Writing Workshop Assignment #4: The Jackson Valley Maniac

This week's assignment:

You have two choices. Write either a story about growing up, like Mona Simpson did (we also read Reunion, which has this same subject), using two characters who are thrown together by some sort of circumstance. Two characters ONLY (although you can have an "extra" like the waiter or the car wash kid as in Simpson's story). Or use the following prompt to write a story:

Two characters are stuck on an elevator. One is seriously irritating. The other is normal. Write a story or a scene (decide which) in which we are shown how the one character irritates the other. 

For either of these, try to give us the details that matter. Use concrete details--the ones that appeal to our senses (see, touch, hear, taste, smell). Characterize your characters by their actions, by the way they look, by the things they say. Show, don't tell. Although "show, don't tell" isn't always appropriate, try to think about it while writing.

I went with the first assignment. I've been thinking of my own tendency to get "stuck in my head" sometimes, and I thought that might provide a good basis for a "coming of age" story. As an added bonus, I was able to put together something that was Halloween-appropriate.

Writing Workshop Assignment #3: Jared and Phoebe

This week's assignment:
Using the characters below (or come up with your own character - we are looking for cliché characters that we will make unique through characterization), write a scene individualizing your character through particular details that will make us sympathize and/or identify with him or her. Do this for two characters.

• An absent-minded professor
• A lazy laborer
• An aging film star
• A domineering wife
• Her timid husband
• A tyrannical boss
• A staggering drunk

To make the assignment more fun, I tried to create characters that fit the descriptions but were a few steps removed from the obvious archetypes (e.g. Norma Desmond or Albert Einstein).

Glamor Shots

Back in January, I had purchased a Groupon for a professional photographer; I thought that a set of flattering, professional photographs would be an invaluable keepsake, and would provide a nice ego boost. I finally decided to cash it in this September. I scheduled a one-hour shoot, got my friend Haley (a professional makeup artist who works for film and TV) to do my makeup, and made other preparations for the one-hour shoot.

The shoot was scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Barnsdall Art Park, on Saturday, September 17th. I thought Barnsdall would be a great location, since it was close to my apartment, and had a variety of different areas which could serve as backdrops for photos. At first, the photography company wasn't certain that they could take photographs there, and suggested some alternative locations. Happily, things worked out, and I was able to shoot at Barnsdall after all.

Haley came to my apartment about an hour and a half before the shoot to apply the makeup, which ended up looking very nice in a natural way, and, importantly, photographed well. After picking up a few "costume changes," Haley (who would be there to touch-up my makeup when necessary) and I headed to the park.

Once I had gotten to the meeting place at Barnsdall, I noticed that people were beginning to set up for a Thai festival. I briefly worried that the booths could interfere with the photos, but, fortunately, it didn't create any problems. We were even able to take advantage of the hammocks that had been set up.

The photographer and his assistant (who held up screens to reflect or diffuse the light, and intermittently gave me suggestions) appeared on schedule, introduced themselves, and started taking photos.

During the hour, we wandered through the grounds in search of locations which were interesting, but not too distracting. Once we found a setting, the photographer worked at capturing a bunch of different poses and expressions.

After the hour was over, the photographer told me that he would be sending a CD with the 100 best pictures and that I could chose 20 to be retouched in Photoshop. I have the CD, but I'm still debating about which photos I would like to have cleaned up.

I had a fun time, and I'm very glad that I went ahead and had these pictures taken. There are several that I am quite fond of, and it'll be wonderful to keep these photos around and share them with friends and family.

Writing Workshop Assignment #2: Errands

This week's assignment: Two characters have known each other a long time. Your characters can be friends, a married couple, a father and son, any two characters. Decide which of the two is your protagonist.
- Have the protagonist reveal something about themselves to the other character, or vice versa.
- Have this new piece of knowledge cause some sort of conflict.
- Have your protagonist learn something new about THEMSELVES at the end.

I had guessed (correctly) that most people would be writing stories involving romantic couples, or proto-couples, and I had just written a story involving a husband and wife, so I avoided writing a story about a couple. My first instinct was to write a story about a 'master' who seemed to effortlessly perform his or her craft, revealing to a longtime fan that the sublime effects that he or she created were the result of some sort of trickery or behind-the-scenes work. The admirer would be let down that the performance wasn't, in some sense, "real." The master would not quite understand the conflict, believing that it was the effect achieved that was ultimately important. But I had trouble figuring out the specifics in a way that would work, so I decided to run with something different.

Writing Workshop Assignment: Old Steven

I have started taking an eight-week writing workshop, and am looking forward to it. If nothing else, I look forward to the challenge of being 'forced' to turn in some creative writing each week.

This week, we discussed the basics of plot, and turned in our first exercises. The assignment was to "create your own story where a character's expectation of something is dashed completely." I have written out my assignment below.

Specs and Other Stuff

One of the fun things about poring through old journal entries is finding a record of exactly when certain minor events occurred. For example, I learned that I last got eyeglasses in September 2009. Although I mostly use them as 'backup' in case I can't wear contacts, I have been needing new glasses for some time now. So it's nice to have a newer pair with a stronger prescription.

I worry that my vision may have deteriorated over the past couple of weeks, though. I am hoping it's a temporary thing, brought on by increased screen-staring hours at work. Nonetheless, it is still something I should keep an eye on (no pun intended).

In the past month, I cashed in my accumulated credit card rewards points.which gave me the opportunity to do something nice for myself without sabotaging my budget. The biggest ticket item that I purchased was a fancy messenger bag to use when I am at work or carting my laptop around.

When I started work at my law firm, I bought an old-school style briefcase, and have used it my papers and other items. However, the briefcase is cumbersome (on several occasions, people have been compelled to joke about how the briefcase is larger than I am), and it just isn't well-suited for carrying stuff around on a day-to-day basis. It has a pocket of space at the top which isn't very usable, and doesn't have enough space designed for carrying random small items (for example a computer mouse, a checkbook, or a small book). I figured a nice messenger bag would be work-appropriate, but would also be easier to take around if I am carrying work with me during the weekend.

The bag seems to be pretty well-designed, with compartments for different items. It even has a removable sleeve for a laptop (my laptop is large, and therefore a little too big for the sleeve, but still fits in the bag itself). Even though I will probably use the briefcase from time to time, it'll be nice to have a more convenient alternative, and I hope it'll encourage me to work outside more often.

App Roundup: Timing is Everything

It is slightly hard to believe that I use so many different apps which relate to timekeeping, and it is curious that managing and controlling time has become such a priority. I suppose that, when one is working, it inevitably becomes important.

I have mentioned the Sleep Cycle timer and the Timer With Sections in the past. Sleep Cycle is an alarm system which wakes you up when you're at the most 'awake' part of your sleep cycle and keeps track of sleep patterns. Timer With Sections allows you to plan out and time a routine; I use it to schedule, and stick to, a morning routine.

I have also tried using apps to keep track of my work hours.

Because I sometimes work from home (or the coffee shop), I need to keep track of the hours I bill so that I can later enter my time into the system at work. For a long time, I would make do by recording the time on scraps of paper, but that system left a lot to be desired. I've tried out a few timekeeper apps, but I have sometimes found their interfaces to be awkward or not well suited to the kind of billing I need to do.