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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

My Writing Process: En Fin


Five posts until my 200th blog post! No idea what I'll be doing yet. Sad; the 100th post was all glittery and exciting and fun. By the time the 200th post rolls around, well, not so exciting anymore. Like watching your two hundredth child take his first steps. Exciting, yes, but not OHMYGODHONEYGRABTHECAMERA exciting.

How Sara Writes: A Play in Multiple Acts

ACT SIX: They All Lived Happy Forever After. Until Tomorrow.

Our protagonist, Sara, is seated before Big Red Desk. She sighs a contented sigh and stares up into the rafters.Sara: *giggling* You know, Story, it's funny. Now that it's all said and done, the only thing I feel is an odd sense of ecstasy.

Story: *grumbles* You would. You weren't the one picked and prodded by SIX DIFFERENT PEOPLE. Including a ninja.

Sara sighs again, clearly ignoring Story's bickering.

Sara: It's an odd ecstasy, it is. All bittersweet and relieved. *looks at PC on Big Red Desk* I'll miss you, Story.

Story: I'm not dying.

Sara: I know, I know. I'll just miss all those hours we spent together. Remember that one time I almost stabbed PC because of that scene you refused to include? Haha, wow. I'm glad I can laugh about that now.

Story: If I had eyes, I would roll them.

Sara: Oh, Story. It's been a fun ride. I just-- I just want you to--

Story: What, Sara? You just want me to what?

Sara sits straight up, eyebrows furrowed and hands gripping the the armrests. She sweeps her gaze over the audience, smiles, and whips out a blank sheet of hardback paper.

Sara: Oooo this is gonna be GOOD. I can feel it. Like, REALLY good. Best. Idea. Ever.

Story: Wait! What were you saying to me? No! No! I was the best idea ever! ME! Hell-ooo, woman!

Sara: Hush now! I'll lose my focus.

Story: No! Look at me! I'm perfectly shiny now, see? Over here!

Sara: Ghosts AND mummies? Set in Constantinople? With a time machine and cookies and another nuclear holocaust? GENIUS.

Story: That's MY nuclear holocaust!

Sara scribbles on the giant piece of hardback paper while Story continues to shout at her, hoping to pull her attention away from Shiny New Idea. But it is clear by the fading lights and swelling orchestral music that Story's story is over. Over, that is, until he is thrust into the perilous publishing world, where a whole new story for Story will commence.Story: How many times are you going to use "Story's story" arrangements?

Until it stops being fun.

Story: Loser.

Don't insult the narrator!

Story: You can't see it, but I'm sticking out my tongue.

Why I oughta...

Story: Oooo whatta ya gonna do, big scary voice in the sky?

As Sara falls more and more in love with Shiny New Idea, Story falls farther and farther away from her mind. Meanwhile Story, forgotten on PC, suffers a fatal malfunction.

Story: A fatal -- WHAT?

In a tragic course of events, Story suddenly finds himself entirely translated into Spanish.

Story: ¿Qué? ¡No! ¿Por qué, idiota? ¿Por qué?

The End. Or, for Story's benefit, en fin.

Story: Le odio.


Yeah, that about sums it up. Though I don't usually forget my old stories; they just tend to be, um, retired. My first attempt at writing anything. My YA romance, Blind. Both stories I love, but both stories I love enough to set aside in place of bigger, shinier ideas. Onward and upward. Always onward and upward.

PS: The super-talented Suzanne Young is having an ARC giveaway of her soon-to-be-released book The Naughty List! Buzz on over to her blog and get entering! You only have until next Wednesday. Oh, and with the ARC comes an uber-cute Naughty List t-shirt. As if we needed more reasons to enter.

Go, go!

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I would be more impressed with *you* taking your first steps after having the 200th child.

OHMYGODHONEYAREYOUSTILLALIVE?

yeeouch.

Mariah Irvin said...

Not to be completely Spanish-y, but I believe it is "El Fin".
:)

I think once NaNo starts my MS will be begging me to come back.

I agree with Kat. Ouch.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I tend to retire stories too. I've got a few on my computer that perhaps someday I'll revisit, but for now they are in hibernation. :)

Hayley Lovell said...

Uh, I know my French isn't that good but I'm pretty sure En Fin is French, no clue what the Spanish would be...but Story's story had a great ending. IHave I told you I love this series?

Elana Johnson said...

Funny! There always is a new, shiny idea waiting, isn't there?

Sara Raasch said...

Kat -- Well, once that Dougar woman with the 20+ kids gets there, we'll know for sure if she is capable of walking. Should be sometime next year?

Mariah -- Oop! Urban Dictionary.com told me En Fin was Spanish for "the end." Me and my not having Spanish for a few years thought it was just a slang version. No se.

Dara -- Mine are more in a permanent state of hibernation...which would mean they are dead. Sad.

Hayley -- Thanks :)

Elana -- That there is. Whether it peaks its shiny head out sooner rather than later is yet to be determined...

Natalie Whipple said...

Poor forgotten stories. I have so many. The guilt is pretty high at times, but I manage.