Welcome to the place where I rant, rave and discuss books, writing, the town of Cobourg Ontario and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Prompt-and-Share: Character Development Writing Prompt

Prompt -and-Share Happy Thursday everyone!

We are going to play with a little character development today. Introduce us to a larger than life character. Pick a name, any name, and go with it, describe the person to us with a little flare.

If you would like, just ask and I'll provide a name for you and you can create according to whatever that name springs up.

Since this is a character introduction, let's keep it short, no more than 200 words.

Have fun!

My Attempt

Mr. Crowley was as rickety old man with a squeaky old mind and creaky old joints. He smelled of mothballs, denture cream and that moldy scent that accumulates on a dish towel if left damp too long. No smiles ever graced his creased old face, just a permanent sneer. The cane that never left his hand was as old and rotted as he appeared to be and just as grouchy as it clunked and stomped the ground with each of Mr. Crowley’s steps.

Though his appearance suggested an easy target for the mean-spirited taunts that often plagued the mouths of naughty children, everyone in the neighborhood gave Mr. Crowley far more room than such a small man required. There was no apparent explanation for why nobody would look him in the eye, why the thought of gossiping about the mysterious old man never occurred to the nosy housewives or the golf-playing businessmen.

But Mr. Crowley knew, for in the folds of his dusty jacket laid the secrets of the universe and the power to harness and control more energy than the feeble little minds of Pennywash Lane possibly fathom.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

American Gods by Neil Gaiman: a book review

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

What’s there to say about this novel, except that it is absolutely amazing and if you haven’t yet read it, you should!

Okay, well maybe it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, it is really out there, and I simply couldn’t decide on a genre to put it in. It is beyond categorizing. But it is one hell of an adventure.

Our main character, Shadow, is a regular guy who is a dealt an incredibly irregular hand and handles the situation far better than I know I would. I can’t reveal more without giving away all the amazing little secrets and treasures that reveal themselves in a perfect delivery throughout the story. I refuse to cheat any possible reader of that experience.

American Gods is going right next to Pillars of the Earth on my suggested MUST READ list. If you’ve read it, let me know what you thought of the book (without giving anything away to those who haven’t read it) and if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?!?!?

Friday, February 17, 2012

Prompt-and-Share Writing Prompt

Prompt-and-Share


Two challenges in one today. First on our agenda is to focus on setting. Bring those sense to life! The picture below is where your scene plays out.

The second challenge is to be very distinct in the voice you us to describe the setting.

Spend a moment looking at the picture below, then write write write! 250 word count limit.

(picture taken from :http://paperdump.blogspot.com/2011/04/blog-post.html?showComment=1329318439283#c9074766231858070304 )




My Attempt:

Caroline Walker’s heels clickity-clacked on the weathered boards making an echoing sound not unlike a pair of polluted peg-legged sailors rushing down the dock to lay wood at the nearest whorehouse. She huffed and puffed and cursed under her breath as she wondered what in the name of all that was unholy possessed a gentleman like Hugh Montgomery to request she meet him in such an unrefined setting.

Weeds licked at her Manolo Blahniks like tiny green tendrils reaching up through the boards to grasp at her feet. An occasional breeze attempted to mess with her perfectly coifed and heavily sprayed upswept hairdo. She covered her nose and mouth with a thickly scented handkerchief so that the breeze which sometimes allowed for the fresh scent of green grass and meadow flowers to penetrate the cloud of expensive perfume that surrounded her being like its own ozone layer, would be fended off appropriately.

She spotted Hugh at the end of the dock and stormed up to him. One deep breath to contain her anger and then she let loose.

My Crazy Aunt Mimi used to say,” she made the sign of the cross and darted her eyes heavenward. “That you should never piss in the shower if you’ve already washed your feet. Now she may have been loopier than a slinky on a rollercoaster ride but she had her points. So why, pray tell, have you dragged me out to such an,” she swatted at a cloud of gnats that formed around her face, “uncivilized, backwoods, country hellhole when we were perfectly content at the fundraisers ball?”

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Writing Prompt

Prompt-and-Share Tuesdays Writing Prompt!

Let's have a little fun with this one. An embarrassing moment - Either recount a tale of one of your embarrassing moments, or put your MC into an embarrassing moment and tell us the story.

Lots of room on this one - 600 word limit

Have fun with it!