I have begun to spend more of my spare time editing a friend's stories than writing my own, but it gives me a welcome break. I am not a professional editor, but if anyone reading this needs someone to look over their work and find spelling, grammar, and flow mistakes I would be happy to do so (for free :) ).
I am slowly but surely beginning to see themes and points that I can emphasize in my zombie story, and it's really neat to see how there are layers of meaning waiting to emerge after some good wood shaving and editing.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Writing Room
The zombie novella is complete, except for the all important process of editing. But I am still celebrating on the inside; I have finished my first piece. Not my first piece if you count the short stories I wrote for class or the short stories I wrote when I was 15. But hey, my first piece in a really long time is still something to get excited about.
I wrote the first half of my novella while still in a very math/science frame of mind, and it's been a tricky transition between the two different methods of writing. With technical writing you are expected to be as concise and accurate as possible. Metaphors, perfect diction, and character development are all considered to be fluff that is to be left out. This isn't anything shocking, stories are meant to entertain and technical writing is meant to convey information.
This summer I am going to be living in a small town in the southeastern US with one of my best friends from high school. We have kept in touch over the years and since she is going off to law school soon it seemed logical to fulfill our childhood fantasy of living in a writing house. We are going to be staying in a fixed up two bedroom country home surrounded by beautiful trees and acres of woods. This will be a nice break from my more technical occupation, a chance to really rediscover my creative side. The rent will be cheap, the company splendid, and hopefully an all together fulfilling experience.
I have not seen the house yet, as it is undergoing renovations. I have been told that the rooms may be painted and decorated to our tastes. I am trying to figure out how I want it decorated. I don't want anything extravagant, just a living area that is inspiring and contributes to the writing process in a positive way. I know I will grow restless after the initial awe of uninterrupted creative time has subsided, but the weight of hot, sticky, southern summers is bound to keep me in doors most of the day. Perhaps a blue room with a bed, a desk, and dressers in the closet to keep the area open. I could use sunlight from the windows to avoid the haze light bulbs give off if you have been inside too long. At night it cools off enough to sit on the back porch and enjoy the fireflies, as long as you can escape the bugs. Maybe plant a garden and enjoy home grown healthy foods, and learn how to cook without a microwave.
I might try to write as much as can without my laptop. I would substitute my computer for a writing pad, a pen, and a picnic blanket under the mid morning sun, and then go in before it got too hot. That would be lovely.
What kind of space do you prefer to write in? Let me know in the comments below.
I wrote the first half of my novella while still in a very math/science frame of mind, and it's been a tricky transition between the two different methods of writing. With technical writing you are expected to be as concise and accurate as possible. Metaphors, perfect diction, and character development are all considered to be fluff that is to be left out. This isn't anything shocking, stories are meant to entertain and technical writing is meant to convey information.
This summer I am going to be living in a small town in the southeastern US with one of my best friends from high school. We have kept in touch over the years and since she is going off to law school soon it seemed logical to fulfill our childhood fantasy of living in a writing house. We are going to be staying in a fixed up two bedroom country home surrounded by beautiful trees and acres of woods. This will be a nice break from my more technical occupation, a chance to really rediscover my creative side. The rent will be cheap, the company splendid, and hopefully an all together fulfilling experience.
I have not seen the house yet, as it is undergoing renovations. I have been told that the rooms may be painted and decorated to our tastes. I am trying to figure out how I want it decorated. I don't want anything extravagant, just a living area that is inspiring and contributes to the writing process in a positive way. I know I will grow restless after the initial awe of uninterrupted creative time has subsided, but the weight of hot, sticky, southern summers is bound to keep me in doors most of the day. Perhaps a blue room with a bed, a desk, and dressers in the closet to keep the area open. I could use sunlight from the windows to avoid the haze light bulbs give off if you have been inside too long. At night it cools off enough to sit on the back porch and enjoy the fireflies, as long as you can escape the bugs. Maybe plant a garden and enjoy home grown healthy foods, and learn how to cook without a microwave.
I might try to write as much as can without my laptop. I would substitute my computer for a writing pad, a pen, and a picnic blanket under the mid morning sun, and then go in before it got too hot. That would be lovely.
What kind of space do you prefer to write in? Let me know in the comments below.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Write In and 750words.com
Ah, the joys of winter break. Today I am visiting my childhood friend Rhia and finally doing something we have planned for weeks: a write in. We settled down at a table in her office and sat in front of each other on our lap tops, writing and snacking and joking. There was hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks to stir in the flavor, and gingerbread cookies to hold us over until the homemade chicken soup finished simmering on the stove. I find this to be a very relaxing and fun way to keep each other accountable and quickly remedy writers' block, which has been a lot of trouble lately.
She told me about this site, 750words, where people can go and just write as a private exercise. Supposedly, 250 words is about what will fit onto one (I assume handwritten) page. Writing three pages of just whatever helps to get the blood going, so to speak, like a good stretch does after getting out of bed. Hopefully, this will help me power through today's goal.
Now, onward to finishing the first draft of my zombie novella!
She told me about this site, 750words, where people can go and just write as a private exercise. Supposedly, 250 words is about what will fit onto one (I assume handwritten) page. Writing three pages of just whatever helps to get the blood going, so to speak, like a good stretch does after getting out of bed. Hopefully, this will help me power through today's goal.
Now, onward to finishing the first draft of my zombie novella!
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