New Year, New writing Projects

I've continued writing short scenes during the holiday season. As the new year begins, my goal is a first complete content edit for my proposed book, Dubious Grief. First draft was completed December 1, so after sitting on the draft for a month I feel ready to overhaul the content. I'm taking a memoir writing class this term in order to get feedback on the content, style, format, and of course my writing as I revise the draft. Now that I have several ongoing writing projects, I can continue writing fun stuff as I buckle down and edit Dubious Grief.

Saying goodbye...

Just returned from the east coast where I visited my 91 year-old mother. I wanted to see her because her health has declined over the past six-months since my last visit. When it was time for me to return home and I was saying goodbye to her she suddenly asked, "Will you come for my funeral?" I promised her I would, and she seemed pleased to know I'd be at her funeral. I think this was her way of saying "goodbye" - to have closure if she didn't see me again. I've started a short story about "goodbyes" - and the importance of saying goodbye when we don't expect to ever see someone again. Should be an interesting writing experience.

Short Story writing...

I love writing short stories - one a week. I don't need much motivation to write 1, 2, 3 thousand or more words in a week. The short story format gives me time to write, edit, get feedback, and rewrite/edit again. Now that class is over, what I lack is a critique group to provide feedback on my stories. My goal over the next month is to find a critique group. In the meantime I plan to write, write, write...

See new posts on Dubious Grief and Writing Riffs pages.

Short story class ending...

This week will mark the final short story writing class for fall term. I love that I've found my story medium - short stories are perfect for my writing. I have taken ideas - sometimes just a title - developed over the summer and turned these into short stories. Not only do I love writing these brief pieces, but I also love the freedom of moving from one "idea" to another, shifting theme, voice, and content. Short story writing fits well with my ever-changing creative drive. I look forward to writing many more tidbits from my life experiences.

New post on dubious grief page.

More short stories

I have written a short story each week for the past 8 weeks. I love the short story format - the limit on word count, pace, flow and single plot. It is the perfect format to explore potential story lines I've generated over the months. Most of all, short stories are doable for me. My longer pieces get bogged down, I lose the plot line, and I get bored. Short stories are perfect for the writer in me.

Story Plot...

This week, story plot was the topic in my short story writing class. I'm a "seat of the pants" writer, so I rarely know the story plot until after I've finished several drafts of a story. When I reach the point where I've got several good scenes and I begin thinking about reorganizing the story, this is when I think about the story plot. Perhaps as I develop my craft, I will think about plot sooner, but for now this approach works for me.

Writing for fun

Lots of fun writing this week. So far I've managed to write a short story every week since beginning the short story class. Using the character development questionnaire I wrote a story about a family gathering for the 97th birthday celebration of Nettie. In the piece Nettie's life is revealed and in a plot twist, a family secret is revealed. This week I'll try my hand writing a story with the setting as a major element from two POV characters. The writing riff posted this week gives a clue to what story may unfold.

See new material on both Writing Riff and Dubious Grief pages.