Writing prompt #1 – Alphabet Soup
Are you looking for a writing prompt? Or a writing challenge?
One of the staff of Writers’ Digest has issued a writing challenge:
Write a 26 word story where every word begins with a different letter of the alphabet.
That might sound easy – but I tried – and ran out of steam somewhere around the letter Q. It is not as easy as it sounds. Most contributors have followed strict alphabetical order (eg Albert beat Connie doing elegant flips…etc). Last time I checked one contributor had used the letters in a random order. There are no other rules.
Submit your mini-masterpieces here. Entries close in a few days.
If you miss out there, you could always submit them here on my blog through the comments section.
Mmmm – now how can I finish that story?
Albert beat Connie doing elegant flips. Greta hesitated. I just knew….
Never mind – I just cannot seem to go any further – and make sense. The poor old brain is in melt down mode.
A pleasant writing surprise
I had a pleasant surprise relating to my writing last week.
An editor of a magazine sent me an email requesting that I submit an article for one of the magazines she edits. I didn’t have to go through the normal process of sending a query or submitting an article on spec and that makes it a pleasurable experience. What is more – she actually specified several topics she wanted me to consider writing about. That took out the frustration of not knowing what to write about.
After a few hours of thought I set to work and the words flowed quickly. They actually flowed a little too well, and before I knew it I had way too many words. Nearly 600 words when the limit was strictly 450 words. My wife thought that this was typical of me. “Your writing is too flowery,” she says. “Too many unnecessary words.”
So I set to and did some ruthless pruning. Much to my wife’s surprise I soon had the word count down to 447 words.
Writing Hint: when an editor specifies a maximum (or minimum) word count, you ignore that figure at your peril. That is a sure way to get rejected.
Anyway, the article was soon on its electronic way to the editor. Now – I wonder if there are any more editors out there lining up to send me similar emails??? I doubt it, though this would be nice. Truth is, the editor in this case is a friend. Never mind – it is nice to get a break like this from time to time.
Now – back to getting stories, poems and articles sent off to all those editors too busy to send me invitational emails.
Good writing.
Setting goals for your writing
“One way to have more successes is to set yourself more modest goals.” Ashleigh Brilliant.
While this is a somewhat flippant and whimsical approach to goal setting, I do not fully agree with it. I find that so many people do not achieve anything of significance in their lives because they set no goals. Or they may set some goals but never seriously attempt to achieve them. And near the end of their lives they just wonder what happened and where their lives went.
On the other hand, some people set goals that are lofty, admirable and worthy of pursuing. Then they get discouraged because they cannot attain those goals. They had an unrealistic level of their own abilities.
Set realistic goals
I prefer instead to work hard at setting – and then achieving – realistic goals. Know thyself – analyse your goals and be honest with yourself, acknowledging your strengths and being aware of weaknesses. Take into account times and circumstances which can drastically impinge upon your goals. Know through trial and error what you can achieve. And then work hard at achieving your goals.
Writing goals
I have three crucial goals regarding my writing:
- I set firm targets for the number of hours of writing I do each week, month and year.
- I set firm targets for the number of words I write each week, month and year.
- I set firm goals for the number of blog posts I write each month.
I do not always achieve these goals, but I sure work hard at reaching them. Sometimes there are major interruptions, like recently when I was asked to work full time in a relieving capacity for three weeks. You have to work around life events and their demands.
Stretch yourself
I prefer not to set modest goals, as Ashleigh Brilliant suggests in the quote above. I would much rather set realistic goals that I know I can achieve if I work hard at them – and they stretch me a little. The satisfaction of achievement is therefore much sweeter.
Good writing.
Asking questions about writing
No Comments »17th November, 2007; Category: Writing Hints
Are you a writer just starting out on the wonderful adventure called “Becoming a Writer”?
If you are in the inexperienced category, I know that you will have dozens, if not hundreds, of questions to ask about writing. You may have questions about editing and rewriting your work. You may be puzzled over the strange demands of the publishing world. You may even lack confidence about your ability to use grammar correctly.
Rest easy. These days there is a growing mountain of help out there just waiting to be tapped into.
Searching the internet will turn up some excellent sites that will help you in your quest to become a better writer. This could well mean the difference between getting published and your precious manuscript vanquishing on the slush piles in publishers’ offices. Writers do not enjoy their stories or articles or novels being rejected, sometimes coming back home with unkind haste.
Writers can also tap into the resources in a rapidly growing number of books and magazines dedicated to helping them hone their skills. Many of these also plot a clear path through the minefield of getting published.
Of course, there is always the offer of help from this blog. You can do this in two ways:
- You can ask me your questions in the comments section (below each article). In this way you might be helping other people who are also wanting answers to the same questions.
- You can send me an email via my contact form and I will answer by return email. In this case only you will be able to read the answer. You can access my contact form here.
I cannot guarantee that I will know the answer to your questions, but I will try to help you.
Another place you might like to visit to find help is the Questions and Quandaries blog written by one of the editors of the Writers’ Digest. It is well worth checking out.
Good writing.