Sunday, April 21, 2013

Preparing for @StoryADayMay

I've done it. I've signed up to write a story every one of the 31 days of May. Who waved this shiny temptation in front of me? Story A Day Extreme Writing Challenge, appropriately enough.

When I tell people I've done this, they ask me if I'm doing any preparatory work. I say, "Not really." Now I'm going to tell you what that means.

"Are you collecting ideas?" Dear hearts, I have a binder this thick of ideas I've scribbled down, false starts that didn't lead anywhere, characters/settings/situations/dialog I haven't used, and informational pamphlets on things not pertinent to my actual life. Some are even organized.


"Are you starting anything to be on the mark when it happens?" I've created a folder on my computer for the stories and saved 31 blank documents named 01.doc through 31.doc. Each day, I'll open a file, type in one of my bits from my bits binder or, if I start with something longish, an abstract of it, and I'll write. 

"They don't say how LONG it has to be, ha ha!" True. I like writing flash fiction, so I won't be surprised if I end up with some flash. Not micro-mini flash, like my Hot Flashes, because they take too long, but maybe 100-500 words. I also won't be surprised if I end up with stuff that leaves the reader hanging, or that read more like synopses. Those will just serve as structures for longer stories later. 

"They don't say it has to be GOOD, ha ha!" True. This is always a risk a writer runs in writing anything. The good part is, if a writer falls off the tightrope, somebody else gets a broken neck.

"What if you fail?" Same question I got asked when I did NaNoWriMo. Same answer: I can't fail. Even if I don't meet the challenge, I will have written more than if I hadn't tried. And just getting revved up for it is pumping up my writer's particular endorphins, and that's always a good thing. :)

So, long story short (I know: "Too late!"), I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

See you in May!

Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes

4 comments:

Debra Purdy Kong said...

Wow, Marian, this sounds like a terrific challenge! I'd never heard of it before, so thanks for letting us know. I hope you'll have enough energy left for a full report at the end of it. And I agree, you can't fail. GOOD LUCK!!

Marian Allen said...

Thanks, Debra! I'll post a progress report here on May 21. I hope I'll be able to say, "So far, so good!"

MA

Pat Bertram said...

Sounds like fun. I'm already a day late, so maybe I'll try next year. Or maybe I'll pick a month and do it myself.

Marian Allen said...

It's never too late, Pat! Jump right in! :)