Blog Chain - What's My Motivation?

The blogchainers are at it again, and I guess my name came up early in the list. Amanda is posing the question this time around:

What do you do to keep yourself motivated when you feel like you're not making any progress in your writing career?

This question is incredibly timely for me because - as you can see by my lack of regular posts - I'm not exactly that motivated lately. This is the question that has been driving me mad every waking moment. How do I get back on track and motivate myself?

It doesn't help that everyone around me (at least here in blogland) is picking up an agent or multi-book deal. Don't get me wrong. I am incredibly happy for Elana, Shaun, Cole, Beth, Amanda...I could go on and on, because there are so many of you enjoying success right now (and I apologize if I didn't mention or congratulate anyone else). I really do wish you all great success. But I do get down when I think about how far away I am from being "that good". Of course, one post on here and all you wonderful people come forward to prop me back up, kick me in the behind, and tell me to keep at it.

As far as what I do to keep motivated is concerned though, I guess I just keep imagining how I'm going to feel when I get that email or phone call. You know, the one from an agent, where I'm finally rewarded for all this hard work. I read the words from all of you who are achieving this and I can imagine just how incredible that must feel. It's not the idea of publication nor the glory of having an agent that drives me - it's the feeling of success I'll have when I am writing that well.

It's kind of funny. When I first started this journey, I think I was more interested in being able to walk into Barnes & Nobles and see my book on the shelf than anything else. After writing this long though, my goal has changed. I still do want to take a picture of my book on the retailer shelf of course, but I'm really more interested in being able to say I'm a successful writer. I want to feel confident in my writing and have a reason to jump up and down in my living room after hearing from an agent. The promise of what will come if I keep at this is enough to motivate me, even on the days when I'm not feeling particularly talented. Especially on those days, in fact.

I don't know if I've provided a very concrete answer, but there it is. If you didn't get a chance to read what Sandra had to say, bop on over there. Michelle H. is scheduled to follow me tomorrow, so check that out too.

Blog Chain - Are You Under The Influence?

This chain question is my favorite so far. Brought to us by Christine, she asks:

Which author or authors have most influenced your writing and how?

Reading through everyone else's answer has given me a huge list of authors I need to check out. There are some talented writers on this chain, and it's been truly interesting seeing who influenced them.

I was a reader way before I was ever a writer (much like you all, I'm sure). And I can't say that everything I ever read was necessarily good writing. From as early as I can remember, I consumed books by the pound. I remember fun books like the Encyclopedia Brown series. I read alot of sci-fi and fantasy. Piers Anthony was one of the most influential authors for me, with respect to his imagination and creativity. On A Pale Horse is still one of my all time favorites. Of course, his descent into mediocrity with continuing the Xanth crap has been hard to take. Okay, so I abandoned him because of it. Sue me.

Like so many of the rest of you, I have always read Stephen King. There may be one or two books of his I haven't read, but that's about it. He has been a significant influence on me, because I would love to write "creepy" the way he does. In fact, I'd say it's my goal to capture that essence in my writing every time. I love when I get the chills from a truly creepy passage.

Tom Clancy is another influence, probably due to my Army/Military Intelligence background. While I'll be the first to admit he sometimes puts in too much detail, I admire the amount of research it must take to write the way he does. He's another author that I've read almost everything from.

My parents introduced me to alot of things outside my "norm", handing me James Michener books (among others). He is a great storyteller, and his amount of detail is staggering as well. Sometimes he seems to stall the action (compared to today's mainstream authors), but I have always enjoyed it nonetheless. They also gave me Russka by James Rutherford, which I still remember vividly. And my dad let me read through all his Edgar Rice Burroughs paperbacks. Now granted, he is probably not counted on the greats of literature, but I enjoyed the stories.

And probably the great influence (besides King) was Tolkien. Trudging through The Silmarillion was an adventure all in itself, and understanding the concepts in it was a true challenge. Why was this good? It taught me to NOT write a story that your reader has to struggle through a few times before they understand what you're trying to say. Simplicity can be a good thing sometimes.

Fast forward to today and you'll find my influences are all of you. Reading through excerpts from Cole, Shaun, or Michelle H. help me improve all the time. Elana's sense of humor reminds me to have fun in my writing. The writers of The Literary Lab teach me something new every day. I could go on and on, but I am significantly influenced by each and every one of you as I try to hone my craft. Published or not, you all have something you do well. This may be outside the realm of Christine's requirements (since some of you aren't published authors), but it's worth mentioning anyway. I am also picking up new authors to check out all the time, so my list of influencers continues to grow.

Well, I've rambled long enough on this one, so I'll pass the torch to Michelle H. If you didn't get a chance to read my predecessor Sandra's post, head on over there. And thanks Christine for this really fun and interesting question. It's been awesome reading everyone's answer.

Tagged By A Friend

Just when you think you're feeling down, people reach down and pick you up. Thanks to Cassandra, I have been tagged. I promised her I'd join in the fun and (although I'm late) this post is about keeping that promise. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this peek into little ol' me.

Question 1 - Where were you 5 years ago?

Let's see. My wife and I were just getting over a rough patch. Though most of our years have been awesome, we've had our issues from time to time. I hadn't yet started going to school online; I was on a break. I was still at the same job I'm at now, doing network administration. I was not writing at all.

Question 2 - Where would you like to be in 5 years?

I hope to be working from home as a student mentor for my college. I will have obtained my Masters degree. My wife will be healthy. My oldest son will be in college or figuring out what direction he wants to go. I will have published something, even if it's just a short story. I hope to have a new, bigger motorcycle.

Question 3 - What is on your to-do list today?

Finish critiques of two of my classmates' short stories. Start writing article for Brighthub.com. Spend time with my wife. Put up posts on my blog.

Question 4 - What snacks do you enjoy?

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (white chocolate). Skittles. Beef Jerky, almost any flavor. Any kind of crackers. Frozen grapes. Chocolate-covered raisins.

Question 5 - What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

Set up all my family members so they could truly enjoy life without concerns. Travel all over the United States, to every state possible. Start a foundation or non-profit where I could help the homeless get back on their feet, one person at a time if necessary. Buy my wife the red Corvette she has always wanted. Build my ultimate writing room, a cabin with a mountain view, where I can walk out every once in a while and see a deer in my front yard.

The lucky 5 I am going to pass this on to are some of my newer followers:

Matt Betts

Hilary Wagner

Tim Riley

Michelle Scott

Alex J. Cavanaugh

I hope you all have fun with this and put up a post too. And thanks Cassandra, for making me smile. You're one of the many cool people have really helped make me feel better about my writing and remember to stay optimistic about what I can do if I try.

Ten Word Tuesday - Friendship

Hands helping you up when you really need it.

Feeling a little...uncertain

I apologize for the long gap between posts. I guess I'm just feeling a little...uncertain.

My last post was really fun. And judging from the comments, it was well received. The problem is that when I sit down to do it again - you know, catch that same electricity - it just isn't happening. I really like when something comes out halfway decent, but man do I hate the seemingly vast periods when things are just rough.

Anyway, this is a short post. I will do my best to get over this ugly feeling I have about my writing, so bear with me. I'll do a longer post tomorrow. I have some comments to share about Galen Kindley's book Hearts Of The Morning Calm and coming soon I may even have an interview with the author.

Thanks everybody.

Ten Word Tuesday - Procrastination

Procrastination is a poison,

destroying our creativity minute by minute.

Contest Results - Time Again To Celebrate

I have been running a contest for a couple weeks now to celebrate my 200th post. I had planned on choosing the winner this morning, but what can I say. My day job had me busy - on a weekend no less - and I honestly forgot all about it until now.

Thank you for all of the people who stopped by to comment or add their own story of celebration. The stories and poems were fun to read, and I'm happy you all honored me with your entries.

To make things fair, I had my youngest son do the work for me. I typed the names on a page. He then cut the names out, folded them, put them in a hat, and drew out the winner at random.








Before I announce WHO the lucky recipient is, I'll mention the prizes. These prizes come care of the awesome Elana Johnson, who graciously agreed to help me out. They are:

1. A critique of the first 10 pages of a work in progess/final draft/whatever.
2. A critique of your query letter.
3. A free copy of Elana's magnificent e-book From The Query To The Call.

Now if those aren't awesome prizes, I don't know what is.

Are you waiting on the edge of your seat? Can you feel the tense anticipation? Okay, I've made every wait long enough. The lucky winner is:

B.J. Anderson

Woohoo, congratulations B.J.!! I'm pretty sure you already have Elana's email address, but if not, let me know and I'll get you in touch.

Thank you once more to Elana for being so awesome. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support of newbie writers like myself. And thank you everyone else for being a part of this. Maybe I'll do another one of these sometime soon.

Friday Fun - Contest Reminder

It's the last day of the contest folks. If you haven't put in your comment or (better yet) sent me a copy of some celebratory story, poem, etc, then you need to get on the ball. Click here and do your part. Then I can do my part, meaning randomly drawing your name. And then Elana will do her part, namely awarding the prize. Thank you again Elana, for contributing so much to my celebration of 200 posts.

I will perform the random drawing of a name sometime tomorrow morning, so join in on the fun before it's too late. Actually, I'm thinking I will have my youngest son pick the name randomly, and I'll maybe post some photos of said selection process.

On another note, I do plan on discussing how my critique session went with my short story class very soon. Unfortunately it's the end of the month, and that means I have articles due at Brighthub.com and possibly articles to edit as well. My post on the critique may have to wait until tomorrow.

Have a great Friday everyone, and good luck to those who have entered the contest.

Writerly Wednesdays - Consequences

There should always be consequences for our characters' choices. There's a movie I love to hate that really illustrates what happens when we DON'T keep this in mind.

The movie The Family Man (starring Nicholas Cage) is a tragic example of characters lacking consequences. Allow me to explain. Cage plays a single, rich, successful president of a huge corporation. He's insanely rich. An angel (played by Don Cheadle) decides to give Cage a glimpse into how his life would have been different had he made different choices, and Cage wakes up the next morning with a wife and kids. The wife is his old girlfriend from college, whom (in his real life) he didn't stay with because he was pursuing his career. The resulting scenes while he is in this glimpse are actually hilarious and fun.

The ending is where the story fails however. Cage wakes up from his experience back in his old luxury apartment, rich once more. He rushes off to get in touch with his old girlfriend and (after a dramatic speech) they are together again.

The problem with this ending is that he is still rich, his girlfriend is a rich lawyer, and all the choices that brought them (and kept them) together as a family during the glimpse don't exist. They are able to ride off in the sunset and have an even better life together. There are no consequences though, because they are able to have their cake and eat it too. They've attained success in their various careers, and it is assumed that now their marriage (after the end of the movie) will also be successful, full of romance, etc. Every bit of the movie that made it entertaining up to this point has just been completely invalidated.

To take this discussion into the realm of writing, if we make the same mistake in our own story, we will invalidate our own characters and maybe even infuriate our reader. Consequences are a necessary part of writing. Every choice we make in our lives has a consequence. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Our characters have to be exposed to this as well - even if they are unaware of the consequences or blatantly ignore them. This is a reality of life, and including it in our stories keeps the writing honest and authentic.

If we're writing a murder mystery for example, there has to be a consequence for the killings. If our MC chooses to marry Beth instead of Susie, there should be something given up (or lost out on) as well as something they attain. Becoming a bricklayer instead of a politician for example, means a difference in salary and social echelon. All of these are consequences our MC must experience and face up to if we want our writing to resonate with truth.

What are you thoughts on consequences in writing? Do you consider them as you create your characters?

Edit: Don't forget ladies and gents - only a couple more days to enter the contest. C'mon, you don't want to miss out on these awesome prizes, do you? Get your butt over here and drop off a comment. There's not much time left and you'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

Ten Word Tuesday - Careful Anticipation

The revisions are coming!

The revisions are coming!

Um...Yay?

Monday - I've Finally Decided

I don't remember if I've mentioned this before (primarily because it's not completely writing related) but I've been pondering where I want to go with my professional life. You see, I'm currently a govt IT worker and while I get paid decently enough, I find it no longer fulfilling like it used to be.

The problem with making good money is that switching jobs might mean making less - something that can be difficult when you're supporting a family. I have spent the many weeks since graduation examining where I am, where I'd like to be, and figuring out what it would take to get there. I take my role as my family's provider very seriously, and I have included my wife in all my thoughts and musings.

I decided on basically three possible courses of action. I could remain where I am and retire in another 16 years. I've worked there 16 already, but because of my age, I can't start receiving retirement for some time to come (age 55). This is a sobering thought, because I'm fairly certain I don't want to do this type of work for another 16 years and there really isn't anywhere to advance to.

Another option I have been considering is going back for my Masters degree. I could either go for a Masters in IT - Security or choose a degree in an entirely new direction. The IT degree has some great benefits, one of which is that the program fulfills the basic certifications required for employment by the National Security Agency (as well as other comparable security employers). Such a degree might open significant doors for me.

A third option I have been weighing is working towards becoming a full time writer. This is what we'd all like to do, isn't it. Be able to sit at home and just write all day, in our pajamas no less. There are significant drawbacks to this choice however, most importantly the lack of benefits of any kind (i.e. medical, 401K, etc). I know there are plenty of you out there who do it all the time (and probably make a decent enough living), but this one scares me more than any other.

Last but not least, I have been considering a mentor position working for Western Governors University - the college I recently graduated from. You see, every student at WGU is assigned a mentor that guides them through their degree and helps keep them focused, all the way through to graduation. I was extremely impressed by my own mentor, and I have thought for some time now how much fun that would be. I have also thought how fulfilling it could be, helping people make it through college. The kicker of course is that the entire school is online, so (after a 4-6 month training period at WGU) I would be able to work from home. They also have great benefits, which satisfies the provider in me.

In the end, I've decided I am going back to get my Masters degree after all. I haven't decided WHICH one I will go for, but I'm scheduled to talk to an enrollment councillor soon. I have also decided that I will keep my options open, but I will either be using my degree to go somewhere security related in IT or become a mentor. It will just depend on what opportunities present themselves when I am done.

Don't worry though, fellow writers. Despite the fact that currently I am discounting becoming a full-time writer, I have no intention of stopping. I am just not ready to bet my family's farm (so-to-speak) on it. If I do manage to write a best seller (that sells millions of course), you can rest assured that my plans will change once more. I will continue to write every day, and I will probably still take a writing class here and there where I can.

I feel much better now that I've made a decision - now that I know where I want to go. Kind of ironic, isn't it? In my real life, I like to know where I'm headed. I like to know that my world is safe and secure. In my writing however, I'm content to let the story go where it will, no matter what dangers it holds for my characters. Kind of funny, actually.

Friday - Criticisms and Class Notes

Today I'd like to talk about my thoughts regarding my short story class session this past Wednesday. Jody Hedlund is responsible for getting me going on this though, since she put up a great post on handling feedback on our writing. This particular topic is important to me because (as I've mentioned previously) I just handed my short story to everyone to workshop it.

This is an interesting feeling, putting my work out there to a group of relative strangers and waiting for their feedback. On the one hand, I like to think I enjoy sharing what I write whether it's first draft quality or revised a bit. I know how good (or bad) a writer I am, and I don't have a problem facing up to the mistakes I make.

On the other hand, this is the first thing I have written where I am actively hoping to work it up to publishable quality. What I mean by this is that with the WiPs I've written before, I would like to publish them but that destination is a long way off. With this short story, I can actually see the glow at the end of publication tunnel (and I'm hoping it's not a train). With this thought in mind, I guess I'm a bit more nervous about what these other people might say. I'm trying to remain positive, trying to remember that whatever criticisms they have will only improve my writing. I won't deny however, that part of me hopes they aren't cringing or feeling frustrated at having to workshop a story that (in their viewpoint) obviously isn't ready.

No matter how it turns out, posts like Jody's helps me keep in mind the positive things that can come out of criticism.

Besides turning in my story, class was really fun. We had a few people read off their flash fiction exercises (I didn't do any since I was getting my story ready). I was extremely impressed by the quality of the writing that my fellow students displayed. If I can capture even a little bit of what these people do so well, it'll be awesome.

We also had some on-demand, timed writing exercises that really challenged me. I liked it alot though, because the pressure of time made me just write and not think. That's not to say I didn't pause a couple times, but for the most part I just kept my fingers typing away and it was fun. The exercises involved being given a single word and using that as a launching point for writing something creative. If you've never done this before, I highly recommend it. Just pick a noun or a verb at random, set yourself a short time frame (like 5 - 10 minutes) and write. It was really cool and it was probably the first time I've ever felt like I was writing almost nonstop.

I will pick things up again probably on Monday, since I have alot of reading and class exercises to do this weekend. I also want to mention that I received my copy of Hearts Of The Morning Calm by Galen Kindley a couple days ago. I'm a few chapters in and I am blown away. His writing is phenomenal and I am so happy to be the recipient of this book. I will say that I'm not exactly thrilled by the cover though. Pink is not a color I spend much time with (okay, I actually avoid getting anywhere near pink), and this book has lots of pink on it. The words within the pages however, are more than worth dealing with the barrage of pink.

Sir Kindley has been gracious enough to agree to an interview, which I will conduct once I'm through reading his wonderful tome. Keep your eyes peeled for that coming up soon. And if you haven't entered my contest, get on it. There is only one more week to go, since it ends on April 30th. The prizes to choose from are awesome folks; you'll be kicking yourself if you miss out.

In closing, remember this:

You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose.

But you can't pick your friend's nose.

Ba dum dum dum!

Happy Friday, everyone.

Hit 39...Turn The Page

I have been toying with the idea of this post and I almost wasn't going to put it up until I read something Sandra wrote. It's an interesting post you should read.

People mention the 40th birthday as a significant event, but I'm sitting here at 39 (as of Monday the 19th) and thinking it has more of an impact. It's the silent breath before the battle, the toes extending out over the cliff. Okay, that's a little melodramatic, but hitting 39 does make you think about things.

For starters, my birthday is not as fun as it used to be. I live in Denver, so my birthday is too close to the tragedy at Columbine High School. I even have a cousin who was a teacher there. Then of course there's the Oklahoma City Bombing, another terrible tragedy. And of course, having your birthday right next to Hitler's isn't exactly cool either.

I was not personally affected by these things, but they weigh on my mind nonetheless. When I think about these events, I am saddened by the loss of life for no real purpose.

Turn the page...

Time to get back to more optimistic things. I finished my short story (tentatively titled "The Job") for my writing class. I even managed to do a bit of editing on it. I changed the first section because I felt it didn't catch attention quick enough. The ending is a little abrupt, but I think that's how it has to be.

Since I'm turning it over to the workshop crew this evening, I'm feeling more anxious than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. To make matters worse, I had a co-worker read it this morning and I typed the wrong word in a sentence halfway through. But they're already printed and I really don't want to re-print 10 new copies. Grrrrr.

Oh well, at least I know the error is there and it's not a HUGE error, just a wrong word. Here's hoping there aren't ten million more.

Last but not least, if you haven't entered my contest, get your butt over here. The prizes are awesome, folks. You don't want to miss out on this, and entering is as easy as commenting on a post. Get to it!

Ten Word Tuesday - Criticism

Which is worse...

Preparing for criticism or actually receiving it?

Blog Chain - Different Characters And Exercises

Before I launch into the blog chain question, I want to make sure everyone knows about the contest in progress. If you haven't stopped by this post, you need to. The contest is fun and the prizes are awesome (care of Elana Johnson, writer extraordinaire). Get your butt over there and enter today. I'll wait.

Okay, now that the housekeeping is out of the way, let's get to it. The amazing and talented Sandra has started off this round with two questions. She gave the option to answer one or the other, but I'll do em both. Sandra asks:

Have you ever created a character different from yourself in some significant way, such as (but not limited to) different gender, race, ethnic group, religion, or sexual orientation? If so, what, if any, research did you do to portray these differences? Was this character a main character, secondary character, or walk-on? Did these differences have an impact on the story?

And:

Have you ever written writing exercises? If so, did you find the experience useful? What type of writing exercises were they, and did you do them on your own or as part of a writing class or workshop?

My first attempt at a novel (before I really knew anything at all) had a young Hispanic woman as one of the main characters. Other than being married to a wonderful Hispanic woman who is eternally young (that's right baby, I won't put your age in here. You're 29 and holding, right?), I had no background to pull from. This woman is also homeless, which is another aspect of life I thankfully have not had to deal with. Did I panic? I think not.

I searched around and was able to interview a woman who was working at a place that assists homeless women. She was a young Hispanic woman who had been homeless herself at one point. I wish I could relate her story to the world because it was so amazing. I will say however, that she had a profound effect on how I viewed my main character from that point on. Although I have put the story on hold for now, I will go back to it someday when my writing is significantly improved.

As for the second question, I am currently embroiled in a short story writing workshop. Although we're only a few classes in, we've already been doing some really cool exercises. The first one involved writing an entire story in only 550 words. That was pure torture for me. I guess I'm a masochist though; I didn't quit the class and I can actually say I'm glad I worked through the exercise.

We've also done writing-on-demand, where the teacher gives us a sentence and tell us to go from there. We're dealing with flash fiction currently, something I've never worked on before. Oh, and of course we're writing our own short story, to be workshopped by the group. Did I mention that I get the honor of turning mine in first tomorrow? Can you say stressed out? I'm more than a little nervous.

In any event, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Michelle Hickman is following me tomorrow, so make sure you stop by and read what she has to say.

More Contests

If it's not enough to enter my contest, you can always head over to Sarah With A Chance. She's holding a contest that makes mine look positively weak by comparison. Still, if one of you manage to win it, that'd still be cool. If I do, you know I'll be shouting to the rafters. So head on over, fill out the form, comment on her blog, put up a post about it. Oh, and if you do manage to announce it (successfully) to Oprah, I definitely want to know you have those kind of connections.

Good luck!

Friday Celebrations - Contest Alert!

Since I recently put up my 200th post, it's time to celebrate. And what better way to celebrate than with a contest?

What are the details of this contest? It took me a few days to decide how I wanted to do this, but I've come up with something I think will be really fun. I love reading what others write, so I'd like you to write something for the contest. The topic is a celebration. You can relate a funny story involving a real celebration or you can make up something completely fictional. It can be short or long, any genre. If you don't want to put it into the comments section (because you don't want anyone else reading it), email it to me at estallsworth@comcast.net. Just make sure you put in a comment mentioning that you did that. I will then randomly select a winner.

Just to make this clear, I will NOT be judging the quality of your writing. I just enjoy reading how different people handle the same topic. And I am learning how important it is that we keep writing all the time, so this is a great excuse to motivate you all.

Now, I can hear some of you out there groaning. You don't really want to share your writing, you hate writing exercises, whatever it is. I'm not about to be an ogre, so if you just want to be entered in the contest without being forced to write, that's fine. Just get me a note from your mother (just kidding). All commentors will be included in the drawing regardless of whether they actively participate or not. I'm of course hoping that alot of you WILL write, but I'm not going to require it. This is about fun and celebrating, after all.

The closing date for this contest will be in two weeks on April 30th. That will (hopefully) give everyone plenty of time to write something (if they so desire).

The prize for this contest is awesome. Somehow I have managed to convince the extremely talented Elana Johnson to pony up her services. Whoever wins this contest get their choice of one of the following:

1. A critique of the first 10 pages of a work in progess/final draft/whatever.
2. A critique of your query letter.
3. A free copy of Elana's magnificent e-book From The Query To The Call.

Don't ask how I managed to obtain the prizes from Elana. I offered up my soul, but Elana replied she'd rather have cash. Kidding people, kidding. She was actually okay with a soul contract.

In closing, enjoy the following video. Feel free to dance along in your office/cubicle/living room.

Bare Bones Homework

Here is what I finally ended up with, though it's not completely finished.

Peter grabbed the rough wooden rail with a calloused hand. He exhaled and straightened with effort. Today marked his third attempt at impressing Cynthia, to no avail. His complete lack of agility made Peter nothing more than a practice dummy for the real knights. He wished there were an easier way to win Cynthia’s heart than combat on the practice field, but gallantry seemed to be the only thing she cared about.

With these thoughts in mind, Peter ignored the pain and puffed his chest out. He nodded at the man who’d sent him sprawling and strutted off the field. Peter kept up the pretense until he was out of sight of the castle, even though every step reminded him of the bruises he’d sport tomorrow.

No matter how often Peter practiced with sword and shield however, his skill never improved. Peter refused to give up. Every afternoon he swung a rough wooden sword at a makeshift target. His daydreams were filled with the sounds of steel upon steel, his body encased in brilliant armor, and Cynthia cheering him on. Every evening however, Peter faced the grim reality of his destitute life. There was no beautiful, wealthy woman to admire his prowess – only barren farmlands and a crumbling home.

Then one evening as Peter was rubbing sore arm muscles and cursing his luck, a knock came at the door. Nobody ventured out here, he thought. Maybe it’s a bandit. He shrugged and headed for the door. He had nothing to steal, and killing him was probably not worth anyone’s time. The well-dressed man at his door was not what Peter had expected. The man caught him off guard, so much so that Peter didn’t even object when the man strode in without so much as a word.

“You are in need of help, young man. And I can provide it…for a price, of course.” The man’s deep voice sent chills down Peter’s spine.

“Sir, I don’t know what you’re selling, but I ain’t got a single coin to hold in muh hand.”

The man touched a finger on the dusty table, clucking his tongue. “Oh, I think we can come to an agreement, my young friend.” He turned to face Peter. “You wish to win the girl’s heart, don’t you? I can provide you with a sword that rivals all others. And all I need is your signature.”

None of this made sense to Peter, but any chance to win Cynthia’s heart was worthwhile no matter how odd. He signed the paper with an odd quill the man provided, and then the odd man folded the document carefully.

“You don’t have a seal, do you?” the man asked. Peter shook his head, so the man said, “Don’t worry, a drop of your blood will do in place of wax. I will seal it myself.” A prick from the man’s long fingernail, and the agreement was sealed. Then the man pulled forth a magnificent sword that gleamed in the faint light. “With this sword, you will never lose.”


Feel free to comment. I've got thick enough skin so don't worry about hurting my feelings.

Week Two Of Class - Almosts and Uh Oh's

This week's session in my short story class was...interesting. For starters, I arrived a few minutes early rather than stumbling in late like last week. That helped a bunch, since I don't enjoy the embarrassment I feel whenever I arrive late somewhere.

We had a writing assignment to create a bare bones story. We were supposed to write something very short that adhered to a basic framework. Somebody wants something. They are striving to obtain it. Something blocks their way. They overcome this with the help of something supernatural. Tada, The End. Note, I'm keeping this very general because my teacher asked me to not re-iterate the workings of the class. But this is the general idea of our homework.

Those of you who remember I'm a pantster, raise your hands. Can you imagine how much I struggled to plot out the story? I fought against my natural writing instincts, I wrote passages and abandoned them as either inept or not following instructions. I even wrote the entire thing before realizing that while it was a decent story, it didn't really fit the proposed exercise. I started over too many times to count. And in the end, I wasn't able to completely finish the story (though I did come extremely close). I just ran out of time, to be honest.

I will post an excerpt of this final version of my story in the next post. Then you can all point, giggle behind your hands (the ladies, that is. I'm hoping none of you men out there would giggle behind your hands), and see what happens when I am out of my comfort zone. It's not my best work, I fully admit.

The one good thing I got out of this however, was a clear understanding of why I need to do something similar to this when I am writing. While I might not want to plot everything out, I do need to answer the basic questions. Why is my character here? What do they want? What is keeping them from it? So the exercise did help me, even if I didn't quite finish it successfully.

One other thing I noticed during the class was how much it reminded me of a group meeting. The only thing missing was each of us standing up to say "Hi, my name is Eric and I'm a writer." I've never been involved in this type of atmosphere, and I honestly can't say whether I really like it or really hate it. Sometimes I feel like I talk too much, and then other times I feel like I should speak up and I don't. I have this war going on inside my head, pride fighting against my lack of self confidence. Or maybe it's the idea that what I have to say will sound incredibly idiotic, as if everyone else views the sky as blue and for some reason I'm seeing purple.

The 'Uh Oh' hit at the end of class when we had to pick workshop dates for our short stories (the ones we will be receiving direct feedback on). The teacher started the signup sheet going the other way around the circle, so of course by the time it got to me, the only spot left was to be the first one to submit. So yeah, I have to have my story ready to go by next Wednesday. I'm so glad I started messing around with this thing a month ago or I'd really be stressing. I'm still stressing a bit because I know how rough it is. It's a first draft still. And I still have the last quarter of it to write. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I should have the results on it in two weeks.

A question for you all as I wrap this up. Have you been in a writing class or something like this before? If so, how did you deal with feeling comfortable about speaking up, being a part of the discussion?

Ten Word Tuesday - It's Good To Be The...Writer

What other industry allows you to commit murder with impunity?