I lost a poem today
It came to me, a shy friend
and whispered in my ear
such beautiful words.
I savoured them
and rolled them on my tongue
but before I could make a
penned permanence
of friendship
it flitted away,
leaving loss
and longing
in its place.
This is a great series worth reading from C. S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive who interviewed authors about what they wish they’d known before they started writing their novel. This link takes you to the final post in the series, so you may want to poke around her blog a bit and read the rest of the series. It’s a really good source of information for writers.
Quotes from Stephen King 11-22-63
The scholars’ greatest weakness: calling hesitation research ( 282)
This is true for writers, too. I have notes from a workshop by C. C. Humphreys about this. The first book, you want to get everything researched, and you read and read, study and copy notes. He says, quit researching, and get writing. Get the first draft, then go back and focus your research to fix and fill. If you don’t have a purpose to you research, it can go on forever. If you are researching for something specific, you find and move on.
Quote from Stephen King is his novel 11-22-63
In my life as a teacher, I used to hammer away at the idea of simplicity. In both fiction and nonfiction, there’s only one question and one answer. What happened? the reader asks. This is what happened, and writer responds. This…and this…and this, too. Keep it simple. It’s the only sure way home. (p. 250)
Ah. So true. Brevity is an art.
turning pages
story unfolds
redirected
reinvented
rising action
turning pages
new narrative
next adventure
climax
turning pages
volume 2
life unfolds
(early October)
I can’t go to conference this year.
Ahhh! Please come!
I can’t think what I’d pitch this year.
Stay with me!
Oh. I have that old thing I could share.
Come!
Okay.
(Mid-October)
Here, look at this piece.
I like it! Send me more!
Here, look at this piece.
I like it! Can I see more?
(November)
Yup. I really like it. Send it to her.
Here is the rest!
(December)
I like it! Let’s work together!
Here’s a contract!
.
and so begins the next part of the journey
and thanks to Leena because I could have missed it all!
Clear out the inbox
An innocuous line
looks like the others
but wait! What’s that name?
The heart starts pounding
air around feels quite thin
A note from an agent
makes me stifle a grin
Is it good news or bad?
I click closing my eyes
Open one cautiously
and to my surprise
She writes that she loves it!
A contract’s attached
I shout to the rafters
New beginnings are hatched!
.
TRUE STORY! Happened today! About an hour ago, in fact. Now to read through the fine print of the attached literary contract. Large prestigious agency though, and an agent I was very impressed by when I watched her at a conference.
Wait. Time to celebrate with some new Fluevogs? 🙂 The fun and frolicsome Kitschy kitschy Boom Boom Vivs might be appropriate for this kind of a celebration…
Writers live life, twice, trice;
their words are worth most any price;
they wish, they dream, they dice & slice;
they craft their words, they stretch & splice;
Writers fly to many heights;
they make you see amazing sights.
Writers live most when they write.
Counting words
ten at a time
twenty
thirty
Aiming for word count
three
thousand
words
345 down
2655 to go
Why can’t I ever
start writing
before eleven
p.m.?
After a few weeks of hiatus, the Monday Meme is back!
This week I had the unexpected pleasure of an upgrade to a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. It was stunning. I thorough enjoyed stretching out in front of the huge picture window, and admiring the glorious view as I worked away on my writing projects. The poem that this view inspired in me can be read in the link above. How about you? How does this view inspire you?
Your assignment:
1. create a poem, story, or article based on this photo.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Cut and paste the photo onto your post (leaving the Monday Meme text).
4. Put a link to your post in the comments to this post below so we can visit your blog.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with! (I will leave a comment on your blog post itself, rather than posting in response to your link here).
Shawn L. Bird 