Ficlet Friday

Inspiration is a beautiful thing.

Witness “She And Him” inspired by She And Him (Zooey Deschanel’s musical project) and their song, “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”

why do you let me stay here, all by myself?
why don’t you come and play here?
i’m just sitting on the shelf
why don’t you sit right down and stay a while?
we like the same things and i like your style
it’s not a secret, why do you keep it?
i’m just sitting on the shelf
i gotta get you presents, let’s make it known
i think you’re just so pleasant, i’d like you for my own
why don’t you sit right down and make me smile?
you make me feel like i am just a child
why do you edit? just give me credit
i’m just sitting on the shelf

Happy Ficlet Friday!

Ficlet Friday

Today’s Ficlet for Ficlet Friday, “The End”, came to me in a fit of creativity late last Saturday morning.

Sitting at the kitchen table eating a late breakfast my mind flashed to certain folks in Raelyn’s Pre-K class discussing “having their picture made” which is a Southernism, a regionalism, a colloquialism for what I’ve always known as “having your picture taken”.

Take.
Make.
Two irregular verbs that feature prominently in a latter-era Beatles tune, The End.

The line: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”.

I simply substituted “picture” for “love” and left that one line near the very end of my story.

I wrote most of the rest of it that day and have spent the intervening days just cleaning things up, removing duplicate or superfluous words and phrases and generally just making sure I’m supremely happy with the result.

I hope you like it too!

Ficlet Friday!

Ficlet Friday

The first Ficlet Friday that went well enough last week so this week’s entry, Shelter, is a welcome addition.

I started with a scene and a definite linear timeline but getting there was more tedious than I had imagined. Total writing time about 45 minutes.

I’ll get the negatives out of the way:

  • My “voice” is always a little too sing-song.
  • I like alliteration and rhyme. I like poetry, even where it might not fit.

  • I wish the drama were more concrete.
  • Onomatopoeias are fine but they’re also very vague.

  • I really struggle with dialogue.
  • Maybe the reason why I chose an almost silent scene was so I didn’t have to speak through my characters? I honestly don’t know.

  • Editing.
  • 1024 characters is really short. I wish I had just a few more lines, but that’s a slippery slope. Editing is positive, even if it’s only so long. I said exactly what I wanted to say.

What I like:

  • It’s the linear story I set out to tell
  • Sure, not a lot “happens” but I think I was able to convey the unspoken (HA!) tension.

  • I got to incorporate fatherhood & family.
  • If you read the blog, you know I love being a Dad and husband, even when they’re kicking my ass.

  • I can incorporate autobiographical bits without writing about myself.
  • I already have a blog. I don’t want my fiction to become a broader extension of that; they’re separate (at least for now). And while Raelyn doesn’t say spaghetti incorrectly, we do correct her for other things she says.

Please read it, rate it and leave a comment. It’s the only way I’ll grow or give up – your help.

And if you’d like to participate, start writing. Practice makes permanent.

Ficlet Friday

So the response to my first ficlet effort yesterday – titled “No More Friday Nights” – was really positive. I had a ton of fun being in the moment, writing a self-contained narrative and then just walking away.

Folks are free to use my ficlet as the beginning, middle or end of their own creative endeavors and I hope some do. The wife, however, got very lost reading it and admitted that she didn’t realize I’d intended it to be read as from one point of view and not two.

Though for my part I think you could argue both my original intent and her interpretation, which is all the cooler.

Anyhow, I’m thinking of starting a very achievable, fun ongoing blog post project: Ficlet Fridays.

The concept is simple. Each Friday I’ll write a 1kb (1024 char) masterpiece over @ ficlets. You’ll all come and clamor over the multiple merits of it’s awesomeness.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. (Each and every Friday until I’m bored of this OR the ficlets lead me to a longer format idea).

And hey, I want your involvement too. The Atlanta blogging community has a ton of excellent authors including, but not limited to, Will (fellow ficleteer), Maigh, Duane, james, Bill & Thomas.

Of course if blogging is your preferred milieu and you’d rather avoid fiction altogether, feel free to ignore me. If not, jump on in to the short-form pool. The water is warm, but it wasn’t me.

And for today’s offering – Expletive Deleted – I’ve recycled and reformatted a story-starter that’s been sitting in my Google Docs for over a year with no progression. Better to share it than to let it fester.

Happy Ficlet Friday!