Random Word Improv

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Elizabeth: Friday Story Time and Sprints

The end of another week already?  This one has sped by without my completing nearly as many tasks from my ToDo list as I was hoping.  On the plus side, I didn’t wind up adding too many new tasks to the list, so that’s a win . . . of sorts.

The focus this week has been on taxes (why yes, I did put them off for quite a while).  While the taxes themselves were fairly straightforward, the process of making sure I hadn’t overlooked anything meant I spent a fair amount of time sorting through all the papers on my desk and getting my files organized.  Sadly, it seems the last time I engaged in that particular exercise was just about a year ago.    Ah well, better late than never.

With the paperwork and taxes taken care of I can enjoy my day off work with a clear conscience.  Judging by the height of the lawn in the backyard, my day better include a little lawn-mowing.  After that, I’m planning on some dedicated writing time, starting out with either a run at the 200-word writing contest Kay mentioned yesterday, or an attempt at the random words below.  Whichever I choose, words on the page is my end goal.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Story Time and Sprints

A week ago, the sun was shining, spring had sprung, and I was getting my sprinkler system ready to go back into action.  Today, however, it looks like winter is not completely done with us just yet.  It’s been intermittently overcast and rainy most of the day and I’ve been quite glad I didn’t pack away the cozy blankets just yet.  Even the cat hasn’t wanted to go outside and has instead been curled up asleep on the couch for much of the day.

Since it looks like I won’t be working out in the yard on my day off tomorrow, I guess I better find something to do inside instead.  Fortunately I’ve got three stories just waiting for me to buckle down and get some words on the page, not to mention a set of random words to play with.  Writing will definitely be on my Friday agenda.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Story Time and Sprints

It’s another Friday and the end of another business trip.  Ah, I remember the good old days when traveling was only something I did for fun.  Now my schedule seems to be jam packed with conferences, working sessions, and (shudder) speaking engagements.  Obviously my cloak of invisibility has malfunctioned big time.  On the plus side, I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback, so there’s that.

This week’s trip wrapped up a bit early, which is a good thing since I forgot this Sunday is Easter.  I better add a trip to the grocery store to the schedule or we’ll wind up celebrating with left-over pizza and Kit-Kat candy bars.  Not that that’s bad, but I was kind of hoping for something a little more traditional.

Once I get back from the store I should have plenty of time to do some writing and get a good number of words on the page.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Story Time and Sprints

The clock may have sprung-forward this past Sunday, but the weather has definitely been wintery this week.  Luckily I took advantage of a break in the rain Sunday to get some much-needed yard work done.  Now I’m back to cuddling up in a cozy blanket and trying to make a dent in my TBR pile.

Yesterday I finished Death at Wentwater Court, a Daisy Dalrymple Mystery by Carola Dunn.  The story is set in 1923 England and is a fun, entertaining period-piece.  It was just the antidote I needed after exposure to too much current political news.  I liked the story so much that I went online and ordered the next in the series as soon as I finished reading reach “The End.”

While I’m waiting for my next Daisy Dalrymple fix I think I’ll take the opportunity to do a little writing of my own.  I have a scene in my Regency story that has been giving me fits, so I’m planning to do a little brainstorming and/or free-writing with today’s story prompt to get my creativity engaged.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Story Time and Sprints

Thursday was International Women’s Day, a day that commemorates the movement for women’s rights and celebrates the political, cultural, social, and economic achievements of women.  In case you are curious, it was also National Proofreading Day, World Kidney Day, and of course, Popcorn Lovers Day.

More importantly, at least for me, it was the end of a busy work week full of strategy, goal setting, and the annual performance review process.  Things went well on all counts.  In fact, I’m still reeling from hearing things like “dream employee” and “decisive leader.”  I’m thinking of having buttons made. 🙂

Now that Friday is here, it’s time to put away the work clothes, pull out my favorite writing shirt, and focus on getting some words on the page.  I have two characters stuck in a holding pattern while I’ve been trying to figure out how to escalate (and then resolve) their conflict.  I need to get that taken care of before they give up and wander off.

I’ll be kicking off my writing in the afternoon, after lunch and a little creative inspiration via a showing of Black Panther.

Care to join me?

For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.

If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, maybe our weekly writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.   This week we’ve got a theme and some random words to work with.

Ready?

Here is today’s writing prompt:

Write a story that includes:  a time-traveler

And includes any (or all) of the following random words:

impulsive            minute                 crackpot               getaway

flag                        murky                   year                       distortion

gunk                      night                     locust                    battle

zebra                     time                      control                 buzz

Whether you’re sharing a bit of your current work or writing something fresh based on the writing prompt, we hope you’ll join us for today’s Story Time.

Happy writing to all!

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Elizabeth: March Short Story

After reading Nancy and Jeanne’s posts this week I was feeling like quite the slacker and felt compelled to buckle down and finish writing something.  Here then, better late than never, is the short story I started based on the story prompt from a few weeks ago.

Enjoy.

Stuck With You

“What do you mean it’s stuck?”

The teenaged attendant who had been manning the front desk at Lakeville’s new Escape Room Adventure when we first arrived said something on the other side of the massive oaken door that sounded like ‘the lock is jammed.’  He seemed panicked, so I made sure my response was calm and sure.  Yelling, no matter how tempting, would not be helpful. Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Story Time and Sprints

Today’s dose of adorable came via a photograph posted on Facebook of a row of eight comfort dogs waiting to greet the Stoneman Douglas school kids on their first day back this morning.  I felt calmer just looking at them and hope the kids felt the same.

I was at a conference in a big hotel a few weeks ago, and one of the other conferences there at the same time had a room set aside where attendees could pick up and cuddle with puppies and kittens.  I kind of wished I had been part of that conference instead of my own.  I’m sure that would have improved my conference experience substantially.

For now I’ll have to keep the cuddling to my own (no longer a kitten) cat and look forward to the time (in the not too distant future) when there is a new puppy here to cuddle as well.  While I wait for that, I think I’ll try to kick of my new Day-Off-Work /  Friday-Writing-Practice” with a little creative writing.

Care to join me? Continue reading →