04-19-10 Did You Write?

04-19-10 Did You Write?

There are times these weeks rush up on us where it is over before we can even start on our plans. Other times we actually have a chance to fit out plans in, to get something done.
For many who read this, writing is an every day, or every week thing, an additional prompt is not needed. For the rest of us, we might go months without opening a word processor. A prompt every week helps us think about writing, even if we cannot write every week. The hope is that you know this note is going to show up, so you sit down, open your word processor or pad of paper and put a few words down.
The concept here is that if you write every week, even if it is just a little, over time, a lot of writing can be done. This note is a place to brag about your accomplishments, cry about your failures, and otherwise talk about what is going on in your life.

Periodically there is a question of whether something is writing. We are not picky as to what is writing, or even how much is writing. The more the better, but if you wrote the one RIGHT word, that is writing.
As to what is writing, we all accept that new writing is writing. We mus also understand that few, or none of us can write perfectly every time. Because of this, editing is writing. editing is writing, even if you are editing someone else's work, or critiquing the work of others. when editing, reverse number counts are quite acceptable. removing entire sections is a penalty of improving one's work.
Poetry, blogging, article writing, writing assignments are also writing. World and character building is also writing. E-mails can even be writing, if they are wording and pertain to story or writing.
What is actually writing, is up to you. Many of these might not be writing to you, but you might also come up with something else. the key is that if you think it is writing, it must be.

As for me, I dug into my Waxy story. Last week I started writing it like one of my story ideas, little details, mainly telling what the story is about with enough details to follow it. It is fighting me, but I am making headway. I added three pages and 1317 words this week. this version is on page 10.
when I finish this version, I will have my writing partners check over the plotting, then I will get back to actually writing it as a story.

On the story idea front, I am a story idea behind. There were two times this month where I was two story ideas behind, but caught one up again. I have plenty of time to get caught up again. I have more than enough story ideas to select from. My count, including the idea I posted tonight, is 51 story ideas in the compost pile. while counting them, I glanced at the newest stories. The top ten stories on the stack are new, un-picked over, and appear exciting to write. that is something excellent to look forward to. Below that, the exciting ones get thinner and thinner the deeper one goes. The ones at the bottom tend not to be worthy of posting, but not bad enough to shift over to the pack of 180 that might never see daylight.
I had several weeks where ideas were flowing, two or three a day. Now I have slowed down a little, but have not stopped. did dig a tiny bit into the stack. just a couple ideas. The times I hate is when nothing comes to me. I dig deeply into the stack. I get to the point where I wonder if it will ever come back. It always does, but there is always that nagging thought.

I am attempting to perfect a way to make platters out of wood. Little things are causing me problems. My lathe spins the wood and I have scrapers and gouges that slice and scrape the excess wood off until I have my final shape. With plates or platters (same thing, platters sound better), I have to flip the work around and try to get it centered, as it was when I did the first side. It is because of flipping it around, that I am running into problems. I have been using double sided tape and it won't stick when I want it to stick, then It won't let go when I need to remove it for one of the steps. This weekend, I had one of the not-stick type days.
I also figured out this weekend that the chuck which grabs the wood, is not centered exactly. take a piece out of the chuck, and then add it again, and it becomes out of center.
I tried something new. I took a board, threaded a hole in it and mounted it on the lathe directly. this might be a great solution, except I did not have access to all the tools I needed, and that method became a real challenge. when you don't have the right tools, you use what might work, and then make adjustments.
When someone is watching me work when it is something like assembling =an item, I tend to say something on the idea of, "Have you ever seen an idiot work?"

For a story idea from above, consider a tape that can be made extremely strong, or release instantly, or anywhere in between, on command.
magic, of course, could do this, but tape is more like technological, rather than magical
My first impression was that one connects wires to the tape and apply or remove a charge on it. The problem with that is one has to have access to the tape, ends sticking out for example. If the thing has a charge, that might not be a good idea.
I then thought of computer chips imbedded in the fabric of the tape. A signal causes the chip to become powered up or shut off. As long as a signal can get to the tape, one can control the glue strength.
The tape might have two signals depend on which side of the tape releases. In general, the way most double sided tapes work, is that one would put the exposed sticky-side down first, then peal off the protective backing so the second sticky side can be used. So this tape we are talking about would have an exposed side and that is applied first. Of course, this tape might not have any stickiness at all until activated.
A lot can be done with this concept. consider entire buildings constructed using a strong version of the tape. It uses a signal that just does not happen in a city. then the signal goes off...
My preferred idea is where either special forces or criminals, get hold of the tape in a subversive situation. The tape is placed and set. then at the right time, such as when an executive's car is speeding over it, one sets the tape to maximum. The car stops instantly. Another situation is where something is held in place strongly. then at the right time, the glue is released and the object falls. properly timed, it can do serious damage like hitting someone on the head. It might hold a hidden bomb that goes off on impact. The glue might be turned on and off, allowing someone to climb a sky scraper with ease or go on the underside of a bridge.
I like this concept. a glue that can be turned on and off at will, set for a given amount of stick if needed. one can have lots of fun with that.

As to the question of the day,
I can proudly say

YES, I DID WRITE.

Did you write?