If You Be A Writer...

Read!

Seriously, all writers must read. And not just novels, either. Do you remember those readers you'd get in school? YOU know, those books you'd have in second, third, and fourth grade? Yeah, those books, with the hundreds of short stories in them?

I remember when I had absolutely no books to read, I'd go into the school room and pull out all the readers I could find and devour those from cover to cover. When I was done with those I'd go into the living room and pull out Mom's storybook collections. She still has them. They are the Colliers Junior Classics readers, the "Young Folks Shelf Of Books." There are a bazillion stories in there that I bet very few people remember reading.

For instance, who knows the story about the Funny Thing that would eat children's dolls? "And very good are they - dolls," it would say with a smile. Come on, let's see those hands.
No one? Please, check it out! It's a great wee story, and I only remembered it because I was visiting my brother in Kansas and we were having some sort of nice food, and I said with a pseudo-quote, "And very good are they - (whatever-it-was-we-were-eating)," and no one knew what I was quoting! So then I started asking if they remembered stories such as Peter Churchmouse, or Poppy Seed Cakes featuring Andrewshek's Auntie Katushka? (Say that three times fast. :-) How about Evie and the Wonderful Kangaroo?

Apparently only my older sister and I were weird enough to read every reader in the house. But I am full of stories because of it.

So read your readers! Even now, I enjoy pulling down a reader, or Grimm's fairy tales, or just any short-story collection and reading it through.

Because they're full of ideas.

And you never know which story will inspire your imagination.

God bless!

Cat

Six-Sentence Sunday 04/15/2012

Oopsy, I hate it when I miss my Saturday! Drives me crazy. Well, here's Six-Sentence Sunday again! :D

1.) I love the AutoCrit Editing Wizard

2.) I am becoming seriously addicted to Pinterest

3.) I must be a hopeless Phantom fan - I have listened to three different versions and I adore them all!

4.) I drew an apple yesterday... in COLOUR!!!

5.) I really, really, really love Jason Bourne. Like a lot.

6.) YAY! I've hit 100 followers! I'm going to have to have a giveaway. Yummy.

That's all for now!

God bless!

Cat

Writing Challenges

I recently posted a comment over at Talking Animal Addicts about writing challenges, and this made me start thinking. What is one of your writing challenges?

Me, I challenge myself to take notes, all day long. I have to take notes, because with my job I do not always have the luxury of writing full scenes as they come to me. That has to wait until lunch break at least! But I always have post-its in my pocket, and when that little voice speaks inside my brain, I KNOW I'm going to regret it if I don't write a note down and capture the essence of the idea. If I leave it and try to commit it to memory alone, I know that little gem of an idea will go away and ne'er return. I have piles and piles of post-its that I bring home, with occasional snippets of dialogue and quick sketches of characters done while I'm on the phone and able to multi-task. These are my "scraplets." Once I get them home I input them in the computer. Some become full-fledged novel ideas. Others simmer on the back burner of the "Hmm" stove until I can decide whether they're usable or not.

Another challenge I set for myself is to always, always, always write down my vivid dreams. I've jerked myself awake before, sitting upright and grappling for a pen before I've fully woken in order to frantically scribble down details before I forget them. I've had three fully-plotted stories come to me, and I've actually finished the manuscript for one just the other day, and it's a doozy! So, always write down your dreams.

How about you? What is your writing challenge, or goal you recommend for other writers?

Until later, God Bless!
Cat