9.10.2009

In a bit of a Pickle...

Well it's Thursday and although I work in the retail industry I actually have Saturday off. So I'm sitting here, on the cusp of Weekend's Eve and I've been seriously contemplating on what I should be doing. Yes, yes, a shower would probably be appropriate. Of course I'll brush my teeth and all that... Oh come off it! I'm not talking about personal hygiene right now! I'm in need of some inspiration. I need my next writing project. Something that keeps me up late at night with growing excitement. Something that reminds me of why I torture myself in front of a laptop balancing precariously on a television tray. So here are my ideas right now. Some of them are, to put it kindly, barf-worthy, but during a brainstorming session you must not restrain yourself.
1. My Life in the Midst of Idiots - A kind of humorous look at all the idiotic things people do that drive me crazy. Oh, this would be a work of fiction as our protagonist soon discovers that anyone suffering from the idiot disease is actually in fact and alien and the Overlords of these aliens are none other than certain door greeters at a certain retail chain...

2. Rewrite The Gothian Box - I hate to do this, because I love the story, but the fact remains that it needs rewriting. Rewriting to me is not creatively expanding. It's going back to something I've been turned off to and trying to revive it. This is my first finished novel. There's a lot of memories wound up in those pages and of course a lot of rejection and sadness from the world of publishing that snuffed its nose at it. There are also so many characters that I love in that story that I feel bad for abandoning.

3. Hashbrown the 3rd - Of course I should do this one, but right now I'm suffering from a serious spat of Writer's Block with Hashbrown. Perhaps it's all the excitement going on with the first one that makes it difficult to think past book one. I dunno. Maybe once I've got a few school presentations under my belt I'll be able to relax and think clearly again. For the moment... nothing.

4. Another Alien Story - I know, what's with the aliens. Maybe it was the girl that was serving chips across from me the other night when I was signing books. She was very loud and at random times she kept telling me (secretively) about how the Mayan Calendar was running out soon and that the aliens... the ones that built the pyramids, would be returning to take her and her aunt away on their space ships because no one else believed them. Needless to say I walked briskly to my car that evening ready to chuck my heavy jar of marbles at anything that came at me in a threatening manner, be it alien or be it scary chip wielding, hair net wearing girl. This alien story would involve mostly kids as the leaders of a military uprising to combat the aliens that have taken over our planet. Eh... maybe not. I don't know. Aliens? Really? I don't write sci-fi extremely well. I'm not learned in technology. Oh well, I'm not supposed to repress this creative energy so I'll let it stand.

5. I have a really dark, young adult horror/adventure story that's kept me up at nights - It's a break from the light hearted fun-loving tales of Pordunce Elementary that goes toward a really creepy premise. I used to write horror all the time until it scared me so much that I caught the night terror disease that I'm still recovering from. My sister used to freak out and tell me to stop scaring her with my stories, so I don't know if I want to open that whole can of worms again. Still, it's kind of a cool story line.

6. The Tebah Stick is technically ready to submit, but just needs a little revision here and there. That's by far my best written work (my opinion only), but again a revision is not necessarily (my opinion only) a start of a new direction. Don't get me wrong, I really love this story and can't wait until it has a publication date (if that ever happens... stay focused dumb dumb!) Anywhoo, it wouldn't take me long to revise it, but I don't want to do it half-heartedly.

So, there's my list. To be honest, there are many more ideas, but I don't want this blog to trail on forever. What do you think I should do? Writing is definitely my life right now, but I need a direction. I need help. If not to tell me what I should write, maybe to tell me what I shouldn't. Granted when the fever hits on a particular tale, I can do little to stop it. The Tebah Stick (close to 90,000 words) literally was born in a month because I could think of nothing else. When I revise it, maybe I'll put the first chapter on here to see what y'all think (sorry about the y'all, I was born in Kentucky.)

In other news, check out this wickedly cool review of The Adventures of Hashbrown Winters. Did I just say wickedly cool? Yeah, I think I did. Kim Smith is an up and coming author and she wrote a very honest review of Hashbrown. I loved reading this. It gave me chills. Check it out HERE. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for her novel that is being pitched to big publishing houses right now and will most definitely appear in bookstores in the near future. It's called Sydney Wakefield Into the Faraway and it's awesome. Maybe, I'll review it here in a little while.

Also, check out the Halls of Pordunce Elementary Blog It's in its early beginnings, but I wanted a place for the Oracle to have free reign to complain. Other students will show up as well in the weeks to come. One day, it will be a fun little hot spot to see just a glimpse into the daily life at Pordunce Elementary.

That's all for today. Please give me your suggestion on what I should do. It would mean a lot to my tortured soul. Sheesh! That was grim...

5 comments:

Kristen said...

I vote for #1, I'm always up for a good laugh. However, a close 2nd would be #5. I'm curious what you would do with the genre. I do fear what might happen in your house and to your poor sleeping mate if that storyline fills your mind. I can't in good conscience advocate for that but I selfishly would still like to push for it.

Amy said...

I'm liking the alien track. Especially the Wal-mart greeters being Overlords. (I assume it's WM, or Volde-Mart - as my cousin refers to it - you're referring to.) But may I also suggest a collection of your Nostaglic Moments? Or maybe there is some way to turn it into a story? Funny stuff!

Frank Cole said...

The first one would be loads of fun, and I'm kind of leaning toward the horror because it would be a break from the norm. Probably wouldn't be anything I could publish in my current market. Hmmm... Nostalgic Moments, eh? Didn't you see some in Hashbrown??? :)

Jennifer Cole Judd said...

Frank, it's your sister. Email me. I've edited your blog. :)

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