Thank you for what you shared about allowing yourself to play until you reach the end. I decided on "The Enormous Radio," and had three attempts where I'd have a fairly solid start, reach the middle, run out of steam, and scratch it for something else. While I'm frustrated I didn't write a full draft start to finish, the ideas and attempts got better each time, so at least there's that. And sitting around to play also reminded me of an older idea that I had forgotten about and now realize still has pretty good potential So there's that!
"Fairly solid start, reach the middle, run out of steam" describes so much of my writing process. I find if I just sit uncomfortably for a few minutes more, I often come up with SOMETHING. (I'm not telling you that's what you have to do, so much as saying that I struggle with running out of steam as well.)
I, too, landed on Ride as inspiration for my week 1 story attempt. I found my brain wanting to be very literal in translating elements of Ride for my own story, and it took a while for me to relax and get more playful with it. I eventually wrote a skeleton of a weird story about a scooter that takes a kid to another dimension, so I take that as a win. :) Excited to dive in to this next batch of stories--not sure what I'm going to do yet.
For Week 1, I read "Ride," by Linda Nagata. As a San Franciscan, it spoke to me since we've been swamped with driverless Waymo taxis the last few years. (It's still hard to shake off the "Headless Horseman" vibe!) I managed to write a pb draft in response, but it doesn't really feel like a pb. It feels more like flash fiction -- but I wrote something and I'm clinging to that! This week I'll be reading "It Came From Cruden Farm." I started with the Shirley Jackson but decided real life is too spooky at the moment. Humor is the antidote, and aliens sound right up my alley :-)
Hi Julie, I haven't read this post yet but I wanted to share what I did. I actually read a story (this is big for me right now) and loved it. I read "The Ride". I jotted down what I liked and parts I thought needed some work. I then tried to map the characters, themes to PB. I got to plot which is when it started falling apart. But I'm happy that I got that far.
I'm noticing that I still really put a lot of pressure on the stories, even if I intentionally set about to write a practice/play story that I'm not expecting to ever be done and great. This is what I'm working on: letting myself play around and see what happens. (It's hard!)
As a kid, I read/requested Socks for Supper on heavy rotation! I remembered it so well that when it came time to read it to my own kids, it felt so comfortable and comforting that I had to go to bed early a few times, it made me so sleepy.
As an adult, I've increased my Jack Kent collection by two books, after I found a couple at a used book sale - these new ones involve a dragon who just wants to be noticed and acknowledged, and a witch whose dog changes into a different animal every time he hiccups. The first is entirely relatable for a small kid in a grown-ups' world. The second is perfect silly fantasy for a kid who wishes they could become a giraffe or a pigeon or a lion on a whim.
I'm usually initially drawn to books for their art - Jack Kent's drawings are so clear and attractive, it's easy to see why he was able to make so many books (40 according to wikipedia). But just like his drawings, his stories are clear and simple with surprises and delights baked into them.
I need to be reminded of what's great about the books I love sometimes. I love to get lost in the joy of looking at them and entering their stories. But I'm still chasing the idea of writing and illustrating my own books. Thanks for this reminder of the joys of a simple and clear story. I may need to find a few more Kents for my collection.
Thank you for what you shared about allowing yourself to play until you reach the end. I decided on "The Enormous Radio," and had three attempts where I'd have a fairly solid start, reach the middle, run out of steam, and scratch it for something else. While I'm frustrated I didn't write a full draft start to finish, the ideas and attempts got better each time, so at least there's that. And sitting around to play also reminded me of an older idea that I had forgotten about and now realize still has pretty good potential So there's that!
"Fairly solid start, reach the middle, run out of steam" describes so much of my writing process. I find if I just sit uncomfortably for a few minutes more, I often come up with SOMETHING. (I'm not telling you that's what you have to do, so much as saying that I struggle with running out of steam as well.)
I, too, landed on Ride as inspiration for my week 1 story attempt. I found my brain wanting to be very literal in translating elements of Ride for my own story, and it took a while for me to relax and get more playful with it. I eventually wrote a skeleton of a weird story about a scooter that takes a kid to another dimension, so I take that as a win. :) Excited to dive in to this next batch of stories--not sure what I'm going to do yet.
Oooo, I love your skeleton of a weird story! And yes, coming up with a weird story is a win for sure. Coming up with anything is a win.
For Week 1, I read "Ride," by Linda Nagata. As a San Franciscan, it spoke to me since we've been swamped with driverless Waymo taxis the last few years. (It's still hard to shake off the "Headless Horseman" vibe!) I managed to write a pb draft in response, but it doesn't really feel like a pb. It feels more like flash fiction -- but I wrote something and I'm clinging to that! This week I'll be reading "It Came From Cruden Farm." I started with the Shirley Jackson but decided real life is too spooky at the moment. Humor is the antidote, and aliens sound right up my alley :-)
And I have been thinking about that Shirley Jackson story for YEARS.
It Came from Cruden Farm is very silly!
Hi Julie, I haven't read this post yet but I wanted to share what I did. I actually read a story (this is big for me right now) and loved it. I read "The Ride". I jotted down what I liked and parts I thought needed some work. I then tried to map the characters, themes to PB. I got to plot which is when it started falling apart. But I'm happy that I got that far.
Darshana, I'm so happy to hear this!
I'm noticing that I still really put a lot of pressure on the stories, even if I intentionally set about to write a practice/play story that I'm not expecting to ever be done and great. This is what I'm working on: letting myself play around and see what happens. (It's hard!)
As a kid, I read/requested Socks for Supper on heavy rotation! I remembered it so well that when it came time to read it to my own kids, it felt so comfortable and comforting that I had to go to bed early a few times, it made me so sleepy.
As an adult, I've increased my Jack Kent collection by two books, after I found a couple at a used book sale - these new ones involve a dragon who just wants to be noticed and acknowledged, and a witch whose dog changes into a different animal every time he hiccups. The first is entirely relatable for a small kid in a grown-ups' world. The second is perfect silly fantasy for a kid who wishes they could become a giraffe or a pigeon or a lion on a whim.
I'm usually initially drawn to books for their art - Jack Kent's drawings are so clear and attractive, it's easy to see why he was able to make so many books (40 according to wikipedia). But just like his drawings, his stories are clear and simple with surprises and delights baked into them.
I need to be reminded of what's great about the books I love sometimes. I love to get lost in the joy of looking at them and entering their stories. But I'm still chasing the idea of writing and illustrating my own books. Thanks for this reminder of the joys of a simple and clear story. I may need to find a few more Kents for my collection.