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!

Quote by Mendalla

I have a mixed approach. Usually, I try to refrain from reading before my own entry is done but sometimes there's an entry that just screams "read me" or I am not sure if I am entering so I start reading earlier.

I couldn't get that to load at all - like 2 hours!

I still don't have an ending....

Quote by Mendalla

This is, after all, the guy who made the two best Terminator movies and Aliens which are not exactly pacifist movies so this is not really a problem for me. I actually consider T2 : Judgement Day to be his best movie. The original Avatar was, until the final battle, one of his less violent movies, though, (still more violent than Titanic) so I can see why some might react that way if this one is more vintage Cameron.

Got my ticket for tomorrow, right before the cold front hits.

T2 is his masterpiece, I agree. I loved Aliens, but am lukewarm on Titanic and most of the rest.

I think I’m in.

<insert furiously typing cat gif here>

Quote by Mendalla

I would be interested to hear a review. I loved the worldbuilding and visuals in the original and there was some good acting but found the story itself a bit meh.

I might sneak it in tomorrow.

I'm really scared to read any more comp entries, I have no ideas and am very impressionable. I might try to start something now. Cool to see the comp gaining traction!

Good morning everyone. Thanks for setting up!

I don't have a clue about a comp entry, but something might pop up between now and deadline. I am wrapping up Christmas stuff so will have some time. Especially during the 48 hours where it will NOT get above 0 Thurs and Fri.

I'm also trying to fit in a stealth afternoon matinee of Avatar 2 this week. I am weirdly psyched.

Workman all over the house now. I was crabby about it yesterday, today I am just resigned to it.

Coffee! Sara's cookies! Yum!

So wait, is the comp exactly 1000 words? No more, no less? Does that include the title!?

Hope everyone is well. So sorry about the Zoom funeral, Gill. That sounds depressing and rather soulless. My Dad's memorial was in the midst of Covid, so I get it: we almost went Zoom ourselves (we did try to have a Zoom stream of it, but we didn't have enough bandwidth).

Long week, heading into Christmas. Most of the chores are getting done though. Saw an EXCELLENT radio play of It's a Wonderful Life last night. It kinda kicked me into the Christmas spirit.

Workman at the house for the next several days. Erg.

A coffee and a cookie!

Dead battery

In a while, crocodile.

My daughter's 20th (!!!) birthday today. We are not celebrating because she just made manager where she works, after a month, and she has to work. We celebrated yesterday. She got an iPhone and a deeply cool framed Sweeney Todd poster form the 1978 Angela Lansbury production. ♫ Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd / He served a dark and a vengeful God ♫

Quiet day as a result. Talia's back is out so I am helping her all day.

Coffee, cookie, seize the day!

Thanks for the setup Ape.

Back from Cali.

Cold as f here, AND Talia’s car battery is dead, AND her back went out at work, so she is not having a good day. Me. I am lazing in bed with a cat in my lap. She had to take my car, so I can’t even drive up to help her.

Two rejection slips in two days. One of them was very nice and complimentary, but that only makes it sting more. I thought I had that one in the bag.

Coffee and a cookie please.

I am OFF to California!

Quote by gillianleeza

It has not been a good week. I sorted out my Mom's issues and was attending to my own home when my cat became very ill. He had a stroke, and we had to say goodbye. We lost his brother about six months ago. I hope they are together again. It's too quiet without him. I'm used to sleeping with him curled up next to me, so I can't sleep. They were both wonderful cats, very friendly, and so much fun to watch them play and interact together. Apollo enjoyed Thanksgiving with everyone fussing over him. He lived a good life for sixteen years.

I am so sorry Gill. Crushing to lose a pet.

Thanks for the set-up Larry. Long day today, and packing for Cali. I leave tomorrow to join Talia!

Coffee please, and a cookie!

Ooh, a contest! I’m bummed about my less than stellar recent effort at a comp on another site, but I do love flash.

That sucks ab the fraudulent bank accounts Gill. Sadly that behavior is everywhere. Happened to me about this time last year.

Lots of errand running today, getting ready for Cali. I don’t love busy days, but I am psyched for the trip.

Coffee would be wonderful,