Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Fantastical Fifty, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 3 of 3
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: Fantastical Fifty in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
Thanks to a thunderstorm - I swear, I haven't seen rain like that all year - I've just finished the first draft of a Fantastical Fifty story - And the bride wore ashes. I'm going to start another draft later this evening and when that's done, I'll let it stew for a few weeks. Looks like my fifty first sentences experiment is a win--even if I only end up with two stories from it. But of course, I want more. *Stomps feet* (Finished first story at the weekend - Kodak Dragons and had to send it out after only a little sleep because a deadline was looming - looks over shoulder and hopes editor isn't reading).
Fantastical Fifty first line: Maud pulled a snow globe out of the dead man’s suitcase and shook it.
Acutal (first draft) first line: The snow globe offered a flurry of ashes.
Resemblance to original idea: 10%*
Current Word Count: 2,374 words
Things Found Here: Empty graves, a wedding dress made of moths, a Buster Keaton lookalike groom and a church made of ice lolly sticks.
I'm also compiling ideas etc for my next book. I have my title - and I love, love, love it - but I'm not revealing it yet because its brilliance will blind you...
*Percentage figures are not acurate, get over it.
One of my
Fantastical Fifty stories has broken free of the pack - result.
When the delightful
Mercedes posted on the Shock Totem forum about the anthology
2020 Visions opening to happy stories - okay a positive outlook on the very near future - I dug into my little sentence/paragraph file and pulled out the most appropriate. It began...
Hallucinogenic bubbles filled the air. It has a more blah first sentence at the moment -
Distracted, searching for the charger for her iPen, Ivy pulled a used bingo card out of her bag and placed it on the desk. - as the original is now located a third of the way through. Shall have to jazz it up and make sure I'm not starting the story in the wrong place.
Dear Time Lords (especially if you look like David Tennant), please visit and stretch this weekend for me.
The deadline is July 17th.
Welcome to the Fantastical Fifty* (you could also make other use of the FF and rename its slave the Faffing Fool (that would be me).
Sometime last month I read this interview with Kelly Link and in it she suggested the following story generating idea (via Stephen Dobyns). In an hour (or more - I took about two) write down 50 first sentences, the first things that come out of that delightful noggin of yours (I have a book of keywords and weaved my sentences around the first 50 words I stumbled across). Then pick 25 of those sentences and write 25 first paragraphs, and out of those you should be able to conjure up half a dozen short stories.
Now, I'm a greedy gal and I'm currently trying to weave 50 stories out of 50 first sentences (because they are all undeniably...partway to...almost...well I thought they were wonderful for at least 50 minutes). I do expect the number to drop by at least half before the year is out, but at the moment I'm having fun and it feels like a weird mix of procrastinating and writing at the same time.
*This is what happens when you realise you have almost no stories 'out there'.
Awesome, awesome. Do you always come up with the title first?
I'm about 6,500 words into my new novel and have yet to give it a title. :-(
I always have a working title even if it's something naff. This one is of course brilliant (until I get fed up with it).
Congrats on the finalization of the draft!
My new WIP also has what I think is a great tile but I am not going to start talking about it just yet, lest I jinx it.
Thanks, Barry. Wouldn't it be odd if we had the same title? Bagsy it.
No copyright on titles...
Anyway, I read about your plan with this fantastical fifty and I've been trying to come up with first lines here and there.
I have four...
Coming up with a great title is always special : ) My favorite is still "RELENTLESS SODOMY: The Musical." Hurray for buns!
I love hearing about the process of a story. And I love the title.
Gold stars for you! I try to come up with a working title first but sometimes fall short of that.
Anything with Buster Keaton in it has got to be special.
Rich, just don't use 'Wuthering Heights', I hear Miss Bronte rises from her grave if you do. Actually...on second thoughts.
Natalie, that is an inspired title.
Thanks, Danielle.
Thanks, Andrea.
I agree, Jamie.
Oooh now I adore the "things found here" objects. Sounds delectable-- and just because it's what I've come to expect from you doesn't mean I'll take it for granted.
Thanks, Katey
That sounds so cool! And I like your comment on the percentages. :)
"Things Found Here" is actually a pretty good title on its own, I think. (Says the person who comes up with the world's worst titles half the time. I mean, I wrote a story once titled "Bird." It did not have a bird in it.)
Great lines Cate!! Thanks for sharing! Storms are always wicked, did this one inspire or just give you some time to write?
Sorry I haven't been here for a squinch. I'm trying to catch up!!
Happy writing
Hinny
Kate, that last comment made me snort. :D
Thanks, Kara.