Writing Challenges

‘Man With A Gun’ Hits a Snag

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

SMILEY - SAD FACE - PEACHI am sending out my sincerest apologies to all who want to take part in the “Man With A Gun” Saturday writing challenge. I was supposed to have posted the next story this Saturday so that others could participate and post the links to their stories on my story. However, due to a major upheaval in our family this week (nothing tragic, but an event that required my undivided attention Thursday through Sunday), I was unable to post a new story — or do any blogging of any kind.

Any of you authors out there who had a story for this weekend, please forgive me, and please don’t give up on taking part in the challenge. You can feel free to post the link to your new story on last Saturday’s story, or you can hold onto it and post it with my new story this coming Saturday, August 16.

And if you haven’t heard about the challenge yet — or haven’t decided to take part — maybe this interruption will give you a chance to think about it more and jump in.

Oh My Goodness! It’s Almost National Poetry Month!

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

SHAKESPLEARE

 

I cannot believe it. When I think about all the poems I wrote last April for NaPoWriMo, it seems like just last week. How can we be right at the door of the next National Poetry Month already?

Well, one reason it seems so recent, of course, is that I’ve just recently had a book come out that includes quite a few of those poems from last NaPoWriMo, so I’ve been working with them again fairly recently.  But today it really hit me that I’m going to have to get my rhythm and rhyme on and get down to business again next week.  NEXT WEEK!?!?!?   YES!

Last year I was two days behind, so I had to work even harder to catch up, so this year, I’m going to be ready and waiting for April first. And while I’m at it, I’ll just add that I think we should re-christen that day anyway.

From now on we must not refer to April first as “April Fool’s Day.”

 As of this post, I hereby christen April first  “POET’S DAY.” We have a Mother’s Day, a Father’s Day, a Grandparent’s Day, a Children’s Day, a Veterans’ Day, a Secretary’s Day, etc., etc., etc.  So it’s only fair that the world be given a chance to celebrate those rare individuals who lighten the soul, tantalize the senses, plumb the depths of the heart, and carry us away on meter and rhyme and figurative language. LONG LIVE THE POETS!

 

NAPOWRIMO NEGATIVE

If you want to be ready for NaPoWriMo 2014, hop over and check out the preparations underway at the home site:  http://www.napowrimo.net/

 

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Velvet Verbosity #367 — Lunch with Xavier

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

I haven’t taken part in the Velvet Verbosity writing challenge previously, but I read Dawn Miller’s entries all the time, and it always sounds interesting, so this week I decided I should jump in as well. The prompt was the word “Lunch.” If you’d like to take part, you’ll find the host of the challenge and the rules at this link:
http://www.velvetverbosity.com/blog/2014/2/24/100-words-367-more-on-trains-and-writing

TABLE SETTING - PUB DOM - MUSEUM - LIGHTENED

LUNCH WITH XAVIER

Victoria had a lunch date – in a city where no one knew her. Sweating hands, butterflies – it was guilt. But why? After all, her husband Arnold had stopped making love to her, even stopped talking to her. She had to look for love and excitement elsewhere – like the Internet — and she’d used a fictitious name.

Excitement replaced fear now as she remembered that Xavier was the complete opposite of Arnold. Every word of his e-mails made her feel like a real woman again. Her heart pounded as she followed the maitre d’ to Xavier’s table for their initial meeting. Xavier stood and faced her:

“Victoria!”

“Arnold!!!”

 

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