In 2010, I successfully finished (is that redundant?) my third NaNoWriMo. This past year, I didn't get far at all. I don't know if it was because I didn't have a basic story in mind, or what. I do know that the past two times that I finished, the following years were totally lacking in enthusiasm. I don't know why. I may post the beginning here, since it's just a work in progress, and not a very good one at that. The thing is, I did have all sorts of ideas from the seeds I planted, but they just died.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
from a poetry prompt
It's gone
The magic of Christmas
Christmas decorations
In my house
Are no more inspiring
Than empty dinner plates
Random houses
With colored lights
Remind me
Of being cold
I love shopping
Because
I love making people
Happy
I want them to have joy
When they open
Presents
And think kindly of me
But there is no magic
Monday, September 5, 2011
ROW 80 Update
These were my original goals:
For this challenge, the following are my goals, to be accomplished by the end of the 80 days:
1. Finish the A to Z challenge from April. I have A to T completed, but I need to finish through Z, whether or not that finishes the story itself.
2. Finish revising/editing Basic Training. I want it to be ready to upload to Smashwords by the end of the 80 days. Actually, I would really like it uploaded by then, not just ready.
3. Write four short stories. These may be flash fiction, stories for challenges, etc. But four stories in 80 days really means writing a short story within 20-day time spans. I can do this.
4. Create a written plan for my blogs (Pawny's Pen, the Desert Duck, and Snarkyville News).
5. Create a written author plan.
6. Other mini-goals as they may arise from these goals.
The problem with summer is that I have lots of time, so I squander nearly all of it. I do tend to do more when I have to squeeze it in. So, in short, little has changed since my last update. While the Desert Duck is gone, I did create another personal blog, with only my brother and sister subscribed and no one else knowing about it. That gives me the freedom to talk about whatever I want to talk about, without worrying about who's reading it or whose feelings will be hurt by accuracy.
Although it wasn't a written goal, all of my poetry has been removed from this site and put into a Smashwords book. It's not that I expect anyone to buy a poetry book, and I haven't even bothered to advertise it. I just wanted to have it myself. I wanted one location that held most of my poems in an easy-for-me format. Even then, it's not comprehensive, though.
I moved Snarkyville News. I also started a blog with my class's weekly doings.
Otherwise, I need to get a move on with writing. Somehow, I just went dry this summer. I have tons of writing "exercises/prompts;" maybe I'll do one a day for September (new goal), and that will get me back into writing.
For this challenge, the following are my goals, to be accomplished by the end of the 80 days:
1. Finish the A to Z challenge from April. I have A to T completed, but I need to finish through Z, whether or not that finishes the story itself.
2. Finish revising/editing Basic Training. I want it to be ready to upload to Smashwords by the end of the 80 days. Actually, I would really like it uploaded by then, not just ready.
3. Write four short stories. These may be flash fiction, stories for challenges, etc. But four stories in 80 days really means writing a short story within 20-day time spans. I can do this.
4. Create a written plan for my blogs (Pawny's Pen, the Desert Duck, and Snarkyville News).
5. Create a written author plan.
6. Other mini-goals as they may arise from these goals.
The problem with summer is that I have lots of time, so I squander nearly all of it. I do tend to do more when I have to squeeze it in. So, in short, little has changed since my last update. While the Desert Duck is gone, I did create another personal blog, with only my brother and sister subscribed and no one else knowing about it. That gives me the freedom to talk about whatever I want to talk about, without worrying about who's reading it or whose feelings will be hurt by accuracy.
Although it wasn't a written goal, all of my poetry has been removed from this site and put into a Smashwords book. It's not that I expect anyone to buy a poetry book, and I haven't even bothered to advertise it. I just wanted to have it myself. I wanted one location that held most of my poems in an easy-for-me format. Even then, it's not comprehensive, though.
I moved Snarkyville News. I also started a blog with my class's weekly doings.
Otherwise, I need to get a move on with writing. Somehow, I just went dry this summer. I have tons of writing "exercises/prompts;" maybe I'll do one a day for September (new goal), and that will get me back into writing.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday Blog Visit: The Kelworth Files
"Happy Wednesday, people!" she chirped, hoping nobody would notice that it's actually Thursday. Oh, well.
And so we come to another Wednesday Blog Visit, albeit a day late. Or a week. I picked Chris K's blog, The Kelworth Files, for a number of reasons. It comes to my mailbox (I love blogs that deliver!). I enjoy reading the blog itself; I love the author's voice, and loved the story about the doughnut shop without AC.
The reason I picked this particular week for this blog visit is that Chris has issued us a challenge. Here is an excerpt from the blog:
I got this missive in my inbox yesterday:
Subject: My Zombies Challenge You to Prove Them Wrong About Social Media
I have a previously workshopped story up on Tales of the Zombie War. Now, one thing I’m a bit of a zombie about is the alleged power of social media. I’m just not convinced that it does all that much to increase readership or sales. But it strikes me that this might be an opportunity for those of you who have drank the social media cool-aid to prove me wrong. Tales of the Zombie War is one of those places where readers can leave comments. Typically, a story on this site averages 25 comments. So throw your followers at me, urge them to check out my story and leave comment. If the power of your social network raises the comment count to 40 or greater, I will have to admit I am Luddite and will wear a t-shirt so saying to the next Campbell Conference. Here’s the link: http://www.talesofworldwarz.com/stories/2011/07/11/running-on-ahead-by-chuck-von-nordheim/
Please leave a comment on the blog that blog. Also, feel free, as always, to post below your favorite part of the Kelworth Files.
Thanks for stopping by!
And so we come to another Wednesday Blog Visit, albeit a day late. Or a week. I picked Chris K's blog, The Kelworth Files, for a number of reasons. It comes to my mailbox (I love blogs that deliver!). I enjoy reading the blog itself; I love the author's voice, and loved the story about the doughnut shop without AC.
The reason I picked this particular week for this blog visit is that Chris has issued us a challenge. Here is an excerpt from the blog:
I got this missive in my inbox yesterday:
Subject: My Zombies Challenge You to Prove Them Wrong About Social Media
I have a previously workshopped story up on Tales of the Zombie War. Now, one thing I’m a bit of a zombie about is the alleged power of social media. I’m just not convinced that it does all that much to increase readership or sales. But it strikes me that this might be an opportunity for those of you who have drank the social media cool-aid to prove me wrong. Tales of the Zombie War is one of those places where readers can leave comments. Typically, a story on this site averages 25 comments. So throw your followers at me, urge them to check out my story and leave comment. If the power of your social network raises the comment count to 40 or greater, I will have to admit I am Luddite and will wear a t-shirt so saying to the next Campbell Conference. Here’s the link: http://www.talesofworldwarz.com/stories/2011/07/11/running-on-ahead-by-chuck-von-nordheim/
Please leave a comment on the blog that blog. Also, feel free, as always, to post below your favorite part of the Kelworth Files.
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday Poetry: Real Poems
Hello, friends! Welcome to (last week's) Tuesday Poetry! As you may remember, instead of highlighting poems that I particularly like from the famous or the infamous, I decided instead to focus on poetry blogs. There are a number of people out there writing poetry, possibly including you! Today we are visiting Real Poems.
If you're a regular reader, then it goes without saying that I first came in contact with this blog through Twitter. If you are interested in such things, some of his poetry follows various rhyming schemes and some doesn't. (My own rarely rhyme.) What attracts me to his poetry is his authenticity and that he writes poetry about Andrew. Andrew is one of his sons, and he as Down's Syndrome. According to Saturday's poem, Andrew has just turned 21.
I had a friend whose nephew (age 30-something) had Down's Syndrome. I remember his joy in collecting hat, his job, and group trips he took (because he lived in Syracuse, which provided such opportunities). I've lost track of my friend and Jimmy, but John Lavan's poems bring back those happy memories for me.
I am also so deeply touched by a father's palpable love for his son. I believe you will experience that as well.
Please check out the blog, and leave a comment below about a poem you liked. Thanks!
If you're a regular reader, then it goes without saying that I first came in contact with this blog through Twitter. If you are interested in such things, some of his poetry follows various rhyming schemes and some doesn't. (My own rarely rhyme.) What attracts me to his poetry is his authenticity and that he writes poetry about Andrew. Andrew is one of his sons, and he as Down's Syndrome. According to Saturday's poem, Andrew has just turned 21.
I had a friend whose nephew (age 30-something) had Down's Syndrome. I remember his joy in collecting hat, his job, and group trips he took (because he lived in Syracuse, which provided such opportunities). I've lost track of my friend and Jimmy, but John Lavan's poems bring back those happy memories for me.
I am also so deeply touched by a father's palpable love for his son. I believe you will experience that as well.
Please check out the blog, and leave a comment below about a poem you liked. Thanks!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
ROW 80 Check-in Post
Goal 4 was "Create a written plan for my blogs (Pawny's Pen, the Desert Duck, and Snarkyville News)."
My written plan for Snarkyville News is here. The short version is that Mondays will be links to teacher resources, Thursdays will highlight teacher blogs, and weekends we see a post from Snarkyville -- a funny story, something happening in my classroom, etc. Posts are noted on Twitter with appropriate hashtags (either #teaching on Thursdays or #teaching and #homeschooling on Mondays, as homeschoolers also look for teacher resources).
I also created my written plan for the Desert Duck here. In short, I'm letting go of that blog. I took off (well, hid) the last post, making the final post a natural point of closure.
I've not yet created a written plan for this blog, Pawny's Pen. That will come, though!
My written plan for Snarkyville News is here. The short version is that Mondays will be links to teacher resources, Thursdays will highlight teacher blogs, and weekends we see a post from Snarkyville -- a funny story, something happening in my classroom, etc. Posts are noted on Twitter with appropriate hashtags (either #teaching on Thursdays or #teaching and #homeschooling on Mondays, as homeschoolers also look for teacher resources).
I also created my written plan for the Desert Duck here. In short, I'm letting go of that blog. I took off (well, hid) the last post, making the final post a natural point of closure.
I've not yet created a written plan for this blog, Pawny's Pen. That will come, though!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Tuesday Poetry: Welcome to My World of Poetry
I have not done Tuesday Poetry in a while, for a number of reasons. I must say that I love poetry, and there is a wide variety of it out there. I would love to share all of my favorites with you, which is how this feature began. But there are a number of people out there, a number of blogs I follow, that are about or include poetry. I am thinking that, in keeping with my re-evaluation of my site, I should feature those poets instead on Tuesdays. I already have at least three poetry blogs in mind to feature!
This week, for our first Tuesday poetry blog visit, I'd like to take you to Welcome To My World Of Poetry, a blog by Yvonne Lewis. I "met" Yvonne and her blog through the A to Z Challenge. Every day or nearly every day, her blog has a new original poem. She also has photographs that go along with the poems, and matching music as well. Yvonne has a lovely, multisensory web site.
Check out her poem in memory of Peter Falk.
Until next Tuesday, may all your poems rhyme or not rhyme, and may all your pentameters be iambic (or not). :-)
This week, for our first Tuesday poetry blog visit, I'd like to take you to Welcome To My World Of Poetry, a blog by Yvonne Lewis. I "met" Yvonne and her blog through the A to Z Challenge. Every day or nearly every day, her blog has a new original poem. She also has photographs that go along with the poems, and matching music as well. Yvonne has a lovely, multisensory web site.
Check out her poem in memory of Peter Falk.
Until next Tuesday, may all your poems rhyme or not rhyme, and may all your pentameters be iambic (or not). :-)
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