yourwords

Some people don’t think character’s names are too important as long as they aren’t confusing. Then there’s the people that say names need to mean something whether it’s a main character or random cop #1. And the inbetweensies. I have to care about my characters thoroughly, which means finding the perfect name. It doesn’t have to mean ‘disciple o’ god’ or ‘flower of the desert’ as long as it feels right.

And I’ve also met people who can get down a great character, but never find the right name, and usually leave that till last. Here’s some tips on the ‘right’ name.

• My favorite default name website is the ever popular behindthename as well as behindthesurname. Sometimes I’ll think ‘my character needs a french sounding name’ and write the french names that pop out at me from the list. Or I’ll think ‘my character has *this* quality’ and see which names I like. Same with the surnames. (the random name generator is fun too ^_^)
• Look at your friends and family’s names. I’ve always wanted to use my grandma’s name but haven’t found the right character.
• Some of my favorite character names have come from watching foreign movies, especially Bollywood.
• In desperation, I watch movie credits. Too many names there to ignore.
• In extreme desperation I wrote down names, and name-like words from the Bible dictionary. The best one I picked out from two words in the Bible was Rie Rhannon. (No I didn’t write down Jesus… too obvious)

prompt #9

Take the name of someone that you don’t like and have negative associations with (like Hillary Clinton … just saying) and look at the etymology of the entire name. ( Hillary Clinton ) Write a character based on the meanings to try and change your association with the name.

You know when you feel like you have all the time in the world to get things done, they never get done? That was yesterday for me. I put off blogging and other such things all day in favor of doing other things, and then by the time it got to be evening, I got swept up in Friday night plans. Fun, but disappointing because of all the things I never got around to doing.

It’s alright, because I thought about it and I have no pearls of wisdom for developing conflict. The trouble with writing conflict is that it occurs so naturally and disasterously in one’s own life, that sometimes I feel like I go from dealing with my problems to dealing with my character’s problems without skipping a beat. But that’s off topic.

What I was trying to get at is that conflict is natural in life, and so it happens fairly naturally in writing. For example, imagine trying to write an opening scene where a person is waking up (morning ritual scenes are over-done btw, avoid them). Your mind is probably going to flit over possible occurances for them to deal with and all of them will have minor conflict. First of all t’s probably too early to wake up, and they’re grumpy. That might lead to the coffee machine breaking down, and they have to settle for orange juice. Then they go to take a shower and the dog’s thrown up in the bath tub. Now this is the kind of set up on might expect for your character to be in a bad mood. Then the bad mood leads them to shout at the wrong person an the freeway, and thus begins your main conflict. Honestly, you could write a wake-up scene where everything’s peachy. Or your character’s an optimist so nothing bothers them. That’s conflict in itself, because you’re starting to wonder, “If a broken coffee pot doesn’t rub them the wrong way, then maybe the slow line at Starbucks will.” Once you explore what does and what does not bother your optimist, by that time you’ll have thought of several conflicts and can have a choice of where to go.

•  What if your optimist doesn’t let anything get them down. The janitor at his/her office notices this, and decides to kidnap and torture your poor optimist to their breaking point. Then you can explore the option of a detective spouse that has to figure it all out. Maybe the optimist is married to the detective- bam! An extra serving of conflict.
• Maybe your optimist really does get irked at every little thing but has been hiding it for so long that they only seem like an optimist. That tension has to come out somewhere… Severing chicken’s heads under a full moon? Dressing up as the opposite sex and picking up people at bars? Maybe they explode one day and go on a shooting rampage. Interesting…
• The optimist loses their job and can only get a job that is harsh and testosterone driven. Like lower end of construction, or a welder, or a logger. How long will their bright-eyed optimism last in that environment?

 prompt #8

Take a look at Thursday’s post and make up a random question/story starter of your own. Usually these have built in conflict, such as the ‘when house plants attack’ example, but not always. For instance, when I read Harry Potter for the first time through, I wondered if J.K. Rowling’s initial question had to do with a child not wanting summer or christmas break to come (an absurd concept lol). From that point you have to figure out why they don’t want to go home from school, and therein would arise conflict. Ask yourself a question like this and then ask more questions to pack on the tension.

Novels can stem from the strangest of places. Listen to the first 2 or 3 minutes of this:

Did you hear the part where she talks about her initial concept? If not, keep listening… I’ll wait here…

So we’ve learned from this that simple seeds of weird internal dialogue can sprout and grow into an oak of a novel. The way she was talking though, is almost like you can force those concepts. “You want to write a book? Keep asking yourself weird questions until one sticks!” I don’t want to knock her…. but I must. The ideas, as far as I know, come before the desire to write a book. You say to yourself, “Hmm, that’s a weird idea.” Then, “Wait, that would make a great novel! I’m getting right on it!” But if you’re the kind of gal that puts on makeup before taking a shower, or the kind of guy who wears speedos over their jeans, then that video is for you! (I’m backwards myself, don’t feel bad)

She’s right you know. Ideas start out absurd and flavorless like that. I once said to myself that I wanted to write a book from a non-main character’s point of view, and had to go from there. Imagine having to write a book from a feeble statement like that. Fun, right? Seriously, it was. But there’s easier ways.

• dreams are good. I’ve said this before, but dreams have some of the craziest plot lines, and the conflict is built right in with intricacies and subplots to boot. Makes writing fun, and the hardest part about the dream is giving it a tone of believability. Not too much, mind, but enough so that people can buy into the fantasy of it. Think Pendragon book one, and remember how Mark had to be pulled into Bobby’s crazy story.
• If you aren’t the person that concepts clamber over, then do what the crazy lady semi-suggests: ask random questions until one sticks. What if your mom had a rare disease where she slowly turned into a chicken? What if the sun wouldn’t stop laughing at your bald spot? What if your shoes were purple instead of green??!! Possibilities are endless. 
• If you dont like the random questions you’re coming up with, be patient. Pretend you’re an idea hound, and wherever you go sniff out the possibilities in the seemingly numb and docile objects around you. What if that house plant attacked? What if the steering wheel on your car pulled you into the engine? What if your annoying co-worker was actually paying you all that attention because they’re your son (somehow)?
• Do something with ninjas. Or pirates.
• If you really are starved for ideas… do drugs…. …. …

 OK so there’s a good ground level for finding something to write about. Tomorrow will be conflict development.

prompt# 7

Go into the future and work backwards. You’re an accomplished writer, and people want to know your secret. Write the points you struggled over most in becoming a good writer, and how you overcame the problems. Pretend you’re pompous and think the best of everything you’ve ever done. Pretending that you are confident about your writing might feel silly, but make it believable so that you atleast have some point in your life where you actually appreciate your own talent.

Most of my posts are probably going to have something to do with music, I can’t lie. I should have included that in my introduction post, but I suppose I didn’t think about it since music is such a big part of my daily life. It doesn’t occur to me that a lot of music would be absurd in my blogs, but I was wondering today is a writing blog really should have so much to do with music just because my inspiration is based in it. So under that presumption, this blog is also about creativity, so any form of creative expression is allowed. :) there. I like my reasoning.

Now that I’ve paved the road, I have some music to talk about. :)

At the San Diego County Fair this evening, I saw a laser light show set to the music of Pink Floyd. Trippy stuff. Trippy and GREAT. If you ever have the chance to see this show, I recommend you jump on it, and don’t neglect to buy the 3-D glasses. It helps if you know the Wall, but if you don’t know it very well *ehem* it’s still mind blowing.

When this song came on, I realized that some of the best creative minds have the most dark issues. It gives them an edge that calls out to other hurt souls who need expression to sort themselves out (requiem post much?) I wondered, though, does one have to be dark to be a creative genius? That varies depending on who you talk to. The past four decades have been spotted with troubled creative souls that make such an impact on the public. Like Janice Joplin, for example. Or Kurt Cobain. Would they have been as brilliant or memorable if they hadn’t been driven to an early death by a deep understanding of hopelessness and despair? I’m sure we’d like to think that we’d still think fondly of people like Jimi Hendrix or John Lennon if their lives hadn’t been cut short. Maybe it’s true, but we wouldn’t hold the same kind of respect for them. Die young- live forever. Virginia Woolf (semi young), John Keats, Motzart, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. All these poor tragic figures that were very clearly brilliant yet also disturbed and morose.

But then again, to be deep doesn’t necessarily men one has to put a negative spin on things. John Lennon had messages of peace. Jane Austen wrote fascinating social commentaries with happy endings. J.K. Rowling gave her character’s hell and heaven all fumbled together, just like in everyday life, with happiness ultimately winning out. Same with J.R.R. Tolkein. These people haven’t died tragically, nor were their works depressing and dark. These people are famous too.

So, like in all things, there is no black and white ultimate answers for whats good and what’s bad. Remember, then, that as a writer you exist in a shade of gray. Now make that shade your own without worrying about what might be selling better.

prompt #6

Look over your creative projects. Are they expressive of an in-the-moment emotion? Do you tend to go epic and mix in some good and some bad? Poetry and lyrics, as well as short stories, paintings, and sketches, tend to be more centered on specific moments in time, but this isn’t always the case, just as all novels don’t show the ‘getting over it’ part of life. When you’ve discovered which way you lean, try going in the opposite direction. For example, I wrote a long novel like piece that documented three years and many changes for a girl. There’s a very tough breakup for her that she has to learn to deal with. To push that in the opposite direction, I would write a spin off where I concentrate solely on the emptiness and doubt that she felt during the breakup, without explaining what she does to move on. Vice-a-versa, you could take a breakup poem and write another three verses about how the lover after that one made you so much happier. Learning to switch up what you normally do is good excercise and will ultimately give your writing more depth.

Friday’s prompt was one of those crazy coincidences that you marvel at bitterly. It was about writing to deal with death, right? Saturday morning, my dog got hit by a car. :( So of course I thought that Ernie needs a requiem, and where better to put it than on ‘yourwords’?

It feels too soon. This is a very important part of recording personal events. It’s hard to deal with emptiness and pain, but it’s harder still (for me) to concentrate on my emotions enough to write them extensively. I would rather not ‘force’ grief, but honestly, if it feels too soon, the pain is at the right level for you to start healing. I think that’s when you need it the most. So, I will ‘force’ my grief to write my little Ernie the requiem that he deserves, and hopefully feel better about it.

Here we go…

Poor Ernie. He smelled. He had a ratty, oily coat. He blundered his way through life. He loved me. He loved me so much that he wanted to protect me from all the dangers of the world. No delivery men. No cats, not even my own. No dogs or walkers-of-dogs. No bouncing balloons or stuffed rabbits. Friends could quickly become enemies if Ernie caught us in a mock-argument, or a play fight. Yet he was just a little thing. A little thing that made a lot of noise.

Ernie didn’t understand much. Share the house with a cat? Blasphemy. Too little to be seen by drivers, Ernie would constantly run up alongside cars, pawing at the doors and tires to be let inside. I nearly hit him once or twice. But it wasn’t me, or anyone that I know, that tragically didn’t know to look for him. One impact was enough to cut him down, when I wish it would have only been enough to teach him a lesson. That poor man. If I had killed any dog, especially one as vivacious and loving as Ernie, it would ruin me. But he didn’t know Ernie. He had never had the chance to enjoy Ernie, and get to love his wild personality. It takes time to get past his frankly ugly colors till you see his lovable character. It took time… So maybe the man isn’t as haunted by Ernie’s death as I would be. As I am.

You were taken from me so suddenly, my little baby. I never got to say goodbye. But I know your spirit is still here to protect me, to follow me wherever I go. I love you, little guy. Never forget that. I know I’ll never be able to forget you.

*tear* :(

You know you got to the heart of your emptiness when there’s a lump in your throat. When you reach that point, give yourself a pat on the back. I need one now. :( I think the last song I sang to him (because I’m crazy and used to sing when taking Ernie on a walk) was Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis. That’s fairly appropriate, so right now I dedicate it to Ernie.

prompt #5

Dedicate a song to a dearly departed. Write about why that song is for your loved one. Make it hard to write, to the point where it’s painful to continue writing. Find your throat-lump-point. Make sure to save this dedication somewhere were you can find it again later, when you’re feeling particularly nostalgic. If you have never known anyone who’s died, pick a pet. Or write how you would feel if someone close to you were to die, and then dedicate a song to them. If you’d like, maybe you could show that person your dedication. It might brighten their day to know how much they’d be missed.

Ideas don’t fall from the sky. Actually they do, but frequently is another story. Unless I’m having a lucky week or happen to be taking a writing class in which I have to really dig, then it’s normal for me to go for stretches without a word from idea-land.

So if you don’t have an idea, nor do you have any previous ideas to further explore, how are you supposed to practice?

• prompts are always good. The ‘good’ ones aren’t easy to find, but if I say suck it up and do the ones that make you cringe. You’ll be better for it in the end.
• Ask friends and family for ’starter sentences’. These are random sentences that you turn into a story. For example: “When the sun hit the roof, I screamed.” See? Possibilities are endless. If your friends/family aren’t inclined, open a book or newspaper to a random page and point. Better yet, use lyrics like yesterday’s prompt. Also, this is one of many generator sites. Google has more.
• If you want practice with writing a story before you try to create one, something you might want to do is go back through your family tree and write someone’s story down like it’s a novel. Think of great-grandpappy as your main character, in a story someone else made up (God? The fates? great-grandpappy himself?) The good thing about this is if you like how they story turns out, you have the freedom to publish it without fear of copyright infringement.
• If you know you’ll never want to publish it, then take the fan fiction route. Those are fun. It’s best to pick something that has a ‘universe’ like the all-too-popular Star Wars, Harry Potter, Zelda, Twilight, Lord of the Rings, the Simpsons… Anything that has a lot of characters and therefore possible subplots to choose from. Also, it’s best to choose a ‘universe’ you are familiar with, and are fairly obsessed with. After that point you can go nuts. Once I mixed the universes of Xena , Labyrinth , and Buffy .
• Craziest suggestion: take inspiration from your dreams. They make for the best fantasy plots EVER…

prompt #4

Write a requiem for a fallen character. This can be a real person who’s died, a character you’ve created on the spot, one you’ve created previously, or a pre-made character from a book. It doesn’t matter how they’ve died, but I suggest an untimely death- the sadder the requiem the better. That said, I also suggest picking either a real person, or a character from a universe in which you were sad to ’see’ them go. If you don’t have to fake the sorrow, the requiem will mean more to you. Example: did you cry when Sirius died?

Your requiem could be a poem if you want, or a short story wherein you are at their funeral. Call me crazy, but I think writing a grieving letter to the dead presents a lot of emotions. Practicing to express your emotions is very good for your writing.

I’m using humor here to lessen the strength of my feelings about requiems, because I’ve had to write a few of them. Don’t let the humor fool you, though. I still want you to write serious for this prompt.

My step dad is stuck at home recovering from surgery. That means he has oodles of free time and all he has to do is remain fairly immobile. I would give anything for 2 weeks like that! Do you know the writing I could get done in that time? Teehee. See, the joke is that you have to make time to write. Otherwise writing’s not going to get done.

I realize yesterday that I didn’t explain the lolcats picture in conjunction to my post. ‘Brb’ing into the chamber of secrets struck me as a cute way to look at taking the time to write. You say to the world, “I’m setting my status to away, there’s this crazy world I’m creating that I must visit. Leave your message at the beep.”

The writer’s tip of the today will be brief, as I am poor and need to go job hunting. Blogging doesn’t pay the bills, ppl. It’s a sad truth.

There’s a little controversy that can be addressed fairly simple. A lot of writing workshops and books will tell you that if you are having trouble writing, the best defense is a good offense- or whatever. Meaning that in order to get started you must first produce an outline. This is meant to organize your thoughts and give you some idea of where you’re going so you don’t get lost.

While this works for people, I say it isn’t necessary. I have a friend who thinks there’s no way someone can write unless they have a detailed and unyielding outline. Sure, if it helps you write. But that particular friend has never written a word. He gets too caught up in figuring out exactly how things line up that it keeps him stuck in the outline. Then when I suggested that he just try writing, and seeing what ideas come alone with the journey (remember from yesterday), he flipped out on me.

Do you HAVE to plan every detail before you write? No.

Does it help some people? Yes.

Are there alternatives to creating a boring outline? Hell yes.

• I had a teacher this past semester who never planned out a thing. She’d just pull up a blank document and see where her fingers went. This style of writing is very liberating. And fun. Try it if you haven’t. **this is my preferred method as well. It’s ‘go with the flow’ style, and when trying it, literally go with your impulses even if you have to go back and change things you’ve already written.
• If you have ideas that need sorting out, but find outlines too confining, then my best suggestion is to get a hand held tape recorder. Then you can go nuts! Get all those brilliant ideas out of your head to listen to over and over until you get sick of your own voice! (”I like toast” not all of the ideas are winners…lol for scrubs)
• Tape recorders are only good to a point, though. Right now, I have a ‘war and peace’ sized back story that needs sorting out. To fix that before I go messing up any first chapters, I’m writing a journal from my main character’s point of view. This not only helps me figure out everything that happened prior to the start of the story, it also gives me practice finding my character’s voice.
• Another idea that’s half way organized half way not is one I heard from a guest speaker. She said that she has a basic idea for the plot swimming in her head. Taking that knowledge and the insane amount of research she’s done, she makes a list of chapters and summarizes what they will be about individually. It’s a nice little road map.

Like I’ve said, personally I don’t like to know where things are going in the plot. This means I like to write as if it is happening right now: You know what’s happened, you have a basic idea of what’s going on right now, and there’s things in the future that you want to happen but there’s room for change based on what happens before you get there. That’s more exciting for me. I find that if I know too much about a scene that I haven’t written yet, then I get bored with the scene and loathe to write it. This is what my personal style. My friend from earlier in this post and I argue about which extreme works best. I say they turn out the same in the end, and he thinks ‘not really.’ That’s another thing about being a writer, you have to learn that not everyone is going to play friendly with constructive criticism, so you may as well stop getting offended. (hardest part of writing, in my opinion)

What I’ve been trying to say is that outlines aren’t wizards that can make everything better with a magic phrase. So if you don’t like them, don’t force yourself. There’s that ‘don’t force’ advice again. :)

prompt #3

Pick a song that speaks measures to you. Listen to it, think hard about the lyrics. Put it on repeat, even, and while it’s laying put your pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and write down whatever comes to your mind. Try to start out with how the song makes you feel, but let the words flow naturally. Don’t worry about punctuation or grammar. It doesn’t matter if you stop mid sentence to start a new one. Let your mind wander. Really, you could even write poetry. If you get stuck then write down some of the lyrics and sees if that takes you anywhere. This is a good exercise to loosen your thought process. Your favorite lyrics can be used in your story writing as well, when you can’t think of anything else.

This it the song I’d pick:

Writing is a journey that has no real destination. If you have a destination in mind, you’re crapped out of luck. Honestly, do you think that Lewis Carroll’s favorite part about writing was seeing his words in print? Or watching people (as a wandering ghost) get Cheshire cat tattoos ? No, it was the creation process, although I’m sure his specter is enjoying himself.

So, I put to new writers to evaluate their motives for writing. Do you want that epic trilogy hardbound, gold-leafed and on book shelves today? Ha ha ha. That’s the voice inside my head that I call the ‘castle chaser.’ It would be nice to pop out novels and receive global acclaim for your work. The paycheck and the Scottish castle wouldn’t hurt either.

Unfortunately, that kind of dreaming isn’t going to get us anywhere. Taking on the herculean task of writing your Pulitzer prize special is daunting when you sit to write your first page. Last year, I was in the depths of writing depression, and it was all due to the ‘castle chaser.’ My book, entitled ‘Escape from Reality’, was going to be my first grown up, hard-look-at-life novel, and every page in it would be pure gold to knock the socks off of my audience’s psyche. Then it came down to writing every page, and surprise, surprise I wrote and rewrote like a fickle tornado. The most prominent sign that I was castle chasing instead of writing was that in five years I only had 150 pages to show for it, not included the scribbled out pages in different abandoned notebooks.

Now I’m not saying that rewrites are the devil. Rewrites are fine in moderation, in fact they can be very liberating to a story or chapter or character (or poem or poet for that matter). Taking 5 years to write 150 pages isn’t bad either. The way I did it proved detrimental to my writing, however. Every word I wrote felt forced and alien. Maybe it was good as well, I’m not sure, all I know is that I wasn’t enjoying the journey.

And here’s why:

I’d lost track of why I’d begun on the project in the first place. There’s a little spark of life to a fledgling project. It may rely on the theme that you will be attempting to put across, perhaps it’s an exploration of human nature. Personally, I get pulled in by the romantic aspects. Whatever that initial spark is, that’s the reason that we write. If you lose that, and attempt to force your way in a new direction rather than find it naturally, that’s when the project dies. Momentarily. It can be revived with some elbow grease.

There’s two tips that I have for learning to enjoy the journey rather than concentrate on the destination. First of all, practice writing everyday. Practice makes perfect. You know that old line. This is honestly the universal solvent for any writing problem. If you write every day you’ll not be afraid of writing, and you will work through writer’s block. Notice I didn’t say force yourself to write everyday. Force is such a nasty word… I prefer to look at it as setting aside time to play with language. This may also mean setting daily goals. I read on Philip Pullman ’s blog that he goes into a garden shed every morning to write three pages before he lets himself do anything else. That’s not a bad idea, because he’s got this area that’s dedicated solely to writing, and accomplishing goals like that is good for self-esteem. Another idea is to have a set time limit, such as an hour or so, everyday at the same time. Try it. Have fun. :)

The second and last tip is a fairly simple tip that I’ve read in a textbook somewhere. Take your ‘castle chaser’ voice, and put a face to it. Mine looks like Draco Malfoy , and the lady in the book said her voice was a rat. Then, once the voice has an identity, put that identity in custody. The lady in the book put her figurative mouse in a literal jar that she twisted shut. When I go to write, I shut Malfoy out by shutting a door like he’s on the other side. You will feel silly… I promise… but it helps.

prompt #2

Make an identity for your negative and money grabber voice. Give it a face or a species that you detest. Don’t forget to name it. Once you have that character mapped out (wink wink. you can see what’s coming now, right?), put your Negative Nelly onto paper in one of the following ways…

• if you have any artistic skills, draw the little bastard. Several times in fact, from several different angles. Explore their shape, color, texture. Make them look the way you feel when you can’t write.
• write a journal from your Negative Nelly’s point of view. What do they complain about? What makes their day brighter? Why do they keep bugging you when you are trying to be free and creative? This can be done from an animal or a rain cloud’s perspective- remember! Your Negative Nelly does not have to be human, and it certainly doesn’t have to be anyone you know.

• write a scene where you confront your Nelly. Make it a nasty fight. Maybe it does come to bloody noses, or maybe you two work it out, but be assertive with both characters. (funny to call yourself a character huh?) Either write from first person or third person. If it’s third person play with what both characters are thinking but not saying.

Until tomorrow, adieu.

Why do yourwords need an intro filled with my words? Generally because this is why I may be qualified to help you find yourwords. This wont be the last time I’ll talk about myself, since writing is so personal, but bear with me today for the boring blog.

My age will very likely be a deterrent. I’m only 20, nearly 21 in August. However, I’ve been writing full on novels for over 11 years now. I remember very clearly the night I first started: My friend from the neighborhood was spending the night. She was a firecracker, constantly moving, and constantly finding new things to keep her occupied. Sometimes I could get my head out of the clouds long enough to play lab assistant to her innovation, but usually I couldn’t keep up. In any case, writing was one of her hair-brained schemes, and we both put pen to paper in what would be the start of my passion, career, and most treasured hobby.

I’m personally a novel writer. It’s my favorite form of writing, but that doesn’t mean other forms wont be covered. I’ve had several poems and short stories published. Non-fiction will be covered as well, as I’ve been an editor and journalist. As for blogging- WHEW- I write in fivve different blogs at any given time. Anyone can write, and anyone can be published. I’m nothing special. I’m just someone who can tell you what I’ve learned in order to help you get started. My friends and family have told me they’ve always wanted to write, but have never done it because they’re afraid. Here’s something I tend to repeat quite a lot- the first step is the hardest. No one expects mastery of a barely learned craft. Writing is no different, and it takes practice.

Ah, see? I’ve gone and gotten off subject. Today is a general throat clearing, so no more advice/lecture. *lip zipped*

There’s one more element to writing that I intend to cover in this blog: classic literature. I’ve heard of writers that hate to read, but I don’t believe it’s possible. They’re like unicorns. Or gremlins. Or happy accountants. It just doesn’t exist. ;) If you’re going to put your words down, I think you need to know who’s done it successfully before you. That means you’re back to community college, diet-coke literature. wOOt! I know that’s exciting. I’m partial to Brit lit. Go Shakespeare.

Oh, and I will include a prompt everday. Good prompts are worth … a thousand words?

prompt #1

Pick three characters from three different movies (better make it movies that you enjoy). Ready? Now- throw ‘um in a scene together! And don’t make it about Ace Ventura, Cat Woman, and Dirty Harry picking out cat food together. Unless that’s what excites you, of course. What I mean is take these different characters, get out a literary blender, and have as much fun writing it as you had when watching the movies. This means you’ll also have fun re-reading it. Most writer-helpers don’t encourage you to enjoy reading your own works, like it impedes you with arrogance or something. I say if you don’t have fun reading it, then why would anyone else?

here’s a very brief example of what I would do for this prompt:

Evie Carnahan (from the Mummy) shouldn’t have chosen this bar. Hell, she shouldn’t have even left the apartment. After a fight like that, she didn’t know how smart it was to leave fragile Edward (Scissorhands) to his own devices. Secretly, though, as Evie twirled her martini and watched Frankenfurter (sweet transvestite) dance across the bar, she was glad that she came…

DUN DUN DUN! See? I don’t want this prompt to be a boring analysis of how these three characters might act if they met. You can find plenty of dry prompts like that to challenge your serious side, maybe even on yourwords eventually (blech). Just let go of that for tonight and have fun. Or else. :) I promise, if you only take one piece of advice from me ever (which I assume you’re willing to do if you’re reading this) remember that if you try too hard to write well, then you’ll forget how to write fun, and you’ll burn out fast. That’s expirience talking. 

So, if you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve enjoyed your reading as much as I enjoyed the writing. On to write my own words in my own book. I’ll be back with a fresh post tomorrow. Until then, good night and may Hera watch over your slumber.