Flex
Not sure if my story is up today or not at Lurker Monkey's. I'm writing at 5:00 a.m., and I don't know if his eyeballs even function at that hour. But I thought about writing muscles.
See, when life is going smoothly, 5:00 a.m. is when I walk. The fact that I haven't lately is a pretty clear indicator of life going awry. Nonetheless, even after a hiatus, it always feels good to walk a few miles and feel the muscles flex.
That's why I do Lurker Monkey's story prompts. I think it's good once in a while to step out of my usual writing routine and do something new. I've written, I think, about 20+ novels, and don't even count proposals and chapters, and half-finished work in that. Usually, a novel is about "going long." Writing 300 pages. But a short-short is an entirely different beast. You can almost hear the synapses firing in a different direction.
Occasionally, I'll play with a poem.
Sometimes, I pray in written form.
Sometimes I write in longhand. Just because.
When I send cards for a funeral or for a wedding, I tend to search for a literary quote and handwrite it in a blank card with a personal note.
Even my Christmas letter is sometimes creative.
In any case, sometimes I think it's good to flex. To write something because it's different. When Lurker Monkey posts his prompt, I don't get to PICK what it is. And then the mission to create something around it begins. I flex.
So what do you do to work the writing muscles?
23 comments:
I'm a very percise kind of person, if something isn't right - I fiddle with it until it looks better in my eyes.
My writing is a lot like painting...very....very...very slow painting. One bad scene can throw me off for a week. You paint(write) a little bit - leave it alone - then come back a week later a carefully remove what you painted a week before.
It drives me mad, so sometimes I just sit down at my computer and pulnge both hands into the paint. I write whatever comes to me in that second. It's raw, and it doesn't make any sense, but it works, sometimes you just have to sling a little paint around. ;D
J.T.:
What a terrific analogy. I rarely freewrite . . . but that's another great way to flex!!
E
I like stretching myself with flash fiction - like on Lurker's blog. To me it's a great way to go outside my comfort zone. Like you mentioned, there's no choice involved - yet - the choices are infinite as to how to handle a prompt. I like working within word counts as well, trying to tell a whole story in a short space. It's an exercise in word economics - which benefits me in all aspects of writing.
NPR has had two three-minute fiction contests - I've entered and not won - but really enjoyed first writing to the prompt and within the 600 word parameters.
Indeed, I posted your story this morning ...
(More thoughts later because my brain is still barely functioning.)
Amy:
Because I freelance for a couple of magazines, I've gotten used to word count restrictions, and you're right about how it's very flexing.
E
Lurker:
One word: COFFEE.
:-)
E
Good post for today. I think I need to flex some muscles. I had decided not to do other types of writing until I finished some revisions on the novel, but now that feels like punishment. And not terribly helpful for my process.
I love what J.T said-- the painting analogy is awesome. Very vivid.
I'm going to flex some muscles today and see what happens.
Heather:
Good luck with your workout!
E
Ah, much better.
I was just talking about this last night, the "writing muscles." For me, that meant length: when I first started writing, it was inconceivable that I write more than about 50 pages. I just couldn't imagine how ANYONE could write a whole novel. So it took me a long time to learn how to pace a novel and hit the right length.
Lurker:
For me, the first novel was also a huge flex.
E
I write poetry. I sometimes enter contests. I take a line, start something new and see what comes up. (I used to quilt but who has time these days?)
I like Lurker's pieces, but I got too busy trying to drum up work lately, that and all the non-writing crap I've recently got myself involved with (hence, today I'm re-evaluating my priorities, sorry, but at least one volunteer gig needs to disappear).
Anyway, because of the nature of my writing business, sometimes I'm writing fiction, sometimes trade journal articles, sometimes website content, sometimes market research reports, sometimes consumer-oriented articles, etc. I think that's just kept some of my writing muscles flexing.
I read a lot. I study what works and what doesn't work for me a lot, and I test out stuff, sometimes in my journal, but usually within my current WIP, as long as it doesn't interfere with my pacing, voice, or flow.
I used to write a ton of short stories, but not so much anymore. I write too slow nowadays, which makes me feel too guilty to play with something else. I really can't seem to get back up to my old level of productivity. There's always tomorrow...
I work from short to novel length. I love the novella length, too, so compact and yet there's room to explore deeper stuff.
No flash pieces for me though. I truly suck at it. Ditto poetry, though I've tried it.
You know, that said, I do tend to fix a word count in my head when working on something. I work well within restraints.
I've really started to love flash as a break from novels. I like that I can knock them out in under an hour and have a finished piece to stare at. It's especially helpful when I've been editing for a long time -- it's nice to be able to actually write something new.
A propos to nothing in this post. I sent you an email with the link to the story about the chip implanted in the brain of a woman with ALzheimers, for your oldest son. But the emails all came back to me as "blocked for SPAM". The Renascence of Memory by Amy Sterling.
It's still up, and here's the link:
http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php/Amy-Sterling/Short-Stories/The-Renascence-of-Memory
Sarah:
I entered my first contest recently.
E
Mark:
My varied freelance does the same for me.
E
Natasha:
That was why I stopped writing short stories (not paying gig), but I really have been loving the prompts.
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Sex Scenes:
I have NO idea if I am any good at flash fiction, but I do have fun!
E
Melanie:
Me, too!
E
Thanks FF, I will have him read it today.
E
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