I never quite managed to get started today, and haven't written a single word that wasn't part of an e-mail or something stupid on Twitter. Dammit.
So, in an effort to continue my daily-blog-o-phonic creative output, a very very short story:
The wind came down the canyon and blew ice and snow into Colin's face. He brushed it off his goggles, but had given up keeping it out of his beard days ago.
He looked up, but the summit was obscured by clouds. Still, he knew it was there, even if he could not see it, and so he continued to climb.
Well, it's more of a scene, (a very very short one, at that) but it's more than I've been able to muster all day, so … that's something.
See you tomorrow, Internets.
Hey, every little bit counts. You wrote something! Mission accomplished. 🙂
See you tomorrow, @wilw.
Sounds like my Saturday last week….good luck and I will be back for more tomorrow.
It’s a delightful snippet, Wil! Already, I feel really sorry for poor Colin getting all that snow in his beard. That can’t be comfortable.
Nanofiction!
http://www.wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/Nanofictionary/Index.html
Would you choose your words carefully, upon reaching the peak? Sitting atop the world, freezing and weary, having earned your rest, would you not pause to take in the splendour of nature?
Or, like my boyfriend, would you say “Who’s boss of mountains then!”
I’m so proud to know him.
He smelled him before he saw him. From the slit of a cave, he watched the human, stumbling, crawling, inching his way up the slope.
“I will not allow the naked ones to find us”, He thought to himself. I will do my duty to the Folk, and leave his shell to the wind and ice. This I swear by my fur. He hoisted his spear of ice, and stalked his prey…
That’s more work than I’ve done today. Supposed to be catching up on my Java lessons but thought it better to make more progress in moving into my new flat and I just had to play a bit more Assassin’s Creed II. I’ll do some tomorrow…
Oh, good little short story snapshot type thingy.
That must be going around. Usually December is a pretty busy writing month for me, but not these first two days! Nada.
Just when I’d managed to convince myself that it was okay not to write a single word for my thesis today…One of the perils of using @wilw for procrastination is that I more often end up re-inspired to do the thing I was procrastinating about than enjoying the nonsense of the Internet.
But wait, a compromise occurs to me: “Memories of the Futurecast” is the perfect background music for thesis editing.
Crisis averted!
A shadow crossed the landscape, undulating over the uneven expanse of white, momentarily distracting the creature as it flashed across his path. He glanced up at the speck, dismissing it in the next breath, and continued his stalk.
The rook high overhead cocked his head, attention arrested. He’d been bored all day. All other creatures were occupied with staying warm, and he’d spent a lonely morning rowing through the mountains, simply looking for something to pique his interest.
He appeared to have found it.
Never mind the rotted wooden beam, siding stripped away, crumbling like stale graham crackers. Never mind that beams life purpose of bearing the load of my second story paved entrance. Never mind the four by four post, now empowered to decide whether I descend gracefully to the ground floor or tumble ackwardly like a passenger escaping a downed aircraft engulfed in flames. I never mind when the air, clear and cold, claws its way into my lungs, only to reemerge, momentarily obscuring my view…. of this..
http://www.skihood.com/PhotoCache/4152369476.jpg
I like it!
It’s 61 more words than I’ve got on my school paper I need to do. *sigh*
I sometimes I wish I never found out about this site or those infernal podcasts. And to think Volume One will be showing up on my doorstep in a few days. Now I’ll never get anything done. 🙂
Not bad…I want more. I have good news, though, while you were writing this great scene I was scoring myself an interview. Wish me luck. I would love to read scene 2 tomorrow and tell you about how I nailed a job interview.
I wish I could rattle something that good off the top of my head. Have a good night Wil!
I was trying with no success while scratching my head in puzzlement to figure out all day why there was such a shortage of commas from the punctuation store which I access online. I now see with no small measure of amusement as I chuckle to myself that you used them all in your short story blog entry.
S.
PS. I totally have a stockpile of italics if you want to trade.
I’ve got all the punctuation I need – I import it all from Donchaunnastan, a former comma-nist country (for a period, anyway).
His partner, Gavin, just barely feet away was also obscured by the weather. Colin could just make out a faint shape next to him.
Was this post inspired by Pink Floyd’s album from 1972? ;o)
Why not do this: every day, write a few short sentences that are a part of a larger story. Start randomly (like you did today), and don’t plan ahead…try to make the story just a few sentences at a time, each day. After a year or so, you will have some crazy short story that I and others would totally slip you a few greenbacks for a digital download 🙂 The best part is that it won’t take you but five minutes a day! w00t!
http://www.livingwithanerd.com
I had attempted to take part in NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) but only made it through chapter 5 (posted here http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/Johnzo/462435/). A little frustrating, but such is life. I find too that sometimes I just need to take a day or 2 off from the creative process to recharge my batteries. Then the next time I have a few moments to write I can really get into it.
Damn, Wil, that’s making me feel cold. Have you got any hot soup?
You have my interest. Keep writing…..
My friend runs a whole Twitter account dedicated to this: twitter.com/veryshortstory
Interesting… combining Obscured by Clouds with imagery from Fearless… a true Floydian Slip, if you ask me.
That’s what entered my mind. But it was a bit hard to see so I clicked my Google, having given up on searching my music files years ago…
Oh, it was only one slip. Call it a momentary lapse of reason, perhaps?
Oh, and…
I’ve got a bike, you can ride it if you like.
It’s got a basket, a bell that rings
And things to make it look good.
I’d give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
(less a slip and more of a dive into a fishbowl)
Hey Will, are you familiar with Anacrusis?
http://www.xorph.com/anacrusis/
The author posts a 101 word story everyday. Neat little writing experiment. I think you’d get a geek thrill out of Wednesday’s story, “Von Blood”.
Have you ever considered getting together with your friends and doing an rp, but then novelizing the story? I always thought it helped to at least give me a starting point and motivation. By the time I’m done the story doesn’t even turn out like the game…
Ohmigod. I know the feeling. I keep trying to come up with something creative and clever, but I keep just tweeting about how bad a cold sucks.
Twitter has really made me lazy when it comes to writing. I seriously try to sum up my stories in about 140 characters or so.
play a game, relax, take a break
if ideas do not come right away, do something else and enjoy your day
cycles
creepy
or are you just saying that it is only pain and experience that inspire great stories?
With an open imagination you can explore any realm without having to put yourself through pain. Having empathy is enough
and he need not a stranger’s hurt
sometimes dreams and stories of what could be are the most powerful and exciting
passion along with knowledge creates good stories
Happy Stories or Go Home!
You never know when they will come to life to live you.
that is intresing =)
that is good advise
I haven’t read your entire blog, but I did read a bit back and I haven’t seen any other story snippets that you’ve posted to base my comment on, but it seems to me as if this scene isn’t from anything that you are working on in particular. Is it just a random scene that got caught in your head and you had to write down? I get those all the time, and I feel like they don’t add together in anyway to anything I’m trying to work on, do you ever find these random scenes useful for anything?
Hi there!
I’ve email you at [email protected] regarding a personal appearance/ speaker honorarium. If that’s not a good address, would you please email me at aichambaye (at) yahoo (dot) com? I don’t want to put my work email out on the internet or it wouldn’t be yahoo.
Best,
Heather
I fell in love with very short stories this summer when a local publication ran a contest: 84 words or less. Made for some interesting reads or perhaps my wild imagination gave the authors too much credit.
Interesting
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a
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