“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:46 On page 82 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "In a House Besieged" is 7 dense sentences that begs 2-3 rereads. 5* #
  • 07:47 On page 84 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "A Visit to Her Husband" is Carver-esque in its subject matter. 5* #
  • 07:49 It’s not even 8 AM–can’t I go anywhere in this town before 8 AM and *not* run into a coworker?? #
  • 07:51 Critique processing playlist: CHICAGO XXXII: STONE OF SISYPHUS #
  • 07:52 "A dream is make believe until/ Blood, sweat & tears turn faith to will/ It’s gonna take some miracle, man/ To show there’s a way" #lyrics #
  • 08:12 Hm. I wrote flashes last week. Just heard about this contest w/@fantasymagazine. Fate? tinyurl.com/cueqja (via @charlesatan) #
  • 08:39 Sunday’s crit-group crucifixion session summary posted: tinyurl.com/d4gv78 #
  • 09:12 On my camera-meat debut last nite: tinyurl.com/c5ccas (I should use my blog more often, no?) #
  • 10:58 No class this week, so I get full lunch hours! I’m almost tempted to *eat* rather than study for the final. T-minus 9 days. #
  • 11:43 RT @warrenellis @menianoon Advice on breaking into comics? 1) Google is your friend. 2) Don’t do it. You will die angry and colostomised. #
  • 12:06 Might go back here for lunch since there’s no drunken-student-zombie apocalypse to navigate thru. www.nygreencafe.com/main/index.php #
  • 12:10 "I used to cry/ For the lost/ Until I had to turn away/ Then I looked inside/ Past the fool/ And found some deeper words to say." #lyrics #
  • 12:13 "What Is Microfiction" debate at FRiGG www.friggmagazine.com/issuetwentyfour/poemsstories/fiction/whatismicro/whatismicro.htm #
  • 13:38 RT @ strikethru The White House Flickr stream is really fascinating: tinyurl.com/cxdksz #
  • 13:39 No, I’m not studying right now. Decided to enjoy my first Monday lunch hour in God knows how long :). #
  • 13:42 Any place that plays the song "Sticks" by Cannonball Adderley while I eat lunch is a cool place. www.nygreencafe.com/main/index.php #
  • 16:26 Work CD player is apparently a hole in time between the present and 1985. #
  • 16:45 I like AOR as much as anyone, but I just don’t need Air Supply on the work CD player right now. Now, where’s my copy of CHICAGO 17…? #
  • 17:21 Not a rough day, really–certainly nothing like Friday. Feels like the weekend never happened, tho :(. #
  • 18:25 If I was smart, I’d head straight home, directly to my desk where my skoolbooks are waiting. But motivation & energy are soooo < 0. #
  • 19:53 Clearly, I’m not smart. #
  • 20:44 Poring thru Creative Commons images for flash fic contest entry. Counts as "writing," right? #wip #

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“On the screen tonight / And when you wanna / They treat you like a prima donna”

A couple months ago, on a lark, I agreed to be camera meat in a local student film. That was an experience, in itself. I learned a lot, including the fact that there’s actually a small community of actors in the region who will come out and audition for student film productions. Makes total sense, since since there’s more than one film program in town.

And then I saw myself on the screen! Damn, it was surreal.

I was impressed by the short films I saw. Sure, they were undergrad film projects, and there were some cliches I saw that I half-expected to see going in: Mafia riffs, torture pr0n, taboo subjects, Quentin Tarrantino dialogue, and a little John Woo gun-fu action thrown in. But the creativity level was incredible, all the way around. You could tell, warts and all, that at least a modicum of care was taken (by some more than others, but such is the way of any group of people in creative endeavors) to make each film a good product.

Tough Love

I didn’t read at the last crit group-flogging, but made up for it this time with two flash fiction pieces. I finally had the guts to try and combine some flash fic with a bit of fantasy. Did it work? Here’s what the group had to say.

Story #1, 100 words:

For the Win:

  • It was a “complete story.”
  • “Every word counts.”
  • Good “rhythm” to the sentences.
  • Plot/fantasy element was clearly understood, depending on the reader’s interpretation.
  • In a session where the nit of the day seemed to be repeated words, the fact that I purposely repeated one particular phrase still worked.

StoryFail:

  • More than one reader wanted, well, more.
  • One reader noted the story title’s original connotation that has nothing to do with the story.
  • My last sentence needlessly made my usually-ambiguous ending even more ambiguous by being too long.

Story #2, 1000 words:
For the Win:

  • One reader immediately picked up on the meta-fiction aspect of the story!!
  • “Weird, but believable.”
  • Good “characterization” i.e. the way I played around with stereotypical epic fantasy adventure characters.
  • Same thing about “adventure cliches”
  • “Twisty phrases”
  • A “satisfying” (read: unambiguous) ending.

StoryFail:

  • Definitely went a little overboard trying not to make my sentences Carver-esque. Some of the them were too long. One reader made a comment about the sentence-length being good for an exercise, but not necessarily for this particular story.
  • …which makes some of the good “twisty phrases” a little too twisty.

Okay, maybe that second story had a bit more of a fundamental Fail, but I’m just glad that for once, the Win columns are a bit longer than the Fail ones!

Still, this’ll probably be the last pieces I bring for the next few sessions. It’s a new subs period for quite a few mags, and now I’ve got a nice little pile of stories to revise and submit! Because there have been precious few scorecard entries this year, and that makes me sad.

“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:27 On page 77 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Brother-in-Law" paints an archetypal picture in such broad strokes. 5* #
  • 07:34 On page 79 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "How W.H. Auden Spends the Night in a Friend’s House" is a riff, but it’s abo… #
  • 07:36 On page 81 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "Mothers" is even more archetypal than "The Brother-in-Law." 5* #
  • 07:49 I’m in the mood for 80s power ballads–performed live! tinyurl.com/djqv9l #
  • 08:12 Comic store only had Jonathan Lethem’s OMEGA THE UNKNOWN #2-6 (Already had #1). Gotta track down the #7-10 somehow. #
  • 08:53 Also picked up John Woo’s LAST HURRAH FOR CHIVALRY on the cheap. Just what I need, a Sun morning kung-fu flick! #
  • 18:10 Back from crit group! Flash pieces had longer Win columns than Fail columns 🙂 #
  • 18:11 What to do before new L&O:CI–process group crits or continue prep for final in T-minus 10 days? #
  • 18:26 OMFG! Student film I acted in is getting screened tonite!! Guess I’m missing L&O:CI. #
  • 21:58 Looks like my camera meat debut is second to last. Gonna make for a late nite but hey, I was up way later during filming 😉 #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 08:16 On page 73 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrat… by Ray Bradbury. Was surprised "The Beggar on O’Connell Bridge" was in… #
  • 08:17 On page 77 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrat… by Ray Bradbury. "The Flying Machine" is an incredible example of how … #
  • 08:24 Not as hungover as I should be, having dipped into my own personal pool of debauchery last nite. Off to the Farmer’s Market. #
  • 08:24 After the Farmer’s Market–#freecomicbookday! #
  • 09:47 Decided it was too chilly for Farmer’s Market. Breakfast at diner instead, which soaked up any last traces of last nite :). #
  • 09:52 In corporate coffee shop w/writing & some skoolwork. Will get to it after I post yesterday’s #slopeday preparation pics. #
  • 09:54 twitpic.com/4ehq8 – Rehydration & cleanup supplies. #
  • 09:56 twitpic.com/4ehtm – Triage stuff. #
  • 09:57 twitpic.com/4ehvj – All this for "harm reduction" during the yearly drunken-student-zombie apocalypse. #
  • 10:14 RT @ArachneJericho "Marching band 2, thugs 0" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30493653/ [Was in marching band for 8 yrs; not surprised 1 bit.] #
  • 10:51 I don’t seem to be getting a lot done. Maybe it’s post-binge ennui? Man, I can’t be like this, I’ve got crit group tomorrow, dammit!! #
  • 11:00 #freecomicbookday RT @warrenellis It’s Free Comic Book Day, so have a free copy of FELL #1, online: bit.ly/gKgRy #
  • 11:35 Banging my head against this flash fic piece. It’s getting away from me and acting all out of hand. #wip #
  • 11:44 @AWDawno Yes. Not only that, smudges on the screen is my version of "bleeding on the page." 😉 #
  • 11:45 Time to break out the big guns. If a Cassandra Wilson mix doesn’t help me write today, I should just pack it in. #wip #
  • 11:55 "All the energy we spend on motion, all the circuitry and time / Is there any way to feel a body through fiber optic lines?" #lyrics #
  • 12:02 Basking in the joy of all the RTs! Thanks, @jdfreivald @AWDawno & @PBreaze! #
  • 12:03 @PBreaze Small world! That’s awesome & so is she. I catch her writing whenever I can! #
  • 12:15 @AWDawno Agreed. It’d be like putting a mirror in front of another mirror ;). #
  • 13:40 @AWDawno Haven’t read Pratchett in years, unfortunately :(. Mirror thing is just one of many strange things I spent time doing as a kid ;). #
  • 13:40 1st draft of new flash piece done, 38 words over budget. Need to shave them for an even 1,000. Will take a break first. #wip #
  • 16:27 twitpic.com/4ffca – Got my surprise from @cspan. Thanks!! #
  • 16:28 twitpic.com/4fffp – Who says Twitter’s a waste of time? Fools, that’s who! #
  • 16:39 @AWDawno Does Twitter help write flash? Not sure. Tweeting and writing prose feel like different animals to me. #
  • 16:48 @AWDawno You may very well be right! I’m still a n00b at writing so I could be totally wrong ;). #
  • 17:02 Staring at today’s #wip, but it’s all a blur. Plus, I’d wanted to have a 3rd flash piece drafted for crit group tomorrow, too. Too much? #
  • 17:29 Searching desperately for my 2nd wind. Would rather not have to resort to mainlining Red Bull. Gotta get this writing done! #wip #
  • 18:34 I’ve seen VACATION by @JeremyCShipp at my local indie bookshop and if by chance I don’t win his contest, I just might get it anyway :). #
  • 20:04 Got 2 out of 3 flash pieces DONE for crit group tomorrow, pared to the target word counts! Obviously, I had to mainline the Red Bull. #wip #
  • 20:30 Done writing for the day. All I need do now is read my #freecomicbookday swag and cheap back issues of Jonathan Lethem’s OMEGA THE UNKNOWN. #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:49 On page 75 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The House Plans" works on more levels than I can even count! 5* #
  • 07:54 RT @Abyss_Apex: We’re open for the May submission period: send us your short fiction to 10,000 words and your flash fiction to 1,500 words. #
  • 11:03 RT @Ideomancer Aaaand it is now May 1, and we are closed to submissions until June 1, when the next issue comes out. Whew. 🙂 [Darnit!] #
  • 11:06 Work is prepped for annual skool orgy of Dionysian excess. As said in every STAR WARS movie & cartoon: "I have a bad feeling about this." #
  • 11:07 Pics (that violate no HIPAA regs) to follow! #
  • 12:44 Had to turn away infiltration by intoxicated students. Hah–not on my watch! 😉 #
  • 13:40 Wondering if I made a mistake leaving the relative safety of my workplace to go to lunch. #
  • 13:43 I will say though, the food here is totally worth navigating thru the drunken-student apocalypse today www.nygreencafe.com/main/i#
  • 13:48 @AbsoluteWrite Aw, shucks! 🙂 #
  • 13:56 @AbsoluteWrite I blush–thanks! Can I use that as my Twitter blurb? 🙂 #
  • 13:58 Must navigate thru the drunken-zombie-student apocalypse to get back to work. If I don’t make it back, remember…I’ve always loved you! #
  • 14:33 Must pay it forward for #followfriday. Some good mags: @Abyss_Apex @clarkesworld @CoyoteWild @fantasymagazine @Ideomancer @strangehorizons #
  • 16:14 Still a mystery as to why dayjob is still busy during the drunken-student-zombie apocalypse. #slopeday #
  • 17:20 Work emergencies during drunken-student-zombie apocalypse = not fun #slopeday #
  • 17:24 RT @jdfreivald RT @JeremiahTolbert 5 Books on Writing and Science Fiction That Made Me a Better Writer tinyurl.com/c29we2 #
  • 17:40 *waves back* at today’s new followers: @AWDawno @hilarybeard @LostZombies #followfriday #
  • 17:41 @AWDawno And, you’re too kind 🙂 #
  • 19:22 About to have my own personal EtOH-fueled zombie apocalypse to cope with the day I’ve had #slopeday #
  • 20:15 3 pints of ale, wings, cheese sticks, and now cheesecake. Evening’s definitely off to a good start! #
  • 20:48 Just past my 4th pint, listening to a local bossa band. #
  • 20:50 @AWDawno Drink one for me! #
  • 21:39 At home now, doing 2 things to maintain my buzz: Sipping some Jameson while watching WITHNAIL & I. #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:37 Gonna be my last long day. Last discussion section for skool. Sooo tempted to skip. But I’ll be a good boy. #
  • 07:39 Determined to finish 3 flash pieces for crit group. 1’s done, 1’s in progress. Stressing over what 3rd is gonna be. #wip #
  • 08:02 Scored the CD w/this performance of "Heaven Help Us All" by Grady Nichols w/vox by Bill Champlin! tinyurl.com/dn7ryw #
  • 08:03 RT @Abyss_Apex Gearing Up: @Abyss_Apex opens to short story and flash submissions May 1. Not beforehand please. #
  • 11:29 Someone forced me to use my old case-manager voice on them. Hence, I won in the end. Yeah, that’s right. #
  • 11:44 Been that kinda day = & it’s not even 1/2 over. Need to listen to "Heaven Help Us All" again. tinyurl.com/dn7ryw #
  • 12:54 Think today’s confrontation has temporarily drained my writing mojo. We’ll find out at lunch…. #
  • 13:54 RT @ithacarts Grass Roots Festival Band List Posted! Sharon Jones [etc…hers was the only name I needed to see!] tinyurl.com/cuyad5 #
  • 14:01 Yup, no lunchtime writing mojo. Luckily, this AM’s work is on the flash drive, so who knows…? #wip #
  • 16:36 nnnNNNNGGG! #
  • 16:54 RT @johnjosephadams tip:Don’t quote previous rejection letters.This points out story’s flaws, tells market it’s 5th on sub totem pole. #
  • 17:40 Hategasm from my workday starting to subside. #
  • 19:27 Good news: writing mojo back. Bad news: 500-wd flash up to 615 wds. Worse news: plot’s going haywire. #wip #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 23:33 Tribe beat the Red Sox! I can now go to sleep 🙂 #indians #
  • 08:01 On page 57 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Letter" is similar to "Story" & just as gutwrenching. 5* #
  • 08:11 On page 61 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. Not sure how I feel about "Extracts From a Life" being extracts from another … #
  • 08:15 Okay, last #wip put in the revision queue. Starting a flash piece (or three) for crit group on Sunday! #
  • 08:15 Writing playlist: Chris Botti, Christian Scott #
  • 08:29 I want my surprise from @cspan! Can’t DM the requested info unless you’re following me. 🙁 #
  • 10:44 You know you’ve got good story ideas when you’re compelled to jot ’em down on index cards in a crowded, moving bus! 😀 #
  • 10:44 One flash piece done, but I’m left wondering if it’s part of something a lil’ bigger…? #wip #
  • 10:48 "And it’s all very fine / To sit and smoke all the wine / But, what about the teardrop?" #lyrics #
  • 11:19 RT @sfwa US District Judge granted 4-month extension to opt out or object to Google’s settlement. New deadline 9/4/09 bit.ly/bvRYS #
  • 11:26 A digital divide is bad enough. Are we headed for a neuroenhancer divide, too? nancykress.blogspot.com/2009/04/neuroenhancers.html #
  • 11:33 Crunched the skool numbers. Need a 99% on the final to get an A in the class. OTOH, a 72% lets me keep my B. Good, ‘cos I got writing to do! #
  • 13:39 Revenge of the Writer: Spent the majority of (effectively) the last lecture of the semester fleshing out a second flash piece >:). #wip #
  • 14:19 RT @mightymur New blog post: ISBW Special #43 – Nebula Award Winner John Kessel tinyurl.com/d66wao #
  • 16:06 Billy Joel on the work CD player. The most apropros song "Pressure" isn’t on the disc. It should be playing on a loop. #
  • 16:53 Doesn’t look like Tribe/Red Sox is gonna be on local TV tonite. Will have to follow via #Google while GHOST HUNTERS is on. #indians #
  • 17:17 RT @ warrenellis Dr Strangecough: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Pigs #
  • 17:56 Catching up on @totn podcasts, trying to maintain the illusion of work :(. #
  • 18:12 Editing today’s 2 flash pieces on the downlow. Shh. #wip #
  • 22:03 Back from dinner & beer. Wrote a bit before deciding I needed to hit the reset button! #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:11 RT @charlesatan Small Beer Press $1 Sale: lcrw.net/special.htm …. #
  • 07:52 is on page 54 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury. "And the Rock Cried Out" shows that payback … #
  • 07:56 is on page 59 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury. "The Little Drummer Boy of Shiloh" is a slic … #
  • 08:14 Red Sox/Indians series this week = family discord. 🙂 #
  • 10:42 Wasted a lot of pre-work writing time this AM, but it forced me to get a lot done in the last 30 min. I had! 😀 #
  • 10:44 Want to read: Twenty Epics by Susan Groppi – tinyurl.com/cyswc6 #
  • 12:02 Not sure how I feel about the defunct Google Notebook becoming my writer’s notebook as of late…? #
  • 12:11 @fantasymagazine Most of my notes more or less fall into certain categories (ideas, dialogue, prose, etc.), so it’s 1 note/item. #
  • 12:13 @fantasymagazine Story notes usu. go into their own files. I’ll use #Google Notebook in a pinch, but they get printed or transcribed asap. #
  • 12:23 @fantasymagazine Me too! I’ve got a "writers.pr0n" tag on delicious tinyurl.com/c5t5nh #
  • 12:41 I #heart_tuesday ‘cos as of today I’ve now had conversations w/3 writers/editors I like via Twitter! 😀 #
  • 13:55 Ha! I’m the 7500th @cspan follower! #
  • 16:46 Drowning in what people *think* are emergencies at work. #
  • 17:23 @cspan I’d love the surprise, but I can’t DM unless you follow me 🙁 #
  • 20:33 How the *hell* did it drop 30 degrees in one day?? Brr. #
  • 20:45 Great, not only has the temp dropped by 30 deg, but the Tribe’s down vs. the Red Sox 🙁 #indians #
  • 22:12 Burned my dinner earlier. But the nite’s looking up. Tribe’s tied w/the Sox and EASTENDERS is on TV. #
  • 22:13 @PBreaze I’m fine, and you? I think I may have crossed internet paths w/her once but no, don’t know her. I wish ;). Love her writing! #
  • 23:02 On page 49 of 192 of Break It Down: Stories by Lydia Davis. "The Mouse" is a perfect thread running through two relationships. 5* #

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“All Afternoon Those Birds Twitter Twit”

  • 07:42 Want to read: Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work an… by David Allen – tinyurl.com/cb8g3p #
  • 07:47 is on page 33 of 912 of Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales by Ray Bradbury. "Season of Disbelief"–5* A well-done non-ge … #
  • 07:58 So it’s supposed to be hotter than Saturday, huh? It’s okay. Got enough sun over the weekend. I’ll be indoors, writing & such. #
  • 07:59 #wip Copyedit Transcription playlist: Neko Case & Her Boyfriends. #
  • 08:56 "I don’t claim to be someone / Who understands everything / But my heart won’t let me lie to myself / When I know I’m wrong." #lyrics #
  • 08:57 "I won’t be at the mercy of / Some bittersweet memory / And I don’t wanna be tuggin’ on your sleeve." #lyrics #
  • 08:57 Obviously, I’ve switched over to the Bill Champlin playlist. 🙂 #
  • 11:09 Glad I broke out the work-appropriate summer clothes yesterday and got the new Birks. Will make walking to skool a lot nicer :). #
  • 11:11 RT GrantaMag John Beckman on what he gained and lost from depression www.granta.com/Online-Only/A-vacation-from-myself #
  • 11:20 RT @Catrambo I’m going to start posting Fantasy Magazine info primarily at @fantasymagazine – follow to see what we’re publishing! #
  • 11:30 Don’t think it’s coincidence that I ran across @moonfrye right as I was swimming in my personal wave of 80s nostalgia yesterday. #
  • 11:54 Gonna leave a bit early and stroll to skool. #
  • 13:34 Want to read: Famous Fathers and Other Stories by Pia Z. Ehrhardt – tinyurl.com/cw9wou #
  • 14:51 Feeling like there’s an ice pick stuck into my head behind my left eyeball. No reason for it that I can think of :(. #
  • 16:48 The headache is drug-resistant! Hopefully, we won’t have to resort to amputation :(. #
  • 17:44 "Today I didnt even have to use my A.K. / I got to say it was a good day." #lyrics #

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