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February 25, 2006
And More Besides; Length and the Way of the List
The excercise using 10 lots of alternatives in a list gives me a longish micro and when I've been doing a few of these, I start seeing a theme emerge.
Midway through the previous week, I decided to do 30 lots. This was a stretch, but I noticed myself relax halfway through and start enjoying myself. I kept a book handy for those moments when my butt wanted to unstick from the chair. This time I had the Sleepers Almanac handy and I'd start to read a story and become alive inside someone else's fiction and suddenly I was ready to get back to my own. It's a version of doodling. The other thing you could do is have a shower--that's always good for lists except that the paper would get wet.
One of the things I've noticed of myself as a writer is the way I am getting so judgemental while I'm reading. So I'm stopping it. It does get in the way of having a good time with a book.
Early next week, I've got my list of 30 that I'm shaping for a story. I might add 2 of the short fictions that I already have, to see if I come up with a longer and even more complex story -- I have a nice letter come in the mail this week asking for a story so either I'll have to get one that's already in the bag or... But I'm always hanging out to create something new!
And tommorrow, I'm going to look at that cooking gadget again, the one that I mentioned before in another post. Tommorrow, I'm dragging my sceptical husband off to see what a miracle it is. I'm for anything that will save time so I can write more!
Posted by girija at February 25, 2006 11:34 PM