Chuck Wendig's Flash Fiction Challenge

I recently stumbled across Chuck Wendig's blog and was immediately hooked. Anyone who hasn't seen his blog should do so immediately because he is utterly hysterical.

Anyways, he recently posted a flash fiction challenge called Choose Your Random Sentence where you go on a random sentence generator and keep clicking through until you find one you like. Once you do, you have to write a 1,000 word flash fiction piece. Intrigued, I went on the random sentence generator and ended up with:

The edge exists opposite the lord.

While utterly nonsensical, I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. So here you go.

Also, there is some swearing in this piece so if you are little-girl scared of bad language then feel free to click away.

No seriously, I'll wait.

“My Lord, you must hide!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Just looking at this sniveling little wretch prostrated before me, I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to enter my chambers unannounced, let alone suggest I not hold my monthly open forums where I listened to the endless complaining of my subjects. Sure, I would rather eat cow’s dung than listen to their plebeian bleating, but it was my duty and goddamnit I was going to do it!

“Sir, there have been rumors of an Edge…”

“Fah!” I cut him off mid-sentence with more than a little satisfaction. “I have no use for rumors or other such fear mongering.” Stupid little shit doesn’t know who he is talking to apparently. “The Edge do not operate in my realm, or do you not remember them being driven out of this kingdom shortly after my ascension to the throne?”

“Of course sir, but…”

“There is no but in this matter. The Edge do not concern me and nor should they concern you. The only edge you need worry about is the edge of my blade going through your thick skull if you do not exit my chamber immediately and leave me to my duties!”

“Sir, you do not understand!”

“Don’t understand?” I was beginning to get irritated by his familiar tone. “You believe you know better than me? You think to tell me my business? You come in here with lunatic stories about an Edge here to kill me, and dare tell me that I don’t understand the goings on in my own kingdom? Get out immediately or suffer my wrath!”

Expecting that to put him in his place, I turn my back so he can scuttle out of my chambers, but as I wheel back around the little bastard is still where he was, a look of resolute determination on his face.

“Sir if you will not heed my warnings and abdicate your place among today’s proceedings, may I at least provide you with an armed escort for the day. If you are not worried for your own safety, consider it a statement to the people that you will not suffer their trivial complaints without retribution.”

Hmm now there’s an idea. Scare those little bastards into leaving me alone. I may not have to host these little forums ever again if a couple of citizens get beaten for complaining about the cost of clothing or some other nonsense. Nodding curtly to the servant, I returned to my preparations as he quietly shut the door on his way out.

Finally alone, I am able to return to my morning preparations. After picking out the correct clothing and coiffing my hair to perfection, I stroll out of my room in the most suave and stately manner possible, and see the guard detail promised by that nameless wretch already standing guard outside my door. Two imposing looking men are facing me, clubs in hand and ready for action.

Staring dubiously at their clubs, I begin walking down the hallway towards the audience chamber. “Just clubs? I’d figure you two would have something a bit more serious to guard someone of my magnitude.”

The smaller of the two men steps forward and unsheathes a long dagger hidden in his clothing. “The clubs are to draw the eye, my lord, not for use.”

“Very well.” I wave him off and he drops back to walk alongside his companion. At least these two have some manners. “All the same, you may want to keep those clubs ready for use. I am especially short tempered today and some peasants may need to be taught a lesson or two.”

“As you command.” The bigger one’s voice was more of a grunt than anything. I consider letting him know what I think of his pig-speak, but figure I should leave it until I have a larger audience. He likely won’t understand the joke anyway.

I enter the audience chamber still ruminating on my guard’s absurd voice and begin to notice an unusual dearth of noise. My monthly forums have become a favorite of the neurotic and bitchy, so the room is always abuzz with commoners comparing their pathetic little problems. Looking around, I see only one man standing opposite me and looking a great deal more intimidating than earlier in the morning when he was bowing and scraping at my feet.

“What the fuck is this?” I am using my stage voice now that I’m in the audience chamber. It’s deeper and gives me a certain gravitas I generally don’t bother with. Even though the room is virtually empty, the habit is a tough one to kick.

“I was hoping to do this in a more secluded space, but as you were inexplicably determined to force your ill will upon your loyal subjects, an encounter in an open forum was necessitated. Fortunately, the villagers were kind enough to leave before any blood was shed. They anxiously await the news of your demise.” All wheedling is gone from his voice, leaving only a cold efficiency in its place. He is standing up straight now and is clearly in his element.

“Who sent you?” My voice has taken on a rather squeaky tone now that I am staring my own death in the face. My stage voice has deserted me and left me with a rather uncomfortable sore throat, though I imagine that will be the least of my worries in a few moments.

“I already told you, I am an Edge. We exist to oppose all those who seek to oppress those who look to them for guidance. Shouldn’t you know all of this already? It was your tyrannical ways that necessitated our exodus from your lands.”

He’s right about that. The Edge’s fondness for offing rulers who dared treat others as they deserved forced me to attempt their complete eradication years ago. I had assumed I succeeded. Apparently not.

He strides up to me as the two grunting meatheads behind me grab my arms and force me to my knees.

Looking down at me, the Edge smirks confidently. “Any last words?”

I have to think for a minute on that one. All great deaths through history are accompanied by famous last words. Something to instill fear or love in those who heard it. Mind made up, I open my mouth to utter my soon to be renowned last words as that sniveling wretch from my chamber stabs me through the neck, filling my mouth with blood.

As I die, the only thing I can think is, “Oh great, my last words were ‘Hgrk, blach cleck hye… bleehhhh.’”

Not ideal.

Challenges Galore!

I've been looking into joining the A-Z challenge for a while now, but was always intimidated by the amount of writing it would necessitate. For those who don't know, the A-Z challenge is a bloggingchallenge where once a day for the entire month of April except Sundays, you are to post an entry based on a different letter of the alphabet.
That's 26 posts in a month. More than I've written on my blog ever. That's definitely something to make me pause and second guess myself. Yesterday, I wised up and realized that the challenge was the point. It's not called the A-Z Happy Walk In The Park.

So I signed up and decided to start preparing what I was going to write about. I've decided the topic for each day and have started pre-writing a few just so I don't go crazy in April.

This morning I woke up and saw I had an email about Camp NaNo in April and started hyperventilating a little bit. Camp Nano is much less rigorous than NaNoWriMo as it has a variable word count requirement you can set for yourself, but it's still a significant undertaking. Since I'm pre-writing some of my posts for the A-Z challenge, I can't use them to fulfil the Camp NaNo challenge so now I'm torn as to whether or not I'll be able to participate in the April Camp. There is another Camp in July that I've already prepared a short story for, but April is really up in the air for me.

I really enjoy blogging, and doing the challenges hosted by other bloggers has really helped me out both on my own writing skills and in meeting new blogger buddies. It can get a bit overwhelming, especially since I'm still pretty new to the scene and I really need to just power through and keep on blogging, but having the Camp NaNo challenge and the A-Z challenge in the same month may be a bit too much.

So now for your input! How do you feel about all of the blogging challenges available to writers? Which are your favorites? Should I try squeezing in the Camp NaNo challenge or just hold off until July?

As always, I love comments so even if it's completely off topic, go for it!

February Word Master Challenge

The Word Master Challenges by Misha over at My First Book are always interesting and extremely difficult, but the one from February really had me scratching my head. The premise was simple. Pick a place and describe it in 300 words or less along with up to a 50 word intro. Seems simple, no? I was surprised to find that I struggled with this one more than I could have possibly anticipated. I was split on where I wanted to talk about and worried it wouldn't be interesting enough. I finally decided to just get over it and go for it. The result is as follows

After my senior year in high school I went on a trip with some of my friends to Italy. Out of the entire amazing trip, one place stood out in my mind in particular. Sorrento is an idyllic town right on the Mediterranean and I had an absolutely amazing time.

My description is shorter than I had expected, but I wanted to just get right to the point. Hope ya like it!

I walk out to the balcony, the early morning sun just now beginning to heat up. I step onto the balcony and enjoy the chill from the marble on my bare feet. Breathing in the fresh salt air from the Mediterranean, I look out over the garden of an enormous mansion right out in front of the hotel I’m staying at. The grounds are immaculate and the scent of fresh cut grass and various flowers mixes with the sea air to make an intoxicating atmosphere of calm relaxation.

Staring out at the pristine aquamarine landscape in front of me, I begin to trace the trails the large ships in the bay have left behind. Lost in thought and in the beauty of the moment, I am startled by someone opening their door to the balcony next door. The spell broken, I head back inside to start the day in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

For anyone who has the opportunity to go to Italy, definitely make sure to at least stop off for a day in Sorrento. Truly an amazing town.

Bloghop of Joy

So I saw a couple of my friends doing this bloghop and thought it sounded fun, so here goes!

Kyra and Clare decided to set up the Bloghop of Joy to make people remember all of the good things in life that make us smile even as we deal with blizzards, leaky ceilings, or other general craziness associated with winter. The point is to make a list of joy with at least five things that make me smile so here you go:

My car. I started a new job in January and they wanted me to have a car. I live in Boston which is a huge pain to drive around in so I wasn't too thrilled about it, but I truly love my car now. I've had cars before I moved to the city, but I never really cared about them. Regardless of how absurd it sounds I smile every time I see my car even though it typically means I'm on my way to at least 11 hours of work.

My computer. Yes, the list of possessions continues. I feel a little bad having a list of such shallow items, but it's my list so get over it. Last year I decided my laptop just wasn't cutting it and decided I needed a new computer. Around this time, my friend was touting his super awesome desktop he had built himself. I decided I needed to one-up him and build an even bigger and more powerful computer than his. several hours and a big chunk of money later, I had the behemoth I call my computer. I'm more attached to this thing than is probably healthy. I put a lot of time and effort into designing and building it, and knowing that my computer is absurdly overpowered just makes it even better. Just to give you an idea, here is a picture of my baby in all its manly glory:

My Family. Ah finally, a break from the procession of stuff I'm proud of. My family has become very important to me over the last few years. I've finally started to shake off the teen angst of high school and started to really appreciate them and everything they do for me. I spent my senior year of high school 3,000 miles away from them and then moved to Boston to go to Northeastern University which is where my dad teaches. I hang out with my parents at least once a week and will find it very difficult to move away when the time comes.

Psych is back! For those of you who don't watch Psych, your life is empty and meaningless. Last season ended with a huge cliffhanger and I've been twitching with anticipation ever since. The new season finally started up again on Wednesday and all is now right with the world.

And last but certainly not least:

Writing Kind of obvious since I'm blogging this, but my writing is truly one of my truest happinesses. I started writing because I needed a way to de-stress, and found something in myself I never expected. To this day, writing is the only this that truly relaxes me and without it I would go back to being the angry, arrogant, immature jerk I used to be.

Well that's it; my list of joy is complete and I really do feel better about the weather! Big shout out to Kyra and Clare for making everyone's day just that much better.

Some (Potentially Interesting) Updates

So a couple things have recently happened for me and I feel like they should probably be shared with you guys.

The first is that the webcomic Cyanide & Happiness is launching a show. For those of you who have not heard of C&H, check them out here. They are absolutely hilarious and their show should be amazing. They have already made a few shorts over the last few years that are worthy of literally rolling on the floor laughing. They have decided to launch their show through funding on Kickstarter and hae already made their base goal! Additional funding never hurts, and if they get enough additional funding, they will offer even more episodes and shorts. If you like their work and are willing to throw them a few bucks, check out their Kickstarter here.

I recently stumbled across a website called 750 Words. The basic idea of the site is that every writer needs a way to get rid of all of the random thoughts that pop up before any real writing can begin. A normal page in a novel is approximately 250 words (more for description heavy pages, less for dialogue) and having to write at least 3 pages of stuff forces you to dig a little deeper than just the surface level distractions and forces you to actually dig down to the underlying imagination which will then allow you to actually write more effectively.
I was a little skeptical at first, and since the site is shortly switching over to a pay site, I was definitely not going to join simply to pay to write when I can write for free with the same outcome. I began trying out the exercise this week, and although I have not had time to write much since I have had a very busy week at work, I have been able to get through the 750 words every day and have actually even come up with some interesting ideas during the writing. The 750 words isn't meant to be cohesive in any way, and it's not meant to be shared with anyone. It's just a way to get your ideas out and the creative juices flowing. I have been feeling pretty unimaginative recently, and writing those 3 pages a day has really helped keep me on the right track.

The last update I have for you guys is something that I'm actually very excited about. Recently, I was involved in a Word Master Challenge to write the worst possible intro to a book. If you haven't seen my entry, here it is. I got a couple of comments on it saying that I should try to actually make it into a real book (without the hilariously bad writing of course). While at first I just laughed to myself and dismissed the idea, it stayed in the back of my mind and nagged at me. No matter how hard I tried to forget about the idea, it kept coming back, asking me to take it seriously. I eventually got fed up and decided that I would actually listen to its pleas and it turns out, there is a decent premise hidden behind the insane ramblings of a toddler on a sugar high.
When considering actually writing the book, however, I decided that it was not likely going to be feasible. I already have a major project that has been going on for years and is not going to come to a close any time soon. I'd rather not be distracted by another project, especially since I've actually been making decent progress on it recently. I was pretty bummed out, but shortly after realizing I couldn't write the book on a normal schedule, I stumbled across the National Novel Writing Month website. Being realtively new to the writing community, I had never really heard about it beyond blurbs on TV that I had completely ignored, but it immediately intrigued me. Here was a chance to actually write a book in a condensed timeframe and therefore not distract myself from my main project too much. It seemed perfect.
After doing some more research on the site and going through the "who the hell can write a novel in a freaking month?" phase, I decided that it could definitely live up to expectations assuming I could stick with it. As such, I am currently planning on writing a book based off of my joke intro and will hopefully have a rough draft by the end of November!

So with that, I bid you adieu until I once again think of something interesting enough to share (it may be a while, I'm not that interesting). As always, I'm interested in any thoughts you may have. What do you think of how Kickstarter is changing business? How do you motivate yourself when the ideas just won't come? Think you can write a novel in a month? Why don't beavers tapdance? Any thoughts on anything are more than welcome.

Distraction

When writing, I tend to get pretty easily distracted. When I say distracted, I don't mean the typical distractions that take you away from your work like surfing the web or hanging with friends (although those happen also). I get distracted by other random ideas so my writing gets pretty heavily tangental quickly. If I don't have a definitive topic already decided before I get the urge to start writing, it all goes to hell.

That being said, some of my tangents have turned into the more interesting aspects of my story. allowing myself to immerse myself in the world I'm creating may lead to a mixed-up bag of random thoughts, but some of those thoughts (through sheer statistical probability) end up being really fascinating to me. I'd like to briefly share a couple of these ideas largely because I think they are cool.

The Arena:
I have always been a huge fan of the Romans and gladiators and the whole idea of having an arena battle, so when I started considering how my main cities would be built, I couldn't help but throw an arena in one of them to let people fight to the death. The arena I plan on incorporating into my world (although not necessarily into the story) will bear only the slightest resemblance to the classic Roman Coliseum. I have no interest in having slavery be a part of my world and I'd rather the arena be viewed as a place where warriors can go to showcase their talents rather than as a place where good men go to die.
As my story progresses and the world begins to change, so too will the arena, but for more info on that, you'll simply have to be patient!

Creation Stories:
When trying to decide how my world and the universe it resides in functions and came to be, I decided to try working out some creation stories. Although I know how the world was actually created, cultures throughout history have tried to rationalize their creation through a variety of creation myths and legends. My decision to create these stories was largely due to the fact that I thought it would be funny to see how badly I could actively misinterpret the world from a particular race's eyes and it evolved into a study in how we as people think about our surroundings. It also has the added bonus of helping me better visualize how each of the races approaches the world.

Political Strife and the Second Arc:
I first came up with the basic concept for my story in sophomore english class in high school where we were told to write a short story. We could write about anything with a few restrictions. Our character had to have a name, we had to give the story an ending, and there needed to be a specific plot. Being who I am, I decided I would try to write a piece that met none of the criteria, but was still moving and interesting. The outcome was a five page piece that ended up getting a 98% and sparked the idea for my current book. Initially all I could decide on was how I would start the book, what the ending would be, and who the antagonists were. Beyond that, I didn't have a clue and have spent the last few years trying to actually make a story out of the bare bones of an idea I had.
As I continued to work, I continued to read a variety of books and became disenchanted with the hard ending most books had. I didn't like the idea that once the hero won, the story was over and everyone was happy. I wanted something different! I originally wanted to make a second story to follow how the world put itself back together after such an extreme catastrophe. This has recently morphed into a political intrigue piece that has really taken on a life of its own.

Wait, Seriously, A Third Arc?:
One of my issues with many stories is the speed at which the MC picks up new skills and eventually masters them. The Eragon series is definitely a culprit of this where Eragon becomes immensely powerful very quickly. While the author had an explanation for it and I understand why it needed to be done, I still didn't like that he had reached a high level of mastery so quickly. I was left wondering where he would go with his training after the story ended. If the skill was so easy for him to pick up, why hadn't more people became immensely powerful?
This, combined with how I am handling the magical components of my world, necessitated that I extended the story beyond the initial confrontation so the readers could see the progression of magic as it permeates the world and what becomes of those with and without power. I have always been fascinated by the struggle between normal people and gifted people whether it was in Harry Potter or X-Men, the topic has always interested me, and being able to approach the topic in a world that has already been established was too exciting to pass up.
The Bandit's Guild:
This particular idea is probably the one I am most excited about including in the world. I have recently picked Skyrim back up and began looking at it through the lens of a writer rather than just a gamer. While the vast majority of the game is definitely not transferrable to my world, I really liked the idea of the guild system and I just didn't see why bandits in the game were always so stupid and unorganized.
I had started a document basically just to get down my thoughts on banditry without even meaning to relate it to my book, and quickly found myself considering just how perfectly it could fit and how it could rationalize some encounters I needed to have in the story. It then grew from there into an organization that spread across the continent and was so well organized they probably had a better economic system than the cities I had created.

Any time I sit down to answer a question I have, four more pop up and this world continues to grow by the day. I'm really interested to see where all of these branching ideas go, and I'm really just hoping I can rein them in and make a cohesive world without it spinning out of control.

Details... Hooray Details!

Hey all,

Sorry it took so long to update again. I’ve been crazy busy at work and it doesn’t leave much time for my mind to wander to more interesting things (like blogging).

I want to talk briefly about depth when writing, but more specifically depth of background information. It is obviously important to create a generally cohesive world as it relates to the characters and the story being told, but what about going beyond that? Too many books have the central aspects of the world nailed down, but keep changing background information to suit their needs. Continuity errors upset me greatly. I am an auditor and the fine details are what I get paid to scrutinize, so when minor things are changed or omitted I tend to lose connection to the story. There are entire websites devoted to the extensive mistakes made in Harry Potter books. I understand that bigger you make the world the more likely it is for small mistakes to slip through the cracks, and at the end of the day I’m going to focus on the story, not the minor flubs but I still do notice them.

Before I start ranting about all of the continuity errors in my favorite books, I’d like to actually get to the crux of this post. Building a deep world is incredibly time consuming and most of the information you may come up with will likely never be seen by your readers, but that doesn’t make it worthless. Creating extra background information fleshes out the world and even if the reader doesn’t see all of the work that’s gone into making that depth, they will still get the final product which is a better written book. Does the politics of a particular area matter at all to your story? Maybe not, but it will affect how locals act and react to the main characters. Will understanding the need for crop rotation help the characters prevail over evil? Hell no! Does that mean readers like me won’t freak out if a farmer casually mentions that he always plants wheat? Absolutely not. The small things matter even if it is something so small and stupid that it’s potentially a mark of mental imbalance if the reader notices it.

Having a cohesive and deep backdrop does more than just eliminate the minor discrepancies that make me lose my mind. It also allows for more realistic and appropriate encounters and situations. If guards are harassing people on the streets, don’t just have it be because they are assholes. Some part of how they were trained or how they are supervised gives them the flexibility to bully people. Furthermore, if the party was to encounter the captain of the guard and he ended up being a decent person, the guards wouldn’t be doing that unless someone else was pulling the strings. If it’s really not that important to you, just make everyone a bunch of d-bags and call it a day, but it’s not going to have any depth and it’s going to seem like it was just written off.

Having a deep background also allows for more variety in the instances being written on. Too many books focus only on plot-central characters and yet still expect you to be surprised when Johnny Nobody gets offed five pages after he’s introduced. Have the readers get attached to the world they are reading about, and not just the one guy (or girl) who’s going to end up saving everybody. If your readers don’t care about the people around the MC and whether they die or not, then who cares if the MC wins or loses? As far as they are concerned, your hero just saved a bunch of mannequins and stand-ins rather than a living, breathing, vibrant world full of people who deserve to keep living.

One easy way to create depth is to make some history for the people around your MC. Don’t only look at the world timeline as it pertains to your story, but look at how the people around your MC got to where they are. Rather than crafting a separate personality for every single side character, give them a regional personality (with a couple of personal touches added) based on where they are and how they and their family got there. If their family has always been from the same village and never plans on leaving, they are going to react to wandering travelers very differently from someone who just got to town and is trying to start a brand new life. Historical implications are very important when crafting believable dialogue, and knowing where a character has been can and should be a major determinant of where they are going.

Another important way to create depth is to give background characters jobs and other such real-life goings-on. Knowing that someone your MC is talking to is a farmer or an accountant or a cop can give them a lot more depth and realism even if the description of their job is nothing more than a title. It gives you the ability to write from a very specific point of view rather than trying to rationalize their actions without a basis. Knowing what a side character does in their free time can also give you some insight into how they view the world around them. This is really only advisable for important secondary characters who will have enough speaking time that something as minor as a hobby could actually affect their interaction with the MC. Knowing that the barista at the local Starbucks also really loves yoga isn't going to be of particular importance, but you knowing that the chief of police is an avid Republican could help you when deciding how to have him interact with the MC. Him being a Republican doesn't need to come up in the story per se, but you knowing that could give his reactions a bit more substance.

The most important thing to remember when creating any part of the world your MC is in is to not look at it as simply a backdrop for the MC. This will lead to an incomplete world that no one will care about or be interested in reading about. Create the world, not just the character.

Big Steps

So I've had some issues recently with determining the exact plot of my book. Looking through what I had in place, I realized that it really didn't feel genuine. Everything felt forced and thrown together haphazardly.

Essentially, it sucked.

The book I'm currently working on is the first in a series I'm planning on writing and I had no idea how to end it. I know how the series ends, but each book was a mystery to me. It was actually partially in thanks to Moody Writing's posts about sympathetic characters that I finally figured out how to end the first book. In disaster! I had been trying to avoid major disaster in my writing until later in the story, but it just made no sense to keep everyone alive all the way through to the end. Someone had to die.

As soon as I realized who I needed to kill off at the end of the first book, everything else seemed to click into place. Story began to flow naturally from step to step. No longer did I have to force the characters into the conflicts I needed for the story to move, they went there by themselves. Each book finally has an overarching theme and the character development is finally where I need it to be.

As I continue to solidify the plot, I will start finalizing my character sheets and hopefully get one or two major ones posted shortly for you guys to critique. I apologize for the overall vagueness in what exactly I'm working on, but since it is still in the planning phase I'd rather not get too specific since knowing me, it could completely change by my next post.

I spent this entire weekend not paying attention to my writing which I now regret, but it helped some of the ideas I came up with over the week settle. I wasn't initially sure whether or not they would have the staying power necessary to be acceptable, but I am pleased to announce that they are!

I'm going to remain vague as to the specifics as I continue to nail them down, however I can speak on the general focus of each book. Book 1 is about searching for the truth. Book 2 is dominated by personal revenge. Book 3 is about acceptance and understanding. Vague enough for you?

Before I close this out, I would like some input from you guys about magic and how you feel it should be done. This is not in relation to anything in particular, I just like to see how others view magic and other such supernatural powers and how they would like to see them used in novels. How has magic been used well in a novel? Are there instances where you didn't like how it was used? What would you like to see change or be done?

I look forward to your input.

Worst Intro Ever

This may be my finest work to date. This post is in response to this awesome post about the Word Master Challenge for January which goes as such:

How Not to Write a Novel Beginning.

In less than 300 words, I want to see your idea of the WORST beginning you can possibly write. The funnier and more creative you are, the better.

So I took it upon myself to make something truly abhorent. The result is as follows:

It was a warm day on Earth, but this isn’t Earth so there. It’s cold here and Bob was mad then jim showed up and shot at Bob with his super cool arm cannon thingy. Oh yeah, Jim’s a robot or something sweet like that.
Bob jumped like wicked high and totally dodged the blast as the snow started except it was snowing up from the ground. Weird right? Except not cuz this isn’t Earth remember.
Now some space men show up and attack because they want to win or something so Bob and Jim decide to work together so the space men don’t get to win at all. They kill all the space guys and Jim activates his rockets and flies to a space station nearby. The space station is totally cool looking and can fly around and blast stuff like whoosh and fa-pow!
So now Jim and Bob are on this super cool space station thingy and now they are mad at each other again but Bob totally whoops on Jim and kills him dead then Jim is all like oh wait I knew your dad and I could have taken you to him. Bob was an orphan btw. Now bob is all sad and stuff because Jim is gone and he has no idea what to do and that sucks except now he has to go get ready to find out the mystery of the space station because it’s haunted but he doesn’t know that.
Bob now puts on some super cool sunglasses and walks around like a total boss but he isn’t. then the ship blows up.
Bob is fine.

It's Been A While

Wow I have really neglected this blog!

I can make all kinds of excuses, but the fact remains I dropped the ball which I seem to do quite a lot, especially when it comes to keeping up with my writing. Life gets in the way, however I happened to get more writing done when I was working a 65 hour a week job than I did back in classes. Over four months of work I wrote around 50 pages of background information in my free time. Since then, I've done nothing.

Fortunately for me, I started back at my job for January through April and will hopefully be getting more writing done. I decided to look back over all of my prior writing and decided that there was one common denominator; a complete lack of organization. I had several page documents on anything that was going through my head at the moment. While I like just getting my ideas out and sifting through them later, I had never actually done the sifting before very recently. The result was a jumbled mess of contradictory work that needed to be redone, so that's exactly what I'm in the process of doing.

Rather than creating a new document for each time I had free time, I have decided to create topical documents ahead of time to guide my thoughts into the right channels. Rather than dicussing geography, food, and the potential side plots all on one document, they each now have their own word doc.

So far its worked out, but down the road I can see it becoming somewhat restricting. Anyone want to share how they approach (or ignore) prewriting? Rather just critique my method? either way I look forward to your feedback.