Mr. Sanderson's Dialogue Challenge

In case I lose my nerve before Sunday, here are my three pages of dialogue. I may extend it, but right now, it feels right the way it is. The challenge was to write 5-10 pages of dialogue, two characters, no blocking, no tagging, no exposition beyond what their words imply. Instructions for sharing, if you dare to accept the challenge, are on Brandon Sanderson's Facebook page. Deadline is Sunday.


"The world is full of decay."

"We shouldn't add to it then."

"It's not our decision."

"Then who's is it?"

"You know."

"I don't know."

"No, you know. Don't make me say it."

"But I don't know!"

"It doesn't matter Charlie, we need to do our job."

"For a boss I don't even know?"

"Yes. Do as I say son."

"But not as you do, right? You do it. I'll walk home."

"You cannot do that."

"Why not?"

"You are not old enough to be on your own."

"Oh really? Then why did you lie to Mom?"

"I needed you on this mission."

"Don't you have a partner or something? I thought you were a cop."

"Not exactly."

"What are you than?"

"More like what are we, my son."

"I don't work with you. I'm thirteen. How could I sign up for this?"

"You did not. It is who we are."

"Couldn't Mom help you instead? She's great at killing things. You've seen the garden."

"Your mother will have no part of this."

"Than I won't either."

"You have no choice."

"Why? Because you say so?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I cannot tell you. You must figure it out on your own."

"Is this some sort of test? I don't do well on those, you know."

"It is not a test. But everyone in our condition has to find their own reasons, their own why."

"It's so beautiful Father."

"I know."

"Can't I keep it?"

"No. Think of how much I am gone. Could we keep all of those? It would not be fair."

"Well, you always say the world's not fair."

"Take it son, your mother is expecting us for dinner."

"I don't know how."

"Touch it. You will see how."

"It's smiling at me."

"It does not belong here, son, do the job."

"I don't want a job!"

"You have as much choice in this as you did in your sex, boy, now do it. I cannot stand to hear it much longer."

"She's laying down, Dad, she knows what's coming."

"Always remember what it is son. Always."

"I don't know what she is! I just know she's beautiful!"

"You have to do it now son."

"Don't touch me! Murder her yourself!"

"Shake it off son. It will all be clear. Let her go."

"No!"

"You have to do this. You chose to care for it. I told you to close off your mind."

"I won't! You'll have to kill us both!"

"Please don't make me end it, my son. Find your power, end it yourself, please."

"You're choking me!"

"You must see reason. Take its life. They cannot be allowed to stay."

"But-she's-so-beautiful-her-mind-the answers-"

"Do what you have to do or I will have to."

"All-right-father-I-see."

"What do you see?"

"The poisoned-heart-it's-black-I'll-"

"And what do you see now son?

"The world is full of decay."

I don't need permission to be wrong or right.

More PAD Chapbook Challenge this fine Sunday morning.

"Distance"

Is it wrong to crave the distance
shutterby and feel resistance
to the quote unquote
normal reality
that binds us all
in corporate misery.

I can't be shamed into submission
never bought, always listening
the shutter snaps closed
image captured
separation, soul renewed
to what is right and new.

"Can I Go"

The leaves are blowing
a deep knowing
winter's on the mend.
Kicking daisies
defining maybes
helping me around the bend.
Natural permission
to hide away
I am not scared of the cold
seeping, embracing
covering, lacing over
all we claim to know.
In the early dark
I see the spark of stars
and wonder-
can I go?

Tell Me Why I'm Stacking the Lost and Found

Inspired by the pad Chapbook Challenge. Robert Lee Brewer is a great poet, and the comments are fun to procrastinate with. I'm playing catchup again. My second rejection has made me feel better about continuing to write. At least I am trying now.

"Tell Me Why Everything's Broken”

Is it the cigarettes

or the lack of exercise

or the color tv?

Tell me why everything's broken.

Is it the unwanted children

or incompetent fathers

or unfit mothers?

Tell me why everything's broken.

Is it consumer culture

or trickle down government

or a war over oil?

Tell me why everything's broken.

Is it the rising poverty level

or the crisis of education

or the indulgence of the rich?

Tell me why everything's broken.

And the little boy says-

“It's all of that and more.”

"Cake"

one circle, slapped
down, filled, covered
with sugary staying
power, to rise high-
with proper support.
dowels shoved in
the next tier placed
with care; for these
are the days of our lives.

My lost and found poem for today found in the comments of today's post for PAD.

PAD Challenge Catch Up

I think I am killing my brain a bit trying to do this challenge and NaNo in the same month, but I will survive. Took a few days away from poems, either forgetting because I finished NaNo too late or in desperately needed rest.

I realize now that I need to listen to Hulk Hogan and take my damn vitamins. One can not live on coffee and cigarettes alone.

Here are the last four days of prompts, including today:

10th-A love poem.

"Orion"

I looked up and I saw

Orion, a dear warrior

in the sky.

All I could think of

was finding your face

to watch his belt.

You are my sunshine

I no longer need

a reason why.

11th-No One Wants (blank)

"No One Wants Sally"

hiding behind the bleachers

a bandanna over her hair

Sally probes her bomber jacket

for cigarettes-and stares

out to a painted field, colored

by white and blond and red

every color of the rainbow

it's all paranoia, in her head.

They'd let her join them if she wanted

but she chooses to be apart

Sally hits her smoke and falters

in second grade they broke her heart.

12th-Forget about it.

"Say"

"I forgot to say I love you."

"I know."

"There is no one else above you."

"I care."

"Is there anything to do?"

"The snow."

"It's more beautiful than you."

"I know."

13th-Open ended question.

"Where to Go"

Are you hungry

I think so, where

would you like to go?

I don't know, pass it

on, where would you

like to go? Well I

don't know, it's time

to chow, can you make

a decision tonight?

Manic Monday

I always loved this bit on the morning news here when I worked day shift at a gas station. Something needed to wake me up.

Only 3,000 more words, I can so do it. I'll be over the halfway point to "winning" NaNoWriMo, and a quarter of the way towards my goal. The Milk Wood place I'm always talking about on Twitter has been a help, if you can run http://www.secondlife.com come and write sometime.

I'm also doing the PAD challenge because I need to get in the habit of writing both every day, they seem to feed each other. I get all the annoyances of the day out through the poem, and then I feel clear in my head to write about the fictional people with all their problems. I wrote two on yesterday's prompt, so here is the second.

Pro-Sunset

I believe in sunsets
deep purple clouds
with magenta highlights
presiding over rush hour
tempering roadrage
the horizon brings
warm orange and
blood tinged trees
a strata of the day's events
for a limited time only.

Grinding the Grid: Saturday Night's Alright for Inspiration

Saturday evening is a great night for live music in Second Life®. Music is the purest form of escapism and inspiration for me, so much energy comes across from the performers. A great live show will always invigorate and enhance my writing.

To start my Saturday of musical inspiration, I took a trip over to Cisum (now unfortunately mid-move) to check out the sweet yet rocking Geos Copperfield at his 12PM SLT gig. This happens every week, with a set that varies between covers of all styles and originals that will get your head bobbing. I'm particularly fond of his song Words and his cover of Smashing Pumpkins saccharine lullaby, By Starlight. His performance at Cisum was also graced by a spectacular cover of Blue October's Hate Me. They're a good band for a writing playlist, epic without being in your face. Following him on the Cisum stage was Marsram Mougin with his intricate guitar work and slightly roughed voice that is perfect for the classic rock he plays. I stayed till the end of his set, relaxing and talking music with a friend while sipping the fruity pineapple drink Marsram's tip jar gives out.

Next on my list of musicians to catch up with was strum Diesel. I use his Google Calendar and my subscription to his updates to keep up with his performances on grid, trying to hit at least one show a week. This week, it was a new venue for him, A & A Games. I've kicked my Zyngo addiction, so left the gaming alone, but the 7 Seas Fishing pier was a nice diversion while I watched the sunset and listened to strum's amazing blend of originals and covers. His sets are different every time, including both guitar and piano accompaniment. The green haired showman can make you laugh and cry with his lyrics, filled with social commentary and pointed observations.


After relaxing with the sunset and strum's music for an hour, I moved on to my favorite club in Second Life®, the Virtual Hotel Chelsea. I stumbled upon it looking for a virtual New York City in the name of inspiration one morning and just keep coming back. Mykal Skall and enola Vaher are the avatars behind this nirvana of Bohemia, and it is their artistic spirit that makes the place feel so real. Walking into the Lyceum, I feel immersed in the 60s rock scene. Dark wood paneling, a fantastic bar, and pictures of the real Hotel Chelsea and its residents create this feeling for me. And the musicians enola books to perform there, of course.

First up was RoseDrop Rust. His performance was a blend of solid covers and amazing original poetry. Rusty is one of the best poets on the grid, and a live reading of his should not be missed. I hardly noticed the hour of his set going by, I was so wrapped up in his words. The blend of music and poetry was a perfect compliment to the club, and I felt like I was in the real Chelsea for most of his set.



Riding off the natural high of RoseDrop's performance, I slid right into Dale Aries's set without missing a beat. His gruff voice fit right into the mood RoseDrop had created, and I couldn't help but bop my head along with his blend of covers and originals. No dancing for me, though, I was so inspired by this point a poem just bled on out of me during the show.

There are many ways of finding inspiration on the grid, and the easy access to live music should be added to a list that already includes impressive builds and a great sense of community. Try out a show at the Hotel Chelsea on a Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday, or search any of these artists for their inworld groups and subscribos that will notify you when a great source of inspiration may be only a teleport away.

The Ways of the World: Under the Influence

There are many conflicting opinions on what one should read as a writer. Some authors-like David Eddings-claim to never read in their genre. Though he contradicted himself when he wrote of his love for the forms of medieval romance in the Introduction to The Rivan Codex. He was heavily influenced by this classic genre, and it shows in the similar plot structure of his books. It is better to admit to the influence your reading habits have on your writing, for then you can use it to your advantage.

The Writing Excuses podcast this week was on the proper way to steal. We have to be careful of plagiarism, and if you do not acknowledge and pay attention to how your influences texture your writing, you may be accused of being too derivative, as Eddings and Christopher Paolini often are.

The trick to harnessing your influences without getting caught is blending them in original ways. It's not the best of ideas to read in one genre to the exclusion of all others, it can lead to a sameness in style that will be noticed. My strategy to ensure I blend many different influences is to read multiple books at the same time.

Sure, I focus on one book occasionally, but for the last few years I've had a stack of about seven books that I'm reading. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I try to keep it on a set list of genres/styles, to ensure that I am not all over the place. The categories I settled on are: Religion, young adult, poetry, fantasy, reference, author criticism, and plays. These general headings cover the majority of my interests, and give enough leeway to plug in any book. My current reading list is the Bible, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, A collection of Shakespeare's poetry, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, A Field Guide to Narnia, and A Raisin in the Sun. There's also a collection of Faulkner's work and Spenser's poems on the stack, as well as my continuing quest to get through Tales Before Tolkien. Another trick for ensuring you get to at least three of your chosen books a day is to scatter them about the house, anywhere you sit down is my decorating plan.

This is a heavy list, but I'm playing catchup as well. It suits the procrastinator in me. The theory behind the list is what matters, and that can be tailored to suit your needs. For example, one of the best ways to steal without getting caught is to borrow from history. This would be a section of my reading list, but as I already have to read a lot of history in the course of homeschooling my son, I omit it from the stack. The important piece to remember is to have a set list of forms and styles you read in.

Get a list of forms, styles and genres together that you want to explore and have at it. It helps to set aside a set time for reading every day, and to decorate with books. This reading to expand your writing style can be considered separate from casual reading, and don't be afraid to take notes. Happy reading!