MuseBlog

As before, a thread for reading and discussing specific books for extended periods of time.

First, we need a book…

MuseBlog Novel Writing Month has to end sometime, and that time is one minute after 11:59 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, March 2). Be warned! (And by the way, how’s it going?)

A place to collaborate on constructing imaginary locations as settings for stories, or just for fun.

MuseBlog Novel Writing Month lasts from February 1 through the end of March 2. (It spills over into March because February is such a short month.)

MBers who couldn’t take part in National Novel Writing Month, or who have unfinished business from that month, or who are gluttons for novelistic punishment are welcome to take part and report on their progress here.

A thread on which Musers who have written, are writing, or want to write books can share excerpts and bounce ideas off others.

Continued from v. 2009.2.

Round Robin ‘Riting, for those who don’t know. Old hands can explain further, or use the search box to see past examples.

We’ll leave the topic open to discussion until consensus emerges.

These are not RRRs (or RPGs) but solo writing projects which share the same thread. Start your own, or just stop by and read your fellow MuseBloggers’ creations.

Continued from Muse Fanfiction, v. 2008.4.

NOTE: This thread is reserved for actual writing. If you want to cheer on the author or otherwise comment directly, use the “reply” button, so as not to interrupt the flow of the story.

Please use the Planning Thread for all planning and general discussion.

These are not RRRs but solo projects which share the same thread. Start your own, or just stop by and visit.

This thread is now reserved for planning and general discussion of Muse fanfiction. Post your actual writing on Muse Fanfiction, v. 2010.1

The madness begins again. Some MuseBloggers will disappear for a month and others may show up more often to bewail or celebrate their progress.

*National Novel Writing Month.

Ages ago, Robert started inserting the Muses into the action of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. First, the whole gang burst into Chapter One. Then, in a scene unlike anything in the book, Feather met Fleur Delacour and discovered her poetic side.

Robert planned some other scenes that he never got around to posting. This one is from Chapter 24, “Sectumsempra.” Looking for the girls’ bathroom, Mimi accidentally walks into the boys’ loo a few minutes before Harry Potter arrives for his fateful encounter with Draco Malfoy…. Read more »

= NaNo BrainStorming = generating ideas for NaNoWriMo = National Novel-Writing Month, which takes place in November. Someone will explain….

Ernest Hemingway wrote is supposed to have written a very sad one:

For sale: Baby shoes, never used worn.

What can you come up with? (We’ll also accept summaries, reviews, biographies — anything you can squeeze into this even-shorter-than-haiku format.)

This was clogging up the Books in Progress thread, so we’ve transplanted it here. Choose away!

Continued from version 2009.1.

Stonehenge, Angkor Wat, and the Great Pyramid have nothing on this joint literary project.

Continued (of course) from TERRA Formed, Part 1: The Edit — continued.

The Irishman had a way with words.

The girl goes dancing there
On the leaf-sown, new-mown, smooth
Grass plot of the garden;
Escaped from bitter youth,
Escaped out of her crowd,
Or out of her black cloud.
Ah, dancer, ah, sweet dancer!

If strange men come from the house
To lead her away, do not say
That she is happy being crazy;
Lead them gently astray;
Let her finish her dance,
Let her finish her dance.
Ah, dancer, ah, sweet dancer!

A thread on which Musers who have written, are writing, or want to write books can share excerpts and bounce ideas off others.

Continued from v. 2009.1.

A writer should always have on hand a place to jot down ideas for plots, characters, settings, images, and other random literary elements as they come to mind. This thread is a place to jot down similar sorts of notions, with the difference that these are the ideas you doubt you’ll ever use yourself.

JJjetplane-girlw/cats made the suggestion:

You know it would be awesome to have a thread where we just come up with ideas for other people (if we don’t have time, or get inspiration if we’re stuck). I know that I get random ideas in my head all the time, and being able to tell everyone about them means they at least get a chance. Plus, if anyone is stuck on a topic for their story, they can read up for inspiration.

The challenge is to write a story within the 10 levels of nesting. Sort of a Round-Robin ‘Riting in miniature. The term “story” may be interpreted loosely. Experimental fiction and prose poems are also acceptable.

The rules:

> If two (or more) people reply to the same entry at the same level, the story divides, and each comment may be built upon separately.

> The “tree” may branch where it will, except that the 10th nesting level must always close out that story line.

> You may copy a piece of one story to use as the beginning of a new story.

> More than one story may be in progress.

That should do to start us off. This is an experiment, so don’t be afraid to branch out have some fun with the format.

The idea is to start with an image and each person writes about it as s/he sees it, in the writer’s choice of style. See the original thread for clarification and inspiration.

Current prompt: Someone or something finding three identical footprints in the snow.

Next up: “Two go in, one comes out.”

Previous:
an unusual shop
someone or something on the border between wilderness and civilization

The comments sections now available on some pages are NOT normal MB threads. They are for posting information only. (“Pages” in WordPress nomenclature are the information posts accessed through the menu below the MuseBlog title banner: Who’s Here, What’s Here, etcetera.)

On the HTML page, for example, please don’t post questions asking “How to do I do such-and-such?” or experiments along the lines of “Will such-and-such work? Whee, it did!” That’s what the HTML Practice and Typographic Tricks thread is for. If you feel like telling others how to do something, however, go right ahead. We’ll transfer the information to the page and delete your comment to keep that section clear.

Thanks,

The Management

Progress reports, anybody?

A thread on which Musers who have written, are writing, or want to write books can bounce ideas off others who share that interest.

Continued from v. 2008.3.

Continued at long last from version 2008.1.

Oxlin’s suggestion, from an idea she found on another website, from which she copied the following rules.

1. Each person tells a true story from their own experience. (Obviously, we can’t tell if you’ve made things up. That is between you and your conscience.)
2. Keep it brief; we’re looking for vignettes and koans, not epics
3. Each story has to be linked to a previous anecdote by some shared concept, some common theme or element.
4. Cite the element you’ve used as a link. Try to go for solid links: physical objects, specific words (punning encouraged).
5. This is a multi-stranded string of pearls. A single story can spawn more than one successor, and an anecdote can combine more than one antecedent.
6. Poetry is, of course, encouraged
7. Do I need to mention that this is a non-political thread? If your story is political, try not to make it partisan.