reverie broken
memories wet on my cheek
a dream in a tear
Thanks to Putting My Feet in the Dirt and to Fandango for two great ideas that worked perfectly together.
Check out their sites for great writing and the rules of the game.
day dreaming
Tag: Writing Prompt
Finding Fabio
Once, fame had been his drug. Now, those covers were nothing but an anathema. A reminder of his age. All he wanted was peace. But they always found him. Somehow. He took a deep breath. Tossed his hair. Smiled. Maybe just one photo he thought as the giggling middle-aged women approached.
Late to the game for the “anathema” 52 word challenge, but thanks to Sammis Scribbles for an excuse to use it in a story and to Linda’s SoCS Challenge for a reason to write about FABIO!
Inch Worm Angst
This week! I yi yi! No wonder today’s Just Jot January prompt reminded me of this commercial from my childhood for the
Inch Worm Toy 
Granted I was probably out of the target age but I had the same reaction then as I do now.
You’re getting nowhere on that ridiculous thing. Get off that stupid worm and run! Or walk. Or skip. Or even jump up and down. You’d make just as much progress but at least you wouldn’t be breaking that dumb worm’s back.
An overreaction? Yes. But this week.
I yi yi!
I won’t bore y’all with details. But I feel like I’m stuck on that damn worm. Striding with all my might. Getting nowhere.
I know I will eventually move.
Maybe forward.
Maybe backwards.
But at least I’ll be moving.
Meanwhile my notorious tendency to be inpatient is reeking havoc on my mind and body.
Time to remind myself: “this too shall pass.”
Venting session complete.
Thanks for listening 😬
Written for Linda G. Hill’s Just Jot It January prompt. Today’s prompt, “inch,” was suggested by John Holden at The Sound of One Hand Typing.
Writing that Novel: Block, Break, or Bail?
November was NaNoWriMo. And many people in my sphere (be it virtual or irl) participated. Me? I went another route. I didn’t add a single word to my novel-in-progress. And as we enter December, I continue to not write. If this not-writing goes on much longer, it may necessitate a designation change from novel-in-progress to novel-not-in-progress. Seriously, how long can I say I’m working on it, if it’s sitting untouched in a drawer?
One week? One month? Six months? One year? Forever?
The most frustrating aspect of my current stall is that I’m not really sure what’s behind it. Am I having writer’s block? Did I just need a break? Or am I trying to tell myself it’s time to bail (or bale for my UK friends) on the project?
It (the stall) started innocently enough. I’m nearing the end of the first draft and I know it needs some work. Among other things, I’m not sure whether my original narrative structure is working. So in late October, I did two things to address these concerns. I asked my writing accountability partner (and published novelist) to read and comment on the entire manuscript. And I submitted some pages to a writer’s conference. In early-November, I was rejected by the conference, so no help from them. But that same week, I got an excellent critique from my accountability-partner reader. Her comments, criticisms, and suggestions were spot-on. But they also reaffirmed some of my concerns. Bottom line: it still needs a lot of work.
In my pre-fiction (and let’s be honest-my younger) writing days, I immediately would have been fired up by the feedback. I am (or was) one of those weird writers that really enjoys the process of editing and rewriting. Pulling apart, restructuring, fine-tuning—love(d) it all! But this time, the thought of all that ripping and rebuilding left me a bit exhausted. So I keep putting it off.
Thanksgiving. Magazine assignments. The weather is nice. Read blogs. Write haiku. All perfectly good reasons not to start back TODAY.
Tomorrow. I’ll start back tomorrow. I promise! (I said just last night.)
So this morning was going to be that tomorrow. I absolutely was going to open up my novel and get back to work. The timing was perfect. My magazine assignments were submitted. Today’s calendar was completely empty. It’s foggy and rainy outside. I was READY to go! Then I saw Teresa’s picture prompt. I am obsessed with monkeys. I LOVE them. They make me happy. And that fabulous photo was all my brain needed to “forget” my original plan. Monkey thoughts filled my mind. But even as the monkey endorphins pumped me up, I caught sight of the manuscript pile on my desk and guilt flooded out my happy monkey vibe.
Doubt returned. Seriously, was tomorrow ever going to come?
So I’m back to my questions.
BLOCK?
- Am I just dealing with a bit of writer’s block? If so, I should just sit down and WRITE! Even if it’s crap and I delete it all, it will get my juices flowing. Just WRITE has always been a winning strategy.
BREAK?
- Did I just need a break? That’s possible—I had been on an intense streak the prior few months. Lots of writing hours at the expense of other things. Maybe my brain and body are forcing me to reevaluate the notion of BALANCE. A lesson I’ve never been able to master. If so, I should stop beating myself up. Enjoy my leisure time. Write for my blog. Read for fun. Binge watch The Great British Baking Show. Happy ho ho ho and all that. And jump back into it in January.
BAIL?
- Am I ready to bail? No! Or maybe yes. NO!!! I don’t know. Quit avoiding the question Tina! Which is it?
OK. OK. I’m such a pain in my own a$$. I’ll try to answer.
If I’m being honest (one of my fave Paul Hollywood phrases), I can’t claim to have writer’s block when I haven’t even tried to write. It’s not as if I’m staring at the screen with a blank mind. I haven’t even opened the document in over a month! But am I seriously thinking about bailing on the whole project? Do I really think that I could let it go? I don’t think so. (?) I’ve been working on it for over a year. I don’t think I’m ready to just dump a year’s worth of effort.
So?
I think (or maybe feel—not sure which is dominate at this point) that I’m committed to finishing it. I still like my basic idea. And I’m not afraid of hard work. But I have to be honest, I’m just not ready to jump back into right this minute. So maybe I’m just on a break?
I guess we’ll see in 2019.
Any words of wisdom or support from the blogosphere will be welcomed! Meanwhile enjoy these adorables.
Thanks to The Haunted Wordsmith for the wonderful monkeys. I don’t blame you for my continued procrastination 😉
And to FOWC prompt of leisure. Maybe it’s karma’s way of saying that taking a break is OK!
The Breakwater
She sat on the breakwater and hoped the sound of the waves would soothe her. His words hadn’t. “In between the clover and the dampened earth.” That’s how the minister described it. Sounded poetic. Nicer than “here’s where we buried her body.” But that was reality. Ma was dead. And no pretty words were going to change that.
PHOTO CREDITS TO MY FAVORITE HUSBAND
I’ve been a bit morbid lately. Perhaps I’m feeling my own mortality. Or maybe it’s the side effect of living in Trump’s world. But thankfully my own mum is alive and well, so this really is fiction. Therefore much thanks for the inspiration to the following:
Sammi Scribbles Weekend Prompt which was to use the word “breakwater” in exactly 58 words (accomplished!)
And to Putting My Feet in the Dirt for the beautiful phrase “in between the clover and the dampened earth.”
And to Linda’s SoCS challenge using the word or partial word of “ma.”
Visit their sites if you haven’t. They are FAB!
Tina Stewart Brakebill 