A World of Scribbles

The future of a World of Scribble

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:18:07 GMT

Hi folks! It’s been pretty quiet here in the community for the last few months, and muchtooarrogant and I have been discussing the future of worldofscribble. We’re both trying to figure out the best direction for this space, and how to juggle that with lots of real-life obligations and time constraints.

So! We’re going to take a pause from posting writing challenges for a little while, and instead challenge you, our community members, to help us understand what you’d like out of this community. We’d really like to promote more participation and activity here!

In the next few days and weeks we’ll be posting many polls and discussion questions in the hopes of learning what’s worked for you, and what you’d like us to change or do differently. I hope you’ll speak up and share your words with us - even if you’ve never commented in the community before! We really do want to hear from you, so that we can create a great space that encourages creative writing.

If you have any questions for us, or thoughts right away on what would help you to feel more engaged, comment here and let us know!

Discussion Topic, Not My Best Moment

muchtooarrogant — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:05:37 GMT

This is where you can talk, wax poetic, complain, or otherwise regale us with stories about moments when you or your characters weren't at your/their best. I know it's happened to all of us, those days when nothing seems destined to go right, but have you ever written a story about one of those awful moments in time? Here's your opportunity.

All the best, and I hope you enjoy writing on this week's topic.

Dan

Writing Challenge, February 18, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 02:45:29 GMT

Greetings all. My apologies for posting this so late, my work schedule's been quite hectic of late. That plus a fair amount of absent mindedness on my part takes us to where we are now, a tardy writing challenge post.

Because my partner in crime, lrig_rorrim, won the last writing challenges we voted on, I asked her to compose our intro for this week.

One of the best ways to get to know someone - whether that someone is your neighbor next door or a fictional vampire fruitbat you're writing a novella about - is to take a look at the times when they're not at their best. Sure, so-and-so is a real sweetheart most of the time, but what happens when patience is exhausted, when they've got a black eye and a dark shadow hovering overhead and just can't take it anymore? I love exploring the mistakes my characters make, and putting them through the gauntlet to see where they'll stumble and fall. Of course, that's on my better days…

Since I wasn't at my best in posting this on time, I have extended the usual writing deadline until next Sunday, February 24, at 11:59 PM CST. Please post an entry in your own journal, and then link it here.

Good luck and good writing.

Dan

Discussion Topic: Children's Story

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 06:50:42 GMT

Hey everyone! Here is the discussion topic for the Random Writing Challenge this week. Questions, comments, brainstorming, discussion, and other randomalia about the random topic go here!

What do you think of the topic this week? The genre of children’s literature is very broad, and presents a lot of different possibilities - fables, just-so stories, fairy tales, bedtime stories, silly stories, adventure tales, and so much more. I don’t have kids myself, but I know quite a few, and I think I’ll try to write something specifically for one of them - that’ll help to narrow the field a little bit, because of course they each have wildly differing tastes and preferences.

Good luck, and I hope you all have fun with it!

Random Writing Challenge: February 18, 2013

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 06:30:17 GMT

Welcome to this week’s Random Writing Challenge!

How this works: Every other Monday I roll a 100-sided die, choose the corresponding challenge for the community from this giant table, and post it here for you! Anyone who is interested writes to the challenge, posts the entry in their personal journal, and then responds to this post with a comment containing a link to their entry. The deadline is Wednesday evening.

This week’s roll is…

19

19. Genre: children’s story

Write a story appropriate for children. Use as many words as you’re inclined, and have fun!

Your entries are due by 11:59 p.m. CST on Saturday February 23rd. Post in your journal, and then comment here with a link to your entry. Remember to give your piece a title!

Reminder!

lrig_rorrim — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:52:15 GMT

Hey everyone! This is just a reminder that the deadline for the Timed Writing Challenges is tomorrow night! There's also a poll to vote in, featuring some nifty things to read that were posted last week.

And here is a silly little survey, because everyone likes clicky boxes to click. Click away!

View Poll: Reading and Writing, but no Rithmatic

Discussion Topic: Random Poem

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 06:35:48 GMT

What do you think of this week's Poetry-Random mash-up?

I think that "table" is a very handy word, in a lot of ways! It’s a homophone, so if you’re still feeling like you might want to do something homophonic, you’ve got that option! It also rhymes nicely with a lot of things, so if you’d like to write a limerick or something else with some end rhymes, you can incorporate this word pretty easily. It would also be pretty easy to incorporate something with such a small syllable count into a tanka or haiku.

Though I don't find the word "table" particularly inspirational, that's part of why I'm definitely going to be writing a poem using it. There's an air of mystery that surrounds poetry, and a pervasive suggestion that you should only write a poem when you're "inspired". I don't agree with this at all - poetry is writing, and writing improves through repetition and practice. Do I particularly like to write to any given prompt? Probably not. But I almost always enjoy having written. Trying new things stretches creative muscles and makes the brain work in new and different ways. Taking something commonplace, like a table, and putting it as the central image in a poem seems like a good way to start examining the mundane and making it extraordinary by use of language. Then again, maybe I'll get stuck and just put a table in a single image and shove it in a corner of the poem, hoping it'll be forgotten. We'll see.

If you get stuck, or have questions or comments about this week's Poetry Exercise, this is the place for you. Comment here for input, brainstorming help, and wishes that I'd rolled a different number.

Poetry Exercise: February 11, 2013

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 06:26:12 GMT

Welcome to the Poetry Exercise!

This last week, we had an extra dose of poetry and no Random Writing Challenge. Now it’s time for more poetry, but I’m feeling kind of capricious and random (I do that), and so I’d like to take elements of both challenges, and combine them. After all, part of the point of the poetry exercise is to stretch your poetic muscles by trying new and unexpected things!

If you take a look at the giant table that we use for the Random Writing Challenge, you’ll see that it also has a list of words over to the side, under column F. I decided this week to roll a 100-sided die, and choose the word corresponding to the number from the Random Writing Challenge word list.

This week’s roll is…

10

10. Table

Your exercise this week is to use the word "table" in a poem. It can be included incidentally or be the central focus of the piece. Your poem can be any length, any style. Your entries are due by 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday February 18th. Post in your journal, and then comment here with a link to your entry. Remember to give your piece a title!

Voting, February 10, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:05:39 GMT

Greetings, and welcome to our first ballot for February.

First, a quick note. Although lrig_rorrim and I discussed the following change, I don't believe either one of us officially mentioned it in AWOS. The change we decided to make was to extend the writing deadlines for most of our challenges. In practice, what this means is that, regardless of when a prompt begins, you should usually have at least seven days to post your submissions. For example, the recent Timed Writing Feature which was posted on February 8 has February 15 as its deadline. In addition, this will also result in less crowded ballots, as some of the challenges will now cross over from one voting period to another. Never fear, we shall get around to voting on all of the eligible ones eventually. You'll notice that the ballot's availability was also extended, although its only up for six days, just in case we have to arrange a tie breaker.

And now, to this week's ballot. I regret to inform you that there won't be a Poetry Exercise to vote on this time around because lrig_rorrim was the only one who shared a homophone poem with us. Her entry, entitled Here, can be found here. Read, it's fun.

There was also a bit of an adventure regarding my entry for the What's In A Place challenge. As usual, I was writing it at the very last minute, and actually posted it one minute before the deadline in my own journal. Then, my computer stopped working, forcing me to reboot, and when I finally linked it here in AWOS, it was eight minutes late. I asked for a ruling from the generous lrig_rorrim, and she told me to go ahead and put it on the ballot.

Please keep in mind, if more than one entry per category gains your admiration, you're encouraged to vote for as many of them as you like. If you're competing, you can vote for your own stuff too. The only thing I ask is that you do your very best to vote in every category, not just the one which has your writing in it. Thank you!

This ballot will close on Friday, February 15 at 11:59 PM CST. Get out there, read, comment, and vote!

View Poll: Voting, February 10, 2013

Discussion Topic, Timed Writing for February 8

muchtooarrogant — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:48:11 GMT

Got questions, comments, or something else to say about the latest timed writing challenges? This is the thread for you. Please post here, and let us know what you're thinking.

I'm not certain whether or not the "self-mock" is an affective mechanism for change, but I hope so. In this week's Timed Writing Feature, all of my recent failings with deadlines are on full display. Sorry guys, I'll try and do better.

Dan

Timed Writing Feature, February 8, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:40:26 GMT

Welcome again to a pair of AWOS writing prompts with a built-in time limit. As always, feel free to do one or both of them, just keep an eye on the clock while you're scribbling.

Challenge A: In honor of work taking up more time than I'd like lately… Write for a total of sixty minutes, including the following phrase somewhere in your piece.
TGIF

Challenge B: In honor of my inability to remember writing and posting deadlines… Write for a total of five minutes, including the words amnesia and airplane somewhere in your piece.

All entries should be written in your own journal, with a link posted as a reply to this message. Please post your submission here on or before 11:59 PM CST Friday, February 15.

Best of luck to everyone.

Dan

Wednesday's Works in Progress: February 6, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:36:47 GMT

Welcome to the AWOS recurring feature for Wednesday, Works in Progress.

Every week we renew this thread, and invite community members to post links to pieces for which they want feedback. The work you link to here can be anything from a short poem, to a few chapters from a longer story your writing, or even an unfinished short story. All we ask is that you give readers some sort of guidance on the feedback you're seeking. For example:

Is the overall plot of my story believable?

Does the dialogue in this chapter flow naturally, or does it feel stilted?

Does the rhythm in stanzas one and three feel forced?

Remember, if you're not specific about where you want help, the comments you receive aren't likely to be very useful to you.

As with other AWOS features, we request that participants seeking feedback only post links to this message. If you're wondering how to post a link to your work here, read this short How To. Also, if you're reluctant to post rough drafts of writing in your primary journal, you might wish to either create an alternate writing journal under a separate username, or perhaps back date the entries you post for feedback so that they appear at the bottom of your entry list, instead of the top.

Finally, whether you're an author requesting constructive criticism, or a reader providing feedback on an entry, please keep your interactions courteous at all times.

Thank you, and happy critiquing.

Dan
Recurring Feature, Works in Progress

Extended Poetry Challenge!

lrig_rorrim — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:19:47 GMT

I am a great big goof, and forgot to post the Random Writing Challenge yesterday. It occurred to me, however, that the Poetry Exercise last week generated a lot of interest, but so far there haven't been a lot of responses. So!

Instead of posting a slightly belated Random Writing Challenge today, I'm going to extend the deadline for you to get in your Homophone Poems. You have until this Friday, February 8th at 11:59 p.m. CST. Have fun!

Discussion Topic: grumpy Old Woman With a Cane

muchtooarrogant — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 21:13:42 GMT

What do you think about this week's topic? Have you, like everywordiwrite, ever wanted to skip over all that boring in-between life stuff, and just go right for the glory of your sunset years? And don't forget, it's not simply an elderly point of view you have to write about either, but a grumpy one as well. Can you do it? Whether you can identify with the desire or not, that's your challenge for this week.

As always, if you have any thoughts or questions about the topic, this is the place to put them.

Happy writing.

Dan

Writing Challenge: February 3, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 20:31:24 GMT

Two weeks ago, I was trying to be clever with a bit of Old English in the writing topic intro, but only succeeded in misconjugating my verbs. everywordiwrite pointed this out, and then we teased each other for a bit. Fortunately, she has a great sense of humor, and despite my teasing, agreed to write us all an intro for this week. Here it is.

Sometimes I would like to be old already. I would like to put the uncertainties behind me and let my life, good and bad, be played out in the past. I will be bent over and arthritic, shorter than ever, and my children, like my strength, will have grown and left me. When my bones will not let me out of bed in a morning, this will be an acceptable excuse, and no one will even need to hear it; there will be nowhere I need to go. No one will bat an eyelash at the sight of me knitting at the bus stop, except perhaps those who have read Tale of Two Cities and are concerned about what the pattern may contain, and even though I scowl at their unbatted lashes, they will still have to give up their seat for me on the bus.

And believe me, I will relish it.

Well, go on, scram! What are you looking at? Write me your own story about a grumpy old woman with a cane.

There you have it, your topic for this week.

All entries should be written in your own journal, with a link posted as a reply to this message. All submissions must be received here on or before 11:59 PM Central Time on February 9 to be included in the poll which will follow. Please do not post anything except links to this message, a separate discussion thread will be posted shortly.

Good luck to you all, and may the best entry win!

Dan

Voting Results for January 27th Ballot

muchtooarrogant — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:40:29 GMT

This week, there were two entries on the ballot, and in both cases, the point spread among participants was very close.

First, there was our poetry exercise to write a Tanka, with submissions from myself, everywordiwrite, and lrig_rorrim. My attempt received one vote, everywordiwrite carried away three, and lrig_rorrim won the day with four. Her poem, Winter., was a beautiful tribute to this time of year.

Then there was our writing exercise, the birth and death of clouds. lrig_rorrim let her voice be heard, and I just barely beat the deadline and submited a story of my own as well. Predictably, my co-moderator woopt me again! My story received three votes, and hers, The Birth and Death of Clouds, got four. Congratulations, I loved the world you created here.

Don't forget, we've got another Poetry Exercise going on right now, our weekly Wednesday's Works In Progress,as well as the latest What's In A Place I posted yesterday. Oh, and if you get a chance, please drop in over here and give me some topic suggestions.

All the best, and happy writing.

Dan

Discussion Topic, Labyrinth

muchtooarrogant — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 04:20:15 GMT

What does the word labyrinth bring to mind for you? Is it always a maze with a minotaur in the middle, or something a bit more abstract? The labyrinth pattern has been recreated in floor tiles, pottery, paintings, and, of course, in many many stories. Are the possibilities endless, or does this topic just leave you feeling lost?

Whether your thrilled or confused, this is the place to talk about it. Stop by and let everyone know how you feel about this week's twisty little setting challenge.

Dan

What's In A Place: February 1, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 03:51:53 GMT

In this week's somewhat tardy version of What's In A Place, I've decided not to use a video for your story's jumping off point. In fact, I'm not even going to fall back on the tried and true method of several sentences. Nope, this week I'm only giving you one word to use as a setting inspiration.

Labyrinth

All entries should be written in your own journal, with a link posted as a reply to this message. Please post your submissions here on or before 11:59 PM CST, Thursday February 7.

Good luck!

Dan

Wednesday's Works in Progress: January 30, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:52:51 GMT

Back by popular demand, it's Wednesday's Works in Progress!

My sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out the poll about this feature, especially those who took the extra time to post a comment. Your comments were , as always, very helpful. And now, on with your regularly scheduled challenge.

Welcome to the AWOS recurring feature for Wednesday, Works in Progress.

Every week we renew this thread, and invite community members to post links to pieces for which they want feedback. The work you link to here can be anything from a short poem, to a few chapters from a longer story your writing, or even an unfinished short story. All we ask is that you give readers some sort of guidance on the feedback you're seeking. For example:

Is the overall plot of my story believable?

Does the dialogue in this chapter flow naturally, or does it feel stilted?

Does the rhythm in stanzas one and three feel forced?

Discussion Topic: Homophone Poetry

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:30:49 GMT

What do you think of this week's poetry exercise? Do you have any particular homophone sets that you're itching to use as the inspiration for a poem?

If you're in need of some input in that direction, here are some lists of homophones:
- 441 homophones
- A very long homophone list
- Another very long homophone list (this one excludes words that are also homographs, though, such as bear/bear)

Hopefully that will help to get you started.

I love wordplay, and though my own poem probably will not be silly, I offer you this whimsical little gem from Ogden Nash as an example of a homophone poem: The Llama.

If you have any questions or comments about this week's poetry exercise, this is the place for them! This is also the place to brainstorm or share ideas. Have fun, and I look forward to your poems!

Poetry Exercise: January 28, 2013

lrig_rorrim — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:22:06 GMT

For today’s Poetry Exercise, I’d like to play with the most basic tool in a poet’s toolbox: language.

The English language is an incredibly wacky thing. We have amazing freedom when it comes to sentence structure. We can take liberties with tense, case, and person. It seems like for every grammar rule there are at least a few exceptions, and that’s before you get to “poetic license”. And then there are the words themselves, an eclectic collection begged, borrowed or stolen from just about every other language in existence. It’s amazingly difficult to learn, but gives poets and writers quite a lot to work with!

Take homophones, for example. These are words that have different meanings, but sound the same. Homophones may be spelled the same (rose/rose) or differently (hear/here).

Your task for this week is to choose one or more homophone pairs (or triplets - there are a lot of those), and use them as the focus for a poem. Consider the meanings of each word, say them aloud a few times, and see what comes out of it. You can use your homophones as the root of a strange metaphor (how does a rose relate to the concept of rising, such that a rose rose?), or a pun, or just a lyrical set of words strung together. Play around with these, and have fun!

Your homophone poem can be any length, any style. Your entries are due by 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday February 4th. Post in your journal, and then comment here with a link to your entry. Remember to give your piece a title!

Voting, January 27, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:33:36 GMT

I cannot tell a lie, I'm relieved to finally be posting another ballot here in AWOS land. It's true, there aren't a lot of submissions, but I hope you'll agree that the ones which are there are pretty entertaining.

Unfortunately, the below ballot does not contain entries for Timed Writing or What's In A Place. Regarding Timed Writing, muchtooarrogant forgot to post it, and no one submited any responses for What's In A Place.

Please keep in mind, if more than one entry per category gains your admiration, feel free to vote for as many of them as you like. If you're competing, you can vote for your own stuff too. The only thing I ask is that you do your very best to vote in every category, not just the one which has your writing in it. Thank you!

The ballot will be up through February 1.

And now, the ballot!

View Poll: Voting, January 27, 2013

Discussion Topic, Timed Writing for January 24

muchtooarrogant — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:35:36 GMT

Got questions, comments, or something else to say about the latest timed writing challenges? This is the thread for you. Post here, and let us know what you're thinking.

Dan

Timed Writing Feature, January 24, 2013

muchtooarrogant — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 01:28:58 GMT

Welcome again to a pair of AWOS writing prompts with a built-in time limit. As always, feel free to do one or both of them, just keep an eye on the clock while you're scribbling.

Challenge A: Write for a total of sixty minutes, including the following phrase somewhere in your piece.
Rain, rain, go away

Challenge B: Write for a total of five minutes, including the words awkward and annoying somewhere in your piece.

All entries should be written in your own journal, with a link posted as a reply to this message. Please post your submission here on or before 11:59 PM CST Tuesday, January 29.

Best of luck to everyone.

Dan

Wednesday What?

muchtooarrogant — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 02:56:01 GMT

Last year, lrig_rorrim and I introduced the Wednesday's Works in Progress item to AWOS. Unfortunately, it received very little play here, and eventually we--more correctly I, since I had taken responsibility for it,--stopped posting it. Now, I've decided to ask all of you what to do with this space?

View Poll: Wednesday Poll

I recently had great success with a poll in my own journal about Girl Scout Cookies, so I decided to give this one a whirl. *grin*

Dan