Outtakes 281
What A Day
By Cait Collins
I started my day by reading a book. Then I spent eleven hours editing other people’s work. I spent a few minutes trying to flesh out a scene in my new novel. Now I’m writing my blog. Sounds like a productive day to me.
Not all days go well, but if all you can accomplish in a day is one well written paragraph, I’d considered it worth the effort.
Writing Brains & Scrivener
Natalie Bright
Scrivener software totally gets my writing brain. The more I work in this software, the more I’m amazed at all it can do.
For example, this morning the opening scene for the second book of my Texas Frontier Series popped in my head. BAM! There it was. I am almost 10,000 words into the first draft and the opening chapter I’ve already written is absolutely wrong. Does this ever happen to you? I kept replaying the new scene in my head, over and over until I could get to the keyboard.
Here’s where Scrivener makes your life easy: Within the file that you designate as chapter, you can add a new text file. The chapters will autromatically renumber when you compile the final document. No renumbering pages or worrying about chapter numbers. No cutting and pasting to shift the work. I have a seperate text file for each scene and these scenes can be moved easily around within the manuscript document. That first scene may not be the opeing by the time I reach 30,000 words. No problem. The ‘scene’ file can be shifted to any order within the project file.
For more explaination, here’s the link to watch a great video from the creator of Scrivener:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdwnHo23Ub8
I also recommend the online class, LearnScrivenerFast.com
Stay tuned for more tidbits about this powerful writing tool. Are you using Scrivener? What has been your experience with Scrivener?
The Saturday Morning Blogger – Lady Eagles state championship run
James Barrington
During five years with the Canyon News, I attended three girls’ state championship basketball game in my official capacity. The Lady Eagles won all three. Since leaving the newspaper, they won their third in a row in 2016 and are looking for a four-peat this year. Friday night they overwhelmed Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill by a score of 66-39 in the semi-final. Saturday (March 4) afternoon at 3 p.m., they will play for their fourth consecutive state championship, this time against Mansfield Timberview.
There are some amazing young athletes on this year’s team, just as on the last three, but the common factors binding them all together is head coach Joe Lombard and two-time state tournament MVP Angel Hayden who has been a varsity starter since her freshman year.
As this is being written, we have no idea what the final score of that game will be, but Canyon’s Lady Eagles have every incentive to play their best. If past history is any predictor, their best is likely to produce some amazing results in the history of Texas UIL sports.
Tom Clancy has been quoted as saying that fiction is harder to write than non-fiction, because fiction has to be believable. When the New England Patriots recovered from a stumbling season in 2001 to win their first Super Bowl championship with a second-string quarterback in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, it was “storybook” writing. The Patriots bringing the nation to its feet after such a terrible blow was something that many would have blown off if it had been a fictional story.
There have been times when real sports news has played out in life like a fairy tale. By Saturday evening, March 4, 2017, we’ll know if the 2016-2017 basketball season will add another fairy tale ending to the illustrious history of Canyon’s Lady Eagles, Coach Joe Lombard, and senior Angel Hayden.
The fact that this season is coming to an end during the middle of crises for the Lombard family adds to the drama, and perhaps gives extra incentive to the team in what is shaping up to be quite a game in the Alamodome.
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Writing Prompt
By Nandy Ekle
“Write about a time you were surprised.
On Monday I was sitting at my desk at the office, I had my earphones on listening to the radio. The DJ announced he was holding the last pair of tickets to the Eagles concert that Friday night.
“I’ve been told these are the last two tickets on the face of the earth. All you have to do for a chance to win them is to put your name and phone number on a piece of paper and drop it in the box at the car lot.”
I have never in my life won a raffle. If there are only names in the bag for the drawing, mine will not be drawn. However, The Eagles are the number one band on my list of favorites. Besides that, if you never put your name in, there will not even a chance at all, no matter how infinitesimal. So every day the week I left the office during my lunch hour and drove across town to put my name the box. My husband put his name in the box, and even my son entered for a chance to win the tickets.
Friday morning I was sitting at my desk at the office. I had my earphone on listening to the radio. The DJ announced he was about to draw a name for the winner of the last existing pair of tickets to the Eagles concert.
“My hand is going inside the box.”
I heard paper mixing around.
“I have one name in my hand.”
I wasn’t paying close attention because I knew it wasn’t my name.
“I’m dialing the phone number.”
I heard beeps and boops of numbers being pressed on the phone. But I kept working.
“The phone is now ringing.”
I heard the phone ring over the radio waves. Then something extraordinary happened. My phone lit up and the caller ID said “radio station.” I stared at it as it rang a second time.
“Is that your phone?” The lady sitting next to me asked.
“Yeah.” It rang a third time.
“You should answer it. I think it’s the radio station.”
“Yeah.” I picked up my phone and pushed the button. “Hello?” I said.
“Is this Nandy?”
“Yes?” I still felt like I was in a dream.
“Did you put your name in the box at the car lot for Eagles tickets?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Well, I pulled your name out of the box. You’re going to see the Eagles!”
I have no memory of what my answer was.
The concert was as fantastic as I knew it would be. But the most incredible thing was the fact that I won those tickets in a raffle. 🙂
Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.
Writing Prompts
by Adam Huddleston
As writers, we sometimes suffer that dreaded phenomenon known as, gasp, writers block. One of the best ways of breaking through that block is to work on a project outside of the main piece that you are trying to finish. It’s funny, but sometimes just getting the words flowing is enough to help you with your main work. But where, pray tell, do you get ideas quickly and conveniently? I’ve found a great resource!
The forum website reddit.com is a very valuable tool. There is a metric ton of subreddits that you can “subscribe” to and converse with folks from around the world about any number of topics. The resource of which I speak is the /r/WritingPrompts site. It is constantly being updated and you can reply with your work, or submit your own prompt. Most are sci-fi/fantasy related, but almost all are entertaining in some way.
Happy writing!
Outtakes 280
Speech. Speech.
By Cait Collins
Tonight I listened to the President’s first speech before a joint session of Congress. Don’t worry; I’m not going to discuss politics. Truth is, I kept thinking about the person who wrote the speech. It’s not easy to match another person’s thoughts and emotions and dreams into words that will create a response in the listener. Word choice, examples, cites; and quotes used will incite a reaction in those in the audience. Some will be inspired. Others will be thoughtful. And others could be moved to hate and violence.
Think of the great speeches across the ages. Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” oration inspired rebels to demand their freedom from England. Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address…”Fourscore and seven years ago our father’s brought forth on this continent a new nation” sought to bring healing to a war weary nation. What about Hitler’s rantings that incited a nation to hate and murder.
Ministers are wonderful examples of speech writers. Every Sunday they present a message designed to encourage the congregation to seek a better life. Some preach love and forgiveness, and others spew hell fire and damnation. The audience responds to each speaker. Many with joyful acceptance, while others shrink in fear. And some with sit is self-righteous piety thinking they are better than the sinners.
Like writing a story or a novel, a speech has three parts…a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is a call to inspire, inflame, or inform. The middle fleshes out the details. And the end is a call to action. It requires mastery of language arts skills, a deep understanding of human nature, and strong insights into the one who will be delivering the address. Above all it demands impeccable research in appropriate statistics, facts, and examples. Truly a speech writer is a master at his craft. And while some would not consider the speech writer as a professional writer, this craftsman does have a place in alongside novelists, tech writers, copy writers, and text book writers. After all, he earns his living by writing.
Wordsmith Six 