Self-Challenge: I’m a Tough Judge

Good Morning, all! A few nights ago I had my husband write down random inanimate objects, five at a time, on notecards. I did not look at what was listed on each card, so it will be a surprise each time I turn one over. My plan is to take one card per day and write an impromptu short story that must include all five items listed on the card I chose at random. Judging by my husband’s way of thinking, I’m sure some of the items will end up working well within a funny story, other will probably be more serious.

The card I picked for today listed these objects:

– A Paint Can

– A Padlock

– Gold Bricks

– A Wooden Door

– A Dog Collar

I’ve already got my story in mind. When I am done running my errands for the day, I’ll be hitting the laptop to post my short story. I’m looking forward to it, as I hope you are too! 😉

See you soon.

– Newbie.

Finish This Story… “An Officer’s Loyalty”

I love taking a topic and getting several different opinions on said topic. It’s so interesting to me to see how different people think, and to see how they interpret things differently. (Hey, that’s what makes the world such an interesting place.) So, I thought it would be fun to come up with a little challenge: I’ve come up with a plot, and I’m writing a short story around that plot, but what I’d like to see my subscribers do is to write their own short story surrounding the same plot. Within the next few days I’ll post my story. I’d love to see how all you guys take the same plot and come up with different aspects of the story!

Here’s your plot:

A Homicide Detective is put on the case of a vicious murder. But when he begins investigating, he discovers that his own brother is the prime suspect. Will the Detective stay loyal to his job, or his own flesh and blood?

Take this story and make it as long short, and detailed as you’d like. Make it completely your own. When you’ve completed the story, you can submit it as a comment, or email it to me at newbiefictionwriter@gmail.com along with your name (or alias) and I’ll submit it here.

I hope you guys will participate in this challenge with me. It is my hope that seeing different perspectives on the same story will help me in my journey to becoming a writer. Thanks!

– Newbie.

It Happened Today…

I love random facts- if you’re a regular here on the blog, then you’ve probably already noticed that.

I thought it would be fun to do a daily segment, such as the Quote of the Day, that is all about what happened in history each day. These historical accounts can range from music history to famous birthdays. Suggestions and/or comments are welcome!

Thanks,

– Newbie.

Dialouge Will be the Death of Me… or at least give me a headache.

OK, I promise I’m not trying to fool everyone into thinking that I’m trying to write a novel, all the while making no progress. I really am working on it daily, I’m just having an awfully hard time with the dialogue. I recently was given the advice to not start writing at the beginning of the story, and rather write them in sections, starting anywhere I choose in the book. I.E. Middle first, then ending- or ending, beginning, middle. You get the point. I’d honestly never thought of doing that before, and quite frankly, I’m a little embarrassed that it never crossed my mind. (Don’t be too tough on me- there’s a reason it’s Newbie Fiction Writer.) But, since taking that advice, things are moving along at a much smoother pace. Although, as I mentioned before, the dialogue is driving me crazy.

I write and write, thinking that everything is going well, but then when I go back and read over my work, the verbal interaction between characters seems like that of kindergartners. The conversations lack intelligence and do not flow as a normal conversation should. I can see that this is definitely my weak area and will require a lot of practice before I can see a positive change.

I have however made some progress with the (still unnamed) novel. If you have any suggestions based on the synopsis below, feel free to shoot them my way!

Emily Albright is the girl that guys want to date and girls want to be. She is a senior at Serenity Grove High School, with a full scholarship to The University of Florida. Emily’s future is set until she meets the new kid in town, Adam Highland. Adam moved to Serenity Grove with his father, Wes, to start a new life as they have done so many times before. Emily is taken by Adam and the two quickly fall for each other, but soon details emerge that suggest Emily’s new love has a dark secret. The Highland’s seem to have brought with them a dark cloud that looms over the picturesque town of Serenity Grove. When Emily learns the secrets of Adam’s past, will she stay by his side, or run for cover?

Basically, girl meets boy, they fall in love, but boy’s father is a serial killer setting his son up to look like he is the one committing the crimes. Girl thinks boy is a killer, girl dumps boy, boy convinces her that it is not him. It might sound a little weird, but the story line is a good one, with a lot of twists and turns. Like I said, suggestions about a name would be great 🙂

Thanks for reading!

– Newbie.

Writing Prompt for Today: “Breaking News!”

I’ve seen several writing prompts that have instructed you to use the newspaper, nightly news, or even news on the internet as your inspiration; and those are generally good. But, earlier as I was searching the web for some material, I noticed a story that had an attention-grabbing title, yet the story did not deliver. I sat there, unimpressed by the story I’d just read, and wishing that the content would have been as exciting as the title.

So, my challenge to you is to search for a news story in which the title really piques your interest- don’t even read the story. Using your own creativity, make the entire story up just based on the title.

Make it a short story in the style of a news report. See what happens.

Best of luck!

– Newbie.

“You’re The Inspiration…”

With the fact that I’m a closet Chicago fan aside, I’m very excited about the two books I purchased today!

I searched for some Creative Writing/Writer’s reference books online last night, and I found a few I was interested in- but I’m a very impatient person, and frankly, I didn’t want to order them online and be forced to wait anxiously by my mailbox day-by-day. (If I get caught doing that again, my mailman will press charges… juuust kidding!) So this morning I decided to go to my local Books-A-Million and low and behold, I found one of the main books that I was interested in online!

The Writer’s Little Helper by James V. Smith, JR.

I’m very excited about delving into this book. I was very intrigued by the parts that I read while sitting in the bookstore, and I feel that it will help me to greatly improve my writing skills. This book is written in a flowing form that makes it extremely easy to read and comprehend. I’m only part of the way through it, but I’m looking very forward to finishing the entire thing!

Now Write!: Mysteries edited by Sherry Ellis and Laurie Lamson

This book really caught my attention because of it’s help in the Mystery genre. I’ve found that writing mysteries are my niche, and I thought this little book would help me to develop skills in writing mystery pieces. I haven’t gotten into this book yet, as I want to finish the other one first, but I can’t wait to read this book and improving my mystery genre writings.

With that, I’ll leave you to the rest of your evening- I’m about to grab a bite to eat and dive back into my new book!

– Newbie.