Friday Fun

Today's post is about fun, celebration, and good writing. I usually don't spam a bunch of links, but there are a few people I want to shout about. Your job is to just accept this list, and then go visit these people. I know, it's an onerous duty, but we all must do what is required. Then we'll have cake, music, and discuss some writing.

First on the list of people to visit are:

Travis at One Word, One Rung, One Day - Travis is troubled by the fact that he has not achieved publication despite eight years of hard work. We all need to let him know just how valuable he is to the writing community, and how terrible it would be if he allows his voice to be silenced. If you haven't had the chance to read Travis' blog, you need to. This is a writer with a very distinct voice and a true gift for storytelling. Do me a favor - stop by, read his stuff, and encourage him to keep at it. It would be a dark day if we didn't have Travis to lighten our moods.

Jeannie at Where Romance Meets Therapy - Jeannie has received positive news on a query she recently sent out. I'm a fan of hers, and I'm sure she'd appreciate you stopping by to say congratulations.

More Superior Scribblers - Christopher and Jamie have joined the ranks of Superior Scribblers, and the award is well deserved by both. I drop by their blogs whenever possible, and I've always found them to be inspiring and talented. Help them celebrate this neat honor.

Rebecca at From Brain To Bookshelf - Rebecca is leagues ahead of the competition in the Ms. Twitter UK contest. Her motto "The Pen Is Mighter Than The Pin-Up" is awesome, not to mention so appropriate. She only has three more days left, so make sure you stop by, vote for her, and drop a comment on her blog.

Michelle at The Surly Writer - Michelle is too cool for words. She has an article series going right now about her first job. It's truly entertaining and showcases her writing ability very well. Since I consider Michelle a friend (and hopefully the reverse is true), I'd appreciate you stopping by to see her. Trust me, you won't regret it. Her storytelling is superb.

Celebrating each other's successes and writing ability is necessary I think. It's important that we remember why we are doing this, and that we aren't on this journey alone. The writing community is really wonderful sometimes, but we need to remind each other of the little successes (and of course large ones) everyone is achieving. It helps us get through the patches when things aren't happening like we'd like them to. If I've left anyone out, let me know and I'll shout about you here too.

I do have a writing question for the English majors out there. This has been something that has bugged me for a long time, and I don't know what the rules are. I absolutely hate when people begin a sentence with the word 'however'. For example:

However, trying to ride a bicycle is not as easy as it looks.

My question is this: What is the rule about this phenomena? Is it okay to start a sentence in this manner? I always thought you had to write sentences using 'however' like this:

I know why not everyone rides however, since trying to ride a bicycle is not as easy as it looks.

It's just something that has bugged me, and I would like some clarification. These are perhaps not the best examples, but hopefully you get the idea.

I did mention fun as well, so here is where the fun comes in. Take the following scene and run with it, expanding it in whatever way you wish. Be creative, head off along any tangent you like. It has been left genre-less, so you can truly do what you wish:

The raindrops stung his bare scalp as Tad struggled up the slope, the rocks scraping against his toes. His eyes were downcast, intent on the climb. As he neared the crest...

Fun is subjective. Non-writers would definitely find a writing prompt less than enjoyable, but we're writer's dammit! It's okay if you choose not to join in, but I'd love to see where people take this. Remember, writing is fun and sometimes we just have to let our muse go haywire on the page.