Writing Boot Camp: Day 3

Mystery Cookie

For the past three months I've come into work and low and behold there is a cookie sitting on a napkin, on top of my keyboard. Not just any cookie, mind you. Oh no, one bite of this delicious morsel and your mouth is watering as it savors every last soft, buttery bite. I'm exaggerating, you say? Oh no - every last word is true, let me tell you. 

So imagine my disappointment when I come to work and there, where there has been for the last 90 some days, there is NO cookie. At first, I think "well, maybe it's been placed somewhere else." But no, the only thing on my keyboard is a slip of folded paper and a ticket stub of some kind. "Alright, who stole my cookie?" I glare over at the nearest coworker, staring her down in her freshly pressed suit that's a size 0. I inspect her jacket for cookie crumbs, but don't see any from this distance.  She looks away from my intense gaze, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, her eyes downcast. 

She looks guilty.

I reach down and unfold the piece of paper. 

Meet me at Hollington Station. 6:05pm. Tonight.

The ticket stub is for the MAX train, just up the street. I look back over at my coworker, who is now clickity-clacking on her keyboard. She still looks guilty. Very suspicious. 

Writing Boot Camp: Day 2

Screen shot of Writing Boot Camp from Writer's Digets

         The door of the cafe swung open, the little gold bell at the top of the doorway chiming with over exuberance. Audrey stirred her coffee, engrossed in the book she was holding. The new pair of feet scrubbed themselves against the mat in an attempt to dislodge some of the rain. They pattered towards the cash register, squeaking as they went, then faltered. They turned, the heel complaining, the footsteps growing louder. A figure entered her view, the brown trench coat pressing against the edge of the table. She pointedly ignored them, hoping the person would see her disinterest and disappear. 

         "Audrey? Is that you?" 

          Shit. 

          Audrey lay the book down, tilting her head down and her gaze upwards to look over the pair of red reading glasses. 

          Double shit. 

          Her body tensed as she removed her glasses and looked up the man standing before her. His dark curls were just as she remembered them, his lips in a playful smirk that made the memories of where those lips had been raise the hair on her arms and send warm shivers down her spin.

         "Gary?" The smile took over her lips before she could think otherwise, and the giddy feeling washed through her like a warm and pungent shot of whiskey. 

         

Boot Camp Writing

Today, I am going to start the two week Writing Boot Camp from Writer's Digest. If you want to join my quest, you can get a copy here. 

Day 1 is "Breaking Up With Writers Block". I am supposed to write a letter to Writer's Block (they have given me the first sentence) and go from there... 

So without further adieu, here it is! 

Dear Writer's Block,

It's not you, it's me. You see, I've decided that I deserve more. More than a life staring at blank pages. More than a life stressing about the fact that the words won't fill my veins and travel to the tips of my waiting fingers. My fingers that ache to type away at the keyboard, but find they are paralyzed with fear. Fear that what comes out of these hands of mine will not be good enough. That the words, when they do come, will be inadequate and lifeless. 

You have sat there, obstructing my path to glorious unhindered creativity, like a dark, ugly boulder. The longer I stare at you, the smaller I feel. But I will wait no more! I am going to write, and I am going to share my story with the world. I am going to take every reader by the hand and pull them deep into my world to show them the wonders that I have seen. The scenes that play out in my head, so vivid and real I know my characters better than I know myself.

I hope you understand. There are so many other writers in the world you could be with - but I am not one of them. It's time to break up, Writer's Block. For good this time.

-Brittany 

100 Words for 100 Days - Week 2

So! It's officially Day 14 of the 100 Words for 100 Days challenge. How am I doing, you ask? Do I have the good news that I have 1400 words so far?

Well, you see... *insert lame excuse here*. I have been writing, and more so that in the last few months put together, but it's not at the 1400 word mark yet. 

I found that writing in my notebook is a lot easier than writing in a Microsoft Word or Google drive document. I used to be against writing with pen and paper, because I felt like my mind was running so much faster than I could write and I was losing information as my pen scurried across the page in an effort to keep up. But something has changed. I write in my notebook and I don't feel pressured to get it right the first time. Because I know that I am going to just transfer all of this onto the computer eventually. I don't feel pressured to just write down garbled thoughts or doodles, either, because they might be useful down the road.

Even when I can't write actual story, I am working on the outline. Building the skeleton, jotting down ideas... and even if that isn't 1400 words, it still is progress. And I'm okay with that. 

What about you? Are you taking the 100 Words for 100 Days challenge? Are you keeping up?