Writers of all kinds and varieties love anything that makes the writing process easier or more straightforward.  This is particularly true when Stress and Life make it difficult to keep thoughts organized and maintain focus.  Going through such a period myself, lately, I kind of just sort of made up this thing:  a card game that “randomly” generates a genre fiction writing exercise.  And I’ll share it with you, because hey, maybe I’m not the only person out there with this particular idea of fun!

I have been under a considerable degree of stress lately, Internet.  Most of it is good: new (better) job, new romantic relationship about which I am intensely enthusiastic.  Some of it is bad: had to acknowledge my flaky nature and take a major step back from a collaborative project that I’ve poured some soul into, missing my old co-workers, and other things. 

Anyway, I’m not trying to get all “my so-called personal life” on you guys.  It should suffice to say that I haven’t focused on making time for the original intended purpose of helo frend:  cheesy genre fiction and fucking loud-ass techno music! 

However…

My brain is a massive jumble of what-the-fuck these days.  I can’t write anything decent for the life of me.  When I do find any amount of free time and mental focus in the same place, my muse (or whatever the hell you want to call it) is sleeping, and I can come up with nothing to put to paper.  I have a huge mix of ideas and thoughts rolling around up there, but no matter how many noodles I throw at the fridge, not one wants to stick.  Ever.

Ah, but I am not an artist!

I’m no artist, so why the fuck should I have to sit around waiting for inspiration to strike?  Writing is a craft, right?  What do craftspeople have?

Tools!

What I really need is some better mental organization—an Ikea-quality shelving solution for my dome, in a manner of speaking.  Plastic bins and shit.  Shoe trees.  Baskets that go in closets.  Know what I mean?

So in something of a hurry, I put together this thing.

"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really.

"How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty.

And yet it all seems limitless..."

- Paul Bowles

reading

You buy them books, and what do they do? They eat the paper!

listening

Forget about your seat -- it's the beat.

viewing

Television will make you dumb. C'mon and get stupid!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Genre Fiction Writing Challenge Card Game

Writers of all kinds and varieties love anything that makes the writing process easier or more straightforward.  This is particularly true when Stress and Life make it difficult to keep thoughts organized and maintain focus.  Going through such a period myself, lately, I kind of just sort of made up this thing:  a card game that “randomly” generates a genre fiction writing exercise.  And I’ll share it with you, because hey, maybe I’m not the only person out there with this particular idea of fun!

I have been under a considerable degree of stress lately, Internet.  Most of it is good: new (better) job, new romantic relationship about which I am intensely enthusiastic.  Some of it is bad: had to acknowledge my flaky nature and take a major step back from a collaborative project that I’ve poured some soul into, missing my old co-workers, and other things. 

Anyway, I’m not trying to get all “my so-called personal life” on you guys.  It should suffice to say that I haven’t focused on making time for the original intended purpose of helo frend:  cheesy genre fiction and fucking loud-ass techno music! 

However…

My brain is a massive jumble of what-the-fuck these days.  I can’t write anything decent for the life of me.  When I do find any amount of free time and mental focus in the same place, my muse (or whatever the hell you want to call it) is sleeping, and I can come up with nothing to put to paper.  I have a huge mix of ideas and thoughts rolling around up there, but no matter how many noodles I throw at the fridge, not one wants to stick.  Ever.

Ah, but I am not an artist!

I’m no artist, so why the fuck should I have to sit around waiting for inspiration to strike?  Writing is a craft, right?  What do craftspeople have?

Tools!

What I really need is some better mental organization—an Ikea-quality shelving solution for my dome, in a manner of speaking.  Plastic bins and shit.  Shoe trees.  Baskets that go in closets.  Know what I mean?

So in something of a hurry, I put together this thing.

more...

posted on 09/14 • (15827) comments • permalink

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