The Scribul Group Weblog
September 28th, 2007 |
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I previously posted about a new web experiment I’m trying to start–The Scribul Group (And grats to those who realize that Scribul = Scribble). I thought it would be a neat idea to have a mailing list where each week I send out a creative writing prompt (just some small idea or scenario) and people can all submit to the list their interpretations of that idea in the form of a short story, a poem, a few paragraphs of nonsense–whatever. Just something to get the creative juices flowing.
I’ve since decided to expand the idea into a creative writing blog and a mailing list. So now there is a new way to get to all this and experience the joy of casual writing for yourself:
It’d be awesome to form a community around this concept. So please, check it out, sign up for the mailing list, and help contribute. If you don’t like to write but know someone who does, at least help me spread the word so I’m not just posting stuff to myself. I’d love to see this take off because I really do believe it is a good idea.
The Scribul Group - Creative Writing for the Masses
September 20th, 2007 |
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I’ve created a new mailing list for those interested in creative writing. It works like this: each week I will send out a creative writing cue to the list. This cue will serve as the starting point or theme for ideas. Then you can come up with a short story, poem, novella, or whatever you feel like based on the cue and share it with the rest of the group. It doesn’t have to be long or perfect, just entertaining and interesting.
The rules are simple: Respect one another, use proper grammar and spelling as much as possible, and have fun. You won’t win any awards for contributing, but you will get the chance to entertain each other and sharpen your creative writing skills.
We can also discuss the steps of the creative writing process, from coming up with ideas to finding a publisher for your work.
If you are interested in joining, you can sign up at the following URL:
http://groups.google.com/group/scribul
Currently I have it set up to where you need to be invited, but you can request an invite and I will approve it. Once you are a member you can invite others to the list, so if you know anyone interested feel free to invite them to the group!
Hopefully this will turn out to be a fun and rewarding experience.
A Change of Pace
September 5th, 2007 |
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Sometimes I feel like the things I want to do in life are all pulling at me at once. In all different directions, of course, turning me into a stretched mess of hardened silly putty that has bits of the Sunday comics still embedded on its skin.
In my life there are several things I want to be doing right now, all with seemingly the same priority. I want to excel in my job at work, I want to create a thriving web community, I want to develop all sorts of software, I want to build up my World of Warcraft characters to be the best they can be, and I want to write the next great American novel. The problem is that I don’t have enough time in the day to do it all, just like everyone else out there reading this.
Well, I’m going back to the original goals I set out for myself when I was young. I had five: To excel as a computer scientist, to publish poetry, to write a successful and popular novel, to create meaningful music, and to have a happy and healthy family.
The first one and the last one I think can sit comfortably with a big checkmark next to them. I have a great job as a computer programmer making more money than I ever anticipated given my history. With my wonderful wife, I have a great family that has more than met my goal and expectations several times over.
The other goals still remain, and I’m starting to feel the pull. I did have a poem published in a small anthology in the late 1990’s, but I don’t think that counts. I most definitely haven’t formed a rock band, jazz clarinet quartet, or even a dueling banjo group. But I think I can put poetry and music aside for the moment and save those for another part of my life.
What I’ve really been feeling the pull to do is to write. I think what started it was posting an interactive story thread on my World of Warcraft guild’s forums. A group of us take turns writing part of a story that we make up as we go. The story has grown into something very interesting, and it is giving me a bug to write. I haven’t sat down to write anything serious in a good long while, and I think I am overdue for a spattering of words to come pouring out of my hands, through the keyboard, into the computer, and onto paper somehow.
If I do this, though, I want to be serious about it. Obviously I can’t start writing full-time or anything, but I can curb time spent playing video games, working on freelance programming project, and other things that currently occupy my time. I can instead spend some evenings writing, reading, doing more writing, research, reading about writing, and so on. If I obsess over writing like I do about World of Warcraft, I’ll be sure to succeed.
Of course, there are some people reading this blog and thinking, “He can’t write. Just look at how bad his grammar is. That sentence structure is atrocious! And his spelling is lazy!” Well, screw you with something sharp and painful. I’m not writing for you and I hope you don’t read any of my works. I will be writing for myself as a way to create, to tell a story, and to improve my communication skills. Neener, neener, neener.
I plan on doing a lot of writing. Short stories, little blurbs of creative goo, creative sentences, full-length novels, and more. My ultimate goal is to finally get over my block and finish a novel. Then I’ll try submitting it to several places and start my collection of rejection notices. Wish me luck!
