The Scribbler’s favourite way to spend those sweltering summer vacation weeks is to get into a nice hot airless class-room far away from home immersing oneself in irregular verbs, different cases (dative, genitive, instrumental, locative, vocative ....), where to place the verb, making sure that the female plural pronoun didn’t appear together with a male singular adjective, whether to use words like ”the”, ”a” or instead use suffixes or totally ignore any difference between determined of non-determined and so on … and on… and on.
Well this year The Scribbler, for various reasons couldn’t go away to have fun. Forced to stay at home The Scribbler had a look at the July contest at BCTS. That was not the original plan but it was worth having a look though.
The Scribbler has a very detailed and elaborate writing process procedure
One of two alternatives:
1. Get struck by a more or less silly idea.
2. Sit down and write story “fleshing it out” while typing.
3. Post story.
Total time 1-3 hours
A. Get struck by a more or less silly idea
B. (In particular if getting struck by the idea while in the bath, eating chocolates or strawberries) Let the idea bounce around in the head. Lots of empty space there. “Fleshing out” process.
C. Unless idea discarded for one reason or another: Sit down and write story
D. Post story.
Total time 3 hours to 2 years.
Please note that in neither case is there a phase of "sit down and get an idea"
It started off well. For a while The Scribbler had whale of a time boning up about corsets. However, the steel in the spine and the spring in the step disappeared into the black hole of “cation”. The idea just didn’t turn up.
The Scribbler had to resort to other things. Spending lazy days by the beach reading. Either a five minute walk to the lake or (gasp!) a quarter of an hour to the sea. The sea didn’t provide an idea. Walking around the medieval alleys of the city in the merely hot evenings was no better, not even stopping at the ice-cream place just across the 21-century old bridge. Watching those pesky sunsets from the cliffs was as futile. Sipping milk with friends watching the sailing boats returning for the evening was a distraction.
For the big military parade The Scribbler had a procedure: Get down to the avenue for the low-flying aircraft which you really have to be on-site to appreciate and then get back home to look at the rest on TV. Much better view. No idea though.
Day excursions to a castle or two that would make Dave (Abu Gaby) Bond drool were just useless. The day spent biking on the sandy peninsula with a stop for an assortment of herring with a view over the lagoon, the break for a skinny-dip in the sea only to wind up with a Sahara-like experience struggling up the giant sand dunes (over 40m high) in the fifty-something (Celsius) degree sun with only a few drops of water left – Well that day turned out to be arid.
Maybe a dip in a cold, rapid river fed from glaciers? Well that was a drag. The Scribbler was dragged at least a hundred meters before making it to land again.
The international ballet festival at the open air stage at “Seaside”? – Well, let’s just say that The Scribbler has an attitude problem.
And so the days went. Beach, reading, swimming, open air performances in the evenings, warm evenings spent with friends at cafés outdoor, sunsets, excursions to castles, cathedrals, digs, restaurants … Just terrible!
Then The Scribbler was contacted by Barbie Lee who wanted to know:
- Where is your “Staycation” story?”
The poor Scribbler could only answer:
- I have no idea!
If you haven’t already noticed this is an official non-entry in the “BCTS July Staycation Contest”
Comments
An Idea
Ever had an idea bug you and bug you 'til you just had to do something with it? That happened to me several decades ago and out of that simple idea grew four kids and two grandchildren and a marriage going on 45 years.
Since that time I've kept a supply of aerosol "IGNORE" on hand. When an idea pops anywhere near my head I simply spray and laugh. Spray and laugh. It's really that simple, with "IGNORE" by your side.
The other day I read that Dickens always slept with his head pointed north. Then an idea slipped by my defenses before I could grab my can of "IGNORE" and eradicate it.
Now I can't sleep -- trying to figure out how to "point" my head.
Oh well. . ..
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Should be easy, just ask any ...
...egghead.
So where can you lay your hands on a substantial supply of aerosol IGNORE?
Bru
You Can Make Your Own at Home
Combine:
A whiff of despair
A hint of failure
A dash of false humility
and far less than an ounce of pride.
Stir until any thoughts of a new idea have been vacated.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
interesting recipe
are those ingredients over-the-counter or do we have to make our own? Can we substitute depression and anxiety for failure and despair?
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Well, so long as it's anywhere but due north it should be fine.
I've never been a big fan of Dickens. He rather enjoyed punishing his characters too much for my liking, whereas your stories are much better about that.
Melanie E.
D--n, where is that bottle of "IGNORE"?
I will resist, I will resist. I will not write a Dickensian TG story!
I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.
Bru
OMG Angela and Bru off the deep end
GIRLS...GIRLS! Enough!
I'll send each of you a lollypop and a balloon if you'll PARK IT!
Or if you promise to behave long enough to not embarrass me, we can go out to the Red Dog and have a couple Texas Twisters.
Angela, where's your entry in this Lollypop Contest? Your demented twin, Bru, managed to scramble something together. Although I'm not sure what? I swear that girl's roots are blonde no matter how much she dies..., dyes her hair to try and hide it.
I think all the non entry entries ought to be counted toward another dollar for BC from Melanie E. even if they aren't officially in the contest. Bru's "Woes" story and my "un va cation" would drag two more dollars out of Melanie's piggy bank. Teach her to NOT think up these silly contests.
Angela, Precious? I'm waiting for a story from you. Don't look around. Yes you!
Life is meant to be lived, not worn until it's worn out.
Hugs girls
always
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
thanks!
thanks a lot, I had to look up "Texas Twister" and now I want one(a virgin, I don't drink). I know there's some meaning behind the reference, but you really know how to pick the good stuff!
And thanks for giving mention of the contest's stipulation, I just have to write another story just to give the site another small tidbit for the hatbox.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Texas Twisters
Barbie Lee really do enjoy reminding me about an incident where she really got me. Now I just have to retreat to my dungeon, fortify me with a few Texas twisters, practise my evil laugh and come up with another plan for world domination.
Thank you for your comments!
Not only am I perfect, I'm blonde too
I have a t-shirt stating. Not sure about that but we DO have more fun. (said swishing my flaxen tresses).
Jill (Angela), thank you for the instructions. However, being blonde I'm not sure I will be able to follow them.
Bru
Taken under advisement.
Just remind me later to tack the extra charge on :)
Melanie E.
Bru...
you really have a taste for subtlety. This was a fun little bit of fluff that has the meaning of the contest with your own twist on it. I don't know if it's parody, satire, or just plan trying to be funny but this was a great little ditty that did a lot for the contest
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
I found it funny I had the same exact
Thought about where the story was somewheres in the middle of the story.
Random Solo Appearance
When I saw this in the "Random Solo" box, I thought, "Wait -- a Bru story I haven't read?" It wasn't familiar, I didn't remember anything more than a vague "Scribbler something something". But the kudo entry at the bottom informed me that I'd given it my kudo.
When I read this description of the first writing process procedure...
1. Get struck by a more or less silly idea.
2. Sit down and write story “fleshing it out” while typing.
3. Post story.
Total time 1-3 hours
... I thought, this must be how he wrote his most recent story. Now, I'm not sure whether the silly idea was Andrea ripping his sister's prom dress apart, or the narrator attending a school having just gone coed, as the only boy.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)