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         Do you know something? For the last seven years I’ve been cruising, creatively, that is, working within my comfort zone: writing poems for kids and adults. The little censor especially for children has been at work . I can say I have not pushed the envelope. It’s the same ol’ same ol’. I was getting stale.
         This year I have bitten the bullet. I am challenging myself. The task, should I choose to accept it, and I have, is to write short stories for adults, the sorts of stories I would like to read. I have warmed to the task. It has taken five days but I have just written my first story for 2012. It is a 2000 word horror piece, featuring a one man performance, called ‘Little Acts Of Slaughter’. What is it about?
         Put it this way. It is a little like the film ‘Buried’ and Poe’s story ‘The Tell Tale Heart’ with one important difference: the action is ABOVE GROUND not under it. And it deals with creatures we rub shoulders with everyday: ants! I relished the writing of it and the nasty little set pieces. And I finished it! I who last year had trouble writing flash fiction pieces over 500 words! You don’t know how good that makes me feel.
         Have you adopted some challenging task this year? Have you already started?
Congratulations on grabbing the new challenge with both hands!
thank you and thank you for visiting my blog; it also gives me a chance to meet up with new people so I’ll visit yours in a few minutes
Where can I read this story?
Now, you say you have surprised yourself with the number of words.
I suggested a sequel to your previous short story.
A second reason for that suggestion is this. When I USED TO write novels, I never had more than a paragraph in my head. I had no idea of what the novel was supposed to be. I made itself up as I went along.
So fi you tried a sequel to a short story, this is the beginning of your novel.
I know that this is an unstructured way and as for “plot” – forget it.
You can make any short story into a novel, in my untutored opinion.
I must say Barry that is a novel idea — excuse the pun —- but it’s one I am listening to; you after all have the score on the board having completed three novels
I guess my greatest accomplishent this last year was that I wrote three stories for children with an adult undertone. My biggest literary challenge came several years ago when a friend dared me to write a book of 50,000 words in 30 days. I did it, only because I divided 30 into 50,000 and wrote an equal number of words each day (sometimes I would do more). It is surprisingly good, that is there are SOME good sentences and situations, but what is the saying that if you give a monkey enough time on a typewriter, he will write all the plays of Shakespeare??
that is indeed a good challenge your friend gave you and good on you for taking it up; have you thought of submitting your novel to a publisher ? what genre or category does it fall into?
Congratulations on taking the next step. I look forward to seeing how you fare for 2012. Sending well-wishes your way.
thank you Amberr: it is always good to have a repeat visitor.I have issued the challenge to myself for one full year so there’s still just under twelve months to go. very exciting
Congratulations on the horror story. Does the protagonist come up against Angry Ant or another sinister ant seeking revenge? I look forward to reading it.
Okay Paul. I’ll send you a copy. See what you think. I removed my inner censor from this one dad
yes he does! damn! the plot details have somehow got out. I’ve always loved horror and sci-fi stories but ones bordering on reality. that is ones that could happen if the probabilty was ratcheted up a bit.
just for interest I posted this blog the last thing at night and got an optimum response for the time it’s been up. maybe late night blogs are the way to go
Nice going!
I keep re-thinking the idea of putting my health and fitness stuff into a diet book, the “You won’t try it, but you can buy it-diet,” but, alas, no progress yet.
To quote James Fell (although I don’t think he originated it just said it to me) write drunk and edit sober.
Best!
it’s good to have you back again; it’s funny how some posts atract readers and others don’t but I tell you this: there is no better time to take up a writing challenge than New Years; I say go for it! You know your stuff, you are an enthusiast, you could write it in a couple of months if you parcelled out the work in weekly installments. What do you think?
Hi John. Glad to hear that you have taken on a great challenge. Well done. My year of living dangerously has just started with me ‘retiring’ from the TAFE teaching world after teaching there for 17 years) to become a full time writer. Yikes! My goal for this year is to do what makes me happy without purposefully hurting anyone or anything. So all the best for 2012. May it be full of creativity and realising your dreams. Wishing you every success. Helen
wow! it’s a b ig year then for both of us, Helen; here’s the best of wishes for success for b oth of us
its always good to keep challenging oneself, that brings out the very best, and sometimes it may surprise us too.
so true; as writers it behoves us to strive and try new fidelds, to never grow complacent
Congratulations John, so nice when you push yourself and are pleased with the result! May there be many more
thanks Sarah: some disturbing news however: I sent copies of the story to three of my writer friends fourteen hours ago but have heard nothing from any of them — this does not augur well
Your writer friends may be so blown away by your words they’re speechless, John.
Well done on challenging yourself. A person doesn’t know what they can achieve until they try to achieve it!
I’m glad my poetry challenge for this month had a role in your great challenge!
actually one of them — a well known Australian author —- just got back to me and said ‘he liked it a lot’ and then qwent on to say why, with a number of minor suggestions
Excellent! Patience truly is a virtue.
indeed it is, Carolyn: the 2000 word piece took four days to write and another half hour this morning doing a minor rewrite. It certainly takes up more time than a poem
Poetry’s brevity can be seductive – a fully thought out and edited poem can be produced in an hour or less, longer works take so much more time and effort.
you’re right, Carolyn; in my enthisiasm for the short story I overlooked this simple facy
Good on you, John! It’s good to take up those challenges and if they draw blood, that’s even better. Hope you keep writing short stories…
thanks Sheryl; I intend writing more; but unless I get really inspied and driven I don’t want to write more than one a week —- and if I can get to 2000 words at least on each story [ this seems my 'natural' limit atm ] I’ll be pretty pleased
Well done, John! We all need to come out of our comfort zone every now and again. Usually I write short stories & articles but have been trying a novel this year – it is so different, not just in word count but technique.
we were talking about this tonight: how everyone has a novel within them and we were asking each other what we’d put in it but none of us thought it was exciting or big enough to occupy a novel