Weekly Wednesday Writing Challenge

Hey Guys! 
This weeks challenge comes from the book Now Write! Fiction. If you have the book you can use that as a reference, it is on page 5-7. For those of you who do not have it, I am posting the challenge here. :) 

Through The Senses: Robert Olen Butler

This is a seven stage exercise. Do each stage separately! that is an extremely important note! Just make sure that you complete one stage before you move on to the next. Force yourself to write moment to moment through the senses only! don't worry about style or wording; just keep it flowing through your senses. Do not use any abstraction, generalization, summary, analysis or interpretation. Don't think just write! Make sure you write in the first person (you meaning your chaaracter). Now that I have given you a little bit of intro, here are each of the steps: 

Step One: You awake abruptly, though it isn't morning, and you are not in a bed. But you are in the place where you live. The room where you awake is right in objects and their associations. You are breathless and anxious from a dream you can't, and won't, remember. You look around the room, everything is shaped by an unspecified anxiety. Let's see the room, in the moment, through the senses. 

Step Two: One object in particular catches your attention and suggests a  strong connection to your anxiety. Move toward the object; touch it, experience it sensually.

Step Three: The object evokes a memory as vivid as a dream but not the one you woke from. It is a real memory, one based on wanting, desiring something. But this is a surface thing you want-- an object, a gesture a touch, whatever. Focus on the moment-to-moment, specific memory of desiring this thing, which nevertheless, carries an intimation deeper than yearning. But don't go to that deeper desire yet. Experience the surface thing through just your characters sensibility. 

Step Four: Now let the memory of this want include a moment when a secondary memory is evoked. This second memory involves another object, different from the one you are touching in the present but similar to it in its basic sensual pattern. This second memory surprises you. You deeply connect it to the first. And the wanting suddenly goes deeper, into a state of being, a state of self. Don't label it. Play it out in the moment through the senses. 

Step Five: In that second memory you are moved to an action driven by your yearning. Let the action happen moment by moment. 

Step Six: Some part of the action will bring you back to the present, to an awareness of the first object. Re-experience your object. Your sensual perception is altered, is reshaped by the emotion and yearning you have experienced in these two linked memories. 

Step Seven: Now, back in the present, in light of all this, you take an action. 




That is the exercise! It is possibly my absolute favorite! I used it to end up writing my short story Angel Wings. I will repost that in the Weekly Wednesday Writing. My story doesn't necessarily follow every step word for word, but it is a fiction exercise, be creative! Do not feel tied down by the specifics of the steps; just write! 

Happy Writings! 

Spread the Word, Get Involved!

Hey guys! The blog is still kind of dead, so we need to get people participating again! Here is something that will hopefully kick start the process! 

I'm sure you guys have a favorite author, story, poem or maybe all three! So here is the deal, I want you guys to post a link to your favorite poem, story or book. You could also just copy and paste the poem or story, or talk about the book! You can post the poem in poetry, and the story/book in short stories! When ever you guys post one of these I will try and read them all and we can get a discussion going! We can talk about writing styles, plot points, sub plots etc! Looking at writing from different authors and comparing styles and taking on ideas can really help kick start the writing process! Please give it a shot! Go ahead and post your favorites! Ill post mine as well! We want to breathe some more life into the blog, so if you have any ideas that you thing should be implemented just send me an email and we will see what we can do! 

Happy Writing! 
-Jen 

Just a Note and an Apology!

Hey everyone! 
I just wanted to apologize, I know I haven't been very active on the blog. I haven't been feeling the greatest, but I am doing much better now! There hasn't been much going on for the past week or so, but I know you guys have been writing! Don't be shy! you can post anything you have written on the blog; we would love to see it all! Also, don't forget about the Cards for Hospitalized Kids challenge! it's a great organization and those kids deserve some amazing cards! Either Dvora or I will be posting another weekly challenge come Wednesday (maybe even one from Now Write! :D) please please please take on the challenges! They are fun and a great way to challenge your skills! haha I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to see some more works being posted! 

Happy Writings! 

Word of the Day: Elude

Elude
(v.)
To escape or avoid.
Parent language: Latin
Sentence: The boy eluded his father's anger by dodging his fist and escaping through the fire escape.

Weekly Wednesday Writing

Today's writing challenge is to write a chain of words, then to choose 10 and write a story with them.
Start with a word, then write random words that come to mind after each!

Word of the Day: Audacious

audacious( adjective): 1. extremely bold or daring; recklessly brave; fearless. 2. extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; highly inventive. 3. recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety,law; insolent; brazen. 4. lively; unrestrained; uninhibited. 

parent language: not listed. 

sentence: His audacious lifestyle finally caught up with him when he recklessly tried to jump a gap of thirty feet, ten stories up on a bicycle.

Special Challenge!!

Hi everyone! I'm sure that some of you have seen Jen Rubino's post on facebook about her organization Cards For Hospitalized Kids. Well, I have a special challenge for everyone here at Keystone Writes! This challenge is to write a special, inspirational poem to be written inside of a card that will be sent to Cards For Hospitalized Kids! You can post your poem under the Poetry section on the blog! If you want you can create your own card and send it in as an individual, if you do we would LOVE for you to post a picture of your card! If not, my plan (as long as you guys are okay with it) is to make a card for each poem that is posted and send them all in to Cards for Hospitalized Kids from all of us here at Keystone Writes!. If you don't wish for me to use your poem in a card, or you plan to do one of your own please say so when you make the post! I will make sure to post a picture of the cards I make in reply to each poem that is written! 

One note to remember: Please do not use phrases like "Feel better soon" or "Get Well!" the goal of Jen Rubino's organization is to focus on the kids as a whole and not to focus on the medical condition! 

Also: Dont forget to like the Cards For Hospitalized Kids page on facebook! you can find further guidlines there! here is the link: 
https://www.facebook.com/CardsForHospitalizedKids

If sending in a card on your own here is the address: 
Cards For Hospitalized Kids
6567 N.Olmsted
Chicago, IL 60631

I really hope everyone will take part in this very special challenge!
Happy Writing!

Word of the Day: Xenophobia

Xenophobia
(n.)
Fear or hatred of the unknown, especially of strangers.
Parent language: Greek
Sentence: Peter's xenophobia made him a poor candidate for chairman of the committee, as he was afraid of strangers and refused to negotiate with them.

Word of the Day: Timorous

Timorous(adjective): full of fear; fearful. subject to fear; timid. characterized by or indicating fear.

Parent Language: Middle English

Sentence: The haunted house left everyone scared, but one young girl was especially timorous; she jumped at every sound and couldnt sleep for the rest of the night.

Word of the Day: Candor

Candor(noun): the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness. Freedom from bias; fairness; imartiality.

Parent language: Middle English

Sentence: The candor of the young politician was unrivaled; no one had ever seen a politician who spoke with such openness and sincerity.

Word of the Day: Milieu

Milieu
(n.)
A social or cultural surrounding. 
Parent language: French
Sentence: The milieu of the place was cold, and the girl wanted to leave immediately, as she was not accustomed to such unloving surroundings.

Reminder!

Hello everyone! I hope your year has been going great so far!
I just want to remind you all about NaNoWriMo. For those of you who forgot, our challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in 75 days. That amounts to about 667 words a day. We are seven days in, but it is not too late to join! The original NaNoWriMo, from which our challenge has been adapted, has a time limit of 30 days. Even if you join us today, you would still have 68 days to write your novel: that's 38 more than the original challenge offers, and even that one is possible! Please join us in this project. It is a great way to practice writing and teach yourself discipline! It's also so much fun! 
For those of you who think this is impossible, just know that I already have 4,100 words in my novel, Color. Don't be disheartened by the huge task; you can do it!
Good luck!

Word of the Day: Fervor

Fervor
(n.)
Passion.
Parent language: Latin and Middle English
Sentence: With great fervor, the man described his own accomplishments; the passion he used to tell of his own greatness led others to label him as vain.

Word of the Day: Annihilate

Annihilate (Verb): to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly. to destroy the collective existence or main body of; to annul, make void; to cancel the effective of, nullify. to defeat completely, vanquish. 

Origin: Middle English: adnichilat and Late Latin: annihilatus 

Sentence: During World War Two the United States used the atomic bomb to annihilate enemy forces. 

Word of the Day

Inebriate
(v.)
To make drunk.
(n.)
Someone who is often drunk.
Parent language: Latin
Sentence: The inebriated man crashed into multiple walls as he staggered around with his beer; he was clearly very drunk.

Word of the Day

Polydipsia:
(n.)
Parent languages: both Greek and Latin
Extreme thirst.
Sentence: Katie was always experiencing polydipsia, but when she went to the doctor, he said she did not have diabetes; her excess thirst came from not drinking enough while she was exercising.

Word of the Day: Abnegation

Abnegation (Noun): the act or instance of abnegating, or denying oneself some rights or conveniences; the act of relinquishing or giving up a right. 

Origin: Abnegate(verb) , from Latin abnegatus. 


Sentence: They lived in a society of abnegation, everyone denied their own happiness in order to ensure others. 


( The first time I saw this word was when I read Divergent for Book Club, I know a few of you have already read it, but if you haven't it is really good! You should check it out!) 

Weekly Wednesday Writing!

Sorry I couldn't get this up yesterday guys, but here is the new challenge!
Write a poem, short story or other style of text; that reflects your feelings about a major event that has occurred. 
This weeks challenge was inspired by Griffin's Newtown Tragedy poem! 
Your writing does not have to be about a tragic or sad event, it can be about any major thing that has happened, and how you feel about it! 
Be Creative and Good Luck! 
-Jen

Just a suggestion...

Both Jen and I recently ordered Now Write! Fiction. My copy has arrived, and I am absolutely thrilled with it! If you can somehow get this book, it'll help you explore your talent by providing advice, motivation, and most of all, writing prompts! There are over 80 prompts in the book, and I'd like to encourage you all to purchase a copy.
Here's the link (to Amazon): http://www.amazon.com/Now-Write-Fiction-Exercises-Teachers/dp/1585425222

Comment on this post to tell us about your experience with the book!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! 

It is now 2013, a brand new year can bring about many changes! Today is the day we are going to start our attempts at NaNoWriMo and Milwordy! Many people make New Year's Resolutions, do you have any resolutions you want to share? Go ahead and post them in the chat section on the forum! We can help each other reach our brand new goals! i hope everyone had a wonderful start to their new year!

-Jen

Word of the Day: Castigate

Castigate (Verb): to criticize or reprimand severely; to punish in order to correct. 

synonyms: berate, chastise, excoriate, criticize. 

antonyms: compliment, praise.

The young girl was castigated by her teacher for cheating on a test; the teacher believed it was important to correct such behavior before it got out of hand.