The “Place” Experiment Part 2

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

The second place in my experiment 🙂

Location: One of the piers at Chatham.
Time: 11am
Date: Monday 12th March

I listened to the seagulls sqwarking (sp? Lol) overhead and watched the small group of swans on the edge of the mud banks stretching their wings. They eyed the passing tug boat with suspicion. In the distance, the silent cranes rise up through the mist, waiting for the next cargo ship to arrive. There’s an eeriness to this place. I could imagine sitting here, developing the plot for an intricate thriller. A body, washed up on the mud, it’s bare white limbs a stark contrast against all the shades of grey. The whole area seems frozen in time. It could be 2012 or 1912, I don’t think the scene would have changed. Embedded in the mud, an old shopping trolley, the only trace of modern life. I was intrigued by the wreck of a small fishing boat, it’s mast and a small part of its hull poking out through the mud. I wonder what happened to it. Did it set adrift on a stormy night? Or a more sinister explanation. Regardless of the reasons it’s fated to stay embedded, a reminder to all of the dangers of the river and mud banks.

WOW….. This was a great place to write 🙂 I’m not sure it would have the same eery feeling on a warm summers day, so I’m really glad i went when it was misty. It was freezing though, so I didn’t stay long. Definitely inspiring, not for a romance, but if I was writing something that needed lots of atmosphere, this is the place to come…. I will be returning 🙂

I managed to get both of the prompts done yesterday. The one about the voices in the night prompted the start of a sorry tale about an overweight woman who’s husband leaves her. My hubby gave me that idea as he said about food calling you from the fridge in the night he he he 😉 The one about a ceremony was fun (as I expected), I now have the start of a story where a woman is attending the wedding of her ex, the one that got away if you know what I mean 😉

I spent yesterday afternoon editing and rewriting a couple of stories, and then submitted them for comps. So my “out there’s” now stand at 17 *squeals* Today, I’ll be trying to make that 20 😉

Fiction V Non Fiction (Memoir)

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

As a fairly new writer, I’ve kinda concentrated on fiction….but, a link on Jenny’s Blog recently, had me dashing over to Midlife Collage for a read.

Being that I am *cough cough* of a certain age, I am allowed to join this site *snigger*

I’ve never really considered the idea of memoir writing. I don’t think my life has been that interesting to warrant it. Who would actually want to read it? I didn’t have an awful childhood (by most standards) and as an adult, there have been major difficult times, but again, I don’t consider that I stand out from the crowd 🙂

Sooooo….a new challenge maybe? Life writing?

Me as a toddler 🙂 What feelings does that conjure up?

Have you ever tried writing memoir or do you tend to stick strictly to fiction?

I spent most of yesterday working on my final OCA assignment. I’ve managed to write a 2500 word romance, which was the story that I wrote for the prompt about being in a garden. I think it will be suitable for one of the women’s magazines, but I’m not quite sure which one yet. Will have to do some research 😉

Yesterday’s prompt was hindered by toothache 😦 but, the woman in the window breathed life into the start of a story about a female delivery driver, trying to deliver a parcel. I’m not too sure where it’s going, I’m thinking ghost story perhaps? 🙂 Tomorrow’s prompt is on the eve of the funeral so that’s conjuring up loads of ideas 🙂

Fantasy Time or Wishful Thinking

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Yesterday I was thinking about how bored I am with my dining room table lol…..no, I don’t mean the actual table (well, that too but that’s a different post!) I mean where I write *deep sigh*

So I decided to do a free writing session on my ideal writing location and that reminded me of a journal page I did back in, ooooo, must of been 2008 lol

I love the treehouse idea as a place to write, but, it’s not my ideal writing space……

I’m not greedy, or particularly demanding. A small room would be ok. I don’t need a chaise lounge or a huge desk. A couple of bookcases, where I could store all my notebooks and writing books. A small armchair in the corner for reading and a couple of shelves above my desk for photographs and small nick nacks that have meaning and importance. Some inspiring quotes and pictures on the wall and an old clock, the kind that ticks. The walls would be pale pastel tones, the furniture, natural wood. A stripped wood floor with a large rug and some fluffy cushions on the armchair. My favourite mug on a coaster and a vase of flowers.

A large window in front of my desk that opens wide, with a view of the sea and the beach below. Scented candles and a couple of lamps. A coffee machine or some kind of tea maker (I wonder if you can make tea in a coffee percolator?) and my favourite pair of cozy fluffy slippers. A comfy office chair to support my back and plenty of power sockets for my iPad and netbooks.

White voile curtains at the window that flutter in the breeze coming off the sea. The scent of seaweed and salt filling the room.

Ahhhhhh…..bliss….I’m feeling rather chilled right now lol 🙂

Ok, when I become a best seller (ha bloody ha!) you just know where I’ll be moving to 🙂

What would be your ideal writing space?

Shameless Begging……..
I’ve got one of my stories up on Flash Fiction World and I know I haven’t got a chance in hell of winning lol, but, if you do get the chance, click the link and leave me a comment and rating *flutters eyelashes* 😉

Went to my class last night. I always look forward to it….it’s so nice to have 3 writery type groups that I’m part of 🙂 We did some work on story ideas, and we have homework….to write a short story using a Horoscope for inspiration. Guess what I’ll be doing today? Buying magazines with horoscopes in lol

Yesterday’s prompt about the eyes turned into the start of a short story about a teenage girl with a powerful stare that creeps out all her class mates 😉 Today’s prompt is at the end of an empty street which kind of reminds me of a few pics I’ve taken over the years *goes off to hunt some down for inspiration* 🙂

Second Campaigner Challenge

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Today the 2nd challenge was set for the Writers Platform Builders (see tab above).

I chose to do:

Prompt 1 – Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One persons leg is cut, the other person has wet hair.

Option 2 – Write a short story/flash fiction piece of less than 200 words based on the chosen prompts.

Here’s my offering which came in at 197 words 🙂

As the sky rains fire they shelter from the falling debris at the remains of the old bridge.The smell of diesel and burning plastic stings their eyes and chokes their lungs.
“We’ve got to get out of here.” Tom pushes his wet fringe away from his eyes.
“I know Tom, but I don’t think I can….my leg.”
Tom looks down at the gaping wound in Zoe’s leg, the blood pooling on the concrete.
“If we stay here, we’ll die Zo.” He pleads.
In the distance they hear a piercing scream. Zoe’s heart beats in her throat as she notices the sound of dull thuds.
“Tom, what’s that noise?” She whispers, but before he can respond a body lands a few feet away, it’s limbs twisted and broken.
Zoe screams as Tom wraps his arms around her and shields her face from the horror.
He then grips her shoulders roughly.
“Listen to me Zoe, I don’t know what the fuck is happening here, but I think we need to leave…now! If something hits this bridge…”
Tom is unable to finish his sentence as a large object hits the bridge and Zoe is plunged into darkness.

please let me know what you think, all critiques welcome 🙂

And, if you like it, please vote for me on the link above. I’m number 26

Do I Really Need To Plan?

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

This is Joseph Heller’s writing plan for Catch 22 (curtesy of Flavorwire.com where you can find other examples) and I admit, I am absolutely in awe!

I’m not really a planner, but I can see the merits in making sure you have an ending.

My retreat yesterday went well, but I only managed 4 of the prompts. I got too carried away with one of them (whoops), but I did enjoy it 🙂

So now I have another 4 short stories, or rather starts of a short story. So yeah, I think I better start thinking about endings. I hate having so many unfinished pieces 😦

A great article on Writability is definitely worth a read 🙂

Sooo, are you a plotter? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants?

Yesterday’s daily prompt about memory inspired a story about a guy who’d lost his memory. Tomorrow’s prompt is a lie someone told you which might be difficult lol.

Procrastination

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’ll do it next week…..well, next week might not be ideal because there’s a couple of events I’m attending, and, I really need to de-clutter my wardrobe, and, I’m out with a friend all day Wednesday.

Sound familiar? *deep sigh* 😦

Why can I always find an excuse?

So even when I do have my writing sessions scheduled I should be able to stick to them shouldn’t I? Lol…..ummmmm, nope, it seems not lol….there’s always a ‘but’ lol

I actually bought a book once, all about procrastination, but, I procrastinated about reading it lol (I’m deadly serious lol).

So I have to develop some good writing habits, set some acheivable goals……To get up Mr Procrastinations nose 😉

1. Write every day.
I already do this, well, I miss the odd day, perhaps I shouldn’t…..must try harder 😉

2. Complete short stories.
I have a tendency (esp with the prompts) to not complete some stories, mainly the ones I don’t feel are going anywhere. Will make more of an effort to finish them.

3. Have rewards.
I like goal setting, and goals with rewards are even better. Weekly goals? Monthly goals? An ideal goal would be to submit a short story a week….but can I realistically achieve that?

4. Stop feeling guilty when the house is a mess.
Hmmmmm…..with a family to look after the kids often put the guilt trip on me about dinner. So shopping and cooking is a major part of my day. I do have to do it, I just need to be a bit more organised about it.

5. Set a time for writing and stick to it.
I’ve tried setting myself up a timetable, but that didn’t work. I’ve tried a timer but there’s always something that happens and I end up resetting it lol…really don’t know how to stick to an actual time……help!

6. STOP FAFFING!
Ha ha ha…..easier said than done…..now, if someone could just arrange for the whole WWW to go down I’d be ok lol.

A lady on one of my FaceBook groups went away for 3/4 days, on her own, as a writing retreat. She said it was fantastic. All she did the whole time was walk in the countryside and write. Oh bliss, but we’re not all in a position where we can do that, let alone afford to *deep sigh* If I’m going to make it in the world of short stories I can’t take a writing retreat weekly, because that’s how often I’ll need a completed (edited, ready to send out) short story.

An interesting article on Fuel Your Writing tells me that I’m not alone 😉

So Saturday night hubby went to bed at 9.30 (can you believe it? Humph!!!!) and I had the opportunity to do whatever I wanted….. Did I start my assignment? Nope….. Did I finish one of my short stories? Nope lol….. Did I do some editing? Ummmm, nope lol….. So what did I do?

I ended up watching His Girl Friday on my iPad *snigger* Oh, well, come on…..it was Cary Grant *swoon* He was my first crush when I was a kid (along with Danny Kaye but we won’t go into that just now).

So yet again Mr Procrastination won, got the better of me lol….. I really must kick him into touch…. And quickly lol 😉

I spent most of yesterday afternoon, and the whole evening trying to be organised so that I know when all the competitions are. I’ve got a large folder now with all the info in….I’m really pleased with myself 🙂

Yesterday prompt about the closet saw me back to my old dark ways lol but todays one, write about a crosswind is going to be hard 😉

Yesterdays Workshop

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Thoroughly enjoyed Sally Quilford’s Pocket Novel workshop yesterday.

I learnt so much 🙂

Obviously, most of what Sally was telling us about was in reference specifically to Pocket Novels, but, there was also a lot of information that would be relevant to any type of writing.

I took 11 pages of notes in my notebook lol, which included 2 character sketches (a hero and a heroine) and a scene about a first kiss lol. I picked up some great tips, which will be relevant to any short stories I submit to magazines, and we talked all about Internal and External conflict.

Sally told us about The Hays Code of Filmmaking which is a very handy little guide for how a Pocket Novel should be written, and also gave us some book recommendations. Oh dear…..more to add to my Amazon wish list.

She also gave us a very useful little tip that she admits she shamelessly stole from Della Galton which is to ask these simple 5 questions to any character or situation that you’re struggling with:

How?
Why?
What?
Where?
When?

So all in all a good day 🙂 We even had cake! lol 😉

Sally does an online Pocket Novel course which starts in June….. I think I’ll be joining 😉

Today’s prompt, the long bus ride ended up being another attempt at romance. A woman on a bus on her way home from work ends up sitting next to a man who has an appointment 2doors down from her house. I have some ideas as to what the appointment is, but still not made up my mind 100% Today’s prompt is in the closet which sounds very intriguing…..so many options with that one lol 😉

A Touch Of Positivity

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I was feeling a bit, oh, I dunno…..blah…..on Monday lol. Thank you for your kind and helpful comments 🙂

I’m the kind of person that will always pick myself back up, dust myself down and get on with it, but something really helped me put it into perspective yesterday….. An e mail hit my inbox from Brad Geagleys blog which made me smile……

The exact words that lifted my mood were……

“But the drive to write, the compulsion to report, the urge to arrange words for the simple desire of communicating your thoughts, is natural only to born writers. Really – who would wish to spend their time alone most of the day, locked in your head, trying to accurately describe the visions you see that seem to exist somewhere between your eyes and the computer screen…? Isn’t that like schizophrenics trying to accurately describe the voices they hear?”

I hope Brad doesn’t mind me quoting him, but, his words gave me a great boost 🙂

I do have that desire to write, I’m passionate about it. Honestly, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to write a story a day since the 1st of January! Lol

So now, when Mr Procrastination comes knocking (which he will, I have no doubts on that score) I’m just going to tell him to bugger off, or, better still, leave him at home whilst I go out for a coffee 😉

And then of course, there were all the lovely comments to a piece of flash fiction I posted yesterday. Thank you so much if you commented, you made me smile 🙂

Today’s prompt turned into a story about a young guy being sexually harassed by his older, married, female boss 😉

My First Campaigner Challenge

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I don’t normally make more than 1 post a day, but, today is different…..I have to do my challenge lol

The first Writers Platform Building Campaign Challenge has been set.

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words,

“Shadows crept across the wall”

These five words will be included in the word count.
Write in the same genre you normally write
Make your story 200 words exactly

Here’s my offering. It’s kind of a stand alone piece, but, as I like to write quite dark stuff I can see it developing into a longer story, with quite a bit of nastiness *snigger*

Perfect

Shadows crept across the wall as Sophie made her way down the small alley that ran between the houses.
“Lee? Are you there?” There was no response, so she continued, picking her way through the stinging nettles. Searching her pockets for her torch, she shone the light out and jumped.
“Lee! Don’t do that!”
“Sorry Soph. It’s not far, follow me.” He placed a cold finger across her lips and winked.
Following him across the damp grass Sophie thought of her warm bed and the fact that she had to be up at six for work. But Lee was so charming. All the girls at work fell over themselves to talk to him, even the older married ones.
Suddenly, Lee stopped and crouched down. Sophie did the same, although she wasn’t quite sure why.
“What exactly are we looking for?”
“Shhhhh…..there, look.”
Sophie’s eyes followed his to a small mound of earth a few feet away.
“Oh wow.” She whispered.
“Gorgeous aren’t they?”
Sophie stared in wonder at the three badger cubs who were playing, oblivious to the human presence. It was then and there she decided, that she would be Mrs Lee Harding, no matter what the cost.

I can see this ending up with Sophie being obsessive about Lee, to the point where somebody is gunna get hurt 😉

Right, I spose I better get dressed now then lol

Examples of Bad Writing?

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Came across this list a couple of days ago…. The Bulwer Lytton Competition is a comp for bad writing. The winner is the person who comes up with the worst opening. I didn’t think some of them were too bad lol.

On my course at the moment I’m studying beginnings, middles and ends. I can’t make up my mind whether starting with dialogue is better than starting with a sense of place. Surely, the best opening sentence is one that makes your reader want to continue….full stop. It has to prick their interest….and even some of those bad ones I was intrigued about 😉

I was tagged again by Stacey through the Writers Platform-Building Campaign but I won’t be passing this one on….otherwise we’ll all end up being tagged about 20 times lol

Stacey asked me…..

1. Coffee or tea?
Tea mainly, but, I’m very partial to a Costa Latte 😉

2. Early bird or night owl?
Both lol….I tend to stay up late, and I tend to have a problem sleeping more than about 5 hours. My favourite part of the day is sunrise 🙂

3. If you could speak another language, what would it be?
Has to be Italian! I love the country, the food, the way they talk. My great grandparents were Italian and part of a Trapeze Troup lol.

4. What’s you favourite book and why?
My favourite all time book is Wuthering Heights. What can I say, I’m a romantic at heart.

5. Sweet or savoury?
My husband says my eyes light up when we go out or a meal and I’m given the dessert menu, so it has to be sweet lol.

6. Paper book or eBook?
Paper, definitely!!!!! I love real books, I have thousands lol.

7. Least favourite subject at school?
Anything physical, ie PE/games. I’ve never been sporty by any stretch of the imagination.

8. Do you have any strange habits?
Strange? Hmmmm…..what’s strange? Ok, I’m not OCD or anything like that, but, when I’m in the car and I have the stereo on I have to have the volume set at an even number *snigger* Please don’t ask me why, I haven’t a clue 😉

9. One place in the world you would love to visit?
There are loads…..too numerous to name lol…..I haven’t even see all the places I want to see in my own country yet lol

10. If you could choose a superpower what would it be?
To hear what people are thinking….dangerous I know, but at least you’d know where you stood 😉

11. Favourite smell?
Rose, creosote and paraffin….not necessarily in that order….my favourite perfume is CoCo by Chanel….I also really like the smell of coconut.

This tagging business reminds me of the Meme’s I use to do on LiveJournal lol

I managed to do some work on my course yesterday and before I knew it I think I found myself writing a romance lol. Read all about Diana and her key here. I don’t think I’ll ever run with it as a real story, if you know what I mean. It was just an exercise. Quite enjoyed it though. I’m kind if thinking along the lines that perhaps she never told Gino she was pregnant and perhaps she ends up back in Italy trying to find her son, who in turn is trying to find his father…..hmmmm….could work. My next Nano? Lol…..of course, I’d have to spend lots of time in Italy…..research darling, research 😉

It just goes to show you that by being given an item that you have to pair with a character, how a huge story can then grow out of that. Perhaps I could use it as the basis for my pocket novel when I do Sally Quilford’s workshop next week. I’m not so use to writing lighthearted stuff, but, if I want to submit any stories to the women’s magazines I really should make an effort not to be so dark lol

I’ve also posted some endings on my other blog…..hmmmm….I think they really sum up what I was saying about my writing being quite dark LMAO! 😦

Yesterday’s prompt wasn’t exactly inspiring anything lighthearted, so it ended up being about a woman in a graveyard, who meets a young boy, his eyes are the colour of a crows wing. Today’s prompt is write about picking fruit but I’m off up to London today, so who knows when it will get done lol

Am loving this cartoon I saw on FaceBook 🙂