Weird Ink

BBS

2020-01-07T12:44:00.001-06:00

Be back shortly!

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2020

New to Listiller

2019-05-11T02:17:00.000-05:00

I'm still pursuing avenues for my creative writing, but I also have bills to pay -- including the one for this site! So I went back to content writing -- which can be creative in its own right, depending on the job -- and I also started using Listiller (https://listiller.com/).

Listiller is large and impressive, with all kinds of jobs for freelance writers. Although I am admittedly new to the site, there's a bit of a learning curve and I am still finding my way around. There is a very affordable subscription plan, but Listiller is free to use.

More importantly, Listiller has an active community of freelancers in addition to the opportunities it posts -- which is great, because freelancing from home can get really lonesome. It helps to have someone to talk shop with.

It looks like Listiller could become the hub for my freelancing efforts. With its robust profiles, tons of job listings, and community of freelancers, I find myself hanging-out there more and more often. Being new to the site, I haven't engaged anyone directly yet, but I am following a few conversations. (I'm lurking, y'all!)

Also, I have already found work through Listiller! So I can vouch for its efficiency.

Even if you don't freelance (why not?), I highly suggest checking out Listiller. You never know what you'll find -- but, if you're looking for a writer, or you're a writer looking for a job, Listiller is where you should be looking.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2019

Happy World Book Day 2019

2019-04-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Happy World Book Day, everyone!

It's been quite a while since I last posted, and I apologize for that. I hope to be here more often, though not necessarily on a regular basis.

I acquired a number of books lately, including several I've been trying to find for years. Almost all of these are pertinent to this, or another, project, but I also found a slew of recent Stephen King books I didn't have for $1.00 - $3.00! Hardcovers, to boot!

I started listening to more audiobooks, too. I'm still adjusting to it: It's nothing like actually reading a book, but it beats talk radio... usually. It's actually pretty great, since I can do other things while listening. And podcasts and talk radio are still fine, sometimes.

Currently, I am making my way through several selections, including The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey; Doctor Sleep, Stephen King's sequel to his seminal The Shining; and Camelot 3000, a cult classic in comics that I missed as a child, and finally found at a reasonable price.

But I picked up literally dozens of new (to me) books for pennies over the last few years, including all of Jules Verne's works (collected); all of HP Lovecraft's works (collected); all of Mark Twain's published writings (collected); and more, as well as non-fiction focused largely on writing, creativity, cookbooks, and so on. Most of these are digital, but I found an awesome used bookstore about an hour from me, and got a lot of hardcopy, too. Got a shitload of magazines, as well.

My schedule is exhausting just to think about, but World Book Day gives me a great excuse to spend some time reading.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2019

Reviews The Front

2017-03-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Front

Woody Allen stars as a small-time slacker who becomes a front for several Blacklisted Hollywood writers, placing his name on their work.

The Front is a 1976 dramedy based on real-life events which did not age well. Woody Allen is his Woody Allenest, and the screenplay is humorous, but the "farcical" slapstick comes across as forced pandering. The juxtaposition of comedic styles fails the film -- as do the dramatic scenes, which also feel obligatory. The writing is capable, but nothing stands out, and it misses almost every opportunity the premise grants. The most important aspect of the film is the subject matter, and it does a decent job with that... for the little time it is given.

SPOILERS

The Front is an important film -- not just because of its subject matter, but also its cast and crew. While still relevant, the movie does not hold-up well.

The Front is a 40-year-old film about events that occurred 25 years earlier, and while that was part of the movie's charm in its day, without historical context, much of this is lost on the audience. It has a lot of ground to cover, but -- since the subject matter was recent, and still controversial, in 1976 -- it forgoes that to tell a love story.

That's the film's biggest flaw: A movie about TV sit-com writers using a bumbling, barely literate, bookie as a front which focuses on the main character's love life is 90 minutes of missed opportunities. Further, most of the romantic scenes rely on Woody Allen's signature cerebral anxiety -- too much of the movie does, in fact (as do all of Allen's films) -- where The Front should instead have emulated the dialogue, plots, and sensibilities that were prevalent on TV in the 1950s to satirical effect.

The movie lampoons its subject, but the humor is subversive, with that "insider" feeling all showbusiness films have. To its credit, this much of the movie is great -- the jokes are dark and crisp, and the barbs sting even today -- but most of it is lost to the time and focus given the romantic angle. In fact, were The Front a TV sit-com episode itself, the actual subject of the movie would be the B-story to the love story.

The movie feels anachronistic in general, but I'm no expert on the '50s or '70s. It may be the color palette, clothing styles, phrases employed -- I'm not sure -- but it seems like it was trying to be current while capturing the feel of a bygone era in a timeless way, and it fails. We see this a lot, even today -- a period piece filtered through modern sensibilities -- and these movies rarely age well, especially when dealing with timely and/or controversial issues. In fact, the sensitivity of the issue may well be the reason the movie focuses on the romantic plot.

The Front's confused tone should be redeemed by the revelation that many of its collaborators were themselves victims of The Hollywood Blacklist, but it isn't. The ending is anti-climactic and unsatisfying. It could be interpreted many ways -- his testimony changed nothing, but he got the girl and that's what matters; political correctness as a tool of oppression and censorship is an ongoing issue; you all know how the story goes, so we'll end our show here -- but it plays like they ran out of money and just pulled the plug.

What should have been a scathing, satirical farce of history, politics, and the TV industry is instead a mediocre, slice-of-life, everyman-as-hero rom-com. The Front had a lot of potential it did not live up to, but political pressure and the prevailing attitudes of the time may be to blame.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

Boner Burns Down the House

2017-03-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Why do B-stories exist?

In American, half-hour sit-coms, a B-story is a concurrently running storyline which has little or nothing to do with the episode's main story. They are included in almost every sit-com episode yet - while entertaining - they rarely contribute to, or advance, the story. Sometimes, they converge with the main storyline to provide plot-driven comedy, but not often enough to make them necessary.

The question is: Why do non-essential B-stories exist in sit-coms? I received some input from other writers, but I'm still not convinced that a B-story is absolutely necessary to every sit-com episode.

Here's a theoretical example of a typical Growing Pains episode featuring Boner in a B-story:
Due to a mailing mishap, Jason is set to receive the Nobel Peace Prize - but Maggie is kidnapped while abroad, forcing Mike and Carol to master Jeet Kun Do to protect their family. Boner burns down the house.

The B-story is sometimes used as comedic relief, but a sit-com is necessarily comedic. You can present any serious topic or situation, as long as you find the humor in it. If you need comedic relief in a situational comedy, the writing (and/or acting) isn't strong enough to tackle that issue - or the issue may not be one sponsors, producers, or studio networks feel comfortable handling in a humorous fashion.

Another writer noted that B-stories provide sit-coms more "action" - the audience is so energized by all that is happening, they don't have time to consider changing the channel. I had never thought of it that way, but he's right! They are also used to give actors more screen time - I've heard of actors contractually demanding a certain amount of screen time per season or episode, or that their characters be developed into primary castmembers.

Either way, I understand B-stories being used for these purposes - it just isn't always the case. In fact, the B-story usually has absolutely nothing to do with anything - it's just there. It provides little or no character development, contributes nothing to the main plot, does not exist to provide relief from serious discussion, comprises less than two minutes of screen time, and has no lasting consequences (a recognized convention of the sub-genre). So, has a B-story become a convention of the form?

Rom-coms have a meet-cute; horror movies show their victims being brutalized; Victorian novels feature deus ex machina endings - these are conventions of those genres. And, while a teleplay is a form, situational comedy is a sub-genre of Comedy (as are romantic comedies). Is a B-story merely a staple of the sit-com sub-genre - an upheld tradition amongst sit-com writers, like holiday-themed episodes? After all, they tend to be included even as C-stories - again, seemingly only because audiences (or producers, or executives, or sponsors, or the writing room - someone) expects them to be there.

Here's another - totally real - episode synopsis from the '80s sit-com classic, Growing Pains, to illustrate the point:

Jason and Maggie travel to China to argue for Democracy. There, Ben develops a crippling opium addiction, forcing Mike and Carol to use their newfound kung fu skills to rescue him from white slavery. Boner buys a necktie.

Obviously, I'm exaggerating for effect, but the point is: If there isn't enough humor (or action, drama, suspense - whatever it is that keeps audiences interested) in your main story, conventional wisdom suggests you either rethink your concept or punch-up your script - not add a superfluous storyline featuring a background player. And, if you are forced to do so for contractual reasons or due to studio network interference, you should use that opportunity to somehow advance the character, plot, or story (unless it exists solely for comedic relief). Yet they're rarely handled this way; B-stories are often included for no clear reason.

Keeping in mind that "the characters never change" is a recognized staple of the sub-genre, what is the purpose of including a B-story even when it is completely unnecessary? And, is it okay to excise B-stories if the episode works without one, or should we include them because they are an expected convention of the network TV sit-com?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

Reviews Schitt's Creek

2017-03-06T08:00:00.000-06:00

Schitt's Creek

A formerly wealthy family is forced to move into a backwater town called Schitt's Creek, which the father jokingly purchased for his pansexual son years earlier.

I really wanted to like this one but, while occasionally brilliant, Schitt's Creek is flawed in many departments, including the writing. Marketed as a sit-com, it needs to pick an age demographic and a direction.

The writing is miles ahead of the acting, and that's one of Schitt's Creek's biggest downfalls: The actors are routinely unable to convey the depth of non-comedic scenes. The other downfall is that the writing isn't that great.

SPOILERS

For one thing, they keep placing these actors in non-comedic scenes they can't carry. For another, most of the cast are one-dimensional plot devices, not fully-realized characters, and many of them are repetitious and unnecessary. Schitt's Creek hasn't figured out what story to tell or how it's best told, either - it frequently bounces from '80s teen sex-romp to '90s teen dramedy to buddy situational to rom-com to indie film, sometimes in the span of a single scene! Many episodes establish the children's ages as late-30s, but they dress, look, and act like 20-somethings, and the stories paint them as precocious teens -- which should be hilarious but, like most comedic opportunities in Schitt's Creek, it's barely touched-upon.

This uncertainty carries over to the plots, which are staples of whatever sub-genre the show is emulating that week: The pampered, urban family goes camping; the clueless, rich kids are forced to get menial jobs; the gay guy and his female best friend get drunk and "accidentally" sleep together; and so on. Instead of recycling weak, B-stories that remind us the Rose family was once rich, or Moira Rose was once undeservedly famous, it should spend that time furthering ongoing storylines while referencing those points with running jokes.

A rich backstory filled with comedic promise is instead a nest of missed opportunities, but Schitt's Creek is not without its charm. While not strong, the actors are personable, and easily one of the most attractive casts on TV -- it's kind of like Baywatch with their clothes on, only more entertaining. The early episodes of season one, in particular, are funny almost as often as they are uncomfortable. This might be the show's saving grace, as the actors' natural likeability could sell scenes that might otherwise fail, or be too dramatic to maintain an even tone. The show can't decide if it should laugh at certain subjects, characters, and characteristics or identify with them, so neither can the audience.

To those ends, Schitt's Creek needs to firmly position itself outside of traditional sit-com boundaries, and present those dramatic arcs it desperately wants to explore. A lot of the awkwardness of the show comes from its attempts to force humor, and a lot of the storylines involve serious changes in characters and relationships that never seem to resolve -- all of which can be solved by refocusing the show as a dramedy.

Schitt's Creek is any quirky, '90s-era, coming-of-age film brought to series by an indie company -- too many ideas with no decisive means of conveyance, trying too hard to be poignant and understood. Equal parts hyperbolic fantasy and self-effacing introspection, the most comedic aspects of Eugene and Daniel Levys' project are downplayed or ignored, resulting in a confusing and uneven tone. Worse, the actors are not strong enough to convey the more serious issues of the show -- income inequality, social status, interpersonal relationships, sexuality -- and complex character development arcs are routinely started then unceremoniously dropped.

No matter what you think of the show, Schitt's Creek is worth watching just to analyze the writing.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

Working on Weekly

2017-02-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Few have noticed that I started blogging here again, and that's fine. I'm using it more as a passive sounding board than anything else these days, and writing about things I learn along the way helps me retain the information. I'll also be writing reviews again, but not only of written works - I'll still be reviewing the writing contributions to whatever product it is I'm discussing, I'll just be discussing more product outside of print.

I am currently enrolled in several online courses and working on a number of projects, so time is a bit of a factor, but I'm doing my best to bring you new content on a weekly basis. If nothing else, I'll update you on my course progress (try to contain yourselves). To be sure, I'll skip a few weeks here and there, but a weekly schedule is the goal.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

Reboots, Remakes, and Existing IP

2017-02-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

The Goldbergs (2013)

A while back, I wrote about nostalgia vs. a wont for good product. In further discussion, I note that one of the problems is that most of the viable ideas have already come to market in one form or another.

The classic emergency room, or hospital, drama is a staple on American TV - as an example - going all the way back to at least the Golden Age of Television. Basically, you can have a cast of any type of characters doing anything but, as long as it is set in a hospital, it falls into this category. NBC has been doing legal procedures under the Law & Order banner for 20 years now, and CBS has done the same with their CSI franchise. Neither is wholly original (even 20 years ago), as procedurals about cops and attorneys have proliferated the television landscape for decades.

Producers, financiers, and marketers are likely to be more congenial toward remakes specifically due to the fact that they are easier to sell - they're more marketable than an "original take" on the hospital drama, legal procedural, or cop show. It's doubtful your concept is all that original, anyway - you compare it to two similar films when writing your pitch - so attaching your work to an existing IP is not that big of a stretch.

Writers are then constrained by the previous incarnation of an established property, at least usually - "reimagining," "revitalization," and similar terms generally mean original content attached to an existing property. While this works for some properties, it is not a safe bet for "cult favorite" IP. No one is likely to be too upset about an all new cast of characters on a revival of ER, but cult TV shows are another matter entirely - especially if they're based on established property from another medium (such as Game of Thrones).

If your story is about a disabled, elderly, black male fighting vampires throughout the Civil Rights Era, and you call it Buffy the Vampire Slayer, fans and audiences are likely to be outraged. If exploiting that outrage is your marketing campaign, you might want to reconsider everything about your proposal. The Goldbergs is a great example of a successfully revived series which stayed true to the source material.

Older, and unsuccessful, properties are usually easier to secure the rights to, and offer a wider range of options for creators. Few people will remember the original series, so there's less chance anyone will be upset over a new take or direction - you have more creative control. But again, if you plan on diverging wildly from the original concept, you might want to reconsider - specifically if the property is a cult classic, or otherwise held in high regard.

Known properties tend to be easier to sell because they are easier to market, but securing the rights may be problematic - especially for established and well-loved properties, as well as those controlled by studios. This is why there are so many remakes and reboots of existing properties.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

Don't Judge Me by My Social Media

2017-02-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Don't Stalk My Facebook

A lot of people have discussed how social media is public and it can affect your work - that "professionals" who might hire you are stalking your social media profiles.

I have one word for those people: Don't.

I'm from the country - an aggressively rural area in a Fly-Over State in the middle of the Deep South - where many of my closest friends, relatives, and neighbors (who have known me all or most of my life) live. Many have Conservative political values, religious outlooks, and lead relatively simple lives. We disagree on many things, and agree on some unpopular views; sometimes we fuss and fight, other times we behave in a manner that would be frowned upon in offline public forums where smoking, drinking, and nudity are not allowed. But those are the people I love and interact with on a far more personal level; I do not maintain a professional attitude or outlook with those dummies - and they do not maintain a professional outlook when they are forced to put-up with me.

There are also trolls, stalkers, instigative and antagonistic clickbait, and more. Facebook admitted it had weaponized its platform and used it to intentionally and willfully, with malice aforethought, inflict emotional damage on users. President Obama signed the NDAA into "Law" - giving alleged "news" outlets the go-ahead to broadcast propaganda to American citizens. When this methodology was turned against them, they decried the proliferation of "fake news" on social media and started using taxpayer money to fund the NDAA! Astroturfers were paid to gangstalk people online and foment racial divide and gender discrimination during the last Presidential campaign.

Networking sites such as LinkedIn and Stage32 are for professional networking. I act professionally on those sites because those sites are specifically aimed at, and attract, professionals. If I develop personal relationships with people there, I will publicly behave less professionally toward them and vise-versa - but I will still strive to maintain a professional attitude and behave professionally toward others on those sites. I don't do that on Facebook or Twitter, because I don't use those sites as professional networks. If you choose to, that's great - but you shouldn't force that on others.

Add to this the fact that social media has been weaponized, and that people are being paid to target and gangstalk individuals across social media platforms, and there's absolutely no reason anyone should be judged by their behavior or interactions on social media networks - especially those that are not professionally-oriented.

If you choose to prejudge my work ethic based on the way I behave in my personal life, you're the type of person I tend to avoid, so I can't imagine that I would want to work with you. If you choose to ignore the more disturbing aspects of social media and its effect on users while still judging those users' behavior, you are either too dense or obtuse for me to consider working with.

We've all seen celebrity meltdowns, feuds, nudes, and worse, so this is not an issue that only affects certain people; we've all seen that no one behaves on social media the way they do IRL, and that should be expected at this point. Social media is not real life, and - with few exceptions (such as those paid to weaponize it) - is not reflective of the account holders.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

Sony Writes Down $1bn in Entertainment

2017-02-06T10:00:00.001-06:00

Home Taping is Killing Music

Assuring everyone that they are still committed to the industry, Sony took a $962mn write down on entertainment. This is just prior to Sony Pictures Entertainment head, Michael Lynton, stepping down - so this probably has more to do with corporate restructuring than anything else. But, even if that is the case, it evidences Sony Pictures Entertainment's insecurity regarding the future of the field.

Sony said the reasons for the write down included declining sales in DVD and home entertainment. It also stopped valuing "goodwill" items, such as branding - valuing only hard assets instead. I have been telling you for years now that this "branding" bullshit was a fad! Sure, you need to sell yourself - and companies need to be recognizable - but all this "build your brand" claptrap was invented by marketers, and hyped by agents and managers. It's short-term consideration at best, and chasing the market at worst. It reminds me of the boy bands of the '90s - you can be the "fat one," fatties!

If Sony is facing a decline in home entertainment sales - which may include items like TVs and DVD players (if not considered "hard assets"), but specifically includes streaming rentals - they have only themselves to blame. Studios, and Hollywood in general, have been defiant in the face of streaming delivery's growth - insisting on continuing to produce and promote DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and sticking to the same models they employed prior to the advent of YouTube and Roku. You can pick up DVD/Blu-Ray releases for less than $1.00 in most department stores - including new releases!

Most of this has to do with existing contracts, but let's not discount politics and favoritism. Recording executives responded to dual cassette decks and Napster the same way (albeit far more aggressively and litigiously) - to the detriment of the entire music industry.

So, if my dire warnings sounded like Chicken Little in times past, Sony Pictures Entertainment's $1bn re-evaluation is your wake-up call.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

It Isn't Nostalgia

2017-01-30T10:57:00.004-06:00

Evil Dead (2013)

There's been a lot of talk about "nostalgia" throughout the entertainment industry - particularly in regards to Hollywood, which has been focused primarily on remakes and reboots of existing IP the last decade or more. In fact, Nintendo has even re-released their original NES video game console!

While these things are being well-received, people aren't "nostalgic" for the past; they're clamoring for better product, so - in the absence of such - they're returning to product they enjoyed in the past. I don't get "nostalgic" for my favorite foods; I enjoy them, so I eat them more often than foods I don't enjoy as much. I'm certainly open to trying new foods, but if I don't have access to new foods, I'm likely to eat something I know I enjoy.

Producers and financiers are looking for sure-bets and they've thrown creativity under the bus in favor of a better chance at ROI. I don't blame them for wanting to make money - I do, too - so I'm willing to do what's necessary to get a script optioned, but there is a difference between nostalgia and simply rejecting current product because it does not satisfy a desire or need. I believe that audiences are doing the latter.

For the most part, IP from the Glory Days of the '80s and early '90s are proven commodities - the success of superhero movies proves that - but it's wrong to assume that audiences crave these properties for nostalgic reasons, especially since much of the audience wasn't even alive at the time, or were too young to remember these properties clearly. New properties with better financing and marketing can thrive in today's environment, especially on streaming.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2017

I have to Pay $5.00 for my Library Card

2015-05-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

Due to the fact I technically live outside the city limits, I have to pay $5.00 annually for my library card. This policy was instated only a year or two back in this area.

Does anyone else have to do this? Is this a policy at your local library?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Writing Numbers

2015-05-13T12:14:00.001-05:00

I have seen this in at least one book (published in 1958) as well as at least a couple pages published by none other than the Smithsonian: The writing-out of numerals over the number 10. For example, seventy-five or nineteen.

When starting a sentence with a numeral, you write-out the number. You also spell-out numbers one through nine; after that (10, 11, and on up), you write the numeral itself. So, "seventy-five" should be "75" - unless it is at the beginning of the sentence. For example, "Seventy-five times now, I have seen otherwise respectable writers and curators fuck this up."

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Prompt

2015-04-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Discuss something you loved and took with you everywhere you could as a child. This may have been a doll, a truck - any toy or object. Why was it so important to you? Why did you quit carrying it? Do you know what happened to it? When was the last time you saw it?

Share your work in the comments.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Genre Writing is More Difficult

2015-04-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

Reading a recent interview with Kazuo Ishiguro regarding the persistent snobbery toward genre writing, I had to share that working within a specific genre is far more difficult than any other type of writing.

I have a lot of ideas that span several genres. It isn't so much that I am unable to focus them but that I do not care to. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel nor be original, the ideas simply spring from a combination of elements that interest me spanning several genres. I tend to resist the urge to classify them because genre writing is very difficult to do well.

You have to tread the tropes and motifs of the field without falling into cliche and without coloring too far outside the lines. At a certain level, technology is indistinguishable from magic. Recent archaeological discoveries prove that ancient humanity was far more technologically advanced than once believed, and for far longer. To these ends, one could mix and match elements from several genres without worrying too much about explaining how or why they exist. But to do so is kind of "cheating."

Being forced to slant the story into a specific genre, to the exclusion of others, is a far more difficult task. The most minor of missteps can entirely disrupt the readers' suspension of disbelief and while they expect certain motifs and themes to be respected, they are keenly aware when the author lazily relies on cliche to move his story along. You have to stay within the box while finding an original way to define said box.

I agree with Ishiguro that this kind of snobbery needs to end and challenge the most vociferous genre opponent to give it a shot before dismissing it.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

New Books

2015-04-18T13:32:00.001-05:00

I landed a couple of good anthologies from a Goodwill store and thought I'd share them. One of them may have been purchased at a dollar store but altogether, they cost me about $5.00.

The first is The Twilight and Other Zones: The Dark Worlds of Richard Matheson. Matheson wrote Duel, which was Steven Spielberg's directorial debut, as well as I am Legend. Having read and enjoyed both, I'm interested to learn more about the author and his process. I also understand that a few of the entries may contain new stories based on Matheson's work, so it looks to be a good read.

The other is Isaac Asimov Presents The Golden Years of Science Fiction. It contains 28 stories and novellas, as chosen by Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg. This book was only $2.99 at Goodwill. I saw several books I wouldn't have minded owning but not at those prices. This particular anthology is worth the admission, I hope.

I bought a couple of technical books, as well, but I just wanted to share my new additions. I'm proud of my personal library!

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Prompt

2015-04-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

Once again we hearken back to childhood with today's prompt which asks you to think back to an experience that taught you something about both the adult world and yourself. Try to write several paragraphs on this but do not belabor the obvious.

You might try telling your story to a character. Is this character a willing listener? An interrupter? Did s/he bear witness to whatever it is you are discussing? Was s/he somehow involved?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Prompt

2015-04-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Many of us have hobbies or were at least interested in extra-curricular activities in school. Today's prompt asks you to "illustrate" (through words, of course) why you enjoy[ed] playing an instrument or sports or engaging in another pastime or hobby. You needn't describe the hobby unless it is an unusual one with which most people would not be familiar or is necessary to your tale.

This is much like an essay you may have had to write in school. Pay more attention to it this time! Don't forget that a majority of readers are not likely to have pursued the same thing(s), unless you aim your piece at a specific group who may have some insight into the hobby.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Round Robin

2015-03-30T14:32:00.000-05:00

She could feel a breeze of air coming from beneath the door but she saw no light. Hers was a precarious situation and whatever lay on the other side of that door could hardly be worse than what she presently faced. Or could it? She bit her bottom lip, clenched her eyes, and pursed her mouth - her decision made.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Laying it Down

2015-03-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I recently went without Internet access for nearly a month but, luckily, I did have access to numerous books. One of these was a fantasy regarding a woman who inherited a manse from her eccentric aunt whom she had only briefly encountered previously when she was a child.

The book was rife with intrigue regarding the rather commonplace - for instance, her mother disapproved of her aunt and her father was a pastor who did not know that the girl was not actually his child. The fantastic bits were likewise simple and not as fantastic as explanatory: For the most part, her aunt was an educated woman who used homeopathy and scientific methodology to concoct poisons and slaves she then provided to those in the countryside. For these reasons, she was labeled a "witch."

Again, intriguing and historically accurate but not terribly entertaining, especially since these points were belabored well into the 25th chapter! That was around the place where I stopped fighting my increasingly growing disinterest and laid the book down.

Have you ever stopped reading a book, even one you'd read the majority of? I know some people cringe at the thought, the going assumption being that you don't know how good the book may or may not have been if you didn't finish it. Others say such persistence is necessary for all things in life where others say life is too short to read bad books.

What say you?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Round Robins

2015-03-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

A Round Robin is an interesting writing exercise that not only brings writers together but often results in some fun fiction. The basic premise is to have one writer start a story then pass it to the next, who adds to what has come before. I'll start the Round Robins with a post then you all can pick it up in the Comments.

The problem we're likely to encounter is a lack of participation. So, please don't hold back! If you see a Round Robin you like or that inspires you, please comment on it with your follow-up. Comments are moderated but I'll only delete the continuations that detract from the exercise or intentionally kill the story. Refrain from pornography and other extremes, please.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Spaced-Out Posting

2015-03-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

Posting to this blog has not ever been "regular" but I decided to schedule a lot of posts well in advance so that it would start being more so despite the fact that posts are still few and far between.

So, despite the fact that there are still too few posts and they are spaced-out by several weeks, posting will be more regular for the immediate future - hopefully for the rest of the year (2015). The game plan is to schedule enough posts far enough in advance that I am able to better maintain continued regular posting.

Again, if anyone out there would like to contribute, I'm happy to have you! Just post a comment (they are moderated, so no one else will see them unless and until I publish it) with a link to some of your work and some means of getting back to you. Thanks!

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Prompt

2015-02-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today's prompt has to do with setting and location:

Characterize a city through an activity typical of its way of life and values. Las Vegas and casino gambling is a good example.

Does this define that locale and what does it say about its values and morality?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Narcissistic Prompts

2015-02-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

My guess is that the reason so many prompts are focused on the writer and/or his childhood is that it's an instance of "Know thyself" and wanting you to "Write what you know." I understand the need for such things but it does seem rather self-indulgent at times.

Jack Heffron's The Writer's Idea Book has an entire chapter devoted to these and I encountered many that I have shared with you from that book, as well as others. Heffron says, "All of these prompts should help you begin exploring yourself in a variety of ways. Be daring. The key is candor."

I feel as though I'm asking you all to reveal things about yourself to everyone, at-large. And I guess I am... but there is at least a semblance of anonymity here. Hopefully we have a well-behaved following (I've never experienced any nastiness in the comments here). Still, don't share anything you don't want to but feel free to share insignificant information - such as whether your character uses a brush or comb, for instance. Or you can simply do the exercises without sharing them. It would still be nice to hear from you if you do them.

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015

Prompt

2015-02-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

Today's prompt is yet another one that calls for us to think back to our childhood:

Describe your feelings upon returning to a place you knew from childhood.

Was it as you remembered it and if not, how had it changed? Did you find your memories to be incorrect or overly romanticized? How did it live-up to those recollections?

© C Harris Lynn DBA The Weirding, 2015