Category: Writing

At Least 100 Words #11

There are times when I choose pictures that I think match the topic I’m writing about.  There are times when the picture does not match.  It was just a picture I liked.   In AL1W #9, I did mention a turtle on its back, but the turtles with strawberries picture was just appealing to me.   I collected several turtle pictures that week and they were good pictures.  Thank you, WordPress, and Pexel.   

An idea came to me to start looking for season related pictures. These leaves represent fall colors.  I’m feeling autumn and the weather is compliant because it is beginning to be chilly at night.  It may not have been mentioned before but I live in New York City and I have been so used to warm Septembers, this September feels unusually cold.  Which does not bode well for me, it feeds one of my worst fears, getting sick again.  It is not in my plan and I am doing all the things to heal.   Despite how I think it will make me feel, I am listening to the news to know what is going on around the world.   I prefer listening to the news instead of watching. I don’t think visual is better than audio, I just find it better to absorb.  Now that I think about it sounds a little weird.  I don’t go around yelling at my streaming service like I do at my tv.  So, win/win? 

Most of my day is spent listening to something, music, audio books, podcasts.  I take breaks and look at quick videos on YouTube. I will only watch a film or tv series at night.   When I say day, I mean daylight.   This is my attempt to realize which time of day is better for me to write.  Full disclosure, I’m a night person.  I find it extremely easy to be up all night.  If I can sleep at 6am and wake up at 10am, I could do this all week.  Since I am recovering from an illness, I know this is not healthy.  It is a struggle I go through most of the week.  I think it taxes my creativity.  Which bothers me the most.   I want to use my time wisely and produce good for my reader out there.  I want to put stories out in the world that can be remembered for a little bit of time.  It would be great if my estate has to fight for my copyrights.  I got some feedback recently, it stated that my words tend to end on a negative note.  I apologize.  Because that is not my aim.  The one of the intentions of this blog is to inspire.  Writing about writing, the writing life or not writing, can be the most frustrating practice.   At Least 100 Words rolls in it like snow.  I hope these words, let other creative in the headspace realize they are not alone.  I hope these words help someone who is not.  I hope these words inspire some kid like myself to write me out of the box.   I want to be positive, which is better than optimistic.  I want to keep a healthy mindset.  Not planning to write about the opposite.  Everyone if Monday was not good, you have 5 more days to fix.  Stay positive. 

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At Least 100 Words #9

The last two weeks have been low productivity weeks. I have only posted quotes and I know I promised on previous AL1W to post a review on something. Some of you might have recognized it but I wasn’t paying any attention. I have into fallen into a rut.  I’m a turtle lying on its back, rocking to get back on my feet.  Pardon me, this may look a little ugly and take more time than I bargained.

 To get back on track, I’m reading what I have written in my projects so far.  I am listening to podcast that encourage writing.  On one of the episodes, the hosts asked listening writers, who are they writing for?   Then they gave reasons why it is important to have a specific audience in mind.   The easy answer to this question is everyone but it is suggested that is not possible or achievable.   My answer is I am writing for myself.  But there are issues with that answer as well.  The answer is not as selfish as it seems.  I mean I am writing for someone like me.   When I am a reader, I’m looking for a book that has action, romance, mystery, thrills, and comfort.  Every story I read has these things in percentages.  For example, in a romance story the number could be 50-65% romance – girl meets boy or person meets person, 20-35% mystery “will they?  when they? Or why would they …?” 35% thrills – they did, in various places! wow! Comfort is 15-25% is the satisfying ending character growth, progression of story, a believable end.    Don’t do the math, the percentages may vary, and I suck at math.     The fun is the discovery.    The stories I create are for entertainment and inspiration.  I never forgot what I felt reading Wild Seed by Octavia Butler.  I can’t remember the first romance, I read by Rochelle Alers, I remember the feeling that a person like me had wrote a book about people like me.  This was over 20 years ago.  I was so amazed that we could do that.  I want to pay it forward.  Give someone that spark, I got when I wrote those books.   I want to send my stories to that person.  I even want the ones, the throw my book across a room and vow to write a better story.  I’m aware that the varied percentages won’t work for everyone. 

My answer might be wordy, but that is how I think of my readers.   Since I’m in the rut, the goal seems so far away.  I persist.

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