Monday, July 1, 2013

Monday On The Deck


It was cool enough for a flannel robe this morning as Storm and I once again headed out with a tea pot under a cozy and an oatmeal muffin. I also took a stack of “work” along. I set up my laptop, put cell phone at the ready, arranged notepad and pencil, and I began to wade through magazines and saved articles while jotting down ideas I wanted to pursue. No one was mowing and neighborhood was quiet. I gave up on attending a morning meeting, and once “free”, my mind got down to business generating ideas and possible paths for exploration.

The August issue of The Writer was extraordinary with so many great articles. An interview with Elizabeth Stroud really primed the pump of my brain. I love her novels for the most part, but I think Olive Kitteridge is the best. The voice this author found to write in is challenging and unique.

I learned Natalie Goldberg has a new book out. I loved her Writing Down the Bones but have been disappointed in some of her later works. However….my fingers and Amazon went to work to get the new The True Secrets of Writing on its way to me.

Interesting lines about internet use from the magazine:

“If we stop exercising our mental skills, we do not just forget them: The brain map for those skills is turned over to the skills we practice instead."

"...the Internet can become the antithesis of creativity."

I studied True West and found this issue of that magazine great too. With eighteen train rides in the West, I think I have one or two we might want to check out soon. DH loves steam trains! We have ridden at Chama, New Mexico; Alamosa, Colorado; Van Buren, Arkansas; and Durango, Colorado to name a few.

A writer group in Edmund, Oklahoma is running a unique contest. It is 750 words or less in NOTHING but dialogue. I want to try this.

I never got to novel reading today, but there is always tomorrow which is to be a cool day too. I am already making my plans, writing my list!

What about you? Have you ridden steam trains?

 
Writing OpsThe After Coetzee Project, an anthology of fiction, seeks short stories that bring forth a new kind of writing about animals, one that disengages from speciesist fictional strategies (animals as metaphors and allegories) and reimagines animals as subjects.

Please see the full call for submissions at http://aftercoetzee.com. Deadline to submit is December 1, 2013.
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Minerva Rising is an independent literary journal celebrating the creativity and wisdom in every woman. We publish thought-provoking fiction, non-fiction, photography, poetry and essays by women writers and artists. We are now open for submissions for Issue #4.

Minerva Rising Literary Journal is seeking short stories, essays, poetry, creative non-fiction, original prints, graphics arts and photographs for our next issue themed "Mothers". Please visit our website for additional submission guidelines: http://minervarising.com/submissions/
Deadline: August 15, 2013
Award: $50 for literary works, $35 for poetry and artwork, plus contributor copy
Reading Fee: $15 per single literary work, 3 poems, or three photos/pictures

Feel free to contact us with any questions at infoATminervarisingDOTcom.
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8 comments:

Sioux Roslawski said...

Bookie--I don't know. I rode one to Oregon when I was a kid. Was it a steam train? I'm not sure...

I checked out the first link...I could not understand a thing I read in their guidelines.

A story that's just pure dialogue? That DOES sound like it would be fun to try. Good luck.

BECKY said...

Hi Claudia! It's unseasonably cooler here, too! I could've used a sweatshirt when Vern and I were out at 6:30 this morning! Very weird!
Thanks for all the info about the magazines and contests, etc. Last year I entered a contest that was all dialogue and it was really fun! My story didn't win anything, but I'll certainly try it again. (I don't know if it was the same place or not.)
And, yes I did ride a steam train once....at an amusement park in Stone Mountain, Ga! Great post! Enjoy your day!! Oh, and I hadn't realized you were doggy-sitting!

BECKY said...

Hi again! I wanted to find the Oklahoma contest you mentioned, and I did find it. It's NOT the one I entered last year. So, for those who'd like to know about a second one, it's: http://www.bartlebysnopes.com/contests.htm

Linda O'Connell said...

I do love the early morning quiet. So glad you could find some inspiration. My head is a jumble of thoughts. Thanks for the call outs.

noexcuses said...

Your morning on the deck sounded so serene! I love my mornings, as well! Thanks for sharing all the writing contest info! Hope you get some reading in this week!

noexcuses said...

Oh, does the train at Knott's Berry Farm count????

Jeannie Marie said...

I rode the train at Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland/Disneyworld. We also rode one in Pennsylvania somewhere. Just out 20 or 30 miles and back. I love trains and took several Amtrak train trips from Ohio to Florida.

Lynn said...

Never been on a steam train, but my husband and I would love to take a trip on one! Might have to pick your brain for info. And I read Natalie's latest book - I really enjoyed it.