I've just entered this writing competition by Dying Matters, a coalition of people raising awareness of dying, death and bereavement. I'm quite pleased with my entry, and I've learnt a few things as well (I have been tweeting them for later collection):
- Just write. Don't fuss too much with the first draft. Make all your mistakes, get the ideas down and then apply the following things.
- Tell the story. Don't explain it. Weave the backstory into the story, don't just plonk it down.
- Grammar! I'm not very good with speech marks - got correct examples on a post-stick note now.
- Less is more. Don't cram too much into one sentence. Don't bother with a big word when a normal one will do nicely.
- Structure. I managed to structure this story fairly well, but it was a little loose at times. With a short story, each section/paragraph should count and stay strong.
- Feedback is awesome. Singularly the most important part of writing. Aside from writing
"When the well's dry, we all know the worth of water"
Took me a little while to come up with an original idea, but I think I have a good one.
Music: I love listening to soundtracks and I am currently LOVING Transistor. It's the second game by SuperGiant, creators of the award-winning Bastion. I haven't played it yet, but I saw TotalBiscuit's intro/review and VintageBeef's Let's Play. The artwork? Amazing. The music? Just listen...
And finally - I've rediscovered KickthePJ. He creates beautifully awesome short films and spoken poems. His work is very colourful and *slightly* surreal, packed with imagination and a creative energy that's managed to pass through the screen into me. It woke me from that mid-projects creative slump and just made me love creating again. This is my current favourite video of his:
"I then live within another world for seven or eight hours. And then I wake up."
Art creates art.