December Targets. As I mentioned in my previous post about the Christmas Open Mic with Pauline Clooney, the season seems to have a mind of its’ own. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, you end up swirled into the mix…At least, that’s always been my experience. So, bearing that in mind, here is my December Review: Christmas Theme Well, at least I managed to keep to my targets here. I wrote a blog post about the importance of Home at Christmas and managed a photo story about the Christmas Open Mic.…