Thank you James.

Tired but pressing on today. I only wrote about 300 words yesterday, so I am pissed at myself. I went to the dentist, and my daughter had some drama, so I didn’t have the full day to write. Still, today may be a bit of a slog.

Sorry about your Grandson, Roland. Sounds painful. I remember how I slammed my kneecap into a metal pipe we were using as a base for baseball. They thought I’d shattered my kneecap! I hadn’t, though that knee has given me problems ever since.

A coffee and a cookie would be wonderful.

Quote by rolandlytle
A week ago, Liz and I viewed the new 'Avatar' movie in 3-D. It was quite a good film. The vistas and world were absolutely amazing. It had exciting character development. It is what you expect from a three-billion-dollar movie. The weakest part was the idea that caused the conflict.

I really enjoyed Avatar 2 as well! It was just so FULLY immersive, I felt like I was there after I got used to the glasses. I agree about the conflict being the weakest part: it worked best when you were just hanging out with the characters, learning about Pandora. I'd go see it again.

Thanks for the setup James.

Warm sunny day here. The cats are lazing, Talia is working. Spent much of the weekend in parental emergency mode (Kat just wrote about this!) but I think things are calm now.

I didn't sleep well. And I go to the dentist today. Wah. Still, the blank page beckons. I am really trying hard to write slower and more mindfully this year, so I don't wanna just bust out 1000 and be done.

Hey, I read a REALLY nice piece of writing here. Give it a look! They're new here (I think), let's give them some encouragement.

https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/general/pa-smoked-a-pipe-and-it-smelled-fine

Quote by KatarinaTechgoddess

Been fighting a stomach bug the past few days. Although it could very well be food poisoning as that lasts longer than I realized. Only one other person got sick though, so it could be just stomach virus.

So I will skip my typical tea in favor of a Coca Cola. I will be in the corner, watching football (American that is) and working on a new story. Anything to keep my mind off my tummy.

Yikes! I hate food poisoning! Feel better. I really enjoyed your micro - you described the terror and joy of parenthood in 100 words perfectly.

Roland, sorry your head is mushy today. I'm hoping things will improve, it's nice to see you around here.

We went out to breakfast at our favorite place, and the wait was long, and the food and coffee was cold, so I'm in an irritable mood. Trying to edit, but my head isn't in it. Maybe I'll take a nap.

Until then, I'll have a cookie to munch on.

Quote by TaliaRussell

Hey Handsome - buy me a coffee? ❤️

You betcha. Want a Scooby snack too?

Garcon, two coffees two of your finest Scooby snacks!

Good luck everyone. Thanks for the java Ape. Good to see you back Elyse!

Utterly exhausting day yesterday, taking my daughter to the OR at 4 a.m.. She is doing fine, despite some pain, and I am doing fine, despite some grogginess.

No plans for the day. We might go see that creepy M3GAN movie. It looks, um, creepy. Or just continue binging White Lotus.

I’d love a coffee! And a Scooby snack!

I guess there's money to be made in ruining everyone's Christmas.

I'm honored to be on the podium with Ping and Kat, particularly since I borrowed Ping's brain to write mine, and kinda aped his style. Congrats to everyone who won, and placed, and entered. It was fun to see all the different takes. Like a Rorschach test. Which doesn't speak well for me. :)

These contests are great. Thank you, Molly, for organizing all this and giving us a fun way to pass the time during winter break.

Hey Kat, hey Ape.

May I buy you a coffee and a cookie Ape? You have been doing some fine writing lately.

Me, I will keep slogging along. No Talia Thursday. Writing and CSPAN today. The cats are relieved.

I'll have a coffee and a cookie as well. Hearty congratulations Scott.

Thanks for the setup Ape. Thank you for quitting singing Les Miz too (kidding).

Woke up too early, but in a pretty good mood. Nothing but writing today. I'm trying to write more slowly and carefully. More mindfully. I don't make New Year's resolutions, but it's a New Years intention.

Talia is back on another site, and might pop her head in here. She might even start writing again!

Coffee and one of those de-LISH cookies of Sara's would be a kindness.

Quote by rolandlytle

It is nice being someplace where people know about Yogi, Quick Draw McGraw, and Baba Looey.

Hey Roland! Good to see you around.

Sara! Quick Draw frikkin McGraw!!! I used to sit on the top of a comfy chair and pretend to be QDM riding on his stagecoach at the beginning of the show. My LORD that brings back a memory. THANK YOU!

1100 words in the books yesterday. Hopefully, 1100 words in the books today.

A coffee and a Quick Draw McGraw cookie please.

I'm glad everyone had a nice NYE. We did something kinda fun - at about 11:58 we shut off the TV and listened to the New Year come in. It was pretty easy to tell - the noise started ramping up, peaked for a few minutes, then ramped back down. We kissed in the New Year, never looking at the clock.

Today I write the first 1000 words of a new WIP. It's about try to change a flat tire and the jack sliding and the car landing on someone's hand. Fun!

A coffee would be lovely.

stumbles in with slight hangover, plugs in percolator, dumps in Costco dark roast and water, sets up teas and cookies for 2023

Hey everyone. I do have a slight hangover, something I'm unused to. We split a bottle of champagne and I threw a couple more shots into the mix.

We binged a GREAT show I'm amazed I missed - Better Things. On Hulu, and originally on FX. Funny and moving, and REALLY accurate about single parenthood.

I also wrote out an actual chapter outline for the new novel (based on the Hero's Journey). Never done that before. But it's time to take this a little more seriously. 24 beats, 12 for the protagonist, 12 for the antagonist.

Anyway. that's tomorrow. Today's gonna be mostly lazy. Enjoy the new year, everyone!

blinks, half-awake. plugs in percolator, pours in some Costco coffee, sets out a delicious array of teas, and a plate of Sara's cookies

There. dusts off hands

Hope everyone is well, and has excellent NYE plans, even if those plans involve never leaving the house (like us). The Black Phone is streaming, I'm guessing that is in our future.

Bad news: I accidently took the cats' meds last night! Don't ask meow.

I will probably see you all on the far side of New Year's. Have a safe one, and a fun one.

Peace.

Big snow last night. My daughter called us at midnight to stay with her on the phone as she navigated VERY slippery roads. She abandoned her car about 3 blocks from home (parked thank God!) and walked the rest of the way. It was scary. She's fine this morning. Don't know yet about the car.

I am snug as a bug by comparison. I have therapy today, and I think the dentist may have f'ed up my tooth.

I also may be starting a new novel Monday. Making notes now.

The Correa thing makes no sense, Sara. And don't we already have a shortstop?

Anyway. Hope everyone is well. I'd love a coffee and a cookie.

The Spy Museum sounds fun. Never heard of it. It's nice to have fun relatives during the holidays though.

Lazy day. I will edit, but I have a dentist appointment later so I am not gonna push hard.

I have been playing SO MANY videogames, mostly MarioKart and baseball. My thumbs hurt. I am really glad I have writing in my life, otherwise I'd play videogames all day long.

Saw Jennifer's Body again last night, online with two good friends. It was really fun. I'm so fond of that movie.

Hey Sara, did the Mets lose Correa? I can't figure out what's going on.

A coffee and a cookie please.

chill and enjoy the ride

At a vacation destination: wander aimlessly or have a plan?

Nice dinner out, then home.

New Years Eve: made up holiday or an important milestone?

Hey Gill, it isn’t a holiday without a little disaster. Sounds like you got it contained, and had a great Christmas regardless. I hope everyone else did too. Sounds like everyone stayed safe.

Ah, the eternal question: to write, or play video games? I’m not a huge gamer, but I got a Nintendo Switch, and I am old enough, and videogames advanced enough, that they feel like sci-fi (especially the motion tracking games).

So I think it’s gonna be a little of both. Plus, gonna crock pot some chicken and green chilies and onion and cumin and pepper, and fill up the house with Christmas smells.

Peace everyone. A coffee would be awesome. Any Christmas cookies left?

We call it Boxing Day here, though no one knows what it means, other than throwing away boxes.

Good comp entries, although I have one more to read. I put up a NON-comp entry over the holidays, using the lake pic as a prompt. https://www.storiesspace.com/stories/realistic-fiction/love-16. It's not exactly 1000 words, and could use an edit. Not today.

I hope everyone got what they wanted. Peace, love, joy. I got those things, plus a new videogame console (Nintendo Switch) to replace my ancient but beloved Nintendo Wii. It's really fun. Also, Lego. Also, Pez. Good Christmas.

Okay. A day devoted to toys and food before the real world resumes.

Thanks for the setup, Ape. A coffee and one of Sara's delish cookies would be swell.

We warming up out here. Never got above 0 yesterday, but it's 11 now, and will be ABOVE FREEZING by 9 a.m.! Back in the high forties after that. I hope everyone is safe and warm.

All caught up on the comp entries. Great group of entries (plus my weirdness). I appreciate the kind comments thus far. I just submitted another one, not a comp entry, but another take on the lake idea. This one has a whole different tone.

Probably won't drop in until the other side of Christmas. Have a Merry one everybody. And if you are dreading the holidays (and I don't love them), surround yourself with kindness and love.

Peace.

Quote by WriterGirl

(Shakes you awake) You are NOT taking a nap after your horror-flake story kept me awake last night. You tell me a sweet, lovely, gumdrops and snowflake fairies story RIGHT NOW, Verbal! 😠

For you, WG, I will write something sweet, about a lake, in exactly 1000 words (NOT as a comp entry, just cuz). It'll be my Christmas Eve Eve gift to you.

That said, I kinda like the story, 24 hours after submission. I'll stand by it.

Quote by Mendalla

Okay, now I get this statement. Very Ping that story is. 😀

It’s very Pingly.

I just submitted. Time for a nap.

Thanks for setting up and glad the doc visit went well, Ape.

It was wild getting out of Avatar last night right when the temps were plummeting. It's -8 here now, a little snow. I'm sure it's worse where a lot of you are. Stay safe. T has one more day of office work. I'm sealed inside with the cats. Hehehehe.

I loved the movie. Gotta do 3-D, big screen. It's SO immersive that way, and after awhile your brain just gives in. I can't wait for more folks to see it so I can talk about it, but I won't give anything away.

Lazy day today. I will polish up my comp--which seriously channels the energy of Ping!--and maybe even submit today.

Peace! Merry Christmas everyone.

It's a weird and interesting trick. I wrote extra-shaggy, and so hit 1400 but knew I could cut quite a bit. I just kept taking passes, cutting more words with each pass. Those last 200 were hard. I'm at 997 and am going to plump it back tomorrow. I'm counting words in MS Word, I hope the count doesn't change when I paste it in here.

Quote by WriterGirl

Hopefully you are a better editor than me. My word count always goes up when I edit.

Oh, don't I know! 1078 words. Kill your darlings.

Quote by Mendalla

Wow. And I thought I overshot on my first draft. You got me beat big time. 🤣

Down to 1210.

First draft is done. It's 1400 words. I've got some editing to do.

Quote by redwriter

I have written a story it is in draft form in the comp page awaiting a picture. One of the characters sees himself as a nerd and I discovered it might be me (although he's only 25) but I am having a hell of a job getting the required picture onto the story page. Just plain copying got it on my Word page and I thought transfer would be as easy. Can anyone advise me (without calling me a nerd--I know that already)

Has this been solved yet? If you hover the cursor over the pic, right click, choose save image , and save it to your desktop (remember the name of the file!). Then when you go to submit your story, you browse to the photo you saved and select it.

I have a premise and no ending, but I will f around on the blank page and try to find one.

Seeing the 4:10 Avatar today. I'm excited: big dumb 3-D fun! I might be a little late--I hate commercials--but will definitely be in the theater by 4:20. Talia will not be joining me, though she will be dropping me off and picking me up.

Christmas chores are mostly done. I'm in vaycay mode.

Sara! The Mets got Correa!!!

Let's look for that ending. Coffee and a snowman cookie please!