Challenge: Days 15-18

Yes, I'm human, and I dropped the ball.
On Thursday, Day 15, I went to Baked and Wired in Georgetown and had a bad latte, or a too strong of a latte for my sensitive stomach (that's why I always drink single shot ones) and got heartburn for the next two days.
And heartburn makes me depressed and drains all creativity out of me.
So, on Day 15, I fixed up my recent story, The Storm, based on my writing group's critique, but on Day 16, I didn't feel like living let alone writing.
On Day 17, I was hosting a birthday party. Alas, no time.
And today is Day 18.
Today, I will write, damn it!
So, in my view, since this is my challenge, I haven't completely failed it if, and only if ("If is good,") I still manage to have 40,000 by Friday.
Today is Sunday!
Help!
My new writing class starts on Tuesday night, so I have to prepare for that as well. And I'm exhausted from the party. And I have to get ready for Cayman Islands. But I will write, damn it.
So, I need 1000 per day, starting tomorrow. Today. Tomorrow. Today.
Or maybe I can cheat, and include a story from my previous version?
"Be first, be smartest, or cheat," said Jeremy Irons in a movie recently. I like that saying. Preferably I'd like to do/be all three ;-) just this once.

Challenge: Day Fourteen

I can't believe it's been 14 days already! That's crazy!
Today I had some work in Chinatown, and I brought my laptop so I can go writing right afterwords.
And I did retouch and change the ending of my newest story (A bucket of melted pig's fat).
That, my friends, took me at least an hour. Or more. I didn't have a stopwatch but it seemed like two.
First, I had to read it from the beginning, then change it along (I come up with new ideas while I'm reading my stories), then write another ending.
I'm still down to a little less than 35,000 words.
I actually thought I would be over that number by now but I guess my decision to leave math behind when I started college was a good one.
Actually, it wasn't my math. The document showed way over 3,000 words, but a piece of an old story was hiding below.
Oh, well.
So, now it's too late to start a whole new story, since I have no idea what to write about.
And I need about three days for each story.
So, I need another two stories, or one really long one.
Should I go back to Gorilla? Or start something new?
I don't have time for experiments though.
Sigh.

Challenge: Day Thirteenth or the Luckiest Day on Earth

If you think that having someone clean your house isn't inspirational, think again.
Today, while my housekeeper was scrubbing my bathroom, I almost finished my new, wonderful story, with a very sad name--Bucket of melted pig's fat.
Now, you know I'm a vegetarian and an animal activist. But this is a true story, told to me by my mother, and it's about my great grandparents. Apparently, pig's fat was liquid gold in World War II. So, as much as I'm against animal cruelty, this story is true and needed to be told.
It's fictionalized, of course.
The other reason I named it this way, is because an agent told me it's a great, specific detail, and good stories have those.
Plus, admit it, you want to read the story, or you are completely repulsed by the title.
That's what I'm going for, one of the other. Not really ;-)
I'm also very tired today, and even more surprised how I have managed to write over 1,000 words (I started this story yesterday) in such state. My writing group met last night, and we had wine over discussions, then we took it down to the bar. It was oh, so fun, but then, at midnight, I couldn't turn my brain off, and I think I spent the whole night thinking about their stories and mine. About characters. About what they could do.
Hmmm, maybe this challenge wasn't such a good idea. I might need therapy after I finish it.
Also, I would not have been able to write this post if it were not for caffeine. Who ever invented or found, or produced caffeine first, should be given a Nobel prize for...peace.
p.s. You can tell it kicked in, right? Anyway, I'm down to 35,000 words! 5000 more to go, and 10 more days. Easy, breezy. ;-)
p.p.s. Stay away from pig's fat. It will slowly kill you. And I had my first tater tots last night. Four. Those will kill you too.
p.p.p.s. What am I talking about?! Therapy? I'm going to Cayman Islands right after the challenge. All the therapy I'll need is shopping with a frozen cocktail in my hand.

Challenge: Day Twelve or The Day I realized I might be screwed

I gave it all I got, i.e. I included every single story I wrote that has a value, in my collection, and I'm down to 31, 789 words! Only! Pathetic!
I wrote another 1800 today, or a beginning of a new story (it's actually a complete rewrite of an old story, The prisoner, that a year ago was written in this manner--this happened, then that happened, then this. Now I know better.)
So, I have ten days to write 8,200 minus what I have written today, (so 6,400 or less, if I keep writing) providing that it turns out to be good enough.
I'm just a tiny bit nervous.
I don't know what else to write about. I'm fresh out of ideas.
I could get back to Gorilla and the feeling of wanting to slam my laptop on my head with it, or I have to come up with another two, completely new stories.
Damn, when I started this I actually thought it would be easier.
And it's not like I don't have anything else to do in those ten days.
I have some work, I have a party, I have a new class, I have a workshop and a trip to prepare for.
On top of all that, my computer is acting up and won't print.
Fun, huh?!

Challenge: Day Twelve or Half Done

I cannot believe that I have been writing 12 days in a row. I mean, some days less, some days more but it was always on my head, and I made a point to leave at least a couple of hours a day for writing.
Today I wrote and rewrote 600 words. A little flash-fiction. I might expand, we'll see.
So, I have 11 days left to finish the 40,000 words, put it in a book manuscript form, and mail it.
Also today, I went through my last year's version looking for hidden treasure, and except for a few excellent story ideas, I have already milked everything I could have out of that journalistic attempt to write fiction.
And to think that a year ago I thought that version was great?!
Who said that ignorance is bliss!
Knowledge just makes you hungrier and restless.
I'm getting of the philosophy wagon now (I didn't even have anything to drink, I swear. Maybe I should.)
Tomorrow, I'll count all the words in my new version, see how many I'm missing. Then try to write more. And more. And more.

Countdown: Day Ten or It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

A Yerba Mate, Latte, Arranciata and a Hot Chocolate later, and I'm done with my semi-new story, A night more expensive than the century. 
I should probably check my cholesterol when I finish this challenge.
I'm so happy my friends, so happy.
Two days ago, I was working on Gorilla, and wanted to throw up every time I thought about writing. And I blame my husband. He's the one who's been pushing me to write that Gorilla story.
It's a fascinating story but it's a novel, not a story. I think I said this before.
And it's not like I'm not on a deadline here. It's not like I'm casually strolling whenever I feel like it, to a coffee shop and writing something that will take months, if not a year. No pressure.
No, this challenge is actually mostly what I have been doing for the last ten days. This and Yoga, to keep my sanity.
So, as much as Gorilla has potential, it has to wait until I finish this collection. I always wanted to write a novel anyway. But one difficult challenge at the time.
So, another 2,300 words today. Over my quota. And I enjoyed it.
And it's Friday the 13th. So appropriate.

Countdown: Day Nine

Better day than yesterday. The sun was shining, I felt happier and was more organized. I did Yoga at noon, then went to run errands and write.

I wrote some, didn't count since I realized that the story I'm working on right now (The story of Gorilla) is not really a short story, but more a novella. It would be very hard to turn these multiple connected stories into a short story, at least it would for me. 

So, I don't know what to do tomorrow. Should I continue working on it with no clear end in sight, or leave it for now and work on something else? Maybe rewrite a story from my first version? Or start something else, new?

Either way, it will be a setback. 

So, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.

I could certainly finish Gorilla in time for the competition, but I don't know what the quality will be.

I somehow feel I don't have a full grasp of it. Probably, again, because it's a novel material, not a story.

Oh, well, I'm a bit stuck. 

How do I get unstuck?

Countdown: Day Eight

I didn't have such a great writing day today.
I felt tired this morning, and especially tired of writing. And I had some errands to run so by the time I got to Dolcezza and had my latte in my hand, I was depraved of all creativity.
Instead, since I had to write (I don't give up easily) I researched a bit for a story I'm currently writing (the story of Gorilla) then I wrote another pathetic 200-300 words. I was embarrassed to even calculate (I think it was about 222) but, hey, it's better than nothing, right, at least I tried.
Still puzzles me why it just flows on certain days and it's like pulling teeth on others.
I guess we are not meant to write well every day.
That's why it's a challenge.
I didn't even go to Yoga today.
(Sigh)
Well, I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully. I'm planning on doing Yoga first, then writing, to boost creativity, if it proves to be boostable.

Countdown: Day Seven

I got tired of going between my Yoga studio and my favorite neighborhood cafe for the last few days, so I decided to take off this morning to Georgetown, to Baked and Wired.
Ups for B&W: I cannot get online, ever, so I'm forced to write, resulting in 1,133 words today.
Downs for B&W: They have the best cupcakes in the city, and it's nearly impossible to resist.
So, I had half of Karen's Birthday, (it's my compromise) which is currently my favorite (chocolate cake, butter-cream frosting) and a latte, of course.
The latte did give me a little buzz later on.
So, this challenge will result in a speedy-finished second version and more pounds.
Anyway, last night I realized that if I write about 1000 words a day, for the next 15 days, I will have all I need, plus two days to fix everything up and mail it to the competition.
So, now, tired or not, I have to write every day.
And today I opted for a new story, instead of rewriting the old ones.
I don't know, I read some, and these are good stories, but written in a very non-fiction way, so, as my mother would say," I can't catch their head nor their tail."
Some other day.
In a meanwhile, new story. It's going to be a long one, I can tell.
And this one is actually a bit autobiographical.

Countdown: Day Six

Words in the new collection: 25,693;
Words put in so far, today: About 500
Words in a new story finished today (happiness, happiness, joy, joy): 3,668
Lattes: 1
Chocolate and assorted sugars that help me write: 0
Retouched stories accepted for publishing (Bastard's Wife for Orion Headless): 1
Words to go: 40,000-25,693= a little less than 15,000, or about 5 stories.
Days left in this challenge: 17
Extraordinary circumstances: First snow of the year in DC! I just made my wish...

Challenge: Day Five

Great day, my friends, great day!
I kept writing my new story, preliminary titled Revenge. Another...I'm not sure but at least 800 to 1,200 words put in today, most of them, I think, good. Yes, I know, it's hard to believe that not everything I write is brilliant ;-) but it's true.
Actually, when I read something that I wrote couple of years ago, sometimes I think: "Holy Crap", and not in a good way.
Also, I got an e-mail from a magazine accepting, actually loving, my old story, Bastard's Wife.
They called it "wonderful and powerful."
It's been a while since I read it and worked on it. So I read it today, and it's good. Some parts are great, some parts a little creative non-fictiony, but all in all, it's an interesting story, massive, vast, but interesting.
So, I have two short stories accepted, and one poem published so far. Not bad. Not bad at all. Right?
http://burningword.com/2012/01/marija-stajic/

Challenge: Day Four

So far, only 520 words today. Lame. I'm a lame writer today.
I came to a cafe after my Yoga class, and again, my laptop was acting up. I really have to buy a new one, and a Mac, since I'm pissed at PCs. But I'm afraid that getting used to a new laptop will distract me from my writing challenge.
So, I'm procrastinating. And making sure I back up everything cause this little ass here could die on me any moment. (Please don't. I apologize.)
Anyway, I keep writing this new story, titled Revenge, and it's developing into something long, so, I have no idea when I will finish it. I think it will take me days. And I have no idea where it's heading, really. I titled it Revenge from a line from the beginning, but then, it took a life of its own and went some place else. So I either turn it around and make it about revenge (hmmm, interesting idea) or just let it be and go wherever it needs to go and then re-title it. I know, the latter sounds easier. When did I ever choose anything easy? It's a rhetorical question.
But I'm still on track. It's not even five. I might actually put in all 1000 words today. After I rest from...I'm not sure what.

Challenge: Day Two

Today I decided to do Yoga before writing, just to see how that physical exercise affects my intellectual work.
I'm not sure if there's any difference.
Anyway, I have just retouched another story, Tombstones, I wrote months ago and forgot about. It's short, but sweet, in a serious way. So, with it, the count is 21, 112.
I have two more stories I started and never finished. (Pathetic, I know). I just didn't know how to finish them at the time. It happens to me a lot. I get an idea for a story, or a writing exercise gives me one, but then don't know how to finish it. So I just leave it, hoping that a little writing fairy will come at night and finish it for me.
Hasn't happened yet. But still hopeful ;-)
And I forgot my notes on two other orphan stories at home. And I have an extremely annoying neighbor in this cafe, who will not stop talking loudly, right next to me.
So, I don't know how many more words I will be able to contribute by the end of today, but I will try.
I'll start with moving to another seat.
Annoying.
Don't say "write from home." Booooring.

Day One

I half-strolled, half-rode to Dolcezza, with my ailing laptop, still good enough for writing, exactly at noon. Kind of symbolic.
I have rewritten my new story, New York, New York. I know it's not really the most imaginative title, but it works for now.
So, it took me three hours to significantly rewrite 4,000 words.
Not bad.
So, I'm down to...wait for it...wait for it...(How I met you mother, I know, it's just so funny and I swear, I have never used it before)....-19,600 words!
That's about half of what I need.
Of course, I will need to do a little more edits for this story, but nothing significant, I hope.
I'm waiting for the feedback on it first.
So, I will get some late lunch now, I try to do some more work this afternoon/evening.
Damn, it's cold outside! Good for writing I guess.

Countdown

Countdown to finishing my second version of my first book of prose starts tomorrow!
I will keep a blog-journal of what I do every day towards the goal of finishing it by Jan. 27, since on Jan. 28 I will be on Grand Cayman Island drinking a Strawberry Daiquiri. Oh, yes!
I want to submit my manuscript to a book competition at the end of this month.
I have about half of 40,000 words ready to go, and another 10,000 in the works. So I need to drain 10,000 out of my head or my first version.
The problem with that is that I have become a better writer in a year. So, whatever there was in the first version, needs to be reworked.
And I have...what...23 days. (Faint sound)
You should keep me in shape with your comments.
I like deadlines, they help me strengthen out. Like boot camp.
So, let the games begin....tomorrow, that is. Now I will watch new Parenthood.
Challenge Number One of 2012!