Support group for writing weekly theme? [Archive]

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Penelope

04-04-2005, 12:16 AM

Who else is going to participate in the Just for Fun: Join in on the theme (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9994) thread?

If anyone's interested, I think it would be a good idea to encourage and support each other in this idea. It's not for the contest, but we could always polish whatever pieces we write and try to get them published.

Who's in? BTW, would it sweeten the deal if I told you there are two beautiful ladies in this support group already? I am one, and mommie4a (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/member.php?u=992) is the other.

C'mon, you know you wanna. ;)

JAlpha

04-04-2005, 12:24 AM

Great Idea:Hail: I'm in.

JAlpha

Sarita

04-04-2005, 12:38 AM

Yeah, I'm in. Or at least I'll try to be. :)

Penelope

04-04-2005, 12:40 AM

I am the one who started this, now I have to be held accountable. EEK!

Nah, that's really the point, to strongly encourage myself (and others willing) to do this.

mommie4a

04-04-2005, 01:24 AM

http://www.smileys.ws/sm/sport/00000007.gif You can do it!! And I promise, I won't let you take any hits you don't deserve!http://www.smileys.ws/sm/sport/00000050.gifWe'll all share the load. http://www.smileys.ws/sm/action/00000046.gif

trumancoyote

04-04-2005, 01:30 AM

Teehee. Where do you get those cute emoticons, Mommie? I don't see them on our little list.

mommie4a

04-04-2005, 01:32 AM

Teehee. Where do you get those cute emoticons, Mommie? I don't see them on our little list.

http://www.smileys.ws/

mommie4a

04-04-2005, 01:35 AM

http://emoticons4u.com/fam.htm Also looks like a good one!

trumancoyote

04-04-2005, 01:47 AM

Ooh! Now I can be cool like Mommy :)

Penelope

04-04-2005, 02:38 AM

Well, here's this week's theme: CROSSROADS - Let us meet someone at a crossroad in his/her life, about to make a major decision. Show us the decision.

Length: 2500 words or less.

Can take any form (short fiction/nonfiction/poetry/screenplay/etc.).

Due: Sunday, April 10th at 11:59 p.m. EST.

What form are you all planning to write it in, do you know yet? I'll likely go with nonfiction or poetry, but ultimately I'll go wherever my muse takes me.

Good luck. :Thumbs:

JAlpha

04-04-2005, 02:38 AM

Ooh! Now I can be cool like Mommy :)

Was that THE trumancoyote of AW Idol fame who just popped in here?

I mean congrats and all that politically correct stuff, :Trophy:

but he can't play with us, he's in the REAL game:poke:

JAlpha

bjewel77

04-04-2005, 02:52 AM

Count me in too! At least I'll give it a try. Writing about a crossroads in life, that's a tough one...never been there...NOT! :Wha:

Bjewel77

trumancoyote

04-04-2005, 02:58 AM

Was that THE trumancoyote of AW Idol fame who just popped in here?

I mean congrats and all that politically correct stuff, :Trophy:

but she can't play with us, she's in the REAL game:poke:

JAlpha

I'm a he :P Heheh.

And I'm a lurker; I can't help it! :banana:

Sarita

04-04-2005, 02:59 AM

Do we have to kick you outta here, Zach??? Just kidding, lurk all you want ;)

JAlpha

04-04-2005, 03:06 AM

mommie4a

04-04-2005, 04:00 AM

What form are you all planning to write it in, do you know yet? I'll likely go with nonfiction or poetry, but ultimately I'll go wherever my muse takes me.

Good luck. :Thumbs:

Hmm - how about a script for an interpretive modern dance?

Penelope

04-04-2005, 04:08 AM

Hmm - how about a script for an interpretive modern dance?

Nah, I did that last week. :roll:

JAlpha

04-04-2005, 04:17 AM

I'm doing a haiku for my piece.

Just kidding.

:crazy: I've signed up for therapy for my haiku addiction. It's a Seventeen Step Program. First you take five steps, then seven, then five again.

JAlpha

Sarita

04-04-2005, 04:19 AM

:ROFL: :ROFL: :ROFL:

Penelope

04-04-2005, 04:30 AM

hahahahahahahaha, good one.

trumancoyote

04-04-2005, 10:01 AM

Sorry Zach :Headbang:

OK, now here's where it really gets embarrassing. I actually read your bio on the "Meet the Finalists Thread" earlier today.

JAlpha

OH DARN! I edited my original post--I mean I gave you that much needed sex change you requested, but I can't erase my original crime from the quote you posted in your reply!

Mwahahaha!!

It's no biggy. When I'm not writing about my penis, my words tend to blur the lines between genders.

You can call me 'she' if you really want to.

astonwest

04-04-2005, 03:34 PM

I plan on polishing up a short story of mine which fits the theme...hopefully I can get enough BIC time this week to do so...

JenNipps

04-04-2005, 06:54 PM

I'm in. :)

I e-mailed the post to myself so I will be able to look at it again soon and do something to get started on it.

Is it cheating to say I think I already have something figured out for it? :)

Alphabet

04-05-2005, 12:43 AM

:crazy: I've signed up for therapy for my haiku addiction. It's a Seventeen Step Program. First you take five steps, then seven, then five again.

JAlpha

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

SueB

04-05-2005, 04:57 AM

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

I thought this was a great idea, Poppy. I started on mine Suday night. Me and my muse got carried away with the story line though. I'm already past the word count limit and I'm no wheres near finished. Perhaps, when I finish I'll just post it on my own site and give you all a heads up. That way, if you are interested, you can go take a peek. But for those who don't want to read anything over the limit (word count) it won't be in here taking up mega space. Ok with you all?
Thanks and you all writeright, ok?
SueB:Shrug:

Penelope

04-05-2005, 08:56 PM

So far, I have zero, zip, zilch, nada, nothing! Not freaking out yet because I still have a few days, but I just wanted to check in and report on my progress (or lack thereof).

Sarita

04-05-2005, 08:59 PM

I'm working on an idea. It's for my WIP, but it fits into this theme nicely. Wrote some yesterday, but TOO distracted today. What's my problem!?!?! I can't get my head on straight today!

mommie4a

04-05-2005, 09:03 PM

My ideas have actually kept me awake so now I'm exhausted and still trying to emerge from the backlog created last week when I had the stomach virus, of course now however, my oldest son has it again, I have something due tomorrow and taxes - hmm, I think I told my husband I'd have that Sched. C done....last week?

Ok - ideas - these are the decisions I was facing:

1. To kick or not to kick husband out of house

2. To be or not to be Jewish?

3. To kill or not to kill myself?

4. To relinquish or not to relinquish my professional degrees (Because I'd let too many months go by without getting continuing ed)

5. To have or not to have a third child?

6. To live or not to live in Ohio?

God - I don't think I'll ever write fiction at this rate.

Sarita

04-05-2005, 09:08 PM

Wow, Jill. Those are some intense ideas. Hope you can keep it all under control! :)

mommie4a

04-05-2005, 10:12 PM

Now, see, if the word count was limited to 750, I could keep it tight with no problem because there's no choice. With 2500 to use up, it can get MESSY. (I'm going to shoot for 1000-1500 I think.)

Penelope

04-05-2005, 11:13 PM

Ya know, we have a Mom and Pop burger joint around here called Crossroads (because it's located at the one and only four-way stop in this community. Maybe I could write about deciding whether or not to add fries to my order. Decisions, decisions.

JAlpha

04-06-2005, 05:35 PM

Hi all,

I'm nearly ready to post my "crossroads" piece. I'm putting the final polish on it. It's a flash fiction piece--under 700 words. My editing scalpel is still sharp if anyone finds they are going over the alloted word count 2,500, I'd be happy to perform a "nip & tuck" --I promise it won't hurt a bit :whip:

Janet

Penelope

04-06-2005, 07:05 PM

No worries about going over the word count here...yet...because I don't have any words. :) I guess this is going to be one of those times where I pull something out of my hat at the last minute.

I do have an idea though, I just have to start putting it to paper.

JAlpha

04-07-2005, 07:13 AM

Tomorrow I have out-of-town guests coming for two days, so I posted my Crosswords piece tonight. It's a flash fiction piece--approximately 900 words. They're here on business, so I don't have to keep them entertained all day--thank goodness. Now that two of my children have started college, I'm very protective of my time alone during the day.:whip:

Janet

Penelope

04-07-2005, 06:37 PM

I still don't have anything written down yet, but I'm about to sit down and start now. :)

JAlpha

04-08-2005, 10:10 PM

Hi All,

My "Just for Fun" crossroads story has been posted. My out-of-town

company is gone. The last of the storms have moved out, and I'm here for

anyone who needs a last minute crit, some gentle motivation, :poke: ,

a kick in the rump!
Janet

JAlpha

04-10-2005, 09:51 PM

I feel like a lone cheerleader standing on the edge of an empty high school

football field, and it's raining :cry:

Or did I show up to the game on the wrong day again :Smack: ?

"Go team go!" :hooray:

Oh the pain of a lone cheer echoing through an abandoned stadium.

JAlpha

Penelope

04-10-2005, 10:06 PM

Unless I post something old, I don't think I'm going to make it.

Can we post something old or does it have to be newly written? I think the top 11 have to post something new, but do we? Does anyone know?

Mr Underhill

04-10-2005, 11:26 PM

My "Just for Fun" crossroads story has been posted. My out-of-town company is gone. The last of the storms have moved out, and I'm here for anyone who needs a last minute crit, some gentle motivation, :poke: , a kick in the rump!
JanetI've also posted mine, JAlpha, and would like to get some feedback too. I'll look at yours in a bit, but I have to run off to my workshop shortly, so it will probably be tomorrow. I do like the idea for this thread.

One thing might merit some comment right away: I thought a couple thousand words was a lot to dump into a regular post, so I tried it as an attachment. Was that a good or bad idea? Also, it would have taken some time-consuming contortions to have put it into the MSWord format, so I posted it as a PDF file. Does that work for most people, or should I perhaps have gone with just a plain text file? (I normally keep my work as RTF files, since every WP I've seen supports that.)

Also, I didn't get farther than making the decision before hitting the word count, so the MC acting on her decision would be the next installment. I could have edited it to flash through some of the scenes, but since this is the "just for fun" version, I thought a bit of slack with the rules was acceptable under the circumstances. I wonder how people feel about that.

mommie4a

04-11-2005, 02:00 AM

I'm working on something to post, too.

Poppy, I don't think it has to be new from us, but maybe something you haven't had published or would like to get some feedback on? Because it's probably going to be most helpful to us, the feedback that is. That's what I'm thinking anyway. I hope folks like what we post, but I actually feel almost selfish! Since it's really just to get a critique at this point.

WHERE ARE YOU POSTING? In Share your work or somewhere in the Idol forum?

JAlpha

04-11-2005, 02:09 AM

Hey, the stadium is beginning to fill up again:TheWave:

Go team go! Go team go!

Jill, I posted my story in the Just for Fun --Idol thread where Jenna first suggested the idea.
Janet

Penelope

04-11-2005, 02:48 AM

Okay, I know what I can post then.

JAlpha

04-11-2005, 02:51 AM

Way to go Poppy! Go Poppy Go! :TheWave:

Penelope

04-11-2005, 03:35 AM

I feel bad about being the one who started this thread/support group idea, but 'copping out' by posting something I'd already written. My personal reason for joining in on the fun was to challenge myself to write something new each week. Oh well, can't look back, only forward. I'll try harder on the next challenge.

Mr Underhill

04-11-2005, 04:26 AM

WHERE ARE YOU POSTING? In Share your work or somewhere in the Idol forum?Ms Glatzer put up a thread in the
Absolute Idol forum entitled Just For Fun: Join In On the Theme!

My post is here, JAlpha's is here.

mommie4a

04-11-2005, 04:40 AM

Thanks much fellow just for fun writers. Will post in the next couple of hours.

Poppy - DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU'VE COPPED OUT!!!! I know what you mean. I started something that I've wanted to write for a long time with a great crossroads but I'm so relentless in my self-editing that I just didn't get very far.

So then I looked at some things I've started over the last couple of years and picked on of them to kind of branch off of and that's what I'm going to use. It's an experiment, I think folks here are great critics and I'm looking forward to just getting feedback. Sometimes we have to scale back our expectations without feeling like it was all or nothing. Knowing one's limitations at any point in time can be very liberating. I speak from experience!!

Hang in there.

Jill

Mr Underhill

04-22-2005, 08:46 AM

Looks like we have more entries on the JFF thread than last week. And they're good!

Penelope

04-22-2005, 09:20 AM

I totally messed up and missed it. I've had so much on my mind, I kinda forgot. Then when I did remember, I couldn't focus. That's not a good reason though. I'm so disappointed in myself.

Mr Underhill

04-22-2005, 09:29 AM

I totally messed up and missed it. I've had so much on my mind, I kinda forgot.Well, since it is not the competition thread, you could certainly post something late. Even tomorrow. I won't tell anyone.

Or just take a pass (here's one :Hug2: ) and get in next week.I'm so disappointed in myself.Please don't be. It is the just for fun thread, after all, it would be terrible if you beat up on yourself over that.

mommie4a

04-22-2005, 06:35 PM

I totally messed up and missed it. I've had so much on my mind, I kinda forgot. Then when I did remember, I couldn't focus. That's not a good reason though. I'm so disappointed in myself.

Poppy - You know, that's what my kids call my dad but you are MUCH cuter! We love you, we love your writing, get back to the theme thing when you can, if you can, or not. Life has a way of getting...in the way. Have a great Friday and weekend. It's Passover - time to drink those four glasses of wine and watch Charlton Heston in a loincloth!

:Hug2: Jill

mommie4a

04-27-2005, 04:56 PM

Ok, Support Group! Let's go! My biggest problem this week is figuring out which of all the things I've never told anyone I'm now old enough and shameless enough to divulge. I also need to make sure none of the other characters are still alive!

Mr Underhill

04-27-2005, 09:39 PM

"Only one person in the world knew what I had done, and I intended to keep it that way."

or

"People say you always find what you're looking for when you stop looking."Note that these are not necessarily themes, but first sentences. The first one is particularly interesting, because it recalls Benjamin Franklin's famous proverb Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead.

It probably means one other person, because presumably the narrator knows, but one could have some fun with that. Is he the only one who knows what he did? Or perhaps he is dead, so there is only one person "in the world"? Many possibilities.

Mr Underhill

04-30-2005, 12:19 AM

My biggest problem this week is figuring out which of all the things I've never told anyone I'm now old enough and shameless enough to divulge.If you haven't seen it yet, take a look at Chapter 16 of Stein On Writing, "The Secret Snapshot Technique."

I also need to make sure none of the other characters are still alive!:flag: No, Jill! Don't do it!!! (to quote wurdwise)

Penelope

04-30-2005, 03:19 AM

mommie4a

05-05-2005, 08:26 AM

Some great reading in the just for fun thread for Week 3 - read and comment!

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9994

Ddama

05-06-2005, 07:00 AM

My intention when I first started this thread was to "force" (strongly encourage?) myself to write some new and different material, but I should've known I can't "force" myself to write anything. Either I'm inspired or I'm not. Those two sentences, so far, have not inspired anything. Maybe one of them will before the deadline, maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see...:)

Hi Poppy,

I'm new here, so please don't take this the wrong way.

I'm participating in the write-along for much the same reason you want to. The challenge is fun in of itself and I hope that writing within the sometimes unusual restrictions of the contest will help me improve my craft. Nonethless, I seem to be doing everything possible to sabotage myself.

I have watched more Law and Order in the past few weeks than I have in the preceding six years. (I used to be addicted. I fear a relapse.) I have found excuses to do research on other projects, to make headway on my reading list, to do everything possible except write. At the end of the day or the week, though, I simply force myself to write, no matter how much I might not want to.

I'm not in the contest. There is no prize. The deadline is meaningless to me, except in a vague sense of providing some mental urgency. No one cares whether or not I submit a story. I do it for myself.

Uncle Jim's monster thread on writing commercial fiction (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6710) contains a lot of good univeral advice. Perhaps the best piece is "give yourself permission to write garbage." If that's not enough, I give you permission to write garbage. If my authority isn't good enough, ask Uncle Jim for permission. I reckon he'll give it in a pinch. Once you get started on something, even if it's crap, you can always fix it.

If you want to write, well, to paraphrase Thomas (http://www.warrenellis.com/image/edison02.gif) Edison (http://www.warrenellis.com/image/edison00.gif), a smart man, don't sweat the inspiration, just sweat.

Best of luck,

DD

BlueTexas

05-06-2005, 07:51 AM