Merry Christmas–and fishing

First of all I wanted to say Merry Christmas.  Ours was quite enjoyable.  Lots of good food and plenty of laughs.

Second of all, I want to just chat – mostly too myself, so feel free to ignore me.  I’ve now signed up to be a World Fishing Network Ambassador.  So, now I have that on top of being the Northern Wisconsin Fishing Examiner.  It’s been a while since I’ve put up any articles, but I know I have to get back into it.  Two completely different formats, of course.  But sometimes I wonder if people will actually read what I write.  Do I know enough about it?  Will it be interesting and informative?  I don’t know.  I can talk about bass fishing through the eyes of someone new to the sport, but that’s really all I have going.  I guess the best thing to do it sit down and write a firm list for each: things I want to write an article about and things I can blog about.  Blogging is much different from article writing, for sure.  So, two different set-ups, two different audiences.  Maybe I should use One Note to organize my ideas?  I don’t know.  I know there’s already a lot of information out there – maybe that’s why it seems such a daunting task.  Maybe articles about how I learned the things I know how and how I plan to learn the things I don’t already know are in order.

Really I just wanted to add something to my blog.  That’s the reason I’m here today.  I guess I needed to stretch my fingers and write something – anything!  Other than NaNo, I haven’t written much of anything lately.  I’ve done a couple flash fiction entries for contests, and some revisions on my novel.  So, I guess saying that I haven’t written anything would be false.  A 50,000 word novel in a month is something, at least.

But now I have to get into the nonfiction realm.  I don’t know why I think it would be easier to break into that.  Outdoorsmen everywhere write about their passions.  It’s not any easier to break into paid writing in nonfiction, I don’t think.  Maybe it’s even more difficult. But I’m going to try.  Blogs, pics, and videos go to WFN.  Localized articles about fishing in Northern Wisconsin go to Examiner.  Articles about fishing in general go to Suite 101.  That’s my set up going into the new year.

Good luck and tight lines in 2011, All!

Christmas Muse, where are you?

It’s already December 3rd, and I have yet to find my Christmas muse.  Not sure where she went off to this year, but I haven’t been able to find her.  Maybe it’s because we don’t have our Christmas tree up yet.  I usually have it up earlier, and the warm glow of the lights gets me in the mood to write Christmas tales.  I guess I should get it up tonight and see if it helps.  I’ve thought of a few tales to tell, but they all seem trite to me in some way or another. 

Maybe I’ll start with a good Christmas comedy.  That always gets me in the holiday spirit.  Think about it – people who don’t normally spend every day together are often forced into a house not meant for such a crowd, and sometimes for days!  Yes, I’m talking about family gatherings!  It’s usually a comedy of errors when that happens.  Food disasters, lighting faux paux, Gramma Gracie having one too many hot totties and tipping over the Christmas tree, Billy having to share a room with Grandpa, who is a sleep walker.  The poor kid is too scared to sleep because of last year’s catastrophe. Uncle Bob, the world’s worst re-gifter. Ah yes, Christmas.

I think I’m starting to get into the spirit now.  I guess this year I’m just not willing to give up summer yet.  That’s the biggest part of the problem, I think.  I want to still be fishing in the warm sunshine and driving around with my sunroof open.  But alas, winter is setting in and a light blanket of snow is already covering the ground.  At least we have the beauty and feeling of the holidays to help us make that transition into the depths of winter.  Light a candle, string some lights, grab a cup of hot chocolate or pumpkin spice cappuccino, and remember the real reason for the season.

Things are starting to look better already.  Hey, Christmas muse!  There you are!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Free-writing and Writing Prompts

So, today I decided to get my other blog going again.  It’s at Writing.com, and I just use a random prompt that I find anywhere on the Internet, and I write about it for 10 minutes.  Whatever comes out, I post it.  Those are the rules – no editing, no caring what I’ve written – just write for 10 minutes and post.

I decided to look around on the Internet and get some new prompts.  The group where I’ve gotten my prompts for a long time re-uses the same prompts each year.  Now, that’s not all that bad.  You can see where your mindset was from one year to the next – you will definitely write something completely different.  But, I wanted to see what was out there.

I realized that writing prompts sometimes make me feel a bit dumb.  I see a prompt and suddenly all of these ideas come to me.  Then I wonder – why couldn’t I just write that to begin with?   Why didn’t I think of that?  It’s weird.  I know that this is why writing prompts exist… to spur your imagination, your muse, whatever you’d like to call it…. but it does make you feel a bit daft at times.  It was right there all the time, and I couldn’t see it.  A great story was ready to be written and I didn’t acknowledge it.  Weird.  When you write a lot, you think you are fairly creative – at least that’s what I think.  But then you realize there was a story begging to be told, and you didn’t even see it.

Don’t get my wrong.  I love writing prompts.  They are the best thing to spark my muse – but they do make me feel as though I should have already been writing a story once one comes about from any given prompt.

Again, the reason prompts exist is for those of us writers, like myself, who cannot see the forest for the trees (how terribly cliché, I know).  All I can say is that the person who “invented” writing prompts is to be commended highly… and if that person is not already a millionaire, he/she should be!

That’s all for tonight, my friends.

Write more, and write more often!