Topic Task - Week Thirty-Three

It has been an interesting week and for the most part it has been fun. I've written up extra parts of a plot and emailed a brief synopsis off and await comment.
Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the Winchester Writers Conference this year. This will be the first time in about eleven years. I will miss you all and my June injection of inspiration which always get my writing buzzing. On the up side I am able to get to the York Festival of Writing which is in September. Once again I will be running the One-to-Ones and making sure everyone adheres to the schedule. So if you are going, I'll see you there.

This weeks topic task is linked to the forth coming 'Race for Life' that is taking place over the country. There will be one near you. I'm taking part this coming Sunday and despite the forecast for rain, I'm really looking forward to dressing up, red tinsel wig and all and power walking around the park. Soggy wet or hot and steamy, it will be fun.

I want you to write a piece of creative work that shows the excitement, exhaustion and euphoria for completing a race, walk or jog for charity. Don't for get that some will be sweet and stunning at the begining and at the end. Others will turn to sweaty, steaming heaps. However your charity supporters end up let us feel what they feel, see what they see, understand the pain, joy or annoyance they experience. Create some quirky, posh, common as muck and remember these events draws fundraiser's from all walks of life, show this in your writing.

So what are you waiting for? Get writing.

And if you fancy sponsoring me to do the walk click on this link http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/susankfranklin

Thank you.

Topic Task - Week Thirty-Two

How can a three day week make you so tired? I guess it was because of all the extra things we all squeezed into the long weekend. I'm now in training for 'The Race for Life' and I'm really looking forward to all that walking in the rain! If we are lucky we might just get to see a tiny glimpse of an unusual, almost magical orange globe in the sky. Apparently, it does sometimes appear, however I'm not sure that isn't just one of those old wives tales.

I attended the launch of 'Death Bed' by Leigh Russell yesterday. Many people attended and Leigh read a section to get our taste buds tingling. I opened the pages last night and I'm already gripped. If you've yet to read any of her work, I strongly suggest you take a moment to buy a book and settle down for a good read. Her books: Road Closed, Cut Short, Dead End and the new Death Bed. These are available in the wonderful tactile books with real pages and also as E-books.

This week we are going back to my topic tin to find three prompts.

1. Waking up in the wrong place beside the wrong person.
2. Hop-scotch seemed such an innocent game until you showed me a new way of playing.
3. The alley was dark causing the mass on the ground to almost vanish into the shadows.

Choose one or all of these prompts to inspire your writing this week. You decide what format your writing will take, but most of all remember to use all the senses.

Have a great week. Go on, get writing.

Topic Task - Week Thirty One

It was yet another busy week at work. The writing was slow, but it was a great thinking week. I'm really please with my plotting and hope to get some good writing done over the extended weekend. However my attempt at a competition entry ended in failure. I’ve yet to give up on this story as I believe the idea is sound, it just needs a delicate touch, which I hope to find soon.  

There will be partying, socialising and the odd bevy this weekend. We are all hoping for sun, but as we all know the rain is never far away. I'm sure all of you, like me, will be spending most of the Jubilee weekend celebrating and having fun with family and friends. However, if you find some time during the festivities to write, write about what you've experienced during this special time of celebration.

Write it as a story if you like or just as an exercise in bringing all the senses together to create an atmospheric piece of work. Whatever you choose to do, let your enjoyment, disappointment or frustrations of the days come through. 

So have a wonderful time and write as much or as little as you like, but immerse yourself in it and have fun. 

Topic Task - Week Thirty

We have reached week thirty, the sun has shone down and people are walking around with smiles on their faces. I've almost finished  re-plotting and I'm looking forward to moving forward with the new structure. I've plans for the garden this weekend along many other fun things.It's going to be fun.  It's going to be busy.

Now, for your topic task for this week. With the weather being so nice, I thought we might like to take our writing outside. Find a nice place to sit and listen. What do you hear? What do you see? What do you smell? What do you taste? What do you feel? Note these things down. Once you've done this, use your notes to write a piece of creative writing. This could take the form of a short story, flash fiction, poem or an article. You may use the sound of a honey bee buzzing with the deep alluring fragrance from the lilac that drifts past on gentle breeze or mix the senses to create a nonsense piece. Or can you make the rumble from the motorway and the concrete creaking into a poem that changes the readers thoughts about the concrete jungle they live in.

Whatever you chose to do, enjoy the beauty of the outside and the brilliance of the sun.

So go on, get writing.

Topic Task - Week Twenty-Nine

Sorry for the delay in posting this week. I've had a busy week at work and the writing has been on the slow side, however this is due to some other fun things going on.
On the down side, I had my car MOT'd and serviced today, but before I got it back, someone ran into the back of her. Not good at all. A few difficulties to come I think.

This week I'm giving you a simple challenge. Below you will find six words. Those words need to be included in a single short story. Maximum wordage: 1500.

Words:  Pigeon - Haywire - Suitcase - Trophy - Pickaxe - Mirror.

Remember you have to use all of the words within your story.

So what are you waiting for? Get writing.

Topic Task - Week Twenty-Eight

A great week, both in the day job and with the writing.

Having split my last novel idea in two, I've taken one part and started plotting afresh. I believe I've now got a good structure to build on. The other part of the original novel now has it's own direction and still needs a fresh new re-plot, but that will be done later. 

I can't wait to get on and do the first few scenes of the new Ribbons of Red, but a little more character profiling needs to be done first. 

For this weeks topic task, I thought it might be fun to write a piece from a male point of view and then again from the female point of view. You have two characters, one male one female and they are in a scene together and you have to write their story. You will do this twice once from his view and then from hers. You need to be inside the head of your characters. See it though their eyes. You have to make sure the scene is the same, but from the view point of each individual character by using their thoughts about the situation and the reaction from the other person. Even though it is the same scene it can be seen a vastly differently by each character. They may both believe they have won a situation or both feel aggrieved. 

Set your characters in a scene that they are comfortable with or place them in a difficult uncomfortable situation. Whatever you do make it interesting. 

Go on then, get writing. 

Topic Task Week Twenty-Seven

This has been a week full of deep thought and new idea development. I was asked the other day where do your ideas come from? To be honest, I don't know, they simply pop into my head and annoy my until I take notice. I've got the message and not only from these ideas. I'm going to be very brutal with one of my novels this weekend and do some serious re-structuring, plotting and re-writing. This will mean that I need to be even more vicious with my characters - some are for the chop. This is one of the projects that will be started this weekend.

Another is to type up and editorial notes and make various adjustments to a children's novel. This will be fun and once complete it will be off to to find a home. 

I'm still waiting to receive a response to the short stories I recently submitted. I'm slightly concerned that they may not have been read, as I added a read response link to the email. I've not had that notification yet. Note to self, chase this up. 

Right, enough of me. Lets get to the Topic Task. 

This week I'm giving you a choice of three titles. You need to select one that inspires and write a short story for a magazine. You will, of course, need to research the market for your work. Think about story length, house style and subject matter. Create a piece of work that you will submit to your chosen magazine, this of course can be an on-line or paper issue. Check out their criteria and work within the guidelines given. Writing to length is a skill ensure you adhere to requirements. 

1. Souls Dance in the Forest.

2. Soulful Eyes.

3. Soul-searching moments. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Get writing.