OK so here is a challenge for all my fellow bloggers :); write for an entire 5 minutes straight(easy, right?) without using the letter 'E', not so easy but a great lot of fun and it helps make you think of different words other than that one that popped to mind.
Yesterday I went to a writing workshop, it was really good. The lady who ran it, Louise D'Arcy, is an author. She was really great and really knew her stuff. There were about 5 other women there, most of who I knew or knew about, there was one girl who was slightly younger than me that I had met before.
I have never been to anything like this before and I found that it was really good to be in a group situation writing. I mean other than giving my writing to other people to read or sending it in to a competition I have never sat in a group, written something then read it aloud. Do you know how scary that is??? Its like having someone who can see inside your brain and knowing that they know what you are thinking for that 5 seconds. I know that sounds weird as but its true.
The first thing we did was what the challenge that I said first, we had 5 minutes to write as much as we could about any subject that popped to mind, even just random stuff, without using the letter 'e'. Most people only got like three or 4 sentences written in that entire time. I got three written.
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Fog drifting slowly around a paddock as I walk along a dark road. Walking in a row arms around two warm companions. Cold air hangs around us as we stop to look at it.
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OK so yeah it was more than random but it took a lot of thinking to get that. It really got you thinking about what other words you could use.
The next thing we had to do was write about ourselves, in about 3 or 4 sentences. We had to sell our selves (so to speak) in three or four sentences. That was hard!
Then when we had done that we had to re-write that as a publisher would, making us out to be more than we actually were, but using the basic outline we just wrote. This was also hard.
But then after that we had to write it how our worst enemy would write it. Using those same things we had just written and make it out that our enemies had written it. Weird huh? but it was a very interesting exercise.
Brainstorming was next, I never brainstorm when I write I just write. Think of a scene and get it going from there. I just think of a reason for the story, possibly a plot, then think of where I want it to start and get it going. This way of writing probably seems really weird to other people but this is what I do.
The next thing we were 'ordered' to do was write. We had 1/2 an hour to just write. I got about 2 and a 1/4 pages of the note book my dear friend Cassie sent me a while ago. I hadn't gotten around to using it, because I have this habit of getting note books and starting to write in them, use them once, lose them in the process and then I have about 5 notebooks that I have written two pages in... and yeah...
OK so here is a segment of what I wrote, I am sorry but I cant write the entire thing up because I think I'll enter it into the writing comp.
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The lights flickers on then off. On then off. On, two seconds longer, then off.
Dad glances at the roof "That's it. It wont be back for a while."
Its complete blackness except for the free standing wood heater, which casts a reddish glow over the room.
Mum stands up "OK, where's the torch?"
There is movement as my brother disappears into his room. "Got one!" He holds it up triumphantly. Switching it on he shines it in our faces, I wince as he shines it in my face.
Mum takes it off him "Candles!".
I follow her into the laundry to find our secret stash of tea light candles. There are also the odd half burnt down candles that are from previous blackouts and candle lit dinners, and also the multicoloured ones that we made at Sovereign Hill, on holidays.
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Ok so that's it. Not telling any more!
Till next time I get around to writing!
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