I wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been hanging in here with Typescript the past few weeks. If you’ve noticed, the challenges have been few and far and the posts even less frequent. I haven’t lost my passion for fiction writing — I don’t think I ever could, as it’s such a huge part of me — but life led me to unexpected places, leaving this site on the back-burner.

So I’m going to officially take a brief hiatus until things settle down and I get back in the swing of it all. I plan to bring Typescript back in mid-November with a new giveaway, fresh challenges, blog posts, and even some new short stories and another installment of the Annie Summer Series .

That’s all coming in the future, but I’m dedicating November to NaNoWriMo.

National Novel Writing Month occurs each November with the goal of spending every day for thirty days writing. The idea is to write. Just write. Get your story from your mind to the paper or the screen: let your characters talk, set the scene, spill the story. Write with abandon; turn off that spell-check, don’t look back, and follow your instincts as your fingers fly across the keyboard. NaNoWriMo is about telling the story.

And don’t we all have a story to tell?

I hope to put this to practice, altering it a bit so that I write at least a half an hour each day on fiction — something I’ve admittedly stalled on these past two months. Whether it’s a short story, a poem, a script, or THE NOVEL (yes, that Achilles’ heel that I love and dread and have abandoned for too long), the purpose is to write. And keep writing.

And as a congratulations to everyone who survives NaNoWriMo, there might be a special surprise giveaway at the end of November.

So keep well, keep writing, and let us know what you’ll be working on for NaNoWriMo!

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Typescript posts a new challenge each Wednesday to encourage creativity and inspire conversation. Feel free to talk about the challenge or share your writing results in the comments section below by leaving an excerpt and/or a link to your own site or blog.

The spark of inspiration can be found anywhere you choose to look. From a title of a song to a sketch found on a napkin, from an overheard conversation to a series of picture prints, these stories are waiting to be discovered and told.

One of the reasons why I love creative expression is that it’s incredibly individualistic. It evokes inspiration and an appreciation of beauty, it stirs emotions and sparks conversations; however, each song, piece of writing, or work of art affects people in significantly different ways.

I love these challenges because I’m fascinated by what interpretations writers — word-artists — can come up with. What you bring with you when considering a challenge is just as important as the inspiration that it serves, for the moment’s emotions, thoughts, feelings, and your experiences may play a part in that interpretation. A painting may spark an original idea for one person, while another individual will look at the same painting and go in an entirely different direction, making the possibilities seem endless. One single idea branches off into original stories full of characters, plot, and your own original voice.

Visual art has always sparked the imagination in a way that few other mediums can. Every painting, photograph, sculpture is open to interpretation and tells a story of either the artist, the subject, or the viewer.

What story will you find?

Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was known as a 20th century American pop artist whose paintings are reminiscent of comic book panels. Full of color and dialogue bubbles that call to the comic book culture, this series of paintings depict a story in and of themselves, asking questions that spark the imagination. Who is Vicki and how does she know the man asking for her? Whose photo is that in the frame to which she says “good morning?” These paintings lay the foundation of the story, a moment frozen in a time. What story will you surround it with?

The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. What words and stories do these illustrations spark for you?

Challenge: Use one or more of the Roy Lichtenstein paintings, depicted in the images below, to create a new short story or poem:

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I was reading an article on TechCrunch the other day about Disney’s newest venture into online reading. The comments, as per usual, varied in opinion, but one comment stood out to me:

It makes me wonder if books will exist in the same way that classical music and opera exist today, in that a fraction of the educated class finds it to be a refined, involved pleasure, which the rest of the world does not enjoy because those things have a learning curve.

Will reading tangible books be seen as a fad? Will they become outdated, prehistoric, in the way scrolls were once used, now disregarded? Looking back through history, people chose using the typewriter over handwritten letters due to its ease; the telephone became the source of communication due to its convenience. Now, email and texting has become the norm.

Then, musicians like Beethoven and Mozart were revered, and people waited for newspapers to publish popular novelist’s newest stories or chapters. Now, we idolize pop and rock stars while reading celebrity biographies (trust me, I’m not exempt from this). The world is evolving, yes, but there comes a point where you begin to wonder…

For those who know me, you should know my stance on this. I will be the one creating an entire library and hoarding books in secret hiding places in my attic à la Fahrenheit 451 to make sure books never disappear from my hands. And while I love products such as LeapFrog for helping kids learn how to read, I’m not sure how I would feel were digital to go mainstream.

Books are much more to me than a tool to learn. They are the open doors to other worlds, they are the gatekeeper to the imagination. Sure you can take a Kindle and laptop anywhere and read — and if one were traveling, I would advocate for exactly that. But there’s something about a book…something charming and nostalgic and inexplicable. Others have said you can’t curl up with a Kindle like you can a book; that old “books are your best friend” idea just doesn’t seem the same with an electronic device. For me, it doesn’t have the same old, familiar comfort.

I wonder, too, what the impact could be on the mind, if it’s possible that the brain processes information differently on the page verses on the screen. I wonder if our minds are so geared now for the fast-paced world of the computer that when we read on an electronic device, that sense of hyperactive processing somehow doesn’t slow. With a book, reading is almost leisurely, relaxing; it makes you take your time and contemplate as you delve deeper and deeper into the words, the ideas, the story, the content. It seems, with electronic devices, you remain at the surface level.

We seem to have gotten to the point where we want things to be quicker and easier, more convenient and all electronic. But I think there’s something to be said for holding a hardcover book in your hands, fingers poised on the corner, lightly touching the paper as you anticipate turning the page.

There’s something to be said for wanting to curl up in bed with your son or daughter and a familiar book as you tell them a fairy-tale and read them goodnight.

What are your thoughts on the advent of the digital age and its affect on books and future generations?

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Every month, Typescript posts a new giveaway, with recipients chosen at random on the 15th of each month. Submit your name and email in the comments below and you’ll be automatically placed in the drawing. Please only submit once; if you’re chosen, you’ll be contacted for your shipping address.

If you have a book or product you’d like to see featured in a future giveaway, feel free to contact me.

Market Your Freelance Writing In 31 Days
by Thursday Bram

“The problem isn’t the quality of the writing. The problem is the fact that many writers just don’t have the tools to properly promote themselves…”
- Thursday Bram, “Market Your Freelance Writing In 31 Days”

I first met Thursday about a year ago as part of the same career development blogging network. It has since been a pleasure to get to know Thursday better, not only for her range of experience and skills as a writer, but also for her willingness to help in any capacity. After recently sending her a (very long) email recounting my desire to travel, Thursday offered realistic options and gentle encouragement coupled with first-hand knowledge of working abroad. Her willingness to help those who are reaching out are one of the reasons why she remains high on my list of favorite freelance writers and bloggers.

Thursday’s blog always offers insights into what it means to be a writer and is a great guide for those looking to go beyond a passion and into the realm of the business of writing. Over the past few months, as I started down my own path as a part-time freelancer, I began to see additional value in her advice both for those looking to get into the field and those already immersed in it.

Whether you’re just starting out as a writer or have been a freelancer for years, Thursday’s new ebook Market Your Freelance Writing In 31 Days will help with everything from revisiting your goals and exploring your niche to querying and promoting your own work.

Up for grabs is Thursday’s ebook, Market Your Freelance Writing In 31 Days. To learn more about both Thursday and her writing, check out her website and follow her on Twitter.



Note: This giveaway will close and the recipient will be chosen on October 20.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Rachel, recipient of Typescript’s October giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered and spread the word about the giveaway!

NOTE: As a special offer, Thursday is offering Typescript readers a discount on her eBook.
Enter the code TYPESCRIPTOCT and receive $3 off your purchase of Market Your Freelance Writing in 31 Days!
Be sure to check out her website, another terrific resource for freelance writers!

Check back soon: giveaways will be back in November with a new selection.

(Note: recipients are chosen based on a random drawing.)

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