I decided that if I am going to keep this blog going I need to have something interesting for my readers to read. So I have decided that every wednesday I give you a peak into my journal. I will share a writing exercise, or excerpt from a story I may be working on. This week I will share the first writing exercise I did while in my creative writing class.
The way this Writing Exercise works is you randomaly select 10 words. You can ask other people, or pick them off pages of a book, however you want. You should have 7 nouns, and 3 verbs. In my class the prof took suggestions from the class and wrote them on the board. The 10 words were:
Abyss
Pencil
Sky Diving
Enveloped
Borrow
Cheese
Banana
Cocker Spaniel
Paris
and ....
Well I am not sure what the last word was becuase I either forgot to underline it in my peice, or didn't use it. (oops) You don't need to use the words in order, anything is fine. Here is my story.
I dropped my pencil over my list of potential vacation spots. The first was a dream of mine, Sky diving. I had always planned on going but the mindless abyss I had trudged through in life had, so far, kept me from it. I had not yet experienced being enveloped by nothing but the air around me. The next was an idea borrowed from many others: Paris, a trip I had always longed to do.
Before I had time to contemplate my list any further my dog, a cocker spaniel, crashed through the kitchen, jumping over the trash can. it's contents spilled over onto the floor; some old cheese, and a banana peel.
Sighing quietly to myself, I went to clean the mess, crumpling my list and adding it to the garbage as I did so.
Not a great peice of work, very unpolished, but that is kind of the purpose of the exercise; to try and piece a story together from very few, and unconnected words. It's a great exercise to try if you find yourself stuck with writers block.
Well I can't think of anything else I want to write right now, so I guess that is it. Feel free to let me know what you thought of the exercise or story, or to post your own.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
My 25 things- becuase I had no idea what to write about, and filling out a facebook forward seemed like a good idea at the time.
I am guessing you have a facebook account. If you don't you are either 6, in which case I have to ask how you got online to read my blog, and whether or not you can actually read, or 96 and still a little unsure of this thing called e-lec-tric-it-y.
If you do have a facebook account you have probably been tagged in at least a million, I'm rounding down, 25 things notes. A list of 25 things you probably never knew about your friends, and never cared to know. And still don't know becuase you couldn't be bothered to read it, or if you did, you promptly forgot that your friend once ate popcorn off the floor of a pottery barn. And becuase of how fun reading about everyones 25 things was, I decided to post my own... on my new blog... in an effort to make myself feel like the world cares about me, even though probably no one will ever read this.
1. I just started a blog. You may have noticed. You are reading it now. I called it Space For Rent mostly becuase I couldn't think of anything better. It is wildly unpopular, and I am the only follower.
2.While this blog may not have many followers now, I am hoping that someday, after I get published, and become famous it will be wildly popular. Of course by then I will be rich, and will probably hire someone to write it for me. Then differing groups will crop up debating which entries I wrote, and which ones were done by a proxy, with some groups questioning whether I even exist at all.
3. I usually brush my teeth naked. This is for two reasons. I usually do it right after getting out of the shower, before I go to get dressed. The second is that if I do get dressed first I invariably get toothpaste on my shirt, even if I didn't use toothpaste that day becuase that cap was too crusted over to get anything out of the tube. I think one day they will be using dried toothpaste as a protective covering on tanks and spaceships.
4. I LOVE board games. I don't mean your standard purchased at wal-mart games like Monopoly and Risk (although I do also like monopoly and risk), but the games are love are the obscure games that they only sell at specialty gaming stores. My collection includes, but is not limited to, Kill Dr. Lucky (which could be described as the prequel to clue, in which everyone is trying to Kill Dr. Lucky), Runebound (which is like the board game version of your favourite fantasy RPG. Unless World of Warcraft is your favourite fantasy RPG, becuase there is already a board game of that, but it isn't very good.), Android (which is a futuristic, noir, murder mystery game, with some similarities to Blade Runner. At least that is what I am told, as I have never seen Blade Runner.), and Killer Bunnies (which I have no idea how to describe except that you are trying to get your bunnies to kill your opponents bunnies with weapons such as the ebola virus or food processers, all while trying to find the mysterious golden carrot.)
5. I can be a little brazen at times. I sometimes worry that I offend people with my confidence and upfrontness. Yesterday when my buddy asked me how I felt about littering, while he was driving me home, I responded, "It's biodegradeble." and pulled his popsicle stick out of his mouth and threw it out his window, adding, "besides, it's not littering if you're inside."
6. I am not very funny, but I wish I was. Becuase of this I am not above making a joke at my own expense. I have even been known to trip on purpose, just for the laughs. Fortunatly I have toned this down ever since I broke my nose.
7. I am a Comma whore. I ofte innappropriately use commas, where they are unneccesary. In fact I sometimes even use them where I really should be putting a period. I have tried to stop, but I don't think I can. I think the only thing I can do is hire a good editor.
8. I don't believe in global warming. Let me clarify, I don't believe the globe is warming due to human influence. I am unconvinced it is warming becuase we have not yet exceeded the given amount of error that is expected year to year, and I believe that Bias is a very real thing in scientific research. I have many more reasons to feel this way, but you probably don't care about them.
9. I love semi-colons almost as much as I love commas.
10. I know that I am in the minority, but I am one of the few people who loves their middle name. I may even publish under it, instead of my first name. <-- This point will undoubtedly throw fire on the debates mentioned in number 2.
11. Due to 5 and 8, I often find myself in debates on the topic of Global Warming, as well as other things, that I had no intetnion of getting involved in. That being said, I LOVE to debate.
12. I don't always feel like I belong. I don't mean this in the whiny teenager way. I have not, and will not, write poetry about how the world just doesn't understand me. I just don't feel like I have ever pinned in one group of people. While some people may have had one group of friends all through school, I had many and on any given day might have been with any of them. Due to this I don't really feel like a have a best friend, but I have lots of great friends.
13. I don't think kids should waste their lives in front of screens reading and writing blogs. It's nice outside, go join a sport, or run around. It's good for you. I, on the other hand, can waste my life in front of screens becuase I am an adult now.
14. Despite number 8, I do believe in trying to do as little damage to the environment as possible. Thus I believe in at least 2 of the three R's.
15. I consider myself a noise connesiour. I love the sound of a bag a checkers, or a metal watch rolling on a table, and the sound of rain or a room full of keyboards. I am not so big on the sound of a dying rabbit.
16. For the record, I do believe we landed on the moon. People who don't believe in global warming are always painted as conspiracy theorists or corrupt capitalists. I do think there may have been a second shooter on the grassy knoll though.
17. I think kids spend too much time in structered activities, like piano and sports leagues. It's okay to have them registered in one of these things, but they need to have more unstructured play time. It helps them develop their fragile little minds.
18. I am not big on Recycling. It often does more damage to the environment than landfilling. I am all for Reducing and Reusing though.
19. I am a capitalist, but I don't like being called corrupt.
20. I am very opinionated. This may surprise you considering how easy going the previous posts made me seem, but it's true. If you need an opinion on any subject, just ask me; if I don't have one already, I will be happy to form one on little to no information.
21. While one may not be able to tell by looking at my bedroom, I like order. It is important to me for things to be neat. At least certains things. Anyone who has tried to help me put away a board game with lot's of pieces will testify to this. Or they would, if they weren't scared of me.
22. My job never brings me in contact with monkeys or their fecal matter. I didn't think anyone would ever care about that, but it is the last question on the questionaire I had to fill out before giving blood. I am wondering now if I should have told them about my pet monkey.
23. While it isn't the norm anymore, I can't wait to get married and raise kids. I won't be the Dad who is always at work, sucking up to the boss hoping for a raise. I will be at home playing board games with my kids. If they don't like board games, they will have to move out.
24. Reading over this, there are several spots where I am convinced I should add a comma or semi-colon, but I am restraining myself, becuase it's probably just me being crazy.
25. I lied in number 6. And 22. I never actually broke my nose, pretending to trip or otherwise. I also don't have a pet monkey. I was just looking for a laugh.
If you do have a facebook account you have probably been tagged in at least a million, I'm rounding down, 25 things notes. A list of 25 things you probably never knew about your friends, and never cared to know. And still don't know becuase you couldn't be bothered to read it, or if you did, you promptly forgot that your friend once ate popcorn off the floor of a pottery barn. And becuase of how fun reading about everyones 25 things was, I decided to post my own... on my new blog... in an effort to make myself feel like the world cares about me, even though probably no one will ever read this.
1. I just started a blog. You may have noticed. You are reading it now. I called it Space For Rent mostly becuase I couldn't think of anything better. It is wildly unpopular, and I am the only follower.
2.While this blog may not have many followers now, I am hoping that someday, after I get published, and become famous it will be wildly popular. Of course by then I will be rich, and will probably hire someone to write it for me. Then differing groups will crop up debating which entries I wrote, and which ones were done by a proxy, with some groups questioning whether I even exist at all.
3. I usually brush my teeth naked. This is for two reasons. I usually do it right after getting out of the shower, before I go to get dressed. The second is that if I do get dressed first I invariably get toothpaste on my shirt, even if I didn't use toothpaste that day becuase that cap was too crusted over to get anything out of the tube. I think one day they will be using dried toothpaste as a protective covering on tanks and spaceships.
4. I LOVE board games. I don't mean your standard purchased at wal-mart games like Monopoly and Risk (although I do also like monopoly and risk), but the games are love are the obscure games that they only sell at specialty gaming stores. My collection includes, but is not limited to, Kill Dr. Lucky (which could be described as the prequel to clue, in which everyone is trying to Kill Dr. Lucky), Runebound (which is like the board game version of your favourite fantasy RPG. Unless World of Warcraft is your favourite fantasy RPG, becuase there is already a board game of that, but it isn't very good.), Android (which is a futuristic, noir, murder mystery game, with some similarities to Blade Runner. At least that is what I am told, as I have never seen Blade Runner.), and Killer Bunnies (which I have no idea how to describe except that you are trying to get your bunnies to kill your opponents bunnies with weapons such as the ebola virus or food processers, all while trying to find the mysterious golden carrot.)
5. I can be a little brazen at times. I sometimes worry that I offend people with my confidence and upfrontness. Yesterday when my buddy asked me how I felt about littering, while he was driving me home, I responded, "It's biodegradeble." and pulled his popsicle stick out of his mouth and threw it out his window, adding, "besides, it's not littering if you're inside."
6. I am not very funny, but I wish I was. Becuase of this I am not above making a joke at my own expense. I have even been known to trip on purpose, just for the laughs. Fortunatly I have toned this down ever since I broke my nose.
7. I am a Comma whore. I ofte innappropriately use commas, where they are unneccesary. In fact I sometimes even use them where I really should be putting a period. I have tried to stop, but I don't think I can. I think the only thing I can do is hire a good editor.
8. I don't believe in global warming. Let me clarify, I don't believe the globe is warming due to human influence. I am unconvinced it is warming becuase we have not yet exceeded the given amount of error that is expected year to year, and I believe that Bias is a very real thing in scientific research. I have many more reasons to feel this way, but you probably don't care about them.
9. I love semi-colons almost as much as I love commas.
10. I know that I am in the minority, but I am one of the few people who loves their middle name. I may even publish under it, instead of my first name. <-- This point will undoubtedly throw fire on the debates mentioned in number 2.
11. Due to 5 and 8, I often find myself in debates on the topic of Global Warming, as well as other things, that I had no intetnion of getting involved in. That being said, I LOVE to debate.
12. I don't always feel like I belong. I don't mean this in the whiny teenager way. I have not, and will not, write poetry about how the world just doesn't understand me. I just don't feel like I have ever pinned in one group of people. While some people may have had one group of friends all through school, I had many and on any given day might have been with any of them. Due to this I don't really feel like a have a best friend, but I have lots of great friends.
13. I don't think kids should waste their lives in front of screens reading and writing blogs. It's nice outside, go join a sport, or run around. It's good for you. I, on the other hand, can waste my life in front of screens becuase I am an adult now.
14. Despite number 8, I do believe in trying to do as little damage to the environment as possible. Thus I believe in at least 2 of the three R's.
15. I consider myself a noise connesiour. I love the sound of a bag a checkers, or a metal watch rolling on a table, and the sound of rain or a room full of keyboards. I am not so big on the sound of a dying rabbit.
16. For the record, I do believe we landed on the moon. People who don't believe in global warming are always painted as conspiracy theorists or corrupt capitalists. I do think there may have been a second shooter on the grassy knoll though.
17. I think kids spend too much time in structered activities, like piano and sports leagues. It's okay to have them registered in one of these things, but they need to have more unstructured play time. It helps them develop their fragile little minds.
18. I am not big on Recycling. It often does more damage to the environment than landfilling. I am all for Reducing and Reusing though.
19. I am a capitalist, but I don't like being called corrupt.
20. I am very opinionated. This may surprise you considering how easy going the previous posts made me seem, but it's true. If you need an opinion on any subject, just ask me; if I don't have one already, I will be happy to form one on little to no information.
21. While one may not be able to tell by looking at my bedroom, I like order. It is important to me for things to be neat. At least certains things. Anyone who has tried to help me put away a board game with lot's of pieces will testify to this. Or they would, if they weren't scared of me.
22. My job never brings me in contact with monkeys or their fecal matter. I didn't think anyone would ever care about that, but it is the last question on the questionaire I had to fill out before giving blood. I am wondering now if I should have told them about my pet monkey.
23. While it isn't the norm anymore, I can't wait to get married and raise kids. I won't be the Dad who is always at work, sucking up to the boss hoping for a raise. I will be at home playing board games with my kids. If they don't like board games, they will have to move out.
24. Reading over this, there are several spots where I am convinced I should add a comma or semi-colon, but I am restraining myself, becuase it's probably just me being crazy.
25. I lied in number 6. And 22. I never actually broke my nose, pretending to trip or otherwise. I also don't have a pet monkey. I was just looking for a laugh.
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