This Friday, my writing is slotted to be discussed by my critique group. Creative Weapons is on the schedule at my regional Tae Kwon Do tournament. I am performing a solo piano recital. I don't know if the planets are aligned but my activities sure are.
Their times are scattered throughout the day so I toyed with the idea of doing all three. But who was I kidding? I don't change gear that fast and will end up botching everything.
So I switched with a critique group member and submitted last Friday. I will give up Creative Weapons and compete in Traditional Forms, Traditional Weapons, and Sparring on Saturday.On Friday, I will put on my musician hat and concentrate on my performance.
I wasn't going to spin this post into a writing-related one, but an idea just popped into my head. it may be telling, or at least fun, to pile on the responsibilities and events and trouble on your characters, to see what they are made of.
If I were a character in my story, I could potentially:
- with great joy, participate in all the events,
- shrink away and refuse to do anything
- make a decision but second -guess myself constantly.
With each of these decisions could be different outcomes:
- fail
- scrape by
- succeed spectacularly
We can have fun with how I deal with the outcome as well:- become prideful
- lose all ability to take risks
- rise up to the challenge, and whether I fail or succeed, grow from a timid, overly-cautious person to a confident risk-taker
Another idea just popped into my head. How about this:
You write a scenario for me and I'll choose one that makes me spew coffee, weep, or call you to ask for an appointment for a therapy session.
Spread the word.
To those of my friends who come over from facebook, who don't post in the comments: you don't need a Blogger account to do so. Would love to hear from you as well!
This week I've noticed of a number of the small, the minute in among the Big, the Important.
Small action: a senator casting a vote, inspiring an end of a stalemate and hopefully a start to something better.
Microstyle Writing Contest by Gotham. Expressive economy of words. Miniature messages. THE PRIZE
The author of the winning entry will receive bragging rights and: - 10-week Gotham Writing Workshop
- $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
- One-year Subscription to The Writer (12 issues)
- Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little
Description of a Man Booker Prize longlisted book
...concentration on isolating tiny fragments of experience and apprehension makes for an intense and immersive read...
There is a season to everything.
I am a firm believer in that. And I think the season for Grab-A-Line Monday is over. Maybe it'll return in a different format in the future, but right now, I wish to celebrate the end of a good season. I've enjoyed reading the quotes and I hope you have too. I've also read many books that I wouldn't have otherwise. And for that, I am very grateful.
The party to send GALM off is on next Monday, during which time I invite you to come with:
- your favorite quote from previous GALM posts
- books you've read because of the quotes you've read here
- an all-time favorite quote
I hope to award one prize for each category and I will do so if there are at least 10 entries in each. The prizes include How Fiction Works by James Wood, and hard cover editions of 
two recent YA books that have garnered lots of praise: The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
And maybe a mystery gift. Stay tuned.
You may enter in as many of these categories you'd like, but unfortunately, I can only send prizes to addresses in the Continental USA.
Tell your friends via facebook, tweeter, blogs, forums if you wish but it's not necessary. If you like my blog and would like to follow my journey, I'd love it but again, that is not the point of this contest. I just want to have a great party.
So, come one, come all. Virtual food and beverages and balloons and confetti and will be provided, but BYOQ: bring you own quotes.
See you at the party.
