Posts Tagged ‘creativity’
Welcome, Fellow Weirdos!
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts on November 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Fixing What’s Broken
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, sff, Writers, writing on November 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Seems to me like it’s free fiction Friday. Here’s a story from Josh Bales via Future Tense Fiction. I particularly liked the ending.
The shop was a three-story brown brick building on the north end of downtown. The pawls on her bike clicked slower as she pulled up in front of it. Block letters in faded gold paint proclaimed REVERTE REPAIRS on the front window. Beneath that, in smaller letters: WE FIX YOUR BROKEN THINGS.
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Today’s Perk Me Up
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, cats, creativity, inspiration, making stuff, Thoughts on November 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Did we think about building an elevator for our elderly and arthritic cat? Of course we did! Here’s someone who actually pulled it off:
* Note: Our elevator design would have required an indoor vertical lift with weight-sensitive call functionality, so a little different. Still fun to think about though!
So Many Ways
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #adventure, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, technology, Writers, writing, yay on November 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
There are a lot of ways to tell a story. Out loud, on a screen, around a fire, on paper, you name it. And structure? Novels, plays, shorts, longs, movies, TV, take your pick, and new technologies mean new possibilities.
This Twitter-based choose your own adventure story is one fun example:
Metaverse Noir on Twitter: “START HERE” by Kathryn Yu
Would you like to know more? Here’s an article about the project.
There are so many ways to be creative, and it’s nice to be reminded that most limits are ones we put there ourselves:)
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I’m Doing It Again
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #littlestuck, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, nanowrimo, sff, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 7, 2021| 1 Comment »
Hey hey, dispatch from the NaNo mines here, and I’m sorry to say that I may be a tiny bit stuck at the moment.
I don’t want you to think that my projects are always a breeze so full disclosure, we’re talking stuck as in deep underground trapped between a boulder leftover from the Pleistocene and a jagged hole leading onto a tiny ledge winding down into darkness, from which I can just hear a river rushing over the sound of war chants echoing through the uncharted cave system in which I find myself trapped for all eternity!
Ahem.
I keep starting and restarting my project, which is a problem I have sometimes. NaNoWriMo’s word count is a tool to get beyond that issue, but my goal for this month is not just writing but finishing. So yeah. It’s time for more thinking, prepping, checking to see how my favorite authors did it, reworking my whole premise, stalling doing.
The good news is that I’ve noticed there’s a problem and now I can fix it. Go me:)
There’s a light at the end of every tunnel, even if you have to turn around to see it.
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How Is It Almost Noon?
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on November 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
We got up super early and yet somehow the morning is almost gone. Lots to do today including NaNoWriMo, so here’s another obvious yet still useful quote!
Everything worth doing is hard.
— Wil Wheaton
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NaNoFinMo
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, #NaNoFinMo, creativity, Fiction, finishing, genre fiction, inspiration, nanowrimo, sff, Thoughts, writing, yay on November 3, 2021| 2 Comments »
I like NaNoWriMo for a lot of reasons. It provides a useful set of constraints, a deadline, and a global group of fellow travelers with which to share the journey. It’s also completely bonkers, in a good way. I remember the sheer sense of glee when I realized that I could actually produce that many words in that short a time.
First question: Can I churn out 50,000 words in a month? Yes, yes I can. Go me.*
Next question, and one that most NaNo participants come up against as the first flush of success fades: Do those words mean anything? Are they useful?
In my case, and no surprise here, the first draft was not 100% terrible but certainly needed work. Writing to a tight deadline with a high word count left me, at least, with the sort of prose I don’t usually write in fiction.
- Contractions? Nope, they only counted as one word, and why write one word when you can use two?
- Blah blah blah descriptions that were far wordier than necessary? Absolutely.
- Unnecessary plot detours? Oh yes. Have my character stop off at a roadside ice cream stand and discuss the relative merits of lemon lavender versus pomegranate basil flavors on the way to the dramatic shootout? Sure, if it helps me meet my word count target.
That part of NaNoWriMo wasn’t as helpful to me. This year, I’m rewriting the rules.
- I know I can write a lot of words on demand. Check.
- I know I can write every day. Check.
- I don’t need more of that. What I want to practice now is finishing.
So this November I’m being a bit of a NaNo radical. Word count is not my focus. I’ve chosen one story idea and will work on it until it’s done. That’s it.**
The end:)
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* I bet you could do it too. Need a pep talk? Check out the NaNoWriMo archives.
** I may or may not also be participating in an imaginary mentorship program with Ilona Andrews. Because what good is imagination if it can’t take you where you want to go?
NaNo or NaYes?
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Fiction, finishing, nanowrimo, Writers, writing, yay on November 1, 2021| 1 Comment »
It’s been a while since I used November for its true purpose, which is (of course) writing a novel in 30 days.
Is it time?
I think it might be time:)
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Cutting Myself Some Slack
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, chilling, creativity, Thoughts, treats on October 31, 2021| Leave a Comment »
It’s Sunday. I had plans and a to-do list and I’m getting some things done, but today I’m cutting myself some slack.
Do I need a little break? I do. Will it help get me back into gear and enhance productivity later? Probably.
Or maybe not. I still need that break.
For the sake of happiness and productivity, our goal should not be to squeeze every second of distraction and leisure out of our days.
— Arthur C. Brooks, The Best Ways to Waste Time – The Atlantic
So I’ll spend at least part of my afternoon reading, drinking a smoked yaupon tea with whole milk and maple syrup, maybe have a treat, like one of the donuts we picked up yesterday. I’ll also check every half hour to see if we’ve managed to trap that last kitten, and generally take things slow.
…
Who am I kidding, of course I’ll have that donut!
Here’s hoping your day is good too.
“Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”
— Moliere
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Looking Ahead
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2021, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts on October 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Between house stuff and criss-crossing the city for errands I haven’t had time to do anything special today. I did finish up a reread over breakfast, one I knew would satisfy, so I’m feeling pretty good. (I’m one of those people who enjoys rereads. It’s like ordering your favorite meal, knowing that you’ll love it.) The fact that this book is one in a long series is even better.
Isn’t it nice to have something to look forward to?
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