Monday, April 06, 2009

Change out

And it is with a sense of relief that Daylight Savings time is now over. I don't object to a change in time, but I do object to it being six months long! And so does my dog. Anyway, it's the perfect time to check the smoke detectors and change out the batteries.

But now the cooler weather is beginning to settle in and the creative juices are stirring. Hot weather just makes me go 'blah'.

It also means that the Forward Motion story-a-day marathon is coming up in three, short weeks. Woo hoo! Along with the Nano, this is when the muse cranks up and spits out some real gems. And since I missed it last year due to being out of the country and having a damn good time, I'm really ready for some obscure prompts to puzzle out.

The best part is the store of shorts I'll have in first draft format. The worst, or ferociously challenging part is the total concentration the marathon needs because you have to write a complete story. That's beginning, middle and end, with character development, plot, dialogue, twist, everything a book has except in miniature. And do it every day during May.

The best place to find prompts is The Seventh Sanctum. It has some marvy eras mixed with odd ideologies, philosophies and people, in any number of genres. It's pure challenge.

Thirty stories in thirty days. Kind of like a manic Nano really, so how can I resist?

2 comments:

Marina said...

I can't imagine how this can be possible! I was so intrigued I joined FM last night and went hunting for more info, but alas, came up empty-handed. Can't find anything in Challenges, Dares or Marathons. Will there be a sign-up thread on the main board closer to the time? Or is there somewhere else I should be looking?

Not that I'm saying I'll do it! I'm not a speed demon like you, Jaye. But I'd like to know a bit more about it.

Jaye Patrick said...

Yes, there will be a sign up thread - and I'm assuming the challenge will go ahead - but not until late April or the first week of May.

You don't have to do 31 stories, there are pips for 10, 15 and 20. I just, well, you know, can't resist a challenge sigh.

Spend some time exploring the board though, it's the best place I know for writers, whether published (S.L. Viehl used to be on it) or not.