Monday, July 29, 2013

Extending the Short Story

As you might remember from last week's Fun assignment, I said to double your short story word count. In my case, I had to go from 38 to 76 words. Here's what I did:

A dank mist hung in the air as I ran my hands along the cold stone walls. Unlatching the metal gate, I exited through a secret door. The secluded passage gave way to a clearing as gleaming sunlight burst into my eyes. Cascading colors of emerald, ruby, sapphire, and amber flooded my sight as I drank in the vision of a lush and fertile garden. Warmth drenched me as the chill of dank air evaporated away.


The evolution of this narrative shows that even though individual words can change the basics remain the same. I added words and also changed or eliminated others that didn't help advance the descriptive narrative. Changing parts that don't work or just sound wrong are part of the writing process. It may be painful at times, but rewarding and fulfilling other times. Don't be afraid to try. 

I'll be continuing on with this short story and we'll see where it leads. If you're feeling brave, I'd love to read what you've come up with. 



Thanks for reading.

Questions and comments are welcome.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Weekend Fun #3

If you remember last week's assignment, I said to write a short story with a word count matching your age. Now for this week, take that short story and expand it by doubling the word count. Avoid passive verbs and superfluous words. Don't worry, we'll be piecing together a good story over time. 

Next Monday I'll post up what I've come up with. Hopefully I'll be able to read some of your work as well. 





Thanks for reading.
Questions and Comments are welcome. 

DouglasHClark.com


The Engine visits the Court House!

Hello Readers. As you know, Thursday is my usual day for posting our Inspirational story for the week. However, this week I've been called to perform my civic duty and serve on a jury. 

What fun!

I've been pulled in multiple directions due to this unexpected turn of events. However, I want you to know that I will be posting a Friday Weekend Fun assignment later today. Also, Next week I will have another Inspirational post on Thursday. Sorry for the disruption. Sometimes life decides to throw you a curve ball. 



Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are always welcome. 

Monday, July 22, 2013

A 38 Word Short Story

- By Douglas Clark

Exiting through a secret door down a secluded passage, gleaming sunlight burst into my eyes. Cascading colors of emerald, ruby, sapphire, and amber flooded my sight as I drank in the vision of a lush and fertile garden. 


If you remember last week's Weekend Fun, I said to write a short story where the word count has to match your age. For me, I suddenly felt the urge to write about seclusion and solitude. I also really like being outdoors. When I'm stuck inside too long I just feel trapped. I guess that's why the image of emerging from a dark place into one full of color seemed so appealing to me. 

What did you come up with? If you haven't tried it, give it a shot. It won't take that long, I promise.

Thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome. 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Weekend Fun #2

Okay, here's a fun little exercise. This weekend write a short story. Relax it's going to be really short. For this story, your word count has to match exactly to your age. For me, I have 38 words to tell a good story. I'd say anyone nearing 100 is going to have a way easier time than any readers in their teens. 

Good luck. I'll post my story on Monday. Give it a shot, I'd love to read what you come up with.



Thanks for reading. 
Questions and comments are welcome. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

There Be Dragons Here!

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.



So I’ve debated what to do about this sketch I’ve been working on for a while. And by a while I mean over a year and a half. Granted I’m not really a ‘good’ artist, although I can make it seem like I’ve got a bit of talent. Really though, painting, drawing, sketching, pretty much anything artistic beyond writing is probably a distant second when it comes to depth in my talent pool, but I still like trying. I took classes way back in high school that taught me the basics of artistic creation but I’ve never pursued it further. However there are times I regretted that decision. Much like when I gave up on the saxophone. That’s why I go back from time to time to draw, or paint; just to see if I still can do it. For this effort, I’m rather happy with the results of the work I put into my sketch.

Now I don’t have any delusions that it will win any awards but for someone that has trouble drawing a decent circle, I think I did pretty well. The subject matter helped too. A while back, my daughter and I were at the craft store and she saw a plastic dragon; it had an incredible shape and color that immediately got my attention. She asked if we could get it and I agreed. It sat on her dresser for a while until one day I got the itch to draw it. 

You see I've always like dragons. The mythology behind them is quite amazing. In fact you can read about all sort of fascinating dragon facts if you like. With all that in mind, I began my drawing. I labored on it, put it aside for weeks, went back to it, abandoned it, tried again. Eventually I got to a point where I felt it was finished. I’m sure it could use a decent background but I get the feeling if I try anything more I’ll just ruin it. So if it looks incomplete, I’ll accept that; it’s better than destroying it. Trust me, I’ve done that before.

I wanted to share it with everyone, just to let you know even if you aren’t terribly good at something you can still get enjoyment out of it. Even if you are afraid to share something, you might just get a positive boost if you let someone see your work. Remember, we’re not perfect nor should we act like we can achieve perfection. Simply making the effort can be enough sometimes. Pushing yourself that extra bit can reveal a lot more about what you’re capable of. I recommend taking that one extra step, you might just like what happens next.

I dare you to take that step. I'd love to see what you might share!

Thanks for reading.

Questions and Comments are welcome. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

Monday Perspective

Early Saturday morning, I’m sitting in my favorite chair staring out the window. I felt relaxed enjoying the shining sun and the beautiful blue sky. I contemplated what I would do with the rest of the day and it hit me. I hadn’t completed my Weekend Fun assignment. If you remember from Friday, the assignment was to take a picture of something from an unusual or non-traditional angle and see how it changes your perspective on that subject. So I quickly grabbed my camera and started shooting everything in sight. I first started with a pencil. I took low angle, high angle, oblique, side, front and back angle shots; all trying to capture the image of a pencil from a distinct yet unusual view. It didn’t work. First thing I learned was that my camera lens is not designed for close ups and far away shots of something so small as a pencil lose a certain centering. So I put the pencil away and continued on.

The first subject I found that produced an interesting shot is below. Can you guess is in this picture? They’re very old, very beat up golf clubs. It’s obvious from this shot I think. 


This next shot is also obvious but the result speaks for itself. Looking down on the door knob, the view seems strange but familiar. 


These next two are my favorites. I shot this with the candle sitting on the toilet tank. These angles make me feel as if the light is suspended in an unnatural way. And like a moth, I find myself drawn to the flame in each picture, wanting to stare at them for a while. Maybe it’s the orange light off the wall, or how bright the flame is. 




This last one is just an off angle shot of a painting I have in my hallway. I’ve always found it kind of strange seeing photographs of paintings. I guess it seems redundant to me. Anyway, I like the odd shapes and colors of this painting. 


So, what did I learn from this little experiment? Well, for one thing, I learned using strange angles to take pictures hardly ever produces quality shots. These five shots are a fraction of the forty or so I actually took. I’ll be the first to admit they aren’t super incredible. However, taking time with each shot, I learned that you can really present something mundane or common in a much fresher perspective if you keep trying. The more I look at the candle shots the more I like them. Did you try the experiment? What do you think?


Thanks for reading. 
Questions and comments are welcome. 

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