writercize

#WeekendWritercize 5 WINNERS!

2012-02-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

All three of our #WeekendWritercize guests picked a different side, all equally interesting, so I have elected to exercise my right as judge and send all of you a #WeekendWritercize badge!!

Pick it up here:

and please display it proudly on your blog!

The winners are:

Lisa McCourt Hollar - for women

Dawn M. Hamsher - for men

Susan Kane - for God

Congratulations!!

On another note - my husband sprung very happy, very last-minute travel plans on me over the weekend so I am leaving on a jet plane shortly and will be back the beginning of March.

Writercize and #WeekendWritercize will be on hiatus until I return!

#WeekendWritercize 5 - Pick a Side

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the fifth edition of the #WeekendWritercize competition!

Join in and spread the word to friends and family! 

(...and  if you haven't had a chance to read entries from the last four weeks,  check them out on the #WeekendWritercize tab - talent abounds)

writercize: This week is debate week. Pick a side for the following question and write a compelling argument. The question is:

Who rules the world - men or women? 

(Hint: Think like a lawyer, even if you don't believe in the side you choose, provide the evidence to make the jury believe! Also, think of this as your closing argument, meaning ... you do not need to directly rebuttle any of the other entries.)

To  enter the competition, leave your entry as a comment below. Be sure to  include your Twitter handle and link to your blog or website. Tweet and  Facebook fellow entries using the hashtag #WeekendWritercize.

Since   this blog is used by teachers and students, I kindly request that  you   abstain from profanity and gratuitous violence. (In other words,  keep   it PG-13.) If your story can't be told without, just provide a link   to  your post on your own website along with a disclaimer. 

Competition closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night (Pacific time) - no entries accepted after that. Winner announced Monday.

This week's winner and honorable mention(s) will receive a #WeekendWritercize Winner badge to proudly display on their website.

Thanks and good luck! 

Five Words - writercize #162

2012-02-09T23:54:00.001-08:00

Phew! Ever have one of those weeks where your brain is chasing its tale in circles, and you just can't get out of your head's auto-replay button? That's me this week! As much as my brain is telling me that the extent of my writing skills is parallel to Bart Simpson rewriting a single sentence infinite times on a board, my fingers are trying to fight that and break out with something new!

So, while I still appear incapable of writing an all-new writercize, I will forfeit power to my fingers and allow them to go, go, go with a recycled writercize. This is an exercise where I give you five words and you create something inspired by them. The words are new, but the concept is old!

writercize: Create a short story or scene using the following words:

assist
next
station
teaspoon
other

(randomly selected by flipping through the pages of Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and pointing at a word - I have yet to read the book so it should not heavily influence the story)

Please share your result as a comment or link to your response on your website!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

"Next."

The refugee worker barely looked up from her station as she waved forward the next malnourished body. When she had begun her work "saving the world," she had approached her calling eyes wide open, heart full of courage and tenacity. Now she felt defeated, like for every person she helped, ten more fell unto dire circumstances, and another twenty died. 

Trying to change things felt a little like cutting worms. She'd make deep cuts to the system, only to find that the system would multiply and evolve with every slash, and soon she was drowning in a pit of wiggly primordial vermin, gasping and reaching to hang on to the butterflies of the world instead.

"Hello, ma'am," came the voice of a child.

"How can I assist you?"

"Yes, all I would like is a teaspoon, please."

"A teaspoon?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And what would you do with a teaspoon?" she asked, still not looking up.

"Well, ma'am, I know it's not much, but the other people are all so hot and tired and I'd like to give them a little music to help them remember something of joy while they are waiting. My Mamma always said that when she was feeling really down, if she could hear a touch of music, even if it was just in her head, she could hang on to the next day, and she could remember that something beautiful is in the world. Something worth living for. She didn't have instruments, but she could make a mean tune with a spoon and a rock and her voice, and it's what got her through. They took my Mamma from me, and I don't know if I believe in angels talking to me or if I'm hallucinating from an empty tummy, but I'm feeling ready to give up, and I hear my Mamma in my ear telling me to make the music. Cure the people with rhythm. Cure myself with rhythm. Bring back my Mamma to me. Please, just give me a teaspoon. Give my water to the old lady over there, and my rice to that baby, but please, give me a spoon."

Without a word, the worker looked up and locked eyes with the child, no more than nine years old, destined to be both the oldest and youngest living member of his family, and gave him his teaspoon. Then she closed her eyes, and let his music wash over her along with the crowd. When she opened her eyes to silence minutes later, the child had moved on, disappearing back into the temporary camp of millions of people, but she knew he had left her with a gift of hope and healing that she could reflect on any time she needed to restore her faith in humanity.

Bio-Poem - writercize #161

2012-02-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

My writing mind is all over the place today. It has been an insanely busy news day here in Southern California between the Prop 8 ruling and news about Miramonte Elementary, the LAUSD school that made international news for removing all teachers and support staff until further notice due to the two arrests made last week of teachers engaging in lewd behavior. I have been listening to the news nonstop, and my journalism brain is kicked into high gear, which means I am imagining questions that should be asked and creating stories in my mind even if they are not on paper.

Beyond the news, I decided to "run" the Picture Book Marathon this month, which means that I have committed to write 26 first drafts of picture books in the course of a month. I have four on the books so far, which means I have no more rest days or I will have to double up over the next couple weeks! The good news is I read the first drafts out loud to my kids this morning, and they were full of giggles, so I feel like I am on the right track and inspired to keep going.

Add in a little flash fiction here and there, over at #5MinuteFiction today, and my mind is screaming for a creative break! Therefore, I will treat it to a bio-poem.

A bio-poem is an autobiographical poem that follows a distinct pattern. My parents assigned it to their fifth graders to get to know them at the beginning of the school year. I had largely forgotten about them until a couple weeks ago when I ran across one on a post by a member of the Group Blogging Experience, aka GBE 2. When I saw it I stashed it deep into my mind for use on a Day of Limited Writercize Inspiration, or a Day of Overthinking, as AA Milne may have described it. (Gotta love how you could gauge the importance of any topic through his use of capitalization.)

Hopefully you find this mindless exercise as relaxing as me!

writercize: Write a bio-poem, using the following formula, as posted on the University of Chicago website:

(First name)-

(Four adjectives that describe the person)

Son or Daughter of (your parents names)

Lover of (three different things that the person loves)

Who feels (three different feelings and when or where they are felt)

Who gives (three different things the person gives)

Who fears (three different fears the person has)

Who would like to see (three different things the person would like to see)

Who lives (a brief description of where the person lives)

-(last name)

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response. Please feel free to share yours in the comment section, along with a link to your blog!

writercizer sample response:

Alana-

Ambitious, Daydreaming, Authentic, Analytical

Daughter of Ron and Tuni

Lover of family, the beauty of language and the thrill of new experiences

Who feels humbled by her daughters' love, proud of what she can create with her mind and optimistically cynical about the future

Who gives her heart, spirit and soul to those she loves

Who fears pain for her children, missing out on the moments while lost in the planning, and forgetting the people and places she holds dear

Who would like to see the bright colors of India, the mountains of Tibet and the Atacama Desert

Who lives a mile from the world's largest ocean in the City of Angels

-Garrigues

#WeekendWritercize 4 Winner - Mike Miller

2012-02-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all the #WeekendWritercize entries this week!  There is so much mystery and intrigue, and as usual I am impressed by your talent.

As a reminder, the challenge was:

writercize: Write the opening to a novel with the following title:

Five O'Clock Shadows. Any genre ok. "Opening" may be interpreted as opening sentence, paragraph or scene. Make me want to read more!

See all the results here.

 Congratulations to the #WeekendWritercize 4 Winner:

Mike Miller

Tough guys do cry. 

I chose Mike's novel opener because something major has clearly happened to his friends that we don't know about, but he dealing with it by obsessing about something as mundane as the number of items on his "Tremendous Twelve" diner plate. I can envision myself counting the items and wondering if the restaurant can't count or if they forgot to put something on the plate but staying silent. I love that he is so distraught by this that he cries over it to the waitress, who responds in a snarky diner manner, imperfect grammar and all. I like that Mike shows me that this man's world is crumbling around him, that he is so completely lost, by how he relates to his food. I want to know what is happening.

Pick up your badge below! Congrats again! I will message you for the gift card!

Honorable Mention:

Sarah Aisling / @SarahAisling

The depth of this opening drew me in, to see the work that this person has gone through to make his victim comfortable in his presence, from walking into an apartment building nearby to allowing her to see him. He is clearly a man from her past since he has changed his appearance, so I am curious to know their back story. I also really appreciate a two word hanger at the end.

Sarah, pick up your badge below:

Once again, congratulations to ALL of the entries and thank you for participating!  I love reading what you write every week and look forward to seeing what you create next week!

All Entries:

Christopher (chm)

Mike Miller

Dawn M. Hamsher

LupusAnthropos

Aurora Lee

Sarah Aisling

#WeekendWritercize 4 - In Title

2012-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 4th edition of the #WeekendWritercize competition!

Join in and spread the word to friends and family! 

Badges and coffee up for grabs this week. 

(...and  if you haven't had a chance to read entries from the last three weeks,  check them out on the #WeekendWritercize tab - talent abounds)

writercize: Write the opening to a novel with the following title:

Five O'Clock Shadows.

Any genre ok. "Opening" may be interpreted as opening sentence, paragraph or scene. Make me want to read more!

To  enter the competition, leave your entry as a comment below. Be sure to  include your Twitter handle and link to your blog or website. Tweet and  Facebook your own as well as fellow entries using the hashtag #WeekendWritercize.

Since   this blog is used by teachers and students, I kindly request that  you   abstain from profanity and gratuitous violence. (In other words,  keep   it PG-13.) If your story can't be told without, just provide a link   to  your post on your own website along with a disclaimer. Your entry will still be considered. 

Competition closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night (Pacific time) - no entries accepted after that. Winner announced Monday.

This week's winner and honorable mention(s) will receive a #WeekendWritercize Winner badge to proudly display on their website, and to sweeten the deal, a $5 Starbucks card is at stake!

Thanks and good luck! 

Pulling a Komen - writercize #160

2012-02-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

Most everyone who follows the news, health care, nonprofits and civil liberties knows that the nonprofit Susan G. Komen foundation elected to cut funding to Planned Parenthood this week. Komen is best known for their pink ribbon and walk for the cure to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness.

Citing the excuse that Planned Parenthood is currently under investigation (for allegedly using federal money to pay for abortions, an investigation spurred by social conservatives) and Komen wants their donors to know that money will be used towards breast exams rather than lawyers, Komen pulled the plug on funding. The catch is, the money was already earmarked for use towards breast exams and cancer treatment, so Planned Parenthood could not have used the money elsewhere, nor did they ever plan to.

The decision to withdraw funding caused a huge angry backlash across media, social networking and women's groups and several threatened to stop donating to Komen. Reportedly, at least one top Komen executive resigned over the issue, but due to privacy agreements with Komen the reason can not be confirmed.

So, mere days after the announcement to suspend funding, Komen pulled a 180 and announced today that they will give Planned Parenthood after all.

Did they not realize the firestorm they would raise prior to the first announcement? They had to have known this would be a controversial decision, and taken that into account. Yet, they are now backpedaling and wishing for a time machine that would drop them off before the whole mess.

The problem is, the proverbial cat is now out of the bag. Anti-abortion activists who donated this week after Planned Parenthood funding was cut feel cheated, and pro-choice activists are left asking why they should trust Komen's flip flop rather than donate money directly to the screeners and examiners themselves. Komen has now succssfully alienated both sides of the spectrum and confused the middle ground. The country is left wondering how in the world Komen's PR department is going to save the nonprofit from any deeper trauma as the nonprofit case study of the year unravels.

All of this makes a writer who loves playing with words quite happy to coin a new phrase, pulling a Komen. To pull a Komen means to hastily retract a business decision in the face of public fury. It will now be part of my personal vernacular, and particularly applicable in knowingly controversial or political decisions.

I would love to see what phrases you writercizers can come up with, using the names of businesses, celebrities or otherwise notable people. 

writercize: Take a name of a notable business, celebrity or person who is associated with either a famous mistake or good deed and place it in a descriptive phrase. Include the definition (and a sample sentence if you dare!).

Please leave your phrase here as a comment - I would love to see what you creative writercizers come up with! 

Click "read more" for two writercizer sample responses: to pull a Komen and to be Gored. 

writercizer sample response:

Example 1: 

"to pull a Komen:" to hastily retract a business decision in the face of public fury

Sentence: Susan knew she shouldn't have let her VP do the talking; now it'd look like she was pulling a Komen on behalf of the company just because Sherry had gone off her talking points and made promises that couldn't be kept.

Example 2: 

"to be Gored:" to be "robbed" of a win 

(after Al Gore's apparent win and subsequent loss in the 2000 Presidential race, based on controversial voting polls and recounts in Florida)

Sentence: After a recount missing tallies from eight of the state's districts, Mitt Romney was Gored by Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucus, declared the second place candidate with less than 50 votes dividing them.

Smart Old Wives' (Remedies) - writercize #159

2012-01-31T21:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight my energy levels are dipping and my throat is on its way to Scratchville. It seems despite life in sunny Southern California, winter's cold season is beckoning. Since I would rather encourage it to pass me by, I'm turning to you, my wonderful readers, to share your knowledge about fighting colds the non-medicine way, in your own words.

writercize: Please tell me what Old Wives' Tale works to stave off sickness! If you know the science behind it, please share.

I will read your answers in the comments section with my own Old Wives' trick, a piping hot cup of tea with honey and lemon, in hand. And thank you!

PS - I signed up yesterday for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, an annual blogging event the month of April. If you participated before, I'd love to see you there again! If you haven't, check it out - it is a great international blogging event and I highly recommend it. For more info or to sign up, click on the badge to the right, open the #AtoZChallenge page above, or visit this article on Technorati news about blogging challenges: Benefits of Blogging Challenges.

Name that Group - writercize #158

2012-01-30T23:44:00.000-08:00

I am sort of addicted to working for free. I write considerably more often than I earn money for writing, I volunteer as an usher and religious ed instructor at my Unitarian Universalist church, I signed on as a volunteer usher for a community theater group, I just offered to help put together the yearbook for my daughters' preschool this year, and I am the President of our local "twins club," the Beach Cities Parents of Multiples Association. I do not complain about any of these activities; I love every one of them and I really like to be actively involved in my community, but I must admit I have this odd relationship with money. I like to have it, naturally, but it appears it somehow spoils the experience of giving for me. I thrive off the connections and feeling of service and a far more driven by doing something to serve my community than a paycheck. 

These days I get to stay home with my young children, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be home and see then grow and foster my relationship with them. I cherish it because I know they will not be small forever and because I know that I have decades of career opportunities ahead of me when the time is right. However, I am not able to dedicate myself to staying home with them without also dedicating myself to the organizations that are important to me. In this way I hope to show them responsibility and the importance if community, and that true value is tied to what a person can give rather than what a person can earn.

So what does all this have to do with today's writercize? Remarkably little, as the post ended up quite tangential, but let me steer you back to the original concept. It all relates loosely to a writercize idea that stemmed from watching the SAG Awards and listening to the announcement that if members approve a merger, the group will be named SAG-AFTRA. Quite the mouthful.

The two parenting groups that I an involved in are called the Beach Cities Parents of Multiples Association and the Hip Mamas. The church preschoolers' class I teach is called the Pixies. Several of the twin groups around the country have cutesy names like Terrific Twosomes or Double Blessings, Act Two Moms, Gemini Crickets. When our club was founded 20 years ago, it seems they went practical over creative in the name, which certainly serves its purpose. I think a club name says a lot about the club's approach to policies and how it serves its members, so I want to name a few groups with you.

writercize: Create a name for each of the following clubs:

bowling team
professional networking association
actors troupe
mommy group
writing critique group

Leave your reply as a comment. This should be an easy writercize for some quick word play to loosen the verbal dam in your mind!

Click read more for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

bowling team - Pinheads

professional networking organization - Connected

actors' troupe - The Legbreakers

mommy group - Moms in Toyland

writing critique group - Red Pen Readers

#WeekendWritercize 3 Winner: LupusAnthropos

2012-01-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

It looks like this week's prompt stumped the lot of you, but there was one entry that was quite well executed and is absolutely deserving of the #WeekendWritercize winner badge.

Once again, here was the prompt:

writercize: Use the published poem of your choice to inspire original prose.

Congrats to Winner

 LupusAnthropos (a #WeekendWritercize 1 Honorable Mention!)

 LA chose a poem about fickle fortune and life's difficulties that I was previously unfamiliar with, called "Das Glück ist eine leichte Dirne," by Heinrich Heine and used it as the inspiration for a modern-day tale about a man who wins at gambling but loses in life along his drive home. 

The inspiration was clear, but the story was entirely new, which was exactly what I was looking for!

In the course of one night, Kevin Sanderson goes from winning $50,000 to getting served, while he steps out of a newly dented car and watches a tree limb being lifted from his crushed roof. That's a world of conflict in a mere 620 words! Read the entire story here.

Very well done. Please pick up your badge below.

I would also like to acknowledge November Rain who wrote a lovely story about an artist and his love, looking in through a wrinkle in time. It was for the Friday prompt, so ineligible for this week's badge, but a very nice entry into the writercize world and I look forward to more of her work in future #WeekendWritercizes!

Please come back Saturday morning at nine for another #WeekendWritercize with a slightly simpler premise. And of course check in throughout the week for lots of great non-competition writercizes to try!

#WeekendWritercize 3: Poem to Prose

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the third edition of the #WeekendWritercize competition!

Join in and spread the word to friends and family! 

(...and if you haven't had a chance to read entries from the last two weeks, check them out on the #WeekendWritercize tab - talent abounds)

writercize: Use the published poem of your choice to inspire original prose. 

You may select any poem you like or use the one below. There is no word limit and you are free to frame it as a short story, single scene or vignette.

If you do not use the poem below, please provide the title and author of the poem at the top of your entry so that I can reference it. 

"I Died For Beauty" 

by Emily Dickinson

                                                                     I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room. 

He questioned softly why I failed?
"For beauty," I replied.
"And I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren are," he said. 

And so, as kinsmen met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names. 

Have someone else in mind or want to browse? Find more poems here: www.poemhunter.com

To  enter the competition, leave your entry as a comment below. Be sure to  include your Twitter handle and link to your blog or website. Tweet and  Facebook fellow entries using the hashtag #WeekendWritercize.

Since  this blog is used by teachers and students, I kindly request that  you  abstain from profanity and gratuitous violence. (In other words,  keep  it PG-13.) If your story can't be told without, just provide a link  to  your post on your own website along with a disclaimer. 

Competition closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night (Pacific time) - no entries accepted after that. Winner announced Monday.

This week's winner and honorable mention(s) will receive a #WeekendWritercize Winner badge to proudly display on their website.

Thanks and good luck! 

Wrinkling in Time - writercize #157

2012-01-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

Whenever I hear or think about the concept of time, the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle  pops into my head. I read it in sixth grade and honestly can't remember  much of the story at all, but I know that I loved it, despite my  otherwise lukewarm feelings towards Sci Fi, and should probably read it  again very soon. I think of it when I watch movies in which perfect dads  open the front door to a freshly manicured lawn and walk along a  pathway to collect the morning paper, amid sprinklers. There is a scene  in the book that has been permanently etched into my brain about this  very scene, in a neighborhood where everyone walks out to get the paper  together. The story may have vanished, but the images are strong and  sound.

Moving  on ... this post is inspired by the title, but as I can't remember the  tale it's a different take on wrinkling time. (I think!) 

I  want to spark your creative juices and give you the ability to travel  into any period of time, past, present or future. Why present? Because  you have full control over the topic and can give your younger or older  self the possibility to visit your current self. Basically, you can  wrinkle time any which way you like.

writercize:  You can travel through time, either in your present day body to any  point in history past or future, or in your younger or older body to  current time. It is only a wrinkled effect, so you still exist in the  present as yourself while you are simultaneously projected elsewhere, as  though two points in time are touching briefly. 

Where  do you go and what is the effect of the time travel? Do you relive a  memory by watching it again, experience a period in history that you are  intrigued by, look at future generations, observe or attempt to alter?

Leave your time wrinkled experience as a comment or link to your blog to share!

(Post inspired by GBE 2 prompt "Time." GBE 2,  aka the Group Blogging Experience, is a Facebook blogging group that  provides weekly prompts. There is always room and a welcoming vibe!) 

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

Today  I believe that I would go back to see my Grandma as a girl, to watch  her dance and laugh and play and move, to watch her learn and to see  what tendencies my own children share with her. If I could have multiple  wrinkles in time, I would like to see all the people I love around age  five, carefree and imaginative, filled with wonder and excitement for  life, and so pure in the way they perceive the world. I would love to  see the character in the children of my parents and grandparents, and  get to know my husband as a young child.

I am intrigued by different eras, and would be very interested to attend speeches by people like Ghandi and Martin Luther King, but ultimately, I want to know the essence of my family, my loved ones. I would happily learn about other important events as I do now, through books and film, and stick closer to the heart and home in where I go.

Branded - writercize #156

2012-01-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

Before I move along to today's post about branding, let me take a moment to brand this blog. Did you see that I am a Top Writing Blog nominee through eCollegeFinder and voting is open through February 3? Yay! Click on the button at the top of the column to your right to cast your vote. Just scroll down to writercize, check it and hit submit. Reload and repeat.  I'd love it if you voted for writercize, but seriously check out the list, there are some awesome blogs on there.

Now, onto branding and today's writercize... 

Think for a moment about the conclusions you draw about a person based on material images. Is there a difference between a Ford person and a Chevy person? How about a Hummer and a Prius? Do you make a judgment about what a person is like whether they are wearing Oakleys or aviator sunglasses? How about Levi's versus Guess, Starbucks versus Dunkin' Donuts, Whole Foods versus Walmart? Are there fundamental differences in who we are based on the branding decisions we make every day?

Like it or not, as humans we do use images of these brands to determine a person's character and values. As writers, we can substitute brands for characteristics, if used sparingly. We can also draw on brands to identify location without spelling it outright, by using local chains in a story. I understand this is a technique that Steven King sometimes utilizes in his novels, although I have to admit I have yet to read anything that he has written. Again, I would not litter my prose with brands, knowing that it could date the story quickly or feel more like an infomercial than a novel, but the occasional drop helps the reader understand a character's circumstances.

For example, rather than say a person is concerned about safety on the road and is always thinking about how to make the family safer, you can say she pulled her Volvo out of the parking lot. If you want to make a country boy feel out of place in the big city, have him walk up to a Saks wearing Wranglers.

writercize: Pick three to five adjectives you would use to describe the user of each of the following brands:

Gatorade
FUBU
Pottery Barn
Northface (or REI if unfamiiar)
Toyota Prius

If you are up for an extra challenge, work at least one into a scene.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

Gatorade - athletic, team-player, male

FUBU - young (under 40), urban, ethnic - likely African-American or Asian, style-conscious

Pottery Barn - conservative, upper middle class, fashionable, timeless, muted

Northface (or REI if unfamiiar) - athletic, mountaineering, outdoorsy, adventurous, casual

Toyota Prius - upper middle class/wealthy, trendy, conscientious, economic

Word Shower - writercize #155

2012-01-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

This writing prompt will literally make you want to sing out, "It's raining words!"

Well, maybe not quite, but it should shake a little brainstorm loose at the very least. I was inspired to post this exercise after a very rainy day in LA yesterday. It may not rain often here, but when it rains the skies open up and the water pours out of the sky. So, feeling the effects of the weather, I want you to take a word snd throw out a laundry list of word associations to go along with it. These could be adjectives, adverbs, associated memories, related nouns, whatever you see fit.

writercize: Pick one of the atmospheric words below, and write a list of 10-20 words or short phrases that you associate with the given word. When your list is complete, use a few of the to write a poem, short story or descriptive sentence.

cloud
rainbow
flood
sprinkle
sunny

The word associations do not need to be weather related, and references to homophones okay. I'd love to see what you came up with!

Share your result as a comment below, or if you post it to your blog please share the link!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response - 20 words and a brief paragraph based on the prompt "flood."

writercizer sample response:

Flood: memory, sink, drift, rush, deep, mud, rooftops, hurricane, dam, deluge, float, drown, rapid, return, fear, destruction, renewal, plains, long-lasting, row

Sentence: Ten days after the deluge, memories begin to resurface along the muddy terra as postcards, photos and letters worm their way back to the light. Fragments of life washed away with the water that stole everything from cars to clothing from the citizens of Butterfield Plains.

Please vote: I'm an eCollegeFinder Top Writing Blog nominee!

2012-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was selected by eCollegeFinder as one of the Top 75 Writing Blogs on the internet, which, suffice it to say, surprised and thrilled me! If you are reading this and you nominated me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am honored.

Today I received the e-mail stating that I made it into the Top 75, and there is now a voting process to determine the top three vote-getters between now and February 3. You can vote for as many blogs as you like, as many times as you like between now and then. I would absolutely love it if at least one of those votes was sent my way.

To vote for me, click the button on the right side bar, or follow this link:

Online Colleges

Then scroll down the alphabetical list to writercize, put a check mark next to it, and hit submit. If you're driven to vote multiple times, just reload the page and repeat. ;)

The top three blogs will receive an award in the form of a badge and recognition on the eCollegeFinder website.

Thank you! Back to my regular programming later on tonight!

#WeekendWritercize 2 Winner - Catherine Noble

2012-01-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a group of entries!  I was floored last Monday poring over the entries, and am once again impressed by the quality and creativity that everyone exhibited.  You guys make me want to start the writing week off with a bang.

Before I move on to why I chose this week's winner, here was the challenge:

writercize: Put two people who you would not expect to see together  in a room and see what happens. Write about where they are, their  dialogue and body language.

See all the results here. 

We ended up with quite the cast of characters and they were all so fun to read. 

Congratulations to the #WeekendWritercize 2 Winner:

Catherine Noble (@Catherine_Noble)

Paris Hilton and the Dalai Lama 

I chose this story because outlandish as the pairing was, the dialogue and circumstances felt very natural and true to their characters. I really enjoyed the humor and the light-hearted exchange.

Just look at the following dialogue between Paris' personal assistant and financial advisor.

Paris scowled at Meredith. She would try and change Daddy's mind about firing her when she got back.

“Never mind Mere-bitch,” François hissed, “I happen to know 100% that he performs miracles. There's absolutely nothing he cannot do. Face it honey,” he placed a hand on his hip, “do you think we'd even know who he was if he couldn't?”

Catherine, please pick up your badge below, and congratulations!  I look forward to reading more of your work.

Honorable Mention:

 Rossandra White (@RossandraWhite) 

Taylor Swift and Rooney Mara

I selected Rossandra's entry as this week's honorable mention because her entry read so smoothly that I could picture the scene immediately in my head. If the format were altered just slightly, I would be reading a play or movie script, and the actors and director would have an easy job interpreting the scene. I also appreciate how the tension builds up and then gives way to mutual adoration in the end.

(Note: We had a couple fewer entries this week than last, so I have decided to vary the number of honorable mentions weekly, depending on the number of entries and other variables. I could hardly leave only one out or award everyone ... though you all deserve recognition for your hard work!)

Participants:

Nicole (@MadlabPost) - Amy Chua and Jada Pinkett-Smith - I love how you interpret the ferocity of Amy and grace of Jada, both very powerful mothers who ultimately want the best for their children. I also found myself wondering who else might have been at that casting call!

Aurora Lee (@AuroraLee) - This entry is just a lot of fun! I like the nod to the partnership between Scully and Mulder that might have more than a few secrets hiding away, and Buffy's casual responses to being chased and faced with a weapon.

Christopher H Mitchell - Charles Dickens and Harry Chapin - I like the time travel element as a literary master meets a musician in a scene reminiscent of Midnight in Paris. My favorite line: He took the hand and squeezed it.  It was surprisingly warm for a dead man. 

Thanks to all who played and read this second edition of #WeekendWritercize! Come again next week, and bring your friends!

#WeekendWritercize 2: Different Folks

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the second edition of #WeekendWritercize! 

Join in and spread the word to friends and family!

writercize: Put two people who you would not expect to see together in a room and see what happens. Write about where they are, their dialogue and body language.

(examples: P Diddy and the Pope, Newt Gingrich and RuPaul, Lady Gaga and Mother Theresa, Andy Warhol and Betty Crocker)

To  enter the competition, leave your entry as a comment below. Be sure to  include your Twitter handle and link to your blog or website. Tweet and  Facebook fellow entries using the hashtag #WeekendWritercize.

Since this blog is used by teachers and students, I kindly request that  you abstain from profanity and gratuitous violence. (In other words,  keep it PG-13.) If your story can't be told without, just provide a link  to your post on your own website along with a disclaimer. 

Competition closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night (Pacific time) - no entries accepted after that. Winner announced Monday.

This week's winner and honorable mention(s) will receive a #WeekendWritercize Winner badge to proudly display on their website.

Thanks and good luck!

Etta James Poetic Mash-Up - writercize #154

2012-01-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

One of my absolute favorite singers, Etta James, died today. (photo courtesy wikipedia) She had one of those voices filled with soul and spirit that is just low enough a normal person can still hum along in the kitchen without feeling too self-conscious, and I could always count on her to put me in the writing mood.

Her life may not have been an easy one, born to fourteen year old mother, running away when she herself was fourteen, and falling into the trap of drugs and addiction, but somehow she was able to transcend everything with her music. Through her songs, she reached out and touched the hearts of people of all ages, socio-economic status and ethnicities, not only in the United States but throughout the world. Her vocal chords had the power to build bridges between humans.

In her honor, I am asking you to create a writercize poetry mash-up of her songs.

writercize: Incorporating words from at least three of the Etta James song titles below, create an original piece of poetry. 

It does not need to be a tribute; you can move words around and add as many of your own as you like.  Any style of poetry is ok!

(song titles from album "My Greatest Songs" released 1992 by MCA)

"Something's Got a Hold On Me
"Sunday Kind of Love
"Pushover"
"Miss Pitiful"
"Trust in Me"
"Spoonful"
"Tell Mama"
"At Last"
"Payback"
"Security"
"I'd Rather Go Blind"
"I Just Want to Make Love to You"
"Stop the Wedding"
"Two Sides (To Every Story)"
"I Found Love"
"It's All Right"

Leave your take on the writercize as a comment or share a link to the answer in your blog!

Please click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

"give it all to mama"

oh little child of mine

you think i don't see that scowl, 

those tensed up toes?

you runnin' for little miss pitiful child?

why don't you just tell mama

what's been buggin' you

and leave them sad eyes

with me?

you've only got a few more years

to be young and free and small

and i'd rather go blind

than to watch you fall

so trust in me to take them fears

them troubles 

that sadness in your brow

just tell mama

and feel some freedom 

in your sweet small soul

Six Word Debate Question - writercize #153

2012-01-18T23:57:00.000-08:00

We are just days away from the third Republican primary in South Carolina, and debate season continues as the five remaining candidates vie for a chance to run for President of the United States. The Republican debates started a good year ago (ok, so it's only been since May - at any rate, almost long enough to have a baby), and at this point, it looks as though they could run on for another couple of months, at which time the nominee will begin a series of debates against incumbent President Obama and whatever third party candidates decide to duke it out as well.

In a few if the debates, as with a Presidential Town Hall meeting late last year, interested parties could submit their questions via Twitter, limiting any question to 140 letters. Rather than stick with the Twitter method, I am curious to match debate questions up with the Six Words method of expressing a thought hosted by Smith Mag.

writercize: Use exactly six words to phrase a presidential debate question on a matter that is important to you  (or representative of the American people).

Please leave your response as a comment or link to your website post - I love to see your work!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

How will you fund education again?

or...

What does the 99% need?  (counting the number and word percent as two words on this one...)

26 Words - writercize #152

2012-01-16T23:22:00.001-08:00

In honor of my guest post over at the April 2012 A to Z Challenge website today, which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest community experiences to hit the blogging world, I have the alphabet on my mind.  

A few months ago, I invited readers to create a list of words A through Z within the theme of emotions, weather or colors, which was good for word play and expanding vocabulary, but tonight I have a slightly different challenge for you using the 26 letters of the alphabet, one in which you will use the letters to create a story that makes sense.

writercize: Write a 26 word glimpse of a story or poem in which each word begins with a different letter if the alphabet, in alphabetical order, from A through Z. 

Feel free to use the dictionary, thesaurus, foreign languages and an occasional Seussical invented word to assist you.

Leave your attempt as a comment, or link to your blog so I can see it!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about crocodiles and fairies.

writercizer sample response:

"Actually, Beth, crocodiles don't eat fairies," Gemma hissed.

"I just know last month no one photographed Queen Rosa. She tumbled underwater. When Xavier yawned, zilch."

#WeekendWritercize One Winner - Sarah Aisling

2012-01-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

A hearty thank you to all those of you who participated in and tweeted about the debut #WeekendWritercize competition! The stories are a wonderful way to kick off the weekly contest. 

Once again, here was the prompt:

writercize:  Enough with "they lived happily ever after" fairy tale endings. Pick a familiar fairy tale, throw out the happily ever after, and tell us what really happened!

You guys really know how to throw in a twist or two, and I am so very impressed by every one of the entries.  It was not an easy decision, but I've narrowed the playing field to one winner.  

(Please note that I did consider each and every entry. The bit about profanity and violence is more of a courtesy than a rule, and a link to your website if you're doubtful of the nature of your post is the perfect solution. I do appreciate how cognizant everyone was of the request.) 

Congratulations to: 

WINNER 

SARAH AISLING (@SarahAisling) with her alternative ending to The Little Mermaid, "And To The Sea Return."  I chose Sarah's story as the winner because I am in love with the lyrical rhythm of her writing and the depth of her character development, slightly reminiscent of Kate Chopin.

Here is one of the final paragraphs from her entry:

"Her tears mixed with the salt of the sea as she lamented over her lost  love.  Worse than seeing his body come back wrapped in silk and carried  on the shoulders of his men was having had to watch as the life had been  gradually extinguished from his sparkling dark eyes.  His exuberance,  sense of humor, and desire for a better future all doused, the flame of  hope snuffed out, never to burn again."

Sarah, please pick up your badge below, and congratulations!  I look forward to reading more of your work.  Message me your address (alanagwrites (at) gmail (dot) com) with a mailing address and your Target gift card will be on its way!

Honorable Mentions

Cara Michaels (@CaraMichaels)

"One Last Kiss" 

I love the twist, both literal and figurative, of the case of mistaken identity in this alternative ending to the romance of Snow White with her Prince Charming.

Jezri (@Jezri1)

"Belle and The Enchanted Castle" 

This story is like the dark twin of Shrek, with fairy tale characters galore, connected in the most creative ways. There are talking frogs, vampires, witches, wolves, unbearable giants, teen angst and more.   It's definite YA meets the Brothers Grimm, and I was intrigued to turn every corner.

LupusAnthropos (@LupusAnthropos)

Untitled

I selected this untitled story about a shoemaker as an honorable mention because of its relationship to current events in its parallel to the Occupy movement taking place in cities across the country. I am a big fan of relating news and current events to fictional stories.

I'll work up an honorable mention badge to award three contestants each week and tweet you all when it is ready! 

Again, well done and congratulations to all the participants.  

Spread the word and I'd love to see you all here next weekend!

Guest Post at A to Z

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning writercizers!  

An early post today.  I'm guest posting over at the A to Z Challenge home page with some tips and tricks for the annual blogging challenge coming up in April.  Sign-ups begin January 30, and host Arlee Bird has been posting insight from previous years' participants since the beginning of December.  

If you are familiar with the challenge, I look forward to blogging with you again this year!  If you are not familiar with the challenge, try it out.

I'm posting the writercize from the guest post below; for the full entry and background visit the Challenge site today!

writercize: Write down the letters A through Z in a notebook. Fill in an idea for a word or image for each letter.

#WeekendWritercize 1: New Endings

2012-01-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first edition of #WeekendWritercize!  

Good luck to all the contestants!

writercize:  Enough with "they lived happily ever after" fairy tale endings. Pick a familiar fairy tale, throw out the happily ever after, and tell us what really happened!

To enter the competition, leave your entry as a comment below. Be sure to include your Twitter handle and link to your blog or website. Tweet and Facebook fellow entries using the hashtag #WeekendWritercize.

Please avoid violence and profanity since this blog is used by students as an educational tool. 

Competition closes at 11:59 p.m. Sunday night (Pacific time) - no entries accepted after that. Winner announced Monday.

This week's winner will receive a Writercize Weekend Winner badge to proudly display on their website and a $5.00 Target gift card. Must be reachable to win!

Hey Students and New Writers! Writing Advice - writercize #151

2012-01-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

I recently received an e-mail from eCollegeFinder, an onine source to assist students in finding accredited online educational institutions. The e-mail asked for two seemingly simple pieces of information: a blog description and advice for student writers. Each had to be summarized in a mere two to four sentences. Most writers and bloggers could probably go on for days to answer such a question, so it was a task to narrow it down. Talk about precision!

I'd like to share my answer to the second question with all of you, and challenge you to share your best advice for student writers as well! I will be a bit more lenient on the limitation, and expand on mine in the sample response below.

writercize: What advice can you offer students aiming to improve their writing acumen? (I am adding: what advice can you offer beginning writers and bloggers?) 

No worries about the 2-4 sentences; you may expand to a couple of paragraphs or a max of 15 bullet points.

Read "click more" for writercizer sample response, including those extra goodies not included in the original email, and remember to stop in this weekend for the first ever #WeekendWritercize challenge!

writercizer sample response:

Practice, practice, practice. Don't censor your brain as you write - write what you love and what interests you, and do the same with reading. Once you've poured it all out onto the page or the computer, pull out the grammar handbooks and writing instruction manuals to go back and edit. Finally, while editing, know when to follow the rules and when to break them - for example, it may be wise to follow the rules closely for a term paper, but break them for impact in a short story.

I would also add:

Play with words.
Don't be afraid to try a genre outside of your comfort zone. You may find a new love, or it may help you loosen up the screws of that box you've been thinking in!
Read your writing aloud when you are done. Feel how the words roll off your tongue.
Choose when to edit and control yourself and when to let go. I post the raw output on my blog, but I write twice as much as I need to in my journalism and chop away the excess to find the heart of the story.
Be willing to see where the story wants to take you. I often find my stories do not reveal themselves in the manner I had imagined. Some people start with a title; I think it's wiser to end with it.
Research.
Take a break and get out to enjoy the world. A writer needs to experience life in order to write about it, and the brain needs a respite to allow the subconscious to make the real magic.
Don't be afraid of criticism - it is your friend.

Bathing Penguins - writercize #150

2012-01-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

Posts have been a bit heavy lately with real world applications and serious tones, so I want to lighten things up and give you the chance to tell a story. And what animal could be more fun to highlight than the dapper little waddler, our friend the penguin? 

writercize:  Tell a story, any genre (non-fiction or journalism also perfectly acceptable), prompted by the two following words: penguin, bath.

I look forward to reading about your bathing penguins!

Click "read more" for writercizer fictional (children's) sample response.

writercizer sample response:

Peter and Penelope knew penguins were the best, most beautiful specimens in the whole world. 

Peter was the first born in their colony, and when he poked his head out of the egg, he could hear the pride of the Dads trumpet across the ice and echo back from the glacial peaks.

"First born! First born! Just look at that fuzzy little head. He'll have a handsome tuxedo one day!" they called out.

Penelope was the last egg to crack. When she poked her head out, there was no cause for celebration, for the Dads could not hear one another over the constant chatter of proud Papas. But one little penguin, that first born named Peter, turned to hear nodded his head, as if to say, "Welcome, beautiful baby!" and Penelope felt loved.

From that day on, Peter and Penelope were the best of friends. They loved everything about being penguins.

They loved their puffy penguin newborn fur and they loved the handsome sleek black and white tuxedoes all the Moms and Dads wore.

They loved sliding on the ice.

They loved how their little bodies wiggled and waggled and waddled from side to side when they walked.

They even loved eating regurgitated fish.

One day, Peter and Penelope's parents told them it was time to walk to the water so they could bathe and swim and fish on their own.

Peter and Penelope were very excited for the adventure.

"Penelope, what do you think the water is like?" asked Peter.

"Well, my mom said ice is from water, so maybe it is slippery. It must be very cold," Penelope replied.

"Can we waddle on the water?" asked Peter.

"I don't know, maybe!" said Penelope.

"Do fish live on the water?" asked Peter.

"I guess we'll find out!" said Penelope.

The two talked back and forth for days, imagining what the water would feel like when they arrived at the edge of the ocean. It kept their minds off their little feet that were starting to get a bit tired from the very long walk.

Finally, the penguins arrived at the shore.

Peter and Penelope watched as the grown ups lined up and dove in, disappearing under the water before coming up with a word of encouragement or a wave for the little ones.

Penelope couldn't wait to jump right in and take her bath.

She found a tall hill, plugged along until she reached the top, then flopped flat on her belly and flew down the hill, straight into the water.

It was cold and wet. It was also new and wonderful. Penelope could not wait to share her experience with her best friend Peter, but when she looked up, Peter was gone.

"Peter, where are you?" Penelope cried out.

She climbed out of the water and set off to look for him.

"Peter!  Peter!  Has anybody seen Peter?" Penelope asked everyone she passed.

Nobody had seen him, so she plopped down and began to cry. Through her tears, Penelope saw a handsome little tuxedo hiding away in a cave off to the side. She knew it was Peter, so she got up and walked over to him.

"Peter, why are you hiding here? Don't you want to jump in the water?" Penelope asked through tears.

"I don't know if I can. What if I don't float Penelope? What if I get stuck?" Peter said.

"Peter, don't you know that I will take care of you? You don't need to be afraid. Swimming is easy. I just dove and floated - it was even better than all the waddling and sliding back home! Plus, I'll be right next to you!" Penelope reassured him. 

"Besides, you sort of stink after our long walk, and it's time for you to take a bath!" she added.

Reluctantly, Peter followed Penelope to the edge of the iceberg, and together they counted to three before jumping in.

The water was cold, and wet, and so much fun! Peter was happy that he was sharing his first bath with his best friend Penelope, but he was even happier that she was there to help him when he needed her the most.

"Penelope, why did you come back for me?" he asked.

"Because, you are the only person who saw me when my egg cracked open, and you made me feel special from the moment I was born. You gave me the gift of friendship. I just shared it back with you," Penelope replied as she raised her flipper to give him a hug.

When they got out of the water, the friends saw that the water had taken off all the last of their baby penguin puff. They stood there proud in their black and white tuxes, happy to be back on familiar ice.

They were getting big, but they knew that they would be friends forever.

#WeekendWritercize Coming Soon!

2012-01-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

Get your hash tags ready and your keyboards prepped, because a new competition is coming to the blogosphere!

Please join me this weekend for the start of #WeekendWritercize, a weekly challenge of the writercize sort. 

The competition will consist of one writercize without any set-up or sample response. It will go up Saturday mornings and the last valid entry will be accepted at 11:59 p.m. Sunday nights.

Genres and themes will vary. 

In generally, the prize will be recognition via tweets, facebook promotion and a winner badge for your blog, but there will be material goods for U.S. contestants occasionally!  Winners will be announced Mondays.

If you would like to submit a #WeekendWritercize question or serve as guest judge, please send me a message at alanagwrites (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thank you for allowing me this brief interruption - back to my regular programming tonight!

I Hereby Resolve - writercize #149

2012-01-10T23:15:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of New Year's resolutions, I am pleased to announce that I have finally settled on what I plan to do for this year and I choose to hereby make it public knowledge.  I posted my best and worst of 2011 list after the first of January, so I figure I had a little extra time to pick a resolution as well.

It may be to my benefit that I did not choose hastily as the hours in 2011 wound down. According to a poll shared on January 2 during the Rose Bowl parade, over one third of the people who responded had already broken their New Year's Resolution. That's quick! 

With my resolution, I'm aiming for a gradual adjustment rather than a quick turn-around.

Why post a resolution online? According to a Daily Record article posted a couple of years ago on the topic of New Year's resolutions, one of the top six strategies to stick to your resolution is to tell people about it. In case you were interested, here a summary of the entire list:

Make sure the resolution is your own.
Plan it out – break it down into smaller, achievable goals.
Write it down and post it somewhere you will see everyday.
Make it specific.
Tell people about it.
Forgive yourself – if you slip up, start the next day with a fresh resolve and move forward!

So, I'm giving you the chance to write it down in public and tell the world!  And even if you are not prepared to forgive yourself if you slip up, I promise to forgive and support you regardless.

writercize:  Create or share your 2012 New Year's Resolution.  Begin with the words "I hereby resolve" and identify at least two strategies towards achieving your goal.  End with "I am human and will forgive myself and try again when I have difficulty staying on track."

Click "read more" to see my writercizer sample response and learn what I plan to do to improve myself this year.

writercizer sample response:

I hereby resolve to become more efficient. I will attempt to reduce the amount of time I spend thinking about a problem, and work to act as soon as I know what needs to be done. I will give myself the gift of time and living in the present by returning all emails, including personal and organizational, within two days' time and answering phone calls or returning messages promptly rather than allowing them to sit while I ruminate. I will channel my Grandma who spent every moment doing the things that needed to be done in order to dedicate time and energy to her family.

In improving my efficiency, I will find more balance in my daily life and minimize feelings of guilt over not properly executing any given task.

I will work to remind myself of this every day in order to live in a more orderly and accomplished environment.  I am human and will forgive myself and try again when I have difficulty staying on track.

(As a side note, my house is already looking better. I've eliminated a couple of piles and sent clothing and toy donations out the door, as well as deep cleaned all the carpets, windows and surfaces. Over the past days I've answered phone calls rather than send them to voice mail, and technology is helping me keep on top of emails throughout the day rather than sit down to one big jumble of messages a couple times a day. Here's hoping the trend continues and improves.)

Product Review - writercize #148

2012-01-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over and the decorations are slowly making their way back into their storage homes, I expect that everyone has had a chance to fully experience all the new gifts of the season. 

I was a very lucky, very spoiled girl this season by my husband and parents, and rounded out the year with a slew of new technology, including the iPad 2 and the Kindle Fire. Needless to say, I'm enjoying world wide access at the tips of my fingers. 

I am also really enjoying a third piece of technology, a gift from my Mom, one that I would not expect to elicit such joy - a vacuum cleaner. Not just any vacuum cleaner, the Mercedes Benz of vacuum cleaners. After years of frustration over a complete lack of suction in my previous upright model purchased at Target, I am thrilled to watch the floor lighten before my eyes and hear the sweet sound of granules of sand from my daughters' preschool get sucked right up out of the carpet fibers. I went to a vacuum cleaner store that sells and services vacuums, and was able to try a couple of models before settling on the beauty you see to your right.

I love it so much, that I have decided to spotlight it in today's writercize, a simple task which allows you to share your product "expertise" with the world, put your voice into the world wide web, work on lingo for marketing or critiques and have the satisfaction of instant online publication.

writercize: Accolades or a scathing review, pick one of your gifts from Christmas or Hannukah and review it online.  

(Hint: Amazon is an easy site to submit a review since they seem to have almost every item known to mankind, but if you can't find the product there, google it and follow one of the links to purchase the product. You'll almost always be able to review a product on a site that sells it.)

Click "read more" for the writercizer sample review about the Miele Titan.

writercizer sample response (posted on Amazon):

Miele Titan vacuum cleaner - 5 stars

After years of running an upright vacuum that lost suction a mere month or so after purchase, I am a very satisfied user of the Miele Titan. 

Before I tout it as the absolute perfect vacuum, the flaws: as a canister vacuum, the hose can be a little ornery and catch onto the door knob as I stow it away in the closet (a place to twist or rest the hose would be welcome) and the telescopic wand was heavier than expected dropping on my toes the first couple of times I set it down to plug and unplug the unit, but those are minor design details that I can adapt around.

The sleek, compact, beautiful bright red vacuum came with a seven year warranty and estimated 20 year lifespan, which tells me that right away that the company considers it to be a superior product. Maintenance and service do not come cheap, so to stand behind a vacuum cleaner for seven years (as opposed to the more normal 90-day to one year warranties) is impressive.

The vacuum cleaner did its job and sucked the sand, dirt, hair and debris from both the carpet and linoleum in the kitchen. On the carpet, I used the cleaner head with an internal motor for extra power and suction; on the linoleum I switched to the floor brush. Both were powerful and effective. The crevice head got used on the car seats, and the brush head on the window frames. Each one had sufficient suction to leave nothing behind that was visible to the eye.

A ball joint on the floor tools makes turning corners easy, and I appreciate that I can use or remove the telescopic wand for uses beyond the floors. I can keep the wand in for ceilings, or take it out for less back strain on the stairs or a close look at cleaning the upholstery.

The vacuum bag is easy to change, and completely enclosed so you do not have to be exposed to all the dust and dirt sitting in the vacuum when you empty the canister. That is great for allergies, as is the vacuums HEPA filter.

One of my favorite advantages to the vacuum is the ability to completely expose the round brush tool within the Electro Comfort floor tool buy unscrewing the bottom of the cleaner.  I am able to open it up and cut out the long hair that inevitably wraps around the brush and diminishes the cleaning power and general feeling of cleanliness in a vacuum cleaner. With three girls with long hair in the family, it's a very appreciated innovation.

Another design feature I find especially appealing is the electric cord storage. After you unplug the machine, you just tap on the power cord button and it wraps itself up inside the canister. No time-consuming twisting or tying necessary.

All in all, a high quality machine with easy to use features and an attractive design. I haven't had so much fun vacuuming in all my life!

Best and Worst of 2011 - writercize #147

2012-01-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year for, well, truly for New Year's Resolutions, but I'm a little bit behind as usual (darn procrastinating) so we'll fall back a week and work on lists of the best and worst of 2011.  

The challenge, beyond that insurmountable task of completing a superlative, is to come up with your own categories.  Use the news, or your personal life, or a list of pop culture, or whatever comes to you as inspiration, but pick at least three things for each of your lists.

writercize:  Create (at least) three "Best Of 2011" and three "Worst of 2011" categories and fill in your perspective to summarize the year just passed.

Good luck!  Please share as a comment, and I'll see what I can come up with you offer my personal perspective for each of your best and worst lists too!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response for best and worst lists from technology to government to insensitivity.

writercizer sample response:

Best Vanity Fair Article of 2011:  "The Book of Jobs" by Joseph Stiglitz.  Ok, it's in the January 2012 issue, but it was written and received in 2011, which makes it count.  This should be required reading for anyone interested in entering politics.

Best New Blog of 2011:  Why, writercize of course!  Just kidding.  Sort of.  Seriously, though - happy to have launched the blog this year and connected with some fabulous people and writers.  Find some other blogs I really like by looking at the list of guest writers to your right.

Best News for American Military Families in 2011:  Your husbands, sons, fathers, brother, mothers, sisters, wives and daughters got to come home from Iraq in time for the holidays.

Best Technology of 2011:  iPad2 all the way.  It's a life changer folks.

Best Catchy Song of 2011:  I am loving "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 right now.  There's just something about Adam Levine's swagger that goes straight to my heart. 

Worst Halloween Costume of 2011:  Amanda Knox as a cat burglar - just released from jail on a shaky "not guilty" decision, playing a rule breaker - not funny

Worst Government of 2011:  Major toss-up as governments crumble worldwide thanks to Arab Spring (Libya, Egypt, Tunisia), complete ineptitude (Italy, Greece) and death (North Korea).  Then there's the one that really should crumble thanks to a lack of communication and irritating ability to ignore record low approval ratings - the United States' legislative branch.  Let's call it an embarrassing draw.

Worst News for American Military Families in 2011:  The economy back home is still in the tank.  Good luck job hunting.

Worst Use of Technology in 2011: Anyone who insists on talking on their cell phones in public restrooms, and long conversations in otherwise quiet public areas. Worst of the year? A woman made the national news for talking on her cell phone for 16 straight hours on the train from California to Oregon. She was selected as Anderson Cooper's most annoying person of the day, and I'd have to agree.

On a Quasi-Vacation Thru 1st Week of January

2011-12-29T01:06:00.000-08:00

Hello!  Checking in to let you know I'm around.  I still have all sorts of ideas floating around in my head for writercizes, but at the end of the day during these busy holidays I just don't have the time or energy to get them out of my brain and into the virtual world of blogging.  Happy to have family visiting through the first week of January, so look for intermittent posts between now and then, and a return to regular posting once the routine gets back to normal!

In the meantime, check out the archives and some wonderful guest posts listed along the right-hand side. 

Thanks for your readership and Happy Holidays!

Day After Psychology - Return, Regift, Keep? - writercize #146

2011-12-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

December 26 is generally considered the second busiest day of the retail year in the United States, between returns, purchases using gift card money and seeking deep post-Christmas discounts on holiday items and overstock.

It's also an interesting time to watch the shoppers.  There are the scrimpers out to save and the excited kids ready to spend holiday money on the gift of their choice, but there are also droves of people who hid disappointment over a gift with a wide smile and a polite thank you now ready to trade their unwanted wares in for something more their style.  I heard one woman state her first and last name on national radio and expose the gift she was rushing to the store to return.  Ballsy!

What do you do if you receive a gift you don't especially care for? Do you keep it, and stare at it in guilt for not using it? Do you keep it and use it, even though you don't like it? Do you regift or donate to charity? Or do you head straight back to the store for a return or exchange? If you are the gifter, would any of the above options offend you? What does the behavior say about the receiver, and what does the preference say about the giver? What would happen during the awkward moment when the person returning a gift runs into the gift-giver in line at the store?

writercize: Create a short character sketch of a person based on his/her solution to an unwanted gift.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about a woman who keeps ugly sweaters.

writercizer sample response:

Elisa's closet housed the city's most impressive collection of holiday sweaters. There were at least 30, piled high, bright colors and laughing Santas and red-nosed reindeer and all shades of silver, gray, blue and white snowflakes invading any retina that dared open her closet door. 

Far to the right was the pile of three sweaters with particularly extravagant designs, like bells. That pile loved to sing out. Every time there was an earthquake or a heavy truck driving by within a couple blocks radius, Elisa knew by the bells' sweet rings. 

Elisa had only purchased one of the sweaters. For a holiday party that she thought was one of those bad Christmas sweater deals, where everyone wears the tackiest sweater they could find. She found a hideous cardigan, covered with three-dimensional snowmen complete with long carrot noses, and wore it in to the party, appalled to see that when she got there, everyone else was in formal attire. She was rushing a sorority at the time, and while all the other invites called for formal dress, her initiation came in the form of a very bad sweater.

Ever since, Elisa had been receiving anonymous packages on her doorstep just before the holidays, each one with a sweater worse than the last. She knew they had to be from an old soror, but they never came with a name on the return label. She never wore them, but couldn't bring herself to return or donate them either, thinking that perhaps one day she would need them, or throw a party where everyone would randomly want to dress up in ugly sweaters, or she would run out of clothing and have nothing left to wear in her closet other than holiday knitwear. So she hung on to them, gave them space in her closet and in her life, allowed them to remind her of the humiliation she had felt that night, and waited for them to reveal their true purpose in her life's trajectory one day.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to share the exterior and partial wording of my family's holiday card this year with my blogosphere friends: 

We wish you Happy Holidays!

Featuring

"Snowflake" S---- and "Ornamental" O----

The scene is set.

Tree dripping with ornaments - 

glass, porcelain and handmade

Merry carols on the iPod

Fire crackling on the TV

With twinkling lights

and expectant eyes

Two little girls, full of wonder

wait for Christmas miracles

Yes, it's a wonderful life!

With peace and love from our home to yours.

(words (c) Alana Garrigues, card personally designed by Garrigues Graphics - a freelance graphic design service run by my sister, Keela)

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season,

whatever winter holiday it may be that you celebrate in your home!

Thank you for your readership and support.

Think Outside the Tale - writercize #145

2011-12-22T23:46:00.000-08:00

The days until Christmas are turning into hours, and I'm a busy, busy bee with little brain to write, so I wanted to bring you a little opportunity to think outside the box quickly and painlessly.  

I will introduce a few problems Santa Claus runs across, and you twist your mind a *little* to find an alternative. Goofy fun.

Here we go.

writercize: Think outside the box to answer the following Santa-related conundrums.

Santa can't find his red suit this year. What will he be wearing Christmas Eve for his flight?
The reindeer are on strike. Who will pull Santa's sleigh?
Santa's on a diet. What should kids put out instead of cookies?
Oh dear, global warming melted Santa's glacial palace at the North Pole. Where will he relocate the factory?
No more coal for the bad kids - what could be worse in the bottom of their stockings?

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

1 - No suit? Santa's getting covered up in his cozy fleece pajamas with pictures of penguins in stocking caps.

2 - Santa thinks about calling the polar bears, but remembers they are a little heavy on their feet and calls on a flock of sea gulls to guide the way instead, with a bat up front to use echolocation navigation.

3 - Mangoes. Santa loves the tropics.

4 - Antarctica. Santa loves the tropics and would pick Jamaica, but those elves and reindeer are too shy to be around society. They're a pretty secretive bunch, so he has to pick the other pole and hope to avoid international researchers from coming across his camp on their scientific missions.

5 - Pet skunks. Ew.

Santa: Around the World in 26 Hours? - writercize #144

2011-12-19T22:50:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder how Santa could deliver gifts to all the children who celebrate Christmas around the world in one night? 

Thanks to the earth's rotation and long nights in some areas, The Dinner Party hosts told Madeline Brand of NPR last Friday that Santa has about 26 hours to deliver the gifts. That still breaks down to a LOT of gift giving, chimney sliding, sled flying and cookie eating per second. 365,000 to be exact. And they only included Christian children in the world, who are clearly not the only ones who celebrate the holiday. I know plenty of agnostics and atheists who hang stockings for the kids!

So, how does Santa do it? Magic? Science? And how does he get in the houses without chimneys? Does he still wear the toasty red suit while delivering in the southern hemisphere?

Let your imagination run wild, and tell us how it's done!

writercize: Create an argument for how Santa Claus manages to deliver gifts to 365,000 children per second. 

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response using the space-time continuum.

This post partially inspired by the prompt "wonder" through the Group Blogging Experience hosted by the "wonder"ful Beth Grace. There's always room for more group bloggers - check it out!

writercizer sample response:

When Santa Claus first had the job of delivering presents to young boys and girls, it was much easier than it is today - the world's population was significantly smaller, and his public relations team was limited, so fewer kids expected gifts on Christmas morning. Over the years, word of mouth grew, children grew up and had children of their own, who they told about the wonder of Christmas morning and gifts in your stocking, and Santa's job became exponentially more difficult.

He knew something had to be done. He considered outsourcing some of the delivery to his elves, or assigning local Santas for the task, but he knew that he would miss his annual trip around the globe and that warm feeling he got from doing the deliveries himself.

So, Santa did some research and started looking into Physics to see if it would be possible to continue his life's work. Luckily, while reading through the books, he ran across the complicated mathematical principle of the space-time continuum, set a couple of his most intelligent elves to track down the leading researchers of the principle, and invited them up to the North Pole for a little chat over coffee and cookies one bright July night.

Together, Santa and the scientists devised a way in which he could travel faster than Earth's time itself, in such a way that he would not feel the least bit rushed within his super speed time schedule, but he'd be moving so fast relative to Earth time that no little girls and boys would be able to see him enter the house, leave the gifts and eat dessert.

He's been using it ever since, sneaking into homes right under the noses of parents and children, without leaving a trace beyond the trail of crumbs and loaded stockings. It's saved Santa more small talk than even he could imagine, and allows him to personally deliver to each and every child who believes in his generosity of spirit.

Guest Writercize - Mike Miller - Let the words simmer

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to introduce you all to Mike Miller, a fellow Group Blogging Experience (#GBE2) participant and a person whose words never fail to make me laugh.  Almost always out loud.  Read this writercize, try it out, enjoy, and visit Mike's blog.  You'll be glad you did.

Now, passing the virtual mic right on over to ... Mike!

Hi Folks,

What say we skip all the writer cizer jazz and just do some good old calisthenics?  No?  Good idea!  Let's sit here and use the old noodle to try and come up with some good literary pasta.  Well I do have something of an idea for this exercise, so here goes:

I'm thinking of a word prompt kind of challenge.  

writercize:  Please pick up the nearest book and turn to page four.  Pick out the noun closest to the upper left corner and use that for the subject of an up and coming sentence.  Page two has the verb, the one you find closest to the upper right corner, and the object is on page three near the lower right corner of the page.  You may be wondering how I know that, but just trust me, I do.

Oh boy.  NOW I look around and find that the closest book to me is the 1996 Physician's Desk Reference!  Here is my sentence, gleaned, as it were, from the corners of the three pages:  Acetaminophen contains doses.  

I am willing to bet that your base sentence will be a lot easier than mine, to turn into a short story.   That's right.  The challenge here is to take your obscure sentence and expand it three times; first from your randomly formed sentence into three coherent full blown sentences based on the idea of the original, and then into a decent tease of a story of one or two paragraphs.  That's only expanded two times?  Right again.  The third time I want you to turn your few paragraphs into a full fledged best selling novel or, as in my case, a medical school textbook.    In each step, it is only an idea derived and descended from your first sentence that must survive.

Now for the kicker, just in case you're still standing:  I want you to think about your primordial sentence for at least one hour before committing your three sentence rewrite to paper or screen. And then please let the ruminating juices flow for another hour or more so the next version of your idea has had time to sprout wings or leaves or fur, or something equally useful.

By the way, there is a point to all this.  I have so often observed that my first idea, while practically genius, can ALWAYS be improved upon.  Sometimes even by me!  Seriously, while I may be quick with the quip, or an inane observation, there have been a million times when I realized later that I could have said  “________”!  Or more to the point here; even after steadily laboring over some article or essay for a long time, I have been struck later by the realization that a major element is fatally flawed,  that I should have taken another approach altogether, or that I killed the hero off in the first paragraph.  Let time pass.  Give the mind a rest.  And then see what comes.

(Mike's sample writercize response below:)

Here's my effort. And yes, I will heed my own prescription and let an hour pass before expanding on my own medicinal therapeutics.

2:44 PM

Acetaminophen contains doses.

7:33 PM

The stands are full of excited fans this afternoon.
The trucks and jeeps are lined up, each one full of gas and ready to go the distance.
Enough delight will fly from those big tires today to cover each onlooker with inches of                      mud.


12:20 PM (the next day)

Byron stepped hard on the gas but his bald tires were even worse than he knew. While a dozen other trucks flew ahead and buried his windshield in their wakes, way overburdening his poor wipers, Byron just slowly slid back and forth, even in the thin mud at the starting line. A glance out the side window showed him that the hundreds of people in the stands were missing the excitement at the first turn; they were all watching his four tires spin up a thin spray of misty mud, and they were laughing.

But one more glance made everything all right. It had been a long hard year, and Byron had sadly discovered how disasters pile on. The furnace died last Winter, the basement flooded in the Spring, and the long hot Summer was full of miscellaneous breakdowns and work lay-offs. He couldn't even afford to replace the AC so his wife had been stuck sweltering in the house, until today. Byron looked across again, astonished at Minnie's great big smile where she sat in her brand new, mud-covered wheel chair. The sight made even his frustration at having to make the 'right' decision melt away. Minnie never realized that By had traded in the new tires he bought last year, anticipating this very race, to buy her chair. And as she watched him continue to glide back and forth, now somehow behind the starting line, and then heard him start to laugh out loud, she knew that while pills of pain may come in regular doses, a good man's love covers all like a flood.

Deja Vu Blogfest: Fairy Tale Rewrite Flashback (writercize #9)

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to writercize, and my entry for the Deja Vu Blogfest hosted by bloggers Nicole Ducleroir, DL Hammons, Katie Mills and Lydia Kang! My blog combines fiction, nonfiction and word play exercises, so picking a deja vu entry was an entire challenge in its own. I consider myself first and foremost a nonfiction writer who loves to play with fiction for fun and inspiration.

I wanted to select something from the very first days of my blog, so this entry is from March of this year, the month I launched the site. I chose the fairy tale rewrite because it's whimsical and fun and gives the writer ample opportunity to work with something familiar from a brand new perspective.

Read on!

Witches, goblins, fair maidens, horses, magic spells, evil stepmothers, glorious kings ... 

Fairy tales are a lovely way to pass stories and lessons from one  generation to the next, bridging age gaps and cultural differences.    Through fairy tales we learn about romance and love, heroism, fear,  honesty, danger, the innocence of youth, all within a framework allowing  magic and imagination to permeate the story.  One high school English  teacher used to call accepting that magic the "willing suspension of  disbelief."

Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm Brothers  are probably the best known fairy tale authors, but much of what they  wrote for children was simply writing down and publishing a version of  the stories handed down around a kitchen fire for centuries before.

Most  fairy tales focus on one character and build a supporting cast around  the lead.  Today's writercize shifts the focus onto one of the  supporting characters (i.e. Cinderella's stepmother, one of the Seven  Dwarfs, Prince Charming, the Big Bad Wolf from The Three Little Pigs).

writing  exercise:  Pick a well-known fairy tale and retell it from the  perspective of a supporting character.  You may choose to write in  either the first or third person and you have full creative control over  how closely you follow the original storyline.

PS - If you're looking for a fun, interactive retelling of classic fairy tales per Grimm, check out Grimms' Fairy Tales on the National Geographic website.  Very fun!

(To see the writercizer sample response about the Queen's perspective from the story of The Princess and The Pea, click "read more.")

writercizer sample response:

(retelling of The Princess and The Pea with focus on the Queen)

A Queen's Luck 

There  once was a queen who loved her son dearly.  She raised him to be a  charming and likable sort.  Athletic, handsome and well-read, he was a  royal catch.  He loved his mother and doted on her every need.

There  was only one problem.  The queen's son absolutely refused to marry.  He  had courted princesses from around the globe, but always seemed to find  a reason not to marry.  This one had a mustache, that one burped, this  one laughed like a horse, that one cowered at the sight of her own  shadow.  None were refined enough to be marriage material, and the  courtships ended hastily.  

The  queen was getting older and she wanted to see her son wed and give her  grandchildren before she was too ancient to enjoy them.  Not that she  could blame him for lack of trying.  What sort of a kingdom would she  oversee with an imperfect daughter-in-law?  After all, she had raised  him to be a fine specimen, and a fine specimen he deserved in return.

Following  a lengthy discussion one evening between mother and son, when it was  decided that in order to expand the family, they would just have to come  up with a list of all the princesses he had courted and propose to the  one with the least offensive offenses, there came a knock on the castle  door.

knock, knock, knock.

It  was well past midnight, and it was pouring down rain.  Perhaps it was  one of the animals butting up against the castle for cover.  The queen  and her son began to put out the fire and walk up the stairs.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

No need to open the door to the wind and the rain for some farm animal.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.  "Someone, please, LET ME IN!"

Though  it was late and the queen was tired, she reasoned that farm animals  could not shout in human sentences, and particularly with a female voice  that, albeit loud, sounded rather lyrical.  The queen was tired from  her conversation and she wanted to sleep, but she knew that she could  not in good conscience leave a woman out in the cold rain overnight.   She turned around and walked down the stairs, grumbling along the way.

"What  do you want?" she growled as she opened the door.  "Do you not realize  it's the middle of the night and I am the queen of this land?  Go bother  the constable down the road; he's always on duty."

The  queen looked at the woman standing before her.  Her hair was pitifully  wet and stringy, her eyes were puffy, her dress splattered with mud and  boots caked in slime.  She was a sorry sight, but hardly a queen's  responsibility.

"I  do apologize, your Highness.  It's just that my coach broke down and my  horses are hurt and my driver can't see a thing.  I was just attending a  ball two kingdoms over and was returning home when the storm hit.   Please, may I stay here, just one night?" the young woman asked.

A  ball - impossible, the queen thought, but she held her candle up to the  stranger and looked her over carefully.  Though muddy, the dress was  made of the finest satin and lace.  Her hands were small and shivering,  but the nails were nicely manicured.  A faint scent of lavender wafted  from the maiden to the queen's nose.

"Who are you, and why should I allow you to sleep in my castle, surrounded by my family's prized posessions?" the queen asked.

"I  am a princess; my family rules over the next valley.  The ball was for  my engagement to a prince, but he was smug and feisty, so I left in  haste and am running home to tell my parents I'd rather die an old maid  than marry such an uncouth man.  Please take pity on me; allow me to  sleep here.  When I arrive home, I promise you will be rewarded  handsomely for your kindness.  My father will send you the most  beautiful flowers from our valley floor and your kingdom will be filled  with vibrant colors and smells."

The  queen felt a little wary of this so-called princess, but could see that  under her bedraggled appearance, she seemed articulate and wore fine  clothes.  Her fingernails showed promise of good grooming habits.  She  decided to let the young lady in and allow her to sleep in the castle.

Still  the queen needed to know if she was a princess.  Tonight she would test  her sensitivity.  If the  young woman passed the test, in the morning  the queen would introduce her to her son the prince.  If the story were  true, this was a princess as picky about choosing a mate as her son, and  perhaps just as perfect.  If they were a match, it would save an awful  lot of time listing his past courtships and ordering their defects.

"Come in," she said.  "Tonight you will sleep in our guest room.  I hope you don't mind heights."

The  queen ordered two of the guards to pile mattress upon mattress upon  mattress in the guest bedroom.  When they had stacked no less than a  dozen mattresses on top of one another, they were instructed to put a  pea underneath the bottom mattress.  If the woman was sensitive enough  to feel the pea through all those mattresses, she must be a princess.

The queen led the young lady down the hall to the bathroom to wash up and then showed her to the guest room.  

"See you in the morning," the queen said coyly.

All  night long, the queen lay awake wondering if she had finally found her  son's mate.  All night long, the princess lay awake tossing and turning,  trying impossibly to get comfortable on top of the teetering  mattresses.  Disturbed as she was to sleep, she was thankful to be  indoors and away from the rain and the wind. 

As soon as the rooster crowed next morning, both women bolted out of bed.  

Meeting in the hall, the queen could see that there were bags under the young woman's eyes.  

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Terribly,"  the princess replied.  Politely, she added, "no fault of yours.  I just  couldn't get comfortable, but I appreciate your hospitality."

The  queen knew the young lady was the princess her son sought.  Sensitive  enough to feel the pea, she was thoughtful in her complaint of  discomfort.  

The queen immediately called to the chef to prepare a fine breakfast and woke her son from his peaceful slumber. By the end of breakfast, the two were promised to marry. They began wedding preparations immediately.

The prince was pleased that the princess getting stuck in a torrential downpour seemed to be her only downfall. The princess was pleased that the she found a better suitor than the clod two kingdoms away. And the queen was pleased to know she would hear the pitter patter of grandbaby feet before she reached her deathbed.

In a nod to their beginnings, the princess set the pea in her engagement ring in place of a diamond, which can still be viewed in the castle museum today.

The Long Dark Night - writercize #143

2011-12-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

I'm really feeling the cold air and the lack of sunlight this time of year, and I am looking forward to getting the winter solstice over and done with. These long hours of dark skies and inability to warm my body are wreaking havoc on my inspiration.

When I was younger, my mom told me that my uncle's favorite day of the year was the winter solstice, because it signified a return to light, while his least favorite day of the year was the summer solstice, because it meant the earth would get darker again. I never understood it as a child; I couldn't figure out why he wasn't just living in the moment, enjoying the summer and hiding from the winter. Now as my mind spends a significant part of the day looking forward in time, I get it.

writercize: Use the depth of dark and promise of light as inspiration for a poem or short story.

If you are reading this post from the Southern hemisphere, I hope you are enjoying the long days of light but think of you with a bit of envy.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response in the form of poetry.

writercizer sample response:

autumn's waning shadows

merge with winter's dark skies

to blanket the earth in black

bones cold

body and mind yearning for the light

i call out to the sun

"please, come back.

warm my toes and feed my mind.

i miss you."

and the sun smiles back

and hushes me

"take solace in the quiet of the long night.

my friend the moon will watch you now.

just wait."

through shivers 
i thank the moon for her bright nocturnal beauty
and do as the sun tells me


i wait.

Next Word Five Words Mash-Up - writercize #142

2011-12-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

Time for a twist on the next word game. For those of you unfamiliar with next word, it's a fun little word association game where I give you five random words and you write down your instinctual "next word" - the first word that comes to mind.  It's great to see how different minds can come up with vastly different thoughts out of the same word.

example - If I give you the word "grass," you might say green, or fed, or smoke, or picnic, or cow, or hula ... all can be traced back.  You could also think of something more obscure, like "kiss" or "love" if you had your first kiss in a field.  Some explain the connection, and others leave the back story blank.

Next word is a game I like to play every month or so.  As Tara Tyler, one very talented writercizer, once commented, "i love these! you should give us a state of mental health reading from them =)"

For the twist tonight, read on to the writercize below.

writercize: Look at the list of words below and type your instinctual  response to each word. Feel free to simply state the next word or  evaluate your response.

word
tape
train
small
pack

Now for the real twist ... if you're up for the challenge ... create a short story or poem using your five new words. You do not need to reference any of the original words, but you should include all five new words.

As always, leave your writercize attempt as a comment, or link to your blog if you post it there. I love to see what you come up with!

Click "read more" to read writercizer sample response about wolves.

 writercizer sample response:

word - agreed
tape - record
train - teach
small - change
pack - wolves

my new words:  agreed, record, teach, change, wolves

Story:

Melissa knew she never should have agreed to meet Anthony here, in the woods, under the waning light of the moon. She'd heard the distant squeals and howls at night, seen the maroon-tinged tips of his canines on the mornings he stank of unbrushed teeth and tongue. Those mornings he always arrived just moments before the customers at the coffee shop, looking tired and disheveled, while she took customer orders and made the coffee. 

But then, as the day progressed and he snapped out of the early morning daze, he was so charming and strong and flirtatious that she'd forget and forgive his earlier misgivings.  So when he'd invited her out for a walk in the woods, it sounded romantic and she'd decided to come.

Now, the markings on her forearm would stand as a firm reminder that even as they take on human form, wolves never change.  Her grandfather used to teach her the tribe's stories, but enthralled as she was by his words, she had never really believed human wolves existed.  Now she knew better; now she knew there were things in the world that she'd never understand, things that defied science and reason and made the myths seem like fairy tales, and she felt her calling, that which her grandfather had implied when she was young.

It was her duty to record the oral stories of her people with a pen and paper and make sure the world not only remembered the stories, but understood with one glance at her arm that the stories were as real as the clouds in the sky. This was what she was born to do. Record. Protect. And slay.

Naughty or Nice? - writercize #141

2011-12-13T23:16:00.001-08:00

With the holiday season in full swing, I plan to post a few winter holiday-themed writercizes in the days to come. I'll try to mix it up with a little bit of Christmas, a little bit of Chanukah and a little bit of Kwanzaa. Keep the holiday spirit alive! Don't be shocked by some regular old writercizes as well.

This weekend, one of my daughters was looking at her food, then out the window, back and forth, when she looked up at me earnestly and said, "I wonder what it's like to fly. Not in the plane."

"I don't know. Probably pretty cool," I replied.

She thought about it some more and said, with gumption, "I think that is what I really want for Christmas. When I talk to him, I will ask Santa for magical fairy dust so that I can fly like Tinker Bell."

Hmmm.  When I posted her request on Facebook, a friend told me that magical flying fairy dust is on back order.  

I'm not quite sure what will happen when none appears in her stocking, or when she discovers that no amount of sparkling glitter will help her grow wings or float into the sky. She's four, so the reaction could really go anywhere from acceptance to defiance to heartbreak to confusion over a forgotten pipe dream.

Oh, and speaking of Santa - today I was thinking of coal in the bottom of a stocking, and thinking that in this economy, there are probably a lot of chilly families who would actually appreciate a little bit of extra coal this time of the year. Funny how perspective can dictate the true worth of a gift.

writercize:  Write a letter to Santa Claus.  The letter can be from you or from a fictional character.  Let Santa know if you (or the character) have been naughty or nice, and what you'd like for Christmas.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

Dear Mr. Claus,

As I grow older, I can't quite delineate the beginning and end of years as well, and I see that there's some naughty, nice and neutral in all of us, but so far as I can remember back to the start of this year, I've made an effort to be nice. I've slipped a couple of times and hurt a few feelings, mostly unintentional though admittedly not always, but I've also helped a lot of people and given my heart, love and laughter to family and friends, so let's just call it a "nice" year, shall we?

(Speaking of years, does the Santa nice-o-meter run from Christmas to Christmas, or from the New Year to Christmas? Because it might be nice to have a week off the radar!)

So, since I've been nice, and since I recognize with the economic downturn your workshop is probably feeling the crunch, I have a very simple request. 

I'd like the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket. 

Your elves don't have to build a thing and it'll only cost you a dollar. I promise to donate some to charity, and I'll put some into a nice PR campaign - "Believe in Santa" - "Santa wants YOU ... to be the good guy" - whatever message you want to get out there. We can work on it after the holidays.

Thanks for reading this letter, and best of luck for a safe flight and good cookies Christmas Eve. Say hi to Rudolph for me.

Love, 

True Blue Believer

Guest Writercize - Nicole, Madlab Post (Movie Review)

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today I welcome Nicole to the writercize guest spot. I met Nicole through the A to Z Challenge this past April, and instantly felt a connection to her through her thoughtful comments and supportive attitude. She runs a blog called The Madlab Post which reviews, evaluates, compares, questions, and more ... anything to do with cinema, from the perspective of an aspiring film maker and writer. Her irreverent style mixed with intelligent commentary is always a pleasure to read, and the questions she poses to her readers are always interesting.

Without further ado, I present to you: Nicole! (Oh, and PS - you might want to leave a couple of candles and a slice of cake with your comment. Just saying, today might be a special day for a certain someone.)

The end of this post does reference sexual content in a movie, so be aware.

Greetings to all Writercize readers on this most glorious day. What makes it so glorious, you ask? Well, because we’re going to have some fun writing movie reviews. Here is a short primer for those of you who are unfamiliar with me and/or my writing: My name is Nicole; I blog about independent films, hot actors, prolific movie directors and Hollywood releases as well as party ideas that help mix cinema into the equation in almost any social gathering, at my blog, The Madlab Post. I am also a filmmaker who has made several short films and plans to bring one of my feature length screenplays to the big (or small) screen.

After reading movie reviews in newspapers, magazines and online, I leave the text feeling like I should have just watched the entire film instead of spending 15-30 minutes reading someone’s critique of the piece. Now, I don’t mind a good review that just happens to be lengthy, but have found many movie reviews to be obnoxiously lengthy for no reason. It usually occurs when the reviewer carefully dissects almost every aspect of a particular film, when some of the readers probably aren’t interested in knowing about all of this information in the first place. This is why I started writing an “In a Nutshell” series on my blog featuring short movie reviews that are often 140 words or less; well, THAT and I wanted to try writing shorter posts more often since mine tend to be on the long-winded side.

Movie reviews are the focus of today’s writercize. It is inspired by my “In a Nutshell” series, which was inspired by the word count limit that Twitter has setup for its users.

writercize: In 140 words or less, write a movie review on any one film that you have already seen.

Within the last two weeks or so, I’ve watched several movies including “Shortbus,” “Hostel,” “1408,” “Finding Forrester” and “Funny Games” and since either already used or plan on using most of these films for other online writing duties of mine, here is my review of the movie “Shortbus,” a title that ironically fits in line with the theme of this writercize:

(Nicole's sample writercize response below:)

I thought that this movie was about orgies, shot cinéma vérité style. While watching it, I learned that this was not a movie about orgies. It is a movie about a sexually frustrated “couples counselor” who cannot orgasm, her gay clients who add a third person into their depressing relationship in hopes of fixing problems that they have difficulties addressing, a dominatrix whose job stifles the confidence for pursuing her passions in art photography that she does on the side -- and a singing mistress of ceremonies who spends half of his time “blowing the NYPD” to provide a place for them all to congregate in a brooklyn salon that offers entertainment in a variety of fashions including discussion groups, live art, music, drinks and all of the free heterosexual and LGBT sex that you desire -- with real, full-frontal penetration.

Word count total for my “Shortbus” movie review: 139 words

Boo-ya!

Now, it’s your turn!

Spin It - writercize #140

2011-12-08T23:35:00.000-08:00

A euphemism is a way to spin a negative into a ... slightly less negative. It doesn't necessarily make it positive, thought it can sound deceitful pleasant, but at the very least it brings a bad thing around to something less harsh. It paints as rosy a picture as possible.

Euphemisms basically boil down to public relations. Useful in maneuvering tricky relationships, breaking bad news and winning in politics. Euphemisms can also be quite useful in parenting.

Examples:

"to pass away" = to die

"in a happier place" = dead

"to let go" = to fire

"to intervene" = to drop bombs and engage in warfare

writercize: Create your own, never before seen, euphemism for one of the following:

death
divorce
job loss
foreclosure

Write it out, then use in a sentence.

Essentially, I challenge you to make what could be a depressing post into something that sounds calm and lovely. Go on - euphemize away! (Yes, "euphemize" is a made up word.)

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response

job loss = "extra free time"

Jonathon plastered on a forced smile as he unlocked the front door.

"Well Sally, start the to do list - I've got some extra free time in my schedule and you might as well put me to work."

Willing Suspension of Disbelief - writercize #139

2011-12-07T23:26:00.001-08:00

"Willing suspension of disbelief" is a phrase stolen directly from a high school English teacher who pulled it out anytime anyone scoffed at a passage in mythology or the bible that screamed outlandish.  Anyone who attended Central Catholic in Portland, Oregon will surely recall the phrase.  Unless I'm the only one who recalls what English teachers said with precision, which is equally possible.

I bring it to mind right now because I think that there is this part in the brain of every writer that believes, against all logic, that anything is possible, including imaginary characters.  

Now, before I go on, if you have little onlookers who believe in everything magical that Christmas has to offer, please do not scroll down while they are in eyesight.  I do not want to be the one to crush the beauty of belief.

I willed myself to believe in Santa until I was 12.  When I was in seventh grade, my science teacher chuckled aloud to the class about how his third grade son still believed in Santa, with a tone of belittlement.  Logically by that point, I knew there was no such thing as Santa, but I wanted so badly to maintain the magic of Christmas morning that I refused until that moment to acknowledge that my stockings were filled by my parents.  For years, I recognized Santa's handwritten replies to my notes as my dad's writing, and I doubted very much that elves built toys with brands that could be found at any local department store, but it was more fun to believe.

If I'm perfectly honest and truthful, I still wake up every Christmas morning looking for proof in the bottom of my stocking that a fast-flying jolly old guy snuck in a little something extra.  

To be even more honest and truthful, I find myself believing more in Santa than any other reason most people celebrate Christmas.  I guess I'd rather willingly suspend my disbelief for literary fairy tales than religious conviction.  That probably sounds odd to a great many people.

That said, the willing suspension of disbelief is part of what makes writing so beautiful.  If I can imagine it in my mind's eye, I can will it to exist.  It is part of what makes daydreaming such an enjoyable pastime!

writercize:  Write a short story or dialogue in which a "normal" person comes face to face with an imaginary character.  

Use any one (or more) of the following: Leprechaun, Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, mermaid.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about a leprechaun.

writercizer sample response:

At first, I didn't even notice the tiny green footprints criss-crossing my walls. I thought that the sickly green glow that the room had adopted was a result of switching to those new energy friendly lightbulbs, an unfortunate side effect of dialing into the eco wave of home ownership.

Then, one morning, I was sitting down over my bowl of Lucky Charms and noticed a quick movement out of the corner of my eye. I leaned down to pick up my shoe, ready to pounce on any spider brave enough and stupid enough to interrupt my mealtime, when I saw that the movement stopped in place, and was literally pulsating and trembling in place.

I walked over to the wall, leaned my head in nice and close, until there was no more space between my nose and the wall than a birthday balloon leaking helium, and there was a shaking little, tiny green man with a teensy trail of light green shoeprints trailing behind him.

He looked straight into my eyes, and asked with a wink, "D'ya tink ya could spare a crumb for a little man, me lady? I's been a-runnin- nonstop fer days and me tummy's rumblin'. The name's Connor. Pleased ta meet ya."

"Connor? Sure, have a bite. Did you come out of the Lucky Charms, Connor? Am I dreaming? I am, aren't I? This is one of those dreams within a dream. Which really isn't good because I have a presentation at work today, and I can't be late. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!" I shouted as I tugged out a string of hair.

"Yeow! That hurt. Connor, is this real? Are you for real?" I asked the little man, rubbing the sting on my head.

"Give me a crumb, and ye shall see fer yerself," he replied. 

I stuck out my hand, and he crawled aboard. I carried him over to the table and watched him eat three crumbs of cereal, take a sip of milk from a splatter on the table, lick his lips, wipe his mouth with his sleeve, and look back up at me.

"Now, that's more like it. Believe me now?" he asked.

"Yes, I guess so."

"Well, then. Good, because you and me are gonn'ta be spendin' quite some time together. Yer Granddaddy sent me along to look after ye, said ye's been havin' some trouble focusin' and rememberin' tings, so it's now me job to sit on yer shoulder and prod yous along to a good bit of Irish luck. Shall we get started?"

I nodded, slipped the little leprechaun onto my shoulder and headed for the door.

As I opened it, he tapped me and said, "And another ting. Could ye pick up another cereal at the store after work? That cartoon Leprechaun on Lucky Charms doesn't do me kind any favors, always runnin' around lookin' fer gold at the end of the rainbows. Silly tought - barrels of gold at the end of rainbows. Gives people high expectations of what we can really deliver, y'know? I tink a nice flake of oatmeal'd be just the right ting to wake up to every morning."

"Sure, little guy. Whatever will make you feel most at home" I replied. Then I looked up to the sky and waved to my Granddaddy as I do every morning, then added a little kiss.

"To the moon, Granddaddy. To the moon and back," I smiled.

Santa Claus, Movies and the Economy - writercize #138

2011-12-06T21:23:00.001-08:00

I was playing around with trying to work song or movie titles into a holiday card note last week, but the muses just were not cooperating with me, so I moved onto a holiday card plan B and I'll purge the song or movie title idea with a writercize instead.

This could be a bit of a stretch, but work with me here.  Sometimes journalists play with words in the opening paragraph of a story or in the title.  Arguments over a power plant are a "power struggle."  Eco-friendly development is given the "green" light to construct.  At times the creativity pays off, and other times it's a bust, but ... finding a creative way to spin the news can be good to get the juices flowing.  

For today's writercize, work a well-known song or movie title or two into that offbeat leading paragraph.  You can use a real current event for inspiration, or write the lead with a journalistic style for an imaginary event.

writercize:  Using the title of a holiday movie or song, write a lead paragraph of a news item referencing a current event.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response where the economy and unemployment rates meet Scrooge and Santa Claus.  (Like I said, bear with me! It all makes sense in the end!)

writercizer sample response:

While counties across the nation struggle to create jobs and stop the Scrooge-minded economy from spoiling this holiday season, government officials in Fairfax County are calling out, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!"

Santa Claus, better known as the United States federal government located in nearby Washington, DC, is credited with providing the stability, education and financial investment necessary to keep the Fairfax County economy afloat. That translates to a 4.6 percent unemployment rate compared to a national average closer to 9 percent, and into the double digits in many cities, counties and states.

Inspired by a Phone Book - writercize #137

2011-12-02T23:38:00.001-08:00

Names keep popping up lately.  

Pregnant friends considering baby names.  Photographs of names inspiring short stories in a book I'm reading, The Doorbells of Florence, by Andrew Losowsky.  Articles about selecting the perfect character name in writing magazines.  Discussions about how one of my daughters will have to correct people how to spell her name her whole life because we used her great grandmother's "i" rather than the more common "y" here.

Yes, my mind is swimming with names.  So, I figured, why not take a real name as inspiration and create a short fictional character study or vignette?  Hopefully you have a real, old fashioned phone book sitting around the house somewhere.  If not, you can apparently use a Name Shake app on your iPhone or you can google "random name" and use any of the name generators that pop up.

writercize:  Grab a phone book (or name generator ... or name shake app).  Close your eyes and open to any random page.  Point to anywhere on the page.  Create a completely fictional character based on that name.  

(I would recommend against disclosing the location of your phone book for this exercise - make up a fake location, or leave it out.  It is legal to create a fictional story about a real name, provided you state it is fiction, but the less you reveal about a person's true identity, the better for everyone.)

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about a Cecilia Guerra.

writercizer sample response:

Cecilia Guerra

Anyone who knew Cici with her trustworthy eyes and her genuine smile knew she was a good person, someone they could lean on.  She helped old ladies cross the street.  She volunteered Monday nights to bring English and Spanish speakers from her neighborhood together for mutual bilingual learning.  She trained guide dogs.  She would listen to her friends stories about life and love and loss for hours on end.  

If there was one thing about Cici that just didn't fit, it was her name - Guerra - war - for there was not one ounce of the warrior in her bone. From the time she was eight, Cici spent those last five minutes before drifting off to sleep dreaming up names of men she could marry with beautiful names, names that really meant something to her, names like Amor, Flor, del Corazon, Sol. She knew that if she met a man with a beautiful name that fit him, he would be the one. The problem was, most of the men with beautiful names seemed to posses an equally ill-fitted surname.

Virtual Post-It - writercize #136

2011-11-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

My mind is extraordinarily picky.  

It holds on for dear life to the most random, irrelevant facts, yet acts like a sieve when it comes to other things that actually matter in my day-to-day life, like where I should be driving my car at any given moment, or my husband's vacation time, or where I put my keys.

I am terrible about slowing down to live in the moment, as my mind races along to write imaginary texts or plan imaginary events or have imaginary discussions.  Daydreaming really can be detrimental to accomplishing things in the real world.  

So, sometimes I need reminders about what I need to do, like virtual little post-its programmed to pop up in my mind's eye when I start racing too far away from the present moment.  It's like those people who post reminders to themselves on mirrors, like "be strong," "remember to smile," "you are the master of your fate."  You've seen them in movies.

I imagine there is something that you need to remind yourself of regularly too, so here's your chance.  Need to eat better?  Conserve water?  Turn off the lights?  Read more?  Clean?  Take time to breathe?  Look at the glass half full?  Engage in conversation with someone?  Whatever is holding you back, take a minute to reflect on it and barrel through it.

writercize:  Write a sentence, a personal reminder just for you, that would easily fit on a Post-It note.

Click "read more" for writercizer two word sample response.

writercizer sample response:

Be present. 

Caption What? - writercize #135

2011-11-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

If a picture is worth one thousand words, can you pare it down the best dozen or so to describe it?  Today, I invite you to give it a try!  

writercize:  Using the photo below as inspiration, compose a caption.  

Need a genre?  Why not pick from one (or more) of the following: science  fiction, comedy or mystery?  Or stick with straight journalism. 

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about Georg and his unfortunate fate.

writercizer sample response:

Georg could no longer move, his upper limbs frozen in place by the quick sand that had sucked his lower half into the earth, but as long as his eyes could tear he held on to the hope that one day he would be rescued.

(Photo of the Fremont Troll who lives under the Aurora Bridge in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, WA. Photo courtesy of author.)

Shop Small Saturday - writercize "Review Local" flashback

2011-11-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of Small Business Saturday, I wanted to flashback to one of my first writercizes on the site.  In the post, I touched on some personal reflections on what the economy has done to small, local businesses and then encouraged writers to post a positive local business review on Yelp or a similar site.

Check it out here: Review Local writercize.  For more information about Small Business Saturday, click here:  Shop Local, Shop Small This Saturday.

I'd love to see your reviews. Leave a link in your comments to share information about your favorite local business.

Festive Thanksgiving Oreo "Turkey" Desserts (recipe bonus post)

2011-11-24T23:30:00.000-08:00

This is a quickie recipe I posted on Technorati for a really cute Thanksgiving dessert kids can help with.  I welcome and encourage you to try it next year!  We couldn't find candy corn this year, so ended up using Red Vines cut in eighths and split in half lengthwise as the feathers and Mike and Ike's for the nose, along with some extra frosting as "glue" to hold it all together.  Lots of fun!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with friends and family.  Thank you sincerely for your readership and comments. 

(Article first published as Festive Thanksgiving Oreo "Turkey" Desserts on Technorati.)

Looking for a fun and easy way to keep your children occupied and entertained while helping you prepare Thanksgiving dinner? 

Look no further than these adorable Oreo Turkeys, easy to assemble  for kids from ages 3-103 and sure to inspire "oohs" and "aahs" from all  your guests.

 Oreo Cookie Turkeys

Ingredients (for 12 turkeys):

24 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos work best)
12 Whoppers malted milk balls
1 bag chocolate-covered raisins
1 bag candy corn
1 small tube decorative frosting/icing

1.  To make base for your turkey, twist the top off of 12 cookies.   Keep the side with the cream filling.  You can eat or dispose of the  plain side.

2.  Prepare the turkey feathers by inserting five or more candy corns  in the cream filling of the 12 remaining cookies.  The candy corn  should make a semi-circle around half of the cookie.  Use the skinny  part of the candy corn triangle to put in the filling; the yellow and  orange parts should show as feathers.

3.   Place one turkey feather cookie on top of each base, centered and  standing at a 90 degree angle.  Push gently into the exposed cream  filling of base.

4.  Push one Whopper onto each base, centered in front of the feather cookie, for the turkey's head.

5.  Push one chocolate covered raisin into each side of the head for the turkey's feet.

6.  Break the thick end off of 12 candy corns.  Stick point into base in front of whopper for turkey's nose.

7.  Use frosting to put two small dots on each whopper, for the turkey's eyes.

8.  Plate, serve and eat! 

Be creative with your ingredients.  Here are a couple more substitutes and additions you can use:

Add small bite-sized Reese's peanut butter cups where the whopper is to add a turkey body. Connect the Whopper head to the peanut butter cup with a toothpick to give the bird a long neck, and connect the nose with frosting.
If you can't find candy corn, feel free to use any long, thin candy in it's place for the nose and feathers. Some possibilities may include Mike and Ike's, Good and Plenty or cut up licorice sticks.

Young children may like to add some freestyle culinary creations using left-over ingredients. We ended up with all sorts of interesting animals, from turtles to ducks, that were equally cute and tasty!

Photos courtesy of the author, November 2010. Finished product created by two three-year-olds, with a little help from their aunt.

Thanksgiving Thank You (new holiday tradition) - writercize #134

2011-11-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

I've rarely met a person who doesn't appreciate being thanked.  Scratch that, I don't think I've ever met a person who doesn't like to be thanked sometime.  Particularly if the thank you is heartfelt, sincere and specific.

This Thanksgiving, as you go around the table and take turns giving thanks for your blessings or join hands in prayer, why not add a new holiday tradition?  In addition to giving thanks for material goods or life events, give thanks to another person seated at the table.

There are several ways you could do this:  

If there is an elderly matriarch or patriarch, everyone could thank that one person for something special.
Each person could thank whomever they want when it's their turn to talk.
You could throw each dinner guest's name in a hat and draw names.
Each guest could thank every other guest for one small thing.

(The method you choose may be directly correlated to how hungry you are!  Just be sure to additionally thank the host and hostess at some point in the day!)

To prepare and get you in the mood, today's writercize focuses on thanking someone.

writercize:  Write a short thank you to put in a card or a speech to let a friend or family member know you appreciate them.  Be specific.  Go beyond "thanks for being you" and "thanks for xyz gift" to tell them about a specific aspect of their character or personality that you love.

Be sure to share your thanks and thoughts as a comment here, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to Americans and all those residing in the USA.  Safe travels if you are heading out of town!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response to my daughters.

writercizer sample response:

Thank you O for your penetrating eyes that understand everything.  Thank you for being warm and calm and for your joy of learning that is so inspirational to watch.  Thank you for being strong and reminding the world to be true to what is just.

Thank you S for wearing your heart on your sleeve and showing the world what it means to be passionate.  Thank you for speaking up for those you love.  Thank you for the competitor in you, that is driven to succeed and improve every day.  Thank you for always striving for balance and equality. 

Thankful For Poetry - writercize #133

2011-11-21T23:26:00.001-08:00

If you are in the United States, this coming Thursday is Thanksgiving.  It is my personal favorite holiday because I love to eat and I love to spend time with family, and that's what my Thanksgiving is all about!  This year I will not be eating with family as holiday travel didn't appeal to me as it usually does, but I am quite thankful to have a very dear friend from college and his wife living nearby who are wonderful hosts to all of us displaced souls around the holidays.  It should be a great celebration.  

Historically, of course, it is the celebration of a feast between the Natives who knew how to cultivate the land and the Pilgrims who were clueless and had so much to learn, and it was a moment of peace and understanding before the horrible outcome of manifest destiny came to be.  Naturally, knowing what happened after that harvest is heartbreaking, and puts a damper on the historic significance of the holiday, but I do my best to appreciate it for the feast and the family and time to pause and reflect on the things that really matter.

A few weeks ago I did a holiday prompt based on The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown, and if you're looking for another creative way to write about Thanksgiving, check that out after you try this writercize.  Keep an eye open for one more Thanksgiving inspired exercise coming up this week as well!

writercize:  Write a poem, any style, beginning with the words "thankful for."  

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

thankful for quiet moments

for inhales, exhales

for the tentative smile after a cascade of tears

thankful for holding hands

and touching hearts

for tickles and hugs

for exchanging a glance  

thankful for combustible laughter

for deep belly laughs

for crows feet and wrinkles

thankful for feeling

for passion and fear

for happiness, for anger 

for moments of joy

thankful for life 

for love

and each day

Guest Writercize - Clara Bowman-Jahn

2011-11-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Please join me in welcoming Clara Bowman-Jahn to the writercize guest spot!  Clara is a published children's book author and she posts about life, family and writing, from using digital media to support your writing to finding inspiration through writing groups and a schedule.  Today Clara's writercize focuses on your inner writer, and giving yourself the time and space to create.  

I invite you to try out the writercize, comment and visit her blog!

Without further ado, I pass the mic to Clar!!

Hi Readers! Glad to meet you. My name is Clar, short for Clara, you can read all about it on my about page on my blog. I write about my experiences in marketing and writing picture books. I also write about how I’m constructing my life now that I have this second career of writing. My picture book, “Annie’s Special Day” will be published in early winter 2012 and I write about my experiences in publishing and getting it illustrated. I have really been all over the place in my blog and have had a hard time finding a niche, unless you want to *narrow* life down into a blog.

Thank you, Alana for the honor of being your guest today. As a picture book author and in the spirit of Picture Book Idea Month, the children’s literature equivalent of National Novel Writing Month, I am going to post an exercise on how to get an idea.

There are many venues for ideas in writing. People get creative in all kinds of places and doing all kinds of things from meditating in nature to taking a shower. Bloggers have been known to doodle, put up photo prompts and take walks to get ideas.

writercize: Think about when are you most creative.  How can you adjust your schedule to nurture your creative side? What are you doing when the creative juices hit? What else could you do? Think of something else that makes you creative. Share in the comments. 

Clara's sample response:

My favorite time for getting an idea is letting my mind float over the previous day’s activities while slowly waking up from a good night’s sleep. That is when I’m most creative. I have to go to bed early enough so I don’t need an alarm to wake me. An alarm would totally destroy all the creativity.

What's In a Weekday? - writercize #132

2011-11-17T23:48:00.000-08:00

What does today mean to you?  How does your baseline mood differ based on the day of the week the calendar falls on?  

As creatures heavily attached to measuring time, I think we subconsciously determine a great deal of our outlook on life each morning depending on which day of the week it is.  We remember what we have accomplished and what we have yet to accomplish within the confines of a week.  On weekdays, we realize how much longer before we make it to the weekend, and on weekends, we think about how many hours we can savor before returning to the workforce, or school, or an empty house, or a full house without another adult on board!

Think about cultural references pertaining to days of the week.

Monday =  I have no idea of the technical term at the moment, but suffice it to say Mondays are not popular days.  Facebook gets swamped with "Monday again?" status updates and the like.

Wednesday = Hump Day (over the hill, half way to the weekend) - random sales note - Wednesdays have been identified as the single most productive day for businesses, and an effective day to make a sale - people have caught up from the weekend and want to wrap things up before the next weekend.  Also a very busy day for meetings.

Friday = TGIF (Thank G(od)(oodness) It's Friday!) - time for the weekend, even from the start of the day.  Just think of how many companies have casual Fridays or coffee and donuts for employees Friday mornings.  

Now, think about all seven days of your week, and assess how each one affects your mood.  Do you think the weekday might affect your character's mood in a novel too?

writercize:  Assign an adjective, mood or nickname to each day of the week.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.  I'd love to see your take on this as well - please leave your response as a comment, or paste a link to your URL if you reference it on your blog!  Feel free to elaborate on why you selected the adjective, mood or nickname that you did.

writercizer sample response:

Sunday - hopeful

Monday - invigorating

Tuesday - efficient

Wednesday - realistic

Thursday - worn out

Friday - relaxing

Saturday - familial

Fairy Tale Book Blurb - writercize #131

2011-11-16T23:31:00.001-08:00

Earlier this month, Brianna Renshaw of Pocketful of Playdough hosted a guest writercize where she presented three different book blurbs and invited writers to create a first sentence for each book.  

Talk about a monumental challenge!  It took me a few days to garner up the courage to try the challenge (kudos to my regular writercizers - attempting a challenge and leaving a comment is hard work!), but I have to say I really enjoyed playing around with it.  

I did look to a few books on my own shelf for the challenge, but couldn't write about a book that I had read since it limited my ability to think outside the box, so I highly recommend using the book blurbs she shared (provided you haven't read them yet!) to try the challenge.  Now that I got the hang of it, it's a writercize I plan to use while browsing through bookstores whenever (make that if ever!) I have some time to kill.

Brianna's writercize got me thinking about book blurbs and how fun and theatrical they really are.  A book blurb is like the musical theater version of a story - it's the dramatic and intriguing and bold twin to the novel or short story's subtler, deeper tale.  It's the one place to go over the top with adjectives and mystery.

Since I want to give you a challenge that everyone can relate to, I want you to start with a familiar story and build the blurb.  

writercize:  Create a book blurb to complement the fairy tale of your choice.  

The blurb should be 3-5 sentences long and summarize the story without giving too much away.  Turn on both the marketing mind and the editor to make it work!

Please leave the result of all your hard writercize work as a comment, or leave a link to your page if you use it on your blog.  I love to see all the different ways people can imagine the same challenge!  (And by hard writercize work, I mean a few minutes to a half an hour.  Don't worry about perfection.  This site is about practicing your writing often, not perfecting it!)

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about Cinderella.

writercizer sample response:

Cinderella, the gentle and kind daughter of a fallen nobleman and stepdaughter of an ugly, self-righteous gold digger, lives a life of solitude, servitude and daydreams.  

One night, opportunity strikes as the crowned prince throws a royal ball to choose his bride and invites all unmarried women in the kingdom.  Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters will do anything to keep her from going to that ball.  

Will the beautiful girl be able to break free from her restrictive household or will she be doomed to a life of dirty nails and empty dreams?

Vanity Plates - writercize #130

2011-11-15T22:59:00.001-08:00

It's Tuesday night, which quite often calls for ... a little fun and easy word play.  

Tonight I'm thinking about vanity plates.  You know: those clever license plates that are much more inventive than the random mix of numbers and letters assigned by your state's Department of Motor Vehicles.  A standard plate may read BZT 792.  A vanity plate could read DR LOVE for a fertility doctor or SCRMOM for a suburban soccer mom.

Growing up in Oregon, very few people liked to draw attention to themselves with vanity plates, so I always chuckled at those cars, finding them frivolous and a bit silly.  Bumper stickers were much more in vogue to make a statement.  In Oregon, the older the car, the more it spoke.  Thirty year old VW bugs were definitely the thing to have, especially if the license plate was at least fifteen years old with no frills.  Yellow background, blue letters and number.

Fast forward a few years past college, I found myself living in Virginia, where it seemed everyone and their dog had a vanity plate.  In fact, per wikipedia, Virgina has the highest concentration of vanity plates at a whopping 16.19%.  That's nearly one in five plates.  Lots of people who want to make a statement.  I still wasn't willing to make the jump into the land of vanity plates, but I can tell you it made waiting at lights much more interesting, imagining the secret lives of all those around me, based on their choice of vanity plate.

Tonight, you will have the chance to create five vanity plates of your very own.  You are limited to a max of 7 characters per plate.

writercize:  Create a vanity plate (max 7 characters, numbers, letters and symbols ok) for each of the following professions:

postman
teacher
wrestler
actor
construction worker

Leave your result as a comment, or link to your website if you post on your site.  I'd love to see what you come up with!

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.

writercizer sample response:

postman: GOT MAIL

teacher: ABC 123

wrestler: RASSLE U

actor: TRU FAKE

construction worker: FRAMED

Guest Writercize - Gene Pool Diva

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today's guest post brought to you by none other than Kelly, the Gene Pool Diva, regular GBE2 participant and recorder of all sorts of funny family conversations.  Her posts are known to inspire true fits of laughing out loud, as you'll soon find out by reading below!  If you want a daily dose of humor and dialogue, I highly recommend that you check her out!

And now, without further ado, Gene Pool Diva.  Take it away Kelly!

After three weeks on the road, I stepped over my threshold and into the escalating odor of fish. I still haven't identified the source. Well, of course Rob's the culprit, but where do I pinpoint the problem? Tiny, suspicious dots form a trail from the kitchen, through the dining room and out to the lanai. Stains bloom on the counter. My sneakers stick to tiled floors. Did he drag the trash can liner from room to room, again? Did … oh crap, Alana's waiting.

I promised Alana a writing exercise. I don't know anything about writing exercises. According to Beamer, my internal dialogue is proof of mental illness. Great, but how do I turn that into an assignment? Dunno. I just know the clock is inching toward noon. Then I stumble on Haiku.

I remember Haiku. Weren't they nature inspired?

Then it occurs to me that Rob and culture are on a collision course.

Rob and nature are on a collision course.

Rob and I are about to collide

writercize:  So, I suggest a round of partner-inspired haiku. Haiku that even hubby, brained by a cast iron skillet, can understand.

Here's my attempt.

Whole house smells of fish

I contemplate Rob's demise

Who will walk the dog

No, don't talk to me

I still remember shark guts

frozen bits of beer

I raise the rafters

Boy escapes to mow the lawn

Sweet dog cuddles close

Alana's eyes roll

Uh oh, wheres the back up plan

Beth, about Friday

Ahem, you're next.

((Side notes: There are still two guest spots available this year to interested parties. Scroll along the left hand side of my blog for more information.

For a quick reminder on the rules of haiku, see this post.))

Question of Ownership - writercize #129

2011-11-10T22:55:00.001-08:00

ABC's Modern Family, in its infinite genius, tackled the hilarious question of mistaken car ownership a couple of weeks ago on the "Go Bullfrogs" episode.  Mitchell and Cameron are given the wrong car by the valet only to discover the error when rifling through the glovebox and searching for music.  Comedy and misunderstandings ensue.

It's probably not every driver's *worst* nightmare, but I would be lying if I said I'd never worried that the wrong car in the mall parking lot would beep at my remote's signal.  I can't remember how many unique key designs and signals there are, but I do know that it's fewer than the number of cars on the road.  Hey, it could happen!

Questions of ownership are rife with possibility for comedy writing, as well as mystery and horror.  

Just think about the possibilities.  A wronged wife selling her husband's treasured possessions on eBay after discovering he was cheating.  Flowers from an anonymous source delivered to a woman in the wrong office complex.  Squatters in an abandoned building.  A work of art that is discovered to be a fake.  A work of art that is knowingly purchased illegally on the black market.  The wedding dress of the century during the annual Running of the Brides at Filene's Basement.  The crisp hundred dollar bill dropped on the casino floor.  Any unique idea or invention up for patent or copyright.  

Literally endless possibilities.  Today you get to pick one and run with it.

writercize:  Create a dialogue centered around a question of ownership.  Ownership may be real or imagined for the character, and may be based on any object or concept of your choosing.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about an airplane seat.  Note I am not working on comedy or any specific genre here - it's dialogue practice.  Hopefully it could be interpreted with a small chuckle somewhere along the way.

This writercize created based on the prompt "ownership" over at GBE2, hosted by the blog world's most popular hostess with the mostest, Ms. Elizabeth Grace.  Faithful readers may notice that this week has been overwhelmingly inspired by GBE2 prompts.  Prompts are given weekly on Sunday, and there have been so many great ones lately that I was delayed in writing that I decided to make a week of it.  Hope you enjoyed!

writercizer sample response:

 inside airplane

JAMES (arriving at exit row)

 -Hey man, I think you're in my seat.

(no answer. reaches over to pat man seated in exit row window seat on the shoulder)

-Hey, you hear me?  I think you're in my seat man.

DOUGLAS (slowly turns away from texting to look at James)

-What's that, man?

JAMES

-I said I think you're in my seat.  21F.  Window seat, emergency exit row.  That's my place man.  

DOUGLAS

-Yeah, well, not now.

JAMES

-What are you talking about?  It's on my boarding pass.  I requested it early.  You see these legs?  They can't double over in a regular seat, man.  I need the emergency.

DOUGLAS

-Mmm.  Well, I got here first and I ain't movin'.  If your legs are too long, maybe you should think about buying business class.  I heard fat people have to do that; maybe tall people should too, man.  Besides, my boarding pass says the same thing.

JAMES

-Oh yeah, well, we'll see about that, now won't we.

(leans over aisle passenger to hit button to call for flight hostess)

HILLARY

-Yes sir, you rang us?

JAMES

-Why yes, we did.  You see, I have a boarding pass here in my hand that gives me the right to sit in that chair for the duration of the flight.  I was responsible, I requested it early and my legs get very prickly if I can't sit in the emergency row.

HILLARY

-Ok sir, I understand.  However, the emergency seats are not for leg room; they are for use in emergencies.  Are you aware of that sir?

JAMES

-Yes.

HILLARY

-Do you speak English sir? Can you lift 50 pounds?  Do you remain calm under pressure?

JAMES

-Yes, yes and yes.  But what does this have to do with my seating assignment?

HILLARY

-Well, if you want to sit there, I have to confirm that you are in fact eligible to use the seat, sir.  I can't put you in the seat if you're not capable of helping in the event of an emergency.  FAA regulations sir.  I'm sure you understand and would want someone strong helping you out the door in case we crash.

JAMES

-Listen.  I'm American.  I speak English.  I'm in good shape.  I can help people.  As long as my fingers don't fall off from holding this carry-on any longer, we should be fine.  Now, can you please get this guy to move out of my seat so I can sit and enjoy the flight?

HILLARY

-I sense a little temper, sir.  Let's all just calm down.  Is that bag really heavy enough to damage your hands sir?  Did you weigh that bag?  You do realize, of course, that it will have to go into an overhead compartment.  No bags under the seats in the exit row.  Perhaps I should check it for you now, save you the trouble of stowing it.  The bins are getting very full, and it really is time for push back.

JAMES

-How can we push back if I don't have a seat yet?  No, I don't want to check my bag.  You lost it last time.  I will find a place for it close to my seat where I can track it's every move.  All I want is for you to ask this gentleman here, sitting in my seat, to get up off his behind and move!  

HILLARY

-Alright sir, just calm down now.  Can I please see your boarding pass?

JAMES

-Yes, thank you.  Right here.

(Hillary examines boarding pass - everything looks right)

HILLARY

(to man in seat)

-Sir, can I please see your boarding pass as well?

DOUGLAS 

(huffing, reaches into jacket pocket)

-Yes, of course, here you are.

HILLARY

(examines ticket - same seat number)

-Thank you sir.  Well, this is indeed odd.  You both have the same seat number.  Well, it is a full flight.  I suppose you'll just have to share or sit in a lap.

(chuckles nervously)

JAMES

-Is that meant to be a joke?  Because if it is, it's not funny.  And if it's not, I want your employee badge.  Listen, it's been a long day, I don't like to fly, just see who checked in first and give me the seat.  Please.  I'm begging you.

CAPTAIN MCMANUS

(over the loudspeaker)

-Passengers, this is your captain speaking.  As soon as we're all seated here, we'll come around to secure the cabin and prepare for an on-time departure.  Skies are looking clear and it's 88 in Honolulu right now.  Get ready to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

JAMES

(looks at stewardess, gulps)

-Uh, ma'am.  Did the captain just say Honolulu?

HILLARY

(confused expression)

-Yes, that's right.

JAMES

-What time does this flight depart?

HILLARY

-Why, as soon as you sit down sir.  16:35 scheduled departure time.  If I could just find you another seat somewhere, we could be on our way.

JAMES

-No, I've got to get off this plane.

HILLARY

-Excuse me?

JAMES

-Seriously, I've got to go.  I'm supposed to be on a flight to Helsinki.  I am on the wrong plane.  My flight leaves at 16:30.  I have to run.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Look at my boarding pass!

HILLARY

(looking at pass)

-I knew there was something fishy about two people having seat 21F.  I mean, I'd heard of it happening before, but in my four months of training, I never saw anything like it.  Now I see - different airport code.  Go on, now.  

JAMES

-Thanks!  And sorry!

(to both Hillary and Douglas, running off)

-Captain, call the Helsinki flight, and please - tell them to hold that plane!!

(into cockpit running past it to the door)

DOUGLAS 

(under his breath)

-Guy can't even read a boarding gate. And I'm supposed to trust him to save my life? Deserving of an emergency seat, my ass. Good riddance.

The Inner Battlefield: Nature vs. Nurture - writercize #128

2011-11-09T23:31:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, a good friend of mine posted a status update on his Facebook along the lines of: "Why can't we all just get along?"

I chuckled momentarily and headed to the park with my toddlers.  It took all of two seconds at the park to recognize the answer to his question.  

"Because we are programmed not to."

Every essence of our being is made to compete - for space, for attention, for affection, for food, for shelter, for the chance to say to everyone - "you see? I was right!".  

At the park, a swing set is a guaranteed war zone when the number of children exceeds the number of swings.  There is a battle to be first down the slide.  It is absolutely natural for a child to push, stomp, cry, scream or  otherwise act in a completely unreasonable manner to get his or her way.  It is innate.  I know I did it.  And I'd bet money you did it too.  

By two, a child may be stubborn and throw a temper tantrum, but they ultimately know that they will eventually have to give in to society's whim and engage in civil interaction.  But between a year and about twenty months, heaven help the unlucky one who gets in the way of a full-on all-natural wild child.

Nothing natural tells us to work together, to cooperate, to accept and acknowledge one another's strengths and weaknesses.  That's all learned.  (And sometimes forgotten.)  Head to a playground at 10 a.m. any weekday morning, and you will see what mothers around the world work to nurture out of our truest nature.

Now, this is not to say that we don't also naturally crave warmth and love and human touch.  We do, but that comes from a rapport based on mutual recognition and trust ... and perhaps a few genes.  

The first six months, I was shocked to observe that my twins did not like each other.  At all.  They wanted my attention, only my attention, twenty-four hours a day, and not divided with one another or any other person in the world.  They wanted my smiles, my coos, my cuddles, my milk.  

When the second came home from the hospital two days later than the first, the first hit, kicked, pushed and even tried to lick her away.  They were two weeks old.  They would cuddle while sleeping and wanted to be close during the night, but in the day a glance at the other would set them off.  

At six months, something magical happened and they realized they did not have a choice in the matter, and started a friendship.  

When the were in that crazy toddler stage, they ganged up to support one another against all the other baby strangers at the park who might actually want a turn walking up the stairs or heading down the slide.  Not the proudest moment for a Mama, but hey, it's natural, and at least they could stand each other by that point, right?

Somewhere deep (or perhaps more shallow) inside of you, there is a natural instinct that wants to scream and shout and let it all out. You may work hard to nurture it away, and you may know that it's best to play and work with others, but a part of who you are is knowing who you are not, and that leads directly to a comparison with others and an enemy.  

It is natural to define ourselves as much by what we are not as by what we are.

That which we are not is at best unknown or confusing, and at worst an enemy.  This is especially true in societies, which are prone to reflect and magnify the weaknesses of our nature despite our attempts to civilize and nurture strength of character on a personal level.

Try to imagine the United States without an "enemy."  To feel as though we are a superpower, we need someone to defeat.  We have a long history of opposing forces, from the way we overpowered the Native Americans to the way we broke away from the British, fought North against South, worked to defeat the Germans, feared the Russians, fought in Vietnam and Korea and now wage war in the Middle East.  

How much better would the world be if instead of countries our enemies were poverty (in our own country and abroad), the oppression of women and trafficking humans and arms?  How much more could we do if we battled those injustices with the strength and force and resolve that we fight wars with nations, using science and education and agriculture and incentives over military power?

There is something in us that fights a constant battle between that nature that we have as members of the animal kingdom, and the nurture that we are raised with to set ourselves apart as human.

A glimpse into that battle within your character, whether it is a children's book, a journalistic expose' or the next great American novel, is fascinating.  It touches all of us on a level that we may not even want to admit to ourselves.

writercize:  Write a brief inner dialogue of a man or woman facing a personal battle of nature vs. nurture.  

This could be any situation you like - the beginning or end of a relationship or career, a pivotal moment in a person's morality building, a fight vs. flight response - your choice.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about a man and his ex who can't resist ignoring him.

This writercize created based on the prompt "nature vs. nurture" over at GBE2, hosted by the blog world's most popular hostess with the mostest, Ms. Elizabeth Grace.

writercizer sample response:

Ding dong, ding dong, dong dang, ding dong.  

Knock, knock, knock knock knock.  Knock.  Knock.

Jeremy knew she was home.  He could see her car in the driveway and the blind was still rocking back and forth slightly from where she had peeked through the bedroom window.  He always told her to get a peephole while they were together - you never know what could be lurking outside, but she had insisted on throwing the door open to any old knock or doorbell ringing.

Now that things were over and he was on the other side of the door, she was changing her tune.  

He knew it was just a jacket.  But it was his jacket, bought senior year when he made varsity tennis, paid for by his very first paycheck ever.  It was weekends spent as convenience store cashier when he could have been hanging out with friends; it was afternoons and evenings spent knocking a tennis ball around when he could have been aiming for third base with a girlfriend.  It was his jacket, his memories and he wanted it back.

Jeremy thought about doing the right thing and ringing again patiently or walking away and giving up, but he was pissed.  Why should he give it up?  Why should she be able to change and ignore him, give up on him, not answer the stupid door?  

She had his stuff.  She changed without him.  Probably to spite him.  He wanted his stuff, and he wanted to show her that she didn't have the right to be a different person.  She had to be the same.  He had to be the one who could change and be different.  He had to move on.  She was supposed to suffer.  That's how it should work - he had to be stronger.  He wanted to show her.

So Jeremy backed away from the door, walked up the driveway, jumped on his motorcycle and barreled back down the driveway through the front door.

When she ran downstairs shocked, he reached into the closet for the jacket, gave her a dirty look, stuck out his tongue in the most juvenile manner he could muster, muttered some sixth-grade profanity under his breath, and turned his motorcycle back around to ride it back out the door.

Jeremy felt good that he had won. He had his jacket back. Take that he thought as he rode away feeling high on vindication.

The Popular Pollster - writercize #127

2011-11-08T23:32:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a completely meaningless popularity statistic from a poll that has no bearing whatsoever on real life every now and then?  

You know what I mean - they're the polls magazines like US Weekly run, like: 

Who's hottest without a shirt? Leo, Brad or George?
Which celebrity mom snapped back into the best shape two weeks after giving birth? Heidi Klum or Angelina Jolie?
Which celebrity baby name trend is the coolest? Naming children after fruits, Greek gods or emotions?
Which couple has the best chances of surviving the relationship based on popular nickname? TomKat, Brangelina or Bennifer?

(Hmm, apparently Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can be worked into any popularity poll - congrats to them on being the winning popular pollster couple, appearing in three of the four fake poll questions above.  Another fun, meaningless statistic to reflect on.)

Today, you get to make your own.

writercize:  Create a fake celebrity poll to measure popularity.  Choose any topic, and give three to four options for the reader to choose between.

Bonus points (towards absolutely no tangible prize, but the pride of knowing you've contributed to research - wink, wink) for answering everyone else's polls.  Extra bonus points if you choose to give a witty reason for your answer.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about celebs participating in reality TV.

This writercize created based on the prompt "popularity" over at GBE2, hosted by the blog world's most popular hostess with the mostest, Ms. Elizabeth Grace.

writercizer sample response:

Who would be your top choice for a contestant on the next season of Dancing With The Stars?

Christina Aguilera
Snoop Dogg
Tina Fey
Magic Johnson

Falling Back in Time - writercize #126

2011-11-06T23:01:00.001-08:00

This week (most of) the United States fell backwards an hour with the switch back to standard time.  For those who have trouble remembering when to turn the clocks forward and when to turn them back, the beauty of an English language that offers homonyms and nouns that double as verbs has made a simple sentence to remember:  "Spring forward, Fall back."

Gain an hour in the fall, lose an hour in the spring.  If you're single.  Or have older children.  If you have young kids, you will be completely unable to gain or lose that hour as kids seem to believe their stomachs and sunlight more than a digital clock.  Darn.

A couple tidbits about time changes that you may not have known:

Residents in Arizona and Hawaii are fortunate enough not to have to worry about changing their clocks twice a year, although they also don't get the joy of adding an hour to a fall weekend ... a joy I'd gladly pass up to keep the sun setting later in the evening year round. In my ideal world, the sun would never, ever dare to set before 7:00 p.m. (Noteworthy: While Hawaiians and Arizonans don't have to consider time change, their relatives living in other states, however, must remember that the time difference is variable which could be sort of a nasty chore.)
We do not change our clocks at the same time as Europe. We're two weeks earlier in the spring and a week later in the fall. (They are last Sundays in March and October; we're second Sunday in March and first in November.) That means we get three weeks extra time admiring a later sunset. This I am happy about.
Prior to 2007, we changed at the same time as Europe in the fall and a week later in the spring. The President has the power to change when the time changes, and George W. Bush did just that. I guess I have something to thank you for G-Dub. Though I'd prefer if you just abolished ugly, dark Standard Time altogether and threw us into permanent Daylight Saving Time. (We were first Sunday in April and last in October. Europe was still the same.)
The fire department wants you to check your smoke alarm batteries when the time changes. Did you do it? Go now.
In the southern hemisphere, the clock changes opposite of the northern hemisphere to match the seasons "down below." Which means there is a wide variable in time differences across time zones between hemispheres. Families straddling zones and hemispheres may need an advanced mathematical degree to figure it out! (Or a iPhone ... those things seem to know it all.)

Want to know more, including which countries don't make the switch at all, and who the first person credited with suggesting daylight saving time is?  Read more about it at Time and Date.

So how does this fit into a writercize?  Remember my fall back, spring forward thing?  You have to create a shortcut to remember the change on your own!  It can refer to the time change in general (like the season and direction above) or get specific about the weekend ... or it can somehow address the difference between states/countries/hemispheres in how they participate ... or the fact that you gain an hour by falling back and lose an hour by springing forward - a concept that seems to keep a lot of minds I know running in circles.  Good luck!  And please share!

writercize:  Create a simple phrase that can be used as a way to remember those pesky time change rules.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response, and please leave your phrase as a comment or link below!  I prefer my second take, but am not one hundred percent on either yet!

writercizer sample responses:

(Remembering the weekend)

Every March, on the second Sunday

time jumps ahead to stretch the sun's ray

But then, the first Sunday of November

time turns right back to the dark we remember.

(Remembering if you gain/lose sleep)

Time turns back in the Fall for an extra long dream

then flies ahead in the Spring cutting short the moon's beam.

Guest Writercize - Brianna Renshaw - Book Blurb to Opener

2011-11-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome this week to Brianna Renshaw, the deliciously honest and raw writer over at Pocketful of Playdough.  Brianna and I met through the A to Z Challenge, and I always enjoy her voice and the sentiment behind her posts.  I highly recommend her blog and that you sign up to become a follower - she always has something worthwhile to read, sharing her personal truths about being a writer,parenting,running and religion.

(Btw, my apologies for a week long pause here at writercize - out of town guests and the Halloween holiday have blown this week by at warp speed.  I don't quite know how that happens!  Expect me back and exercising those brain muscles all week next week!) 

Without further ado, today's guest post ...

Good morning, Writercizers! Are you ready to work out those writing muscles?

Wait, I can’t hear you…

Alright! That’s the spirit! Let’s get moving!

First let’s stretch a bit – crack your knuckles, wiggle those fingers and take a few deep breaths! Now we’re ready to begin.

As writers we all know how important the first sentence of our story is. It’s the hook that’s either going to capture the attention of editors and readers or bore them to tears. No pressure, right?

Not if we are regularly working out our writing muscles! Here’s an exercise focusing on writing strong first sentences:

Read the back-cover blurb of a book and then write an opening sentence.

The beauty of this exercise is that not only does it allow you to practice writing an attention-grabbing opening sentence; it could also be a stepping stone to an original book of your own!

You are free to use whatever back-cover book blurb you like or use the three samples from the genres of science fiction, mystery and romance below. Write a first sentence for all three, or just one, and share it in the comments section.

Science Fiction

On the North Pole of Pluto there stands an enigma: a huge circle of standing blocks of ice, built on the pattern of Earth’s Stonehenge –but ten times the size, standing alone at the farthest reach of the Solar System. What is it? Who came there to build it?

The secret lies, perhaps, in the chaotic decades of the Martian Revolution, in the lost memories of those who have lived for centuries.

~Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson, 1984, ISBN 0-312-86609-7~

Mystery

Not much happens in Contrary, West Virginia –a sleepy town with failing coal mines, a few old moonshine stills, and an urgent need for revenue. A federal grant for a nonexistent bus system seemed just the ticket…if only the government auditor, sent to look things over, hadn’t drunk to much white lightening. And ended up dead.

Now his successor, Owen Allison, has come down from D.C. to check out the situation. Disgruntled with his life inside the Beltway, Owen is willing to give Contrary’s officials the benefit of the doubt –and himself some time to romance Mary Beth, the alluring town controller. He soon feels like seventeen different kinds of fool. Because something has long been fermenting in Contrary besides corn mash. Another body has been found. And Owen may be next…unless he uncovers the big secrets hidden in the hearts of a small Appalachian town.

~The Contrary Blues by John Billheimer, 1998, ISBN 0-440-23504-9~

Romance

Innocence was the only word to describe Mary Frances Murphy. Expelled from a convent, her only sin was desire: For intimacy. For experience. For true carnal knowledge. Once forbidden, these things were now within her reach –as she searched for her sister’s killer in a world of staged seduction, virtual passion, and fantasy made flesh. But Mary Frances had never even been touched by a man…let alone a man like Webb Calderon. A man whose erotic finesse was as vast –and dangerous—as his empire. A man who could devour her innocence…and kill her with pleasure.

~ Innocence by Suzanne Forster, 1997 ISBN 0-425-15663-X~

Read this writercizer’s response below (as in Brianna! Alana's will be posted as comment):

My attempt at a first sentence for Icehenge:

The discovery changed the universe, but no one remembered.

My attempt at a first sentence for The Contrary Blues:

Every small town has secrets and Contrary was no exception.

My attempt at a first sentence for Innocence:

It was during Mass when the prospect of what was under Monsignor Alexander’s robe got her so hot and bothered her habit was in danger of going up in flames that Mary Frances first thought being a nun wasn’t her true calling.

Guest Writercize - Dawn M. Hamsher - Dress-Up Time!

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to introduce all of you to the very talented Dawn M. Hamsher, author of The Write Soil blog and purveyor of book reviews, writing exercises, tips, photo prompts, shout-outs and more!

Be sure to visit her blog and while you're there, check out her series on dialogue - it's short, sweet, visual and very relevant and helpful to all sorts of writers.

Without further ado, I pass the "mike" over to Dawn! Be sure to participate, leave a comment, and visit Dawn's blog. Can't wait to see all your creative answers.

Guest Post: What are you dressing up as?
Dawn M. Hamsher @ The Write Soil (http://thewritesoil.blogspot.com)

Hi, I’m Dawn. My blog has writing exercises, tips, comics, and whatever else writing-wise that I get into.

Wow, Alana! I am so excited to do this post! I love writing exercises and I love dressing up (acting and costumes), so I decided to combine the two since it is Halloween time.

Recently I attended the Susquehanna Writers Conference and one of the best tips was write well-thought out, believable characters, setting, and plot. It should be so well done that readers can feel like they are there. The exercise today will give us some practice with this.

writercize: Writing Prompt – What are you dressing up as for Halloween? Write fiction or non-fiction, but make sure you give some good description so readers can “see” it in their minds.

(Read on to see Dawn's response to her writercize challenge:)

Mine… (as in Dawn's)

Dressing Up as a Writer

This Halloween, I will secretly change into my writing costume and become Dawn M. Hamsher, author. Gone is the daily, mild-mannered IT Specialist and in her place emerges Can-Do, Try-Anything Book Writer who is ready to take on any challenge.

To play the part, I will wear my dark gray-patterned newspaper reporter hat. My blogging business card will stick out in anticipation of networking with other Trick-or-Treating writers.

I’ve prepared for years for this moment, purchasing used English textbooks and clearing Border’s book shelves of books on writing. Each book cover holds sweet writing tips, like candy hidden in wrappers, for me to discover. I will learn them. I will use them.

My laptop stands ready. The cursor blinks expectantly. My fingers hover over the keys. My trusty red notebook is opened beside me, filled with story ideas. The characters swirl in my mind, ready to come to life on the page.

This Halloween, I will take risks. I might even dangle from a particle or take a mad dash. What am I waiting for? I have my hat on. I am dressed the part. I can begin.

Colorful Emotion - writercize #125

2011-10-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

As promised, a reverse to Emotional Color, writercize #122, from last week!  Same intro as last time, slightly altered writercize.  Have fun and thanks to last week's responders!

I'm  not sure of the reason or the origin, nor am I sure if we mirror other  languages and societies in this aspect, but in the English language we  seem to have an affinity for linking colors with emotion.  

"Green  with envy."  "Feeling blue" as a euphemism for depression or sadness.   "Seeing red" to convey rage.  There is something about color that pairs  nicely with an emotional image.

In  a different spin on my next word game, I'm going to give you colors  and I want you to give me an emotion for each.  

writercize:  For each of the five colors listed below, tell me the first emotion it brings to mind. 

gold
crimson
violet
neon orange
vanilla

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response.  Leave your own as a comment or provide a link back to your blog! writercizer sample response:

gold - confident

crimson - embarrassed

violet - benevolent

neon orange - needy

vanilla - calm

Explaining the Birds and the Bees - writercize #124

2011-10-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was enjoying a pleasant day at the California Science Center with my family, taking a break for lunch, when one of my four year old twins asked me, "Mamma, where did you buy me?"

A tad surprised by the question, since they are around pregnant women fairly often and know that babies reside in their mothers for several months prior to birth, I answered, "I didn't buy you; I made you."

"Oh, you made me?"

"Yes."

"But, *how* did you make me?"

"Let's talk more about it at home."

We were sitting right next to a table where there was a mom with her two year old and newborn, and I wasn't sure how appreciative she'd be of me sharing life's lessons that close by. 

I have a feeling my daughter had imagined I had purchased tiny versions of each of them to insert into my belly and carry around for a few months before popping them right back out.

Naturally, when I got home I searched for ways to tell a preschooler that would be honest, direct, not overly informative in a manner that might potentially scare her, and open to questions.  I ordered a book that has yet to arrive (Mommy Laid an Egg by Babette Cole), and then sat both of the girls down a day or two later to ask if they still wanted to know the answer to their question.  

I told them that they were getting to be big kids, so they could learn about babies, but it's up to mommies and daddies to teach their kids, so they should keep the lesson off the preschool playground.  (See an approximation of what I told them under "read more" after the writercize directions.)  Of course they wanted to know.  One drifted away after a couple of seconds while the other listened intently and repeated key words.  After I was done talking, I asked if she had any questions, and she said "yes."

"Ok, what is it?"

"Did I wear a dress and shoes when I was born or was I naked in your belly?"

"You were naked."

"But then after I was born you put diapers and a dress on me?"

"Yes."

"Ok, good."  

That was it (for now) - she ran off to play with her sister.

writercize:  Pick a complicated subject for a preschooler (divorce, pregnancy, death) and break it down to an appropriate level for the audience.

I realize "appropriate" is a subjective word here.  Just share what works for you!  My example may seem too informative for some, but it falls within my personal goals in teaching them body awareness from the start.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response about the birds and the bees, and the night you were conceived ...

writercizer sample response:

When two people are grown-ups and they love each other very much, sometimes they talk about wanting to have children and share their life and love with new people in a family. When they decide that they are big enough and responsible enough to be mommies and daddies, they use their bodies like a puzzle. Daddies have a part that sticks out called a penis and they carry seeds. Mommies have a part that goes in called a vagina and they carry eggs. When they make the puzzle, the seed and the egg meet in Mommy and like magic they become one to make a baby. Then the mommy has to eat good food and visit the doctor and care for the baby inside her belly for nine months until it is big enough to be born.