Write Anyway

Welcome to the last day of September!

Another month this year that has gone by so fast… It’s hard to believe we’ll be in the last fourth of the year starting tomorrow.

Tomorrow also marks the first day that I am “out of the office”. Truth be told, I’m not actually on the road until the second (Thursday), but I plan on spending tomorrow doing any packing that needs to be done, last minute work things, last minute shopping, last minute cleaning…

I’m very excited to once again be traveling up north to the writer’s conference and then to the New South Wale’s coast to visit friends. We might even go further north to take a peek at Sydney, but that hasn’t been decided yet. (Yeah, I know. We’re a bit last minute around here sometimes.)

Obviously I have a lot of travel on the brain…

Today I would like you to think about travel and all the places in the world you would like to visit.

Where would you like to go? Have you been to any of those places before? What would you like to do there? Why do you want to go to those places? Would you prefer to travel with someone (people) or would you rather do it on your own? Is there anywhere you would not to go?

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you heaps of creativity and a generous muse.

Woohoo! Another Monday means more music (wow, I didn’t realize how many ‘m’s that was until I typed it out) here on Write Anyway. Like I guessed it would be last Monday, this weekend was a mad rush to get things all set to go for when my man and I leave on Thursday. There are still things to do, of course, but we are on track!

As you may have guessed, I’m a bit bouncy today because of everything going on, so I thought it only right that I feature a band with a lot of bouncy music.

I came across Sugarcult when I was at university. I think it was one of those ‘completely by random chance’ things, as I don’t really recall the first song of theirs that I listened to nor how I have the massive amount of music from them on my computer today. Doesn’t matter, though, because I find them completely addictive and I hope you do, too.

That being said, here is the music. Enjoy.

Bouncing Off the Walls

An appropriate song to start with, if there ever was one…

Memory

This song, out of most of theirs, is easy for me to ‘rock out’ to. It has a great beat, great lyrics, and it gets me moving. What more could you ask for?

Pretty Girl (The Way)

Daddy’s Little Defect

This one doesn’t have a video…

There are so many more videos of theirs that I would like to put up, but too many videos makes this site run slower. That’s annoying, so I’ll leave it to you to find more of their music if you like it.

I hope you have a fantastic week. I’ll be back tomorrow…

Is it Sunday already? *pout* I’m not quite ready for this weekend to be over, especially given I have to start getting some work done tonight. Ah, well. When I’m at the writer’s conference not worrying about content going up on my sites, I’ll consider all this night and weekend work worth it.

How funny that we get this word today as inspiration given that I talked about my wedding invitations for the last edition of Sunday Scribblings.

“Are you sure you don’t want to call your mother? It’s your wedding day, after all. You can call from my phone - I don’t mind the international charges.”

My heart sank as I heard these words come from my friend K’s mouth. I had just gotten my hair done, had survived the first meltdown of the day when my rose bouquet arrived hours late, and I was doing pretty well with the normal wedding day jitters. And she brings up my mother?

“I just don’t want you to regret not talking to her,” K went on. “I understand if you don’t want to. My mother slapped me across the face on my wedding day.”

Somehow, I doubted she understood me, my relationship with my mother, or my situation at all. If she did, she would have never suggested such a thing. I just wanted to enjoy the day.

That was the first time I put my foot down firmly, so to say, with K. I refused point blank. I told her I had thought about it and didn’t want to call my mother. Period.

Now, going on one and a half years since my wedding day, I don’t regret the decision. Not for one moment.

***

I hope you enjoyed the product of my inspiration. It’s a bit depressing and there is a very long story behind…everything, but it’s a very strong memory of mine.

If you are taking part in this fun prompt, be sure to leave me a link in the comments section.

Have a great week!

Happy Friday! Once again, I am a bit late with my fill-ins, but I have been so incredibly busy with everything going on in my life (big trip coming up with way too much to get all set before I leave… Eeek!). This weekend is no exception to the busyness, unfortunately.

But, the weather has been great - plenty of sunshine and warmth - I have shopping to do (fun shopping), and I may be stressed with all the things I have to do, but I have to do them because I’m going to an awesome writer’s conference and following that with an awesome vacation.

All in all: Awesomeness.

But, enough of my babbling. On to the fill-ins! Remember to leave a link for me if you’re participating.

1. The writer’s conference, visiting friends and starting on some new projects are some of the things I’m most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I just want to take a day to sleep, read and watch television.

3. I have tried sushi, squid, baby octopus, chicken feet and loads of other things I never thought I would ever try, and that’s why there is a saying, “never say never”!

4. When I’m down, I am tired.

5. In front of the computer is where you’ll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for reading, getting work done, relaxing.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to being busy as usual, tomorrow my plans include getting my hair cut and Sunday, I want to relax a little and hopefully get a chai!

Woohoo! I hope you all have an excellent weekend. I know I will.

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

Not as per usual, I’m focusing on one kind of prompt this week - lines of dialogue. I hope you enjoy them.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. “It got away from me that time.”
2. “What do you think I’m thinking?”
3. “I have just one question for you.”
4. “Define normal.”
5. “For the first time in my life, I feel free.”
6. “Hating you with a passion doesn’t even begin to describe them.”
7. “That means nothing to me.”
8. “What is that?”
9. “Rest up, for tomorrow we…”
10. “Come in. We’ve been waiting for you.”
11. “There is something strange about it. I can’t quite figure out what.”
12. “There it/s/he is!”
13. “It happened on a Monday morning.”

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello once again everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. (Don’t worry if you can’t quite get all the words in there. The ultimate challenge is all the words, but I won’t fault you for eight or nine out of ten.)

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
Think –
Paradise –
Oh! –
Waltz –
Burgundy –
Dreamcatcher –
Seahorse –
Hand –
Africa –
Secret –

Second Word Bank
Doctor
Park
Bike
Silver
Shock
Speak
Burn
Sister
Left
Crack

Third Word Bank
Whisper
Cherry
Half
Path
Drift
Reason
Forget
Safe
Look
Unlock

I feel like I have ‘contemplated’ this subject before, but I can’t seem to find it… So maybe I haven’t after all…

Or maybe I’m finally losing big pieces of my mind.

With the approach of this coming weekend, I am contemplating changes. Some new clothes, a new hair-do, and maybe even a new little… Nah, I’ll tell you about it if I actually do it. Anyway, there are some small changes coming up in my life.

That may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but I have made plenty of huge changes in my life. I welcome the small changes and worrying over them.

Today I would like to think about changes in your life.

What changes would you like to make for yourself and your life in the future? Why do you want to make those changes? What is stopping you from making them?

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you heaps of creativity and a generous muse.

It’s Monday already, and we all bow our heads as we mourn the sad passing of another weekend…

I don’t know about you, but my weekend went by too fast, and the next weekend is likely to be the same. Next Thursday I will be heading out to go to a writer’s conference and then visit friends on the coast. This weekend will be just as busy as the last - if not more so - as we get everything set to go.

I’m even getting my hair cut for the occasion. *gasp* (My hair hasn’t been cut above my shoulders in years.)

But you aren’t here to listen to me jabber on about my hair. On to the music!

Vertical Horizon was one of those bands that was always on the fringes of the bubble of my world. I didn’t actively follow them, but when I heard them, I always liked their music. Now in the days of iTunes and mp3 players, it’s easy to find the new and old artists we love(d) and I have VH’s songs in my player.

I hope you all enjoy today’s selection and find it inspiring for your writing.

The Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)

He’s Everything You Want

I used to listen to this song repeatedly in my unrequited love-ridden teenage days. Thankfully, I still like it even without the angst in my life. Haha.

Radio interview and Forever (Acoustic Verstion)

I decided to go with this video that includes the interview because I like getting to know the people behind the music.

And there you have it.

I hope you all have a great Monday and a great rest of the week. I’ll be back tomorrow with my ‘contemplating’ prompt.

Busy, busy, busy, that’s me! (I told you things wouldn’t get any less busy for a while…)

Invitation

I’ve made a lot of invitations in my time. Invitations to my sister-in-law’s bridal shower. My cousin’s bridal shower. My cousin’s 200+ wedding invitations…

Heck, I even made my own wedding invitations. Thankfully, I had a small wedding and thus not nearly as many invitations to do as I did for my cousin’s wedding.

I’m actually quite proud of the fact I made my own wedding invitations. I think they looked great, as did everyone who received them. (Then again, who is going to risk the bride going bridezilla by telling her that her handmade wedding invitations suck?) I took a lot of time and care to make sure they were just right and exactly what I wanted.

The colours were blue and white, even though my actual ‘wedding’ colours were red and white (red roses for my bouquet, red tablecloths, etc). It didn’t matter to me, though; I just went with what I liked the most as I shopped for papers and things, and blue - with an ivory printed insert - just happened to be it.

On the insert I put the usual time, date, location, RSVP with… type of stuff, but it’s what else I put that made it special. You see, my husband is - or was - a poet and wrote me a poem. I took a verse from a poem he wrote me, slightly modified it for the purposes of the invitation, and it made the whole thing complete.

A little piece of us. Perfect.

Too much to do and not enough time seems like the theme for me this week, and no doubt it will continue into the next as well. With all that going on, it’s the little prompty fun things that get my mind going that I really enjoy.

My novel has been calling my name quite loudly over the past few days and all these prompts (I get ideas from the strangest places sometimes) certainly aren’t helping to quiet things, that’s for sure. Ah well, better than writer’s block!

Without further ado…

1. There is no need to cry over spilled milk unless it was hot milk and you spilled it on yourself. Ouchies.

2. Where in the heck did the cat go? (That’s just weird because I don’t even have a cat.)

3. The bare minimum is all I managed to do.

4. Prospects for gold! (No idea where this one came from either…)

5. All your base are belong to us is the message.

6. Simplicity and tranquility are two words that end in ‘ity’. Exciting, I know.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include shopping and Sunday, I want to have a good meal and great conversation with a friend!

And there you have it. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of sunshine and fun. I know I am going to have a busy one, but so it goes. Just a day in the life and it’s a life that I’m loving living.

Thank you for stopping by!

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. Try writing a little fanfiction as a warm up.
2. “I wish it would stop.”
3. With the help of your friends, get a bunch of small piece of paper and write one word on each. Put all the papers in a jar. Now you have a jar full of prompts. Whenever you are feeling stuck, pick out one of the words and write about whatever comes to mind.
4. Instead of writing in the traditional way, try something different like turning the notebook upside down or sideways. If you’re on a computer, try a new font.
5. Write a scene or short story involving a foggy night or morning.
6. You have just found out you have to sacrifice something/one precious to you…
7. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
8. Find a list of phobias or superstitions. You’re bound to find some inspiration.
9. You’re stuck in your home - no way to get in or out - for a week. Will you be fine? Go hungry? Get claustrophobic?
10. The strongest storm you have ever been through is raging outside, but you have to go out…
11. “I don’t hate anybody. Hate involves too much energy. I just generally dislike everyone.”
12. Write about someone who is mute.
13. “Give it back!”

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello once again everyone! I hope you are having a good week so far.

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided.

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
December
elections
Egypt
forgive
game
spelling
courage
date
hiccup
waste

Second Word Bank
electrician
library
file
exhausted
noon
gasp
ring
orange
soda
click

Third Word Bank
plate
silence
empty
hum
pause
worry
mind
jar
sting
Sunday

I need a vacation!

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with work and/or life that you just wanted to shout that to the world? I certainly have. Sometimes ‘it all’ just gets to be way too much and it seems like the only possible way to stay sane is to get away and let your mind and body rest.

Thankfully, I am lucky in that I have a writer’s conference to attend in the beginning of October, which means I get to get away from regular life for a while. The conference in itself is a bit of a stress, but after that, my husband and I are going to visit friends before taking a leisurely day or two of driving back home.

Sounds like heaven to me.

Today I would like you to think about vacations. Have you ever been on vacation before? What was it like? Where did you go? Who did you go with? What are your fondest/worst memories of the experience?

If you could take a vacation anywhere - money no problem - where would you go? What would you like to see? Who would you take with you? How long would you be away?

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you heaps of creativity and a generous muse.

Hello and welcome to another week, WA readers! How was your weekend? Mine was great. I worked - of course - but I also relaxed and my husband and I even got down to the beach for a while. It was a bit cold but quite beautiful.

For this week’s musical inspiration, I bring you a rock(ish) band called The All-American Rejects. I discovered these guys a few years ago and bought their first two CDs. Their music has helped my writing rock along ever since. They also have some excellent ’sad’ songs as well that have seen me through writing some excellent (if I do say so myself) emotional scenes.

Without further ado, here are the videos:

Dirty Little Secret

This is an awesome video. They teamed up with Post Secret for it. I absolutely love it.

Move Along

“When all you got to keep is strong, move along…” I can’t tell you how many times I listened to this song before moving to Australia.

Straightjacket Feeling

This isn’t the actual music video, but that’s okay. This is an excellent song - a perfect example of one of their strong, emotional songs. Yet another one of their songs I could listen to repeatedly.

My Paper Heart

I opted to not go with the music video because this one had better audio. (I like the comics shown in this video anyway.)

And that’s all for today! I hope you enjoy the videos and they provide you with inspiration for your writing. If you have any suggestions on who I should feature next for Musical Monday, leave a comment or use the contact me button on the right under the site description.

Have a creative day!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend so far. I certainly am. I’m sad to see the weekend has passed by so fast. So it goes, though, and I have a vacation coming up soon anyway in October, so I certainly shouldn’t be complaining about not having enough time to relax, should I?

This fine Sunday we have another one-word prompt from Sunday Scribblings. This one should be fun, as it got me thinking straight away…

Coffee

Australia introduced me to proper coffee. Before, I had no idea how coffee could be or how a proper one tasted. The fact that people could drink the stuff and not gag mystified me a bit. But now? Yum.

I’m a bit boring in that I will usually order a flat white and that will be that. It’s a comfort thing, though, as well as me not usually liking my coffee all that strong. My husband is a long, strong macchiato kind of man. I don’t think I could ever drink my coffee that strong.

When I have the urge for something a bit more sweet, I go for the mochaccino. A blend of coffee and chocolate, it’s the perfect mix for me. I usually have it at the pub, and the people who work there know me well enough to put in extra chocolate. Especially when I’ve had a long day or a bad day.

Though, for all I say I don’t like very strong coffee, I do still love the smell – no matter how strong the taste is.