Posted by Jennifer B. at The Writing Cocoon.
Lesson learned. Writing a blog post is more easily accomplished if undertaken before writing of any other kind. I’ll try not to ramble, but my fingers are wobbly and my brain is fuzzy. Coming out of a good writing stretch feels like waking from a deep sleep, the kind induced by total physical exhaustion. I know I had an idea for a blog post, but it is all hazy now.
I’ve been writing today, not on my new novel, but flash fiction. I’ve been poking my browser around various flash fiction sites, forums, etc., and I’m hooked on the concept. The idea of writing an entire story in one sitting is very appealing. I like instant gratification as much as anyone else. Not to mention the benefits of learning economy of words, a lesson for which flash fiction promises to be a great teacher.
Two flash fiction sites, a blog here and a forum thread here, have given me lots of inspiration and plenty of prompts to get started. In fact, I’m trying to convince myself to join in the F3 blog and start posting a “Flash Fiction Friday” post every week. Just need to find the courage to start posting some writing samples. Might as well jump off one more cliff, since I’ve seemed to develop a taste for it lately, and put myself out there.
Sometimes I long to click that little red “x” in the corner of my screen, grab my now-cold cup of tea, and slither out the door of my office to find the TV remote. Ah yes, to get lost in mindless daytime TV, to waste more hours of my life hiding from the computer screen, it almost seems easier than continuing with this writing madness.
So, yeah, I’m a little nervous about posting my fiction writing samples. It took me six months from decision day to the first post on this blog; here’s hoping it takes considerably less time to get to the next step.
I'm all tapped out - catch y'all later.
The blog posts are often a good break for me from fiction, since it requires a completely different way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteFlash fiction is hard for me, as I tend to be wordy, but it's a good exercise in being as tight with your words and structure as possible. I may have to consider those 'F3 challenges' in the future. It could be fun.
Yeah, JeffO, I thought posts would be a nice change of speed for me, too. I think I need to take more breaks: stretch my legs and step away from the desk.
ReplyDeleteI agree - flash fiction is hard. From what I've seen, the group at F3 seem to have fun with it and be good natured and supportive. I've written four pieces now, and it is already making me think about my word choice and structure to a much greater degree.