{Writing} From Dream To Screen

Its no secret that I like to write... at least anymore.  I prefer story telling over anything else but story telling is so much harder.  Going from an initial idea to getting the idea down on paper is the hardest part.  For some reason blog posts are 100 times easier then stories but even blog posts are hard sometimes.

This week, as a part of Mama Kat's Writing Prompts, I chose "Share your writing process. How long does it take an idea in your head to get published on your blog?"

Typically, ideas are the easy part.  I have ideas come to me at the weirdest times and often.  In the shower, on the subway, as I drift off to sleep, in the middle of a sermon... Rarely do they come when I am in a place I can stop and actually write.  Often, my ideas come to me like Twitter or Facebook statuses.  They will be a short idea or phrase that often leads to further detail.  

If I am lucky and good, then I will stop whatever I am doing and write down the idea and the top 2-3 points/leads to that idea.  This rarely happens. I often will fool myself into thinking I'll remember it and why I thought it.  But 96% of the time, its gone the second I move my attention to something else.  

When I get a chance to sit down and flesh out an idea, often times the inspiration that came to me a "flash of genius" is often a faint glimmer.  If I am feeling inspirited, I might try and write anyway.  That usually leads to a different version of the original intention but is sometimes better.  

There are times I schedule out writing time with no real idea in mind.  Some of those times, inspiration comes and I will write about whatever is on my mind.  Other times, its a wasted hour or two and I end up checking emails or reading other blogs.  That happens more times then I'd like to admit.

My creative writing/story telling often happens in the same pattern. It leans a lot more on the unfinished and uninspired side.  Often, because its a long piece, I will get 20-30 pages in and lose my motivation. I can't count the amount of stories I have started and not finished.  Maybe one day I'll save up some money and head somewhere with just my computer (no internet) and just write for a couple of days.  Wonder if that will flesh out any of these ideas swimming around in my head.

The last step typically in my blog post writing is finding the right pictures. I prefer to have images in my posts but I prefer to have my own photos.  I try my best to find something I have already taken or if I have time, I will take pictures just for a particular post.  

So that's how this thing called writing tends to work for me.  Its a little ADD and random, like I am.

What's your process?

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The Challenge of Being a "Writer"

Are you a writer of any kind?  Do you like the satisfaction of getting creative ideas down on "paper"?  Whether its a story, a blog, poetry, news, etc? I am no pro, but writing, I have learned, brings me joy.  Good or bad, I call myself a writer.  Not because I am published, well known or even good at it, but the joy it really does bring me, the life that it gives, is enough for me to call myself a writer.

Hold Your Breath

Grace wasn't sure how long she had been under but she could feel the pressure on her lungs, the ache in her chest and the need to draw in each breath slowly and intentionally. Devin had challenged her for the 100th time to a "hold your breath" contest. This time, she was determined to win. She had been practicing every day, desperate to add to her 45 second record. Devin had at least 10 seconds on her each weekend and she was determined to finally beat him.

"Ready, set, go", deep breath and they were under water. The pressure the water adds to the hold makes each second feel like minutes. She waited for what felt like a minute before opening her eyes. She knew from experience that to watch Devin made it harder for her to keep her breath. So she waited, eyes closed, dreaming of the ice cream she knew her mom would buy her at the end of the day. Excited about the trip to the fair her parents promised on Sunday. When her head started to go light and her chest started to scream she slowly opened her eyes. Devon was no where to be seen. She didn't know if he was teasing her, psyching her out so she waited until she couldn't wait any longer and then slowly came up for air.

As Grace tried to get her air back she looked around for Devin, wondering where he had been. As her eyes settled on the form perched on the edge of the pool, she saw Devin, arms folded in front of him, lips in pout position.

"You cheated" he said with a touch of anger and jealousy.

"How long have you been out?" Grace asked, a little dumbfounded by what was going on.

"Long enough to get out of the pool and sulk." said Devins older brother, Josh, from above. "I think you beat him by a good 30 seconds. I was beginning to think that I needed to come in after you. You hiding gills under there?"

Grace was sure that her cheeks had turned blood read. She sunk slowly back into the water, allowing her win to settle in and her cheeks to cool off. Then a soft scream of joy bellowed under the water. She had finally beat Devin at something and the satisfaction was enough to last her weeks.