Instead of a prompt word, I thought we’ll do something different this week. As bloggers, many of us are writers – so, theme for this week is about “writing“. As you probably guess, this opens wide possibilities.
Quite often I come across blog posts lamenting the dreaded “writer’s block”
When writing fiction, it is crucial to develop characters. One has to give them a backstory, add depth and scope and generally build them into three-dimensional people.
Having published two novels and working on several more now – excluding the Mechanic Leigh and Fallen Grace series – I notice how characters take on a life of their own.
Many years ago, my kid sister accidentally stepped into a gutter. I thought she recovered the situation very admirably. She casually put her other foot into the gutter – it was deep but dry – stepped out and continued on her way, as if it was the most natural thing to do. When she related that episode, the family had a good chuckle – we still do.
That incident lent impetus to this next piece.
When I started writing about three years ago, in the first two years, I attended every single seminar and talk on “writing” that fitted my schedule. These literary luminaries, both local and foreign imports, sprouted impressive credentials and almost all lettered in creative writing, English Language, literature etc. ad nausea. Some charged an arm and a leg for their lectures. One guy from Adelaide even took my money and absconded – but that is another story.
Interestingly, not one had a bestseller to their name. The bestselling authors were all “non-literary” types.
Hope you liked at least one of the above.
Now, your turn 🙂 Would you like to contribute your flash fictions – love to receive them.
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Some guidelines:
1. Your contributions can be prose or verse but must draw from the theme “writing”.
2. Please do not go below 30 words or exceed 33 words.
3. Deadline for submissions 10 days from today.
If you could post your contributions in the Comments below, I shall collate and publish them in a Gallery on 14 May.
If you are new here, please take a look at the Previous Galleries:
(a) WOLF
(b) PORTRAIT
(c) BEDPOST
(d) GUTTER
If you wish to know what this is all about, please check out BLOG TIPS
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Tomorrow
A short POEM
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I found reading your blog very informative and helpfull
Thank you dear – this is so encouraging for me. Cheers, Eric
I visited your blog, read your kind words and am humbled by your generosity. Thank you Paul.
Peace, Eric
Dear Eric,
You are more than welcome. It is good to see so many others posting their work, as well as fine comments, on your site. When I find a site that is so worthy to promote, a site filled with excellent postings, than of course there is no hesitation in highlighting that site. As always, I look forward to reading your future posts.
Take care,
Paul
You’re right about the two chapter wall. I have lots of two chapter books. Sometimes I can’t see the forrester for the trees.
You too? Well, join the club!
Yes, the schools that tutor creative wrtiting are filled with Crawford’s progeny – some of us are victims, perhaps.
Eric, here is my contribution with the title ‘Writing’
Writing block often occurs
Pictures in my mind echoes continuously
It seems so hard to find the correct words
To convey
My message
My imagination
My buried memory
Nevertheless
The Lord helps me.
Any comments? 🙂
Good one Yoshiko and thank you for joining 🙂 You are right, nothing happens without the intervention of God.
Peace, Eric
Welcome and I feel so privileged for your invitation to join 🙂
Thank you, Eric 🙂
My hands walk
in a dark path
where my heart
is confused to write
which language will run?
my mother language is abstract
my two others
twist my thoughts
and I’m locked up
Thank you for the contribution 🙂
Eric, “Literary License” is my favorite, yes a fool for the rhyme. Here is my attempt.
Cluster
Here I sit all a fluster
picturesque words I can not muster
looking around I see your luster
My rhymes seems still just a cluster
If only I could find that one gusher
Aha! Mitzi,
Nice one – there is something about rhymes, so “sing-songish” as I say.
Thank you very much for your contribution. Appreciate this,
Eric
Dear Eric,
Great stuff there, all four of them, rather clever! Here’s my particular take on the theme, in at 33 words:
The sheet before us, white, we seek,
A word to write, a phrase, a pause…we think;
A blank canvas greets our mind, quite bleak,
Yet the Muse arises, and provides the ink.
Dear Paul – welcome back 🙂
Glad that you liked all four.
I love your approach – a white sheet – so daunting, so much potential.
High five, Eric
I loved all of yours, they were fun and oh so true. I’m not feeling it today though, maybe I’ll come back later if something comes to me. On a side note I missed the prompt word wolf? Dang, that slipped right past me. Grrr, that’s my favorite animal too.
Happy that you loved all four. That’s great 🙂
The window is open for 10 days – so, if something surfaces – or, join in the next one.
WOLF was one of the very first and had not really picked up steam, so its not surprising that you missed it. You can still publish something in your blog, I reckon.
Have a great day Jessica,
Eric
Great words, great prompts, Eric.
this is-
blocked brain
write your one hundred
lines
every morning
don’t take your pen
off the page
ink streams
of consciousness
or the same word
over and over
until your brain
is unclogged
and—
block drained
Hello Troy – welcome back and with a contribution too 🙂
Nice, that play – “blocked brain” and “block drained”.
Have a great day ahead, Eric
A writer’s block
is such a pain;
expressions of heart,
go down the drain.
We doubt our capability
that loses its mark;
and wonder why the world
suddenly goes into dark.
Thank you for your comment. All good wishes.
I love this. As a writer, I always enjoy reading about writing.
Hello David – yes, I thought this post might resonate with writers. Cheers, Eric
Many thanks for mentioning this in your blog – good one, Eric
Your last was my favorite, Eric. Here’s mine:
Whispers of Words
Whispers of words
I hear in my ear and
Write what my Muse
Leads me to. A prayer
Of sorts my writing is
Where my Muse
In my ear speaks
Words of whispers.
A lovely contribution, Peg – liked especially how you played with the words “whispers of words” and “words of whispers”.
Cheers, Eric
enjoyed this..
Thank you and all good wishes, Eric
I like the first and the second ones the most. Pls find below:
His grammar is full of flaws and his language imperfect. Critics pan his sentence structure, but he holds his readers in a web. The web is called ‘plot’, where he excels beyond imagination.
Hello Padmini,
Thank you for your comment and your contribution – always welcomed 🙂
Cheers, Eric
Hi Eric, here is my attempt.
The coffee stained manuscript with turned up corners. Round shoulders slump over page; a roof, sheltering characters in their infancy as worlds come to life. Coloured post-its decorate the desk. A writer’s confetti.
Thanks
Hello Elizabeth,
So very lovely to have you onboard – an investment manager who writes – my kind of author 🙂
Thank you for your contribution.
Cheers, Eric
Thanks Eric. It’s a great idea and look forward to participating more in the future. Your comments made me smile! 🙂
Here is my entry:
Writing
“Writing is her passion. To be published is her dream. So many manuscripts mailed to publishing houses with hope pinned to each one. Just as many rejection letters received. Still she writes.”
Thank you as always for the opportunity and challenge to reach inside myself for something more.
Susan
Well Susan – you’re the first with a contribution and how truly this resonates with all us budding writers.
Thank you for sharing and supporting,
Eric
A coincidence! I wrote this this morning before seeing your blog…true it has 39 words…(I’l try something later) but in the meantime: http://bastetandsekhmet.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/on-blogging-and-internet-a-happy-poem/
I just went over and read your fun poem. Thank you for the link. I also enjoyed that little question about Dante 🙂
Looking forward to receiving your contribution Bastet.
All good wishes, Eric
You are right. If you are exacting on the technical side of writing it takes all the fun out of it. Writing should be spontaneous; a tale bursing out of you to tell.
I totally agree with you Ian.
Yes, some polishing does help but we’ve seen the classic movie, Finding Forrester – borrowed from that title for my last piece – and how some of these experts are fixated on crossing the tees and dotting the eyes, as it were.
Cheers, Eric