29th May2008

Thursday Thirteen #146

by Aaron

Hello Thursday! As another week is coming to an end, I have realized that May is just about over. This means that we’re coming up on the sixth month of the year and we’re almost half-way through 2008. As scary and amazing as that sounds, I think that means it’s time to take inventory and see where we all stand.

For me, I think that a list of thirteen things I still need to accomplish this year would be a good list and give an outline of sorts as to what I need to do with the time left in ’08. Have you gotten your yearly ‘to-do list’ all crossed off? What do *you* still want / need to do. I’d love for you to let us know in the comments.

Thursday 13
Thirteen things I want to accomplish by 12/31/08, by Aaron Crocco

1. Finish or get close to finishing a new book.

2. Participate in NaNoWrimo

3. Title my Robert Book.

4. Get my Robert Book finished and submitted to agents & publishers.

5. Figure out if I’m writing Mars or scrapping it or even re-writing it.

6. Read one or two classic novels on my Kindle.

7. Find a new writing group or start my very own.

8. Blog more often.

9. Find more time to write.

10. Get more involved in the writing community.

11. Successfully write the interactive story.

12. Resume my old podcast or begin a new one that is writing-oriented.

13. Remain confident that I really can do this and perhaps one day make a living off of it.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Category : Ideas
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27th May2008

Building A Mystery

by Aaron

Welcome to a new week, Copious Notes readers! I hope everyone who had off enjoyed their free day and had some good BBQ.

Now that we’re getting back into the swing of the week, I’d like to follow up to my inital post / first poll for the interactive story. First, thank you to those of you who did vote. While I had hoped for more input, some is way better than none. I am appreciative to those who posted what type of story this should be. Beating out science fiction by 2-1, we’ll be embarking on a mystery.

Now let me say that I’ve never written a mystery before and I don’t know how well I will do, but I think that because this will be an interactive venture, input from you will greatly help and in the end this could be a good story. I know that mysteries are normally exciting and also they are not limited to a ‘who-dun-it’. The recent success of Dan Brown shows that puzzle-mysteries can resonate with readers out there. I am also a history fan and believe that a history-driven, puzzle-style story could work well and it can also be a book that I would be excited to write. While that may sound selfish, I will say that enthusiasm to write a story equals the drive to write it. Given the fact that I haven’t written a single word in almost a month and a half, this experiment should work well.

So for this second round of input, please comment and let me know if you agree that this is the type of mystery that should be written. If you have a better suggestion, please feel free to let me know!

Category : _Interactive Story
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25th May2008

Lyrically Speaking for May 25

by Aaron

Happy Sunday everyone! As (mostly) everyone enjoys their second day of the weekend, I bring you yet another song that can read like poetry. Just a quick note before we get to that. I wanted to let you guys know that while there were no posts on Thursday or Friday, I am thankful for the few of you who voted for the interactive story. I’ll have more about that tomorrow. Now, back to our regularly scheduled post.

This week I bring you a great song that most of you should know. The band The Cure has a somewhat of a cult following. They had a few hits that brought them into the mainstream but ultimately they kept their underground status. They’re new wave, they’re indie, they’re goth, and they’re a great band. I think all of their lyrics can read poetically and honestly it’s hard to choose just one song to share with everyone. I think I chose one of the best and enjoy it as much as I do.

From The Cure, this is Just Like Heaven:

“Show me how you do that trick
The one that makes me scream” she said
“The one that makes me laugh” she said
And threw her arms around my neck
“Show me how you do it
And I promise you I promise that
I’ll run away with you
I’ll run away with you”

Spinning on that dizzy edge
I kissed her face and kissed her head
And dreamed of all the different ways I had
To make her glow
“Why are you so far away?” she said
“Why won’t you ever know that I’m in love with you
That I’m in love with you”

You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You
Strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You’re just like a dream

Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
And found myself alone alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me

You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You
Just like heaven

Category : Ideas
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19th May2008

The Interactive Story

by Aaron

As I announced last week, I am going to begin writing an interactive story with you, the readers of Copious Notes. This book is to be an experiment in seeing how a story can be crafted when multiple people are involved. As each chapter or section is posted, comments, edits, suggestions and all input will help shape the rest of the book. Eventually, it will be a complete work that will be posted here for all to read.

We need to get some of the ground-work in place so I know where to begin. In order to do that, I will post a series of polls to get everyone’s input. The first important item is the genre. This is where I leave it your hands. I will say that I am a sci-fi guy so that is an easier genre for me to write, but I’m open to writing something else. Please vote by posting your vote in the comments and if you have a suggestion then feel free to let me know. I will leave this poll open until Thursday, so be sure to get your vote in by then!

What genre should the book be?

-Sci-Fi
-Mystery
-Drama
-Other

Category : _Interactive Story
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18th May2008

Lyrically Speaking for May 18

by Aaron

Happy Sunday to everyone out there. This week for Lyrically Speaking I wanted to bring it back home to my favorite band of all time, The Smashing Pumpkins. I’ve tried to not use them too much for this series but I have recently heard a song that reminded me of how great the lyrics are.

The album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness is a double-album that has a huge range of music on it, ranging from hard rock to the softest piano. There is one song in particular that seems more poetry than music, but it’s satisfying to hear at any time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

From The Smashing Pumpkins’ album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness, this is Muzzle:

i fear that i am ordinary, just like everyone
to lie here and die among the sorrows
adrift among the days
for everything i ever said
and everything i’ve ever done is gone and dead
as all things must surely have to end
and great loves will one day have to part
i know that i am meant for this world

my life has been extraordinary
blessed and cursed and won
time heals but i’m forever broken
by and by the way…

have you ever heard the words
i’m singing in these song?
it’s for the girl i’ve loved all along
can a taste of love be so wrong

as all things must surely have to end
and great loves will one day have to part
i know that i am meant for this world
and in my mind as i was floating
far above the clouds
some children laughed i’d fall for certain
for thinking that i’d last forever

but i knew exactly where i was
and i knew the meaning of it all
and i knew the the distance to the sun
and i knew the echo that is love
and i knew the secrets in your spires
and i knew the emptiness of youth
and i knew the solitude of heart
and i knew the murmurs of the soul

and the world is drawn into your hands
and the world is etched upon your heart
and the world so hard to understand
is world you can’t live without
and i knew the silence of the world

Category : Ideas
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16th May2008

Just Write Blog Carnival: May 16, 2008 Edition

by Aaron

Welcome to the May 16, 2008 edition of Just Write. Thanks to everyone who submitted! As usual, we have some bright people sharing information about the world of writing. Please visit them and encourage them all to keep up the good work.

Book Reviews

Cindy King presents Book Review – Letting Go Of The Words – Writing Web Content That Works By Janice Redish posted at Cindy King, saying, “Letting Go Of The Words is a must read for anyone involved with a website or blog. This is not about the tools you need or anything technical. This book is about web content and information strategies. It’s about “planning, selecting, organizing, writing, illustrating, reviewing, and testing content”…that gives readers a successful and satisfying web experience.”

The Writing Life

Steve Osborne presents Writers: Don’t Be Seduced by Photography posted at TheWritersBag.com, saying, “Steve Osborne, author of “Writing Tips for the Real World,” is a professional freelance writer and writing instructor with over 20 years of experience.”

Writing Mechanics

Jim Murdoch presents You probably think this blog is about you (part three) posted at The Truth About Lies, saying, “Third of four articles on ‘thinly veiled autobiographies’”

Orna Ross presents Five Keys To Writing Excellence by Orna Ross posted at WRITING ADVICE & PUBLISHING ADVICE from Font, saying, “All good writing shares five common characteristics. Orna Ross takes us through them.”

Writing Projects/Prompts

Christina M. Rau presents Phone Calls And Conversations (Or Fifty Ways To Need A Lover) posted at The Unromancing Of Roma, saying, “Chapter 2 of The Unromancing of Roma–Marie gets a date!”

Aaron Crocco presents And Now Something New posted at Aaron Crocco: Copious Notes, saying, “I have announced on my blog that I will be writing an interactive book with help from my readers and post each chapter as I write it.”

Theresa L. Twogood presents Daily Prayer Journal posted at OLIN e-Book e-Publishing.

Writing Resources

Amy Munnell presents Windmills of My Mind…Memoir Markets posted at 3 Questions…and Answers.

Writing Tips

Steve Osborne presents Which Do You Love: Writing or Being a Writer? posted at TheWritersBag.com, saying, “Steve Osborne, author of “Writing Tips for the Real World,” is a professional freelance writer and writing instructor with over 20 years of experience.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Just Write
using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Category : Tips
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15th May2008

Thursday Thirteen #145

by Aaron

Hello Thursday! I’m sure you can tell right away from visiting here that I love to write. I think many people do, regardless if they actually write or not. For me, I’ve decided it’s something I want to pursue and I’m trying to make something of it.

For this week’s list of thirteen items, I’ll list why I write. I’d love to know why *you* write. Please let me know in the comments.

Thursday 13
Thirteen reasons I write by Aaron Crocco

1. It’s a fantastic way to get emotions from the day out of my head.

2. It’s a thrill to actually create something from scratch.

3. When a character does something unexpected, I know then that they are truly alive.

4. It’s nice to know you’re good at something different than your day job.

5. I find it exciting to be part of something larger and to know there is a great community here.

6. Validation by other writers is my biggest driving force.

7. Creating your own world is fun.

8. It’s great to know you get to dictate how a story ends. If I don’t like something, I simply change it.

9. The thought of possibly publishing, while very difficult, is a constant goal to have.

10. I get to read the works of other great writers out there.

11. Writing has gotten me to read more. (See all posts tagged with Kindle)

12. Finishing a paragraph or chapter lets me know that I can do this.

13. Accomplishment is the greatest feeling in the world.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Category : Just me
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3 Comm
14th May2008

And Now Something New

by Aaron

Lately I have been trying to figure out how to get more consistent content onto Copious Notes. My work schedule, combined with my after-work activities, make free time difficult sometimes. I *still* have not written anything new and I belive my writing drought stands at 4 weeks. Well now I’m looking to change that.

Since my last experiement I have seen that it didn’t really make a difference. I have had an idea floating around in my head for some time to do something I think would be original.

I plan on writing a story here on this blog and bringing you into the writing process. This will be a fully transparent story, where you will be able to see the entire creation happen from start to finish. As I write each chapter, I will post it along with requests for feedback and ideas on where to go next.

I would like this story to be as interactive as possible, meaning you can help dictate the final shape of the story. In the coming days I will post polls asking for you to pick the genre, plot, charactar names and other integral parts of the story.

This is literally a blank slate, as I do not have a story idea ready to go. This will be out in the open from start to finish. I’d love to know what everyone thinks about this and if you have any ideas, go ahead and post them in the comments. I’m eager to know your thoughts.

Category : Ideas, Just me, _Interactive Story
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