Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

While waiting for class to start one day, I decided to check out The One-Minute Writer.  I follow her on Twitter and had briefly looked over the site before but hadn't really taken the time to find out what it was all about.  For those who are unfamiliar with The One-Minute Writer, it's a site by C. Beth at C Beth Blog.  She posts a prompt each day, and visitors write for one minute about whatever the prompt inspires. 

The prompt for that day was "disappointment."  I wrote a brief response and didn't think much of it.  The other day, though, I received a comment on my old blog page that I had won for that day!  Woo hoo!  My first writing achievement!  :-)  Here's what I wrote:

One-Minute Writing of the Day:


Writer: amdenman

In high school, I lied to my parents and snuck out with a boy. They caught me and grounded me. My lesson learned didn't come from losing car and phone privileges. It came from letting one of the worst people I've ever met into my life.

Thanks so much, C. Beth!  The story that could follow those few sentences is one I probably won't ever share with others.  It felt good, though, just to write that brief paragraph.

From my notebook...(1)

Here's another poem from my old notebook. At this point in time, I'm not ready to explain what's behind my poems that I'll be posting. That's for another time. Enjoy!

Stuck here in a tangled mess
Not sure what to do
I feel myself being eaten alive
By the love I knew as you.
Strip me away
Piece by piece
And when you're finally done
You'll watch me bleed drop by drop
As if watching the fading sun.
And in my own stupidity or insecurity
Still I linger a moment longer
Convinced it all will change
Stranded here I remain
Watching him pass by.
My only chance to start again
And make the sun begin to rise.

Pencil vs. Keys

I know it's 2010, and it's probably safe to say that most writers prefer to use a computer when working on their WIPs. Well, that's what I would expect since we are living in the age of computers. I've given this a try, but I have to admit that it's not for me.

There is something about writing those words just above those blue lines and seeing them fill up a page that excites me. There's something about choosing my pens or pencils and seeing the ink smudges on my fingers when I'm done. I've always preferred to use plain old paper and pencil/pen. Another plus to being old fashioned is not having to worry about my computer crashing and losing all of my work.

Now, I know that it's not practical to complete your entire WIP on college ruled notebook paper in blue ink and mail it to agents and publishers. Of course, it will have to be typed eventually. This is just a minor step compared to writing everything.

Writing by hand also allows me to follow the story and stay in the moment. ("Be in the moment" is a concept I'm quite familiar with thanks to my Gestalt class.) When I use my computer to write, I find myself constantly going back to fix things or holding down the delete key. It's so easy to just scan back up to the top of the screen and read over what I've done, decide it's crap, and fix it. Having a stack of notebook paper makes me feel lazy and not want to flip through the pages. Once I get to a spot that feels right, then I can read over what I've got and make changes.

Now, this is just my preference. I know of a lot of people who use their computers to write everything, and I understand the ease they may find in it. For me, though, there's something exciting and satisfying about lined notebook paper and ink smudges on my hands.

*Thanks to diplomaguide.com for the picture.

No wonder my family thinks I'm strange...

The following poem that I'm posting was the first one I saw when I opened my old notebook. I completely forgot about it and can't remember why I wrote it. I just can't imagine what would cause me to write about roadkill, but clearly I did.

A pungent smell rises
And hangs in the air.
Out of the split
Seeps that which normally cannot be seen.

The pink intertwines with the red
And soaks into the blacktop.
Scraps of fur, and maybe bones,
Litter the line dividing the cars.

Lifeless limbs once again
Are recklessly manipulated by the passing tires
As drivers unaware pass over
Only to hear a disheartening thud.

Breaking their speed for only a second
Realizing that was flesh they just hit
The drivers continue on thinking nothing of it
Already dead by nothing they did.

OMG! Teen drama!

A few months ago, I discovered an old notebook I used as a journal. I had been unpacking some boxes from my dad's house and stumbled upon it. The red notebook had lyrics and quotes written all over the cover in black Sharpie. When reading them now, I have no clue what songs they are from.

I flipped the notebook open and started leafing through the pages. Inside were writing exercises from a writing course I had taken at a local college the summer before 9th grade. After those, were poems I had written. I could tell exactly what had been happening in my life just by reading those poems.

Seeing this notebook made me sad. One reason was that it showed me just how much I used to write. I wrote ALL.THE.TIME. Remembering the emotions behind my poems also made me sad.

I've decided to share my early works with everyone. Each week, I'll post a new piece from my old notebook. Everything in the book was written when I was in high school. Feel free to give feedback on anything you read, whether it be good, bad, or ugly. I'm hoping this notebook will push me into writing more frequently.

Storytime

A few weeks ago, I had a great idea for a story. I kept jotting down my ideas as much as possible, but hadn't sat down and actually devoted time to the story.

Today will be that day. I wasn't feeling good last night and still don't feel too great today. So...I used a sick day for work and started to recharge my batteries. This week is my Spring Break for school , which means no class tonight. Woo hoo! I have the whole evening to myself and will be surrounded by peace and quiet.

I can't imagine a better way to make myself feel better than laying on the couch with my laptop and writing away. When I was younger, I used to just write by the seat of my pants and not plan any parts of my stories. Now that I'm older and I really want to put my stories out there, though, I think it'll be best for me to plan. So...tonight will be my first stage of writing my story.

Tonight's goals:
1. Work out the plot of my story from start to finish. I've done this several times in my head, but it's time to get it down on paper.
2. Develop my characters.
Wish me luck!