Grab a cuppa and a comfy seat, and let’s chat a while.
It’s Monday again - time for Coffee and Conversation.
When I was six, my familywas driving on a highway late at night. Streaks of headlights and taillights painted the dark. For the first time, I realized that each car held people living lives as important to them as mine was to me.
I wanted to know what those lives were, and to share my own…
It’s the last Monday of May, and, as I move through the final week of my Story A Day challenge, it seems like a good time to do a little online hometending. One of the things I’ve been meaning to do is to write a reflection post for this year’s Blogging from A-Z April Challenge, now that I’ve had a little time and space from the intensity of the challenge itself. Read my pre-challenge Big Theme Reveal post.
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I chose to do this challenge because it was a perfect vehicle for a writing project that had been swirling around my mind for a year, and was ready to be born. This challenge, whose only requirement is to write 26 alphabetical posts, allowed both a framework, and the freedom to explore in whichever ways my creative impulse carried me.
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I chose to do it because there’s something satisfying in participating in a challenge with a group of others, pursuing the same goal, each in their own unique way. This meant others sharing in the journey. New blogs to discover, new friends to make. New ideas to ponder, and be expanded by…
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And the excitement of writing and stretching myself to complete and ship my post, 26 out of 30 days.
So, did I get what I wanted out of this challenge?
Let’s take a look.
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That nascent idea became Kifo Island Chronicles - 26 stories of characters residing, for various reasons, on a no-cost private hospice island. Some are dying; some are mourning; some are desperate for a chance to live.
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By the end of the month, I knew that I want to use this source material to create a series of novellas. Each will contain between 2-5 interwoven story arcs. There will be some recurring characters, and themes and arcs may encompass more than one novella, although each will stand alone.
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For each character, I have a brief character sketch, and a rough outline of their story arc. I can see many intersection points, and ways in which diverse characters will intertwine in various ways.
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I have 17,915 words of story; and plans for much more. For each of my characters, I have one crystallized story that captures them and their conflicts.
Yes, it’s a long way from a completed series – or even one completed arc. But every project must begin somewhere – and I began with play, and now have a solid beginning.
And how about that group participation?
I discovered some wonderful blogs and bloggers during the challenge. This seems like a perfect time to introduce a few of my very favorites:
Badge of Honor!
Obviously, there’s lots of ideas and creative fodder here! =)
I’ve also picked up a few new blog followers, myself!
But, more importantly than the stories, or the camaraderie, or even the challenge, is the fun, the feeding my own creative life, the pouring forth of my daydreams…
Will I be back next year, for another take on this challenge?
Absolutely!
Enough about me – how about you? Have you undertaken a purposeful challenge, lately? What were your goals and hopes, going in? What inspired you? Did you get out of it what you wanted? Expected? Were there unexpected benefits?
I’ll brew up another pot with the new coffeemaker, and set out some tasty treats (we have muffins!). Why not tell us all about it? =)
