Showing posts with label winner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winner. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

D WAS for Dystopian Fiction


Now D is for Dreadful Doughnut Drive

Oh yes, I think this will take a bit of explaining. I was visiting 2 hours from my home when I had a flat tire. Luckily I was near my brother’s house and he was able to come and change it because no matter how much I jumped on the tire iron I couldn’t get my nuts off. By the time he was able to get there and change it for me it was rush hour and I was NOT in the mood to try and get home through that. I stopped at another friend’s house and stayed for dinner before I headed home. The trip that would normally, over highways, take 2 hours took much longer. My doughnut is only rated for 40 MPH and the straight shot roads have a minimum speed of 55. So the long way it was. I can’t actually tell you how long it took because if I looked I am sure I would start crying. Needless to say I was unable to get my D post out because of my Dreadful Doughnut Drive.

Blogging From A to Z


The plan to save my A to Z is to add an extra day, probably on sunday or if one of the flash fictions are particularly short. I really want to share my dystopian fiction with you so I am not skipping it. Even though it made me uncomfortable to write and reread.

Dystopian Flash Fiction


“Emily are you excited to participate in Black Friday this year?” Asked her mother Alexandra.

“Yes mama, I like to stay up late and I want to go to the mall,” said Emily as she got out of the car.

“Now dear, don't get her all worked up. Black Friday can be intense,” said her father. “I'll go grab a cart.”

“Oh, I'm so glad they have carts at the mall now. It makes moving the stuff so much easier,” said Alexandra.

“Come on, let's get in line fast. I wanna be through the gate first,” Emily said pulling her father's arm.

“Alright, alright, we're coming,” he said as they walked through the empty parking garage toward the mall entrance.

The family lined up behind the roped off area outside the mall and settled in to wait for the doors to open and the pandemonium to begin. They talked, laughed and joked as the hours ticked away. It seemed like a wonderful bonding experience, but Emily knew they would have their work cut out for them when the doors were thrown open.

Opening time of five a.m. was almost at hand. The line was around the corner and out of Emily’s sight. People who had been lounging on the ground or leaning against walls a mere half hour before were now standing tall as they looked over each other's heads and scooched as close to the threshold of the mall as they could. They were all enthralled in a frenzy that was building and seeking the maelstrom that is Black Friday.

An employee clicked the lock and it seemed unusually loud, almost like a starting gun had been fired. Two other employees pushed open the doors while trying to scurry out of the way with frightened, but determined faces. This was it, we are first. Emily and her mother ran for the woman’s department. The news reports had been saying all week it was supposed to have the most action this year and it had always been her mother’s favorite anyway.

Emily pushed her cart around the corner and stopped by the edge of the counter. She excitedly looked back at her mother as she pulled an exquisite cashmere coat out and held it up. She looked down into the pit. The woman waiting there were already shoving each other and jockeying for position under the hanging coat. Emily shook it and they responded like ravenous dogs. The lady directly in front of Emily punched the lady to her left in the face causing blood to pour from her nose, but not stopping the bloody woman from jumping for the coat. Emily tossed the coat into the bedlam and was delighted at the squealing and screaming her trinket had brought.

Emily turned back to her mother who was smiling and handed her a pair of Gucci heels and said, “We have spared no expense here on your first Black Friday. I want you to really enjoy what this event means. Make sure you throw them way into the center so the poor girls who got here later have a chance to enter the fray and get some goodies as well.”

“Yes mama,” Emily said as she took the beautiful shoes.


Dystopian fiction is a very popular genre at the moment, but I remember reading George Orwell's 1984 in high school so it has been around a long time. Let me just say that book scared the crap out of me. Are you a fan of Dystopian fiction? What books would you recommend in this genre?

Insecure Writer’s Support Group


I am worried I bit off WAY more than I can chew. Though perhaps if I stop chewing on the computer it would work better. I LOVE writing challenges, but rarely get through to the end with a victory. I need to figure out how to set better priorities and stick to goals. I am also having a bit of a problem with that life thing getting in the way constantly, but it seems to happen often to me. I am not entirely sure if it just happens to everyone a lot and I am busy putting out proverbial fires and don’t notice or if the Fates have placed some sort of kick me sign on my back. Hey, be a friend and pull it off my back if you see it there, thanks. I also worry about the quality of my work. I read so many awesome blog posts, excerpts and flash fictions during these writing challenges that I feel woefully inadequate. What do you do to stay on task? How do you feel when you share your work?

ROW80 Rundown


I missed stating my round 2 goals on Monday the 4th so I am playing catch up here, too. My goals are mostly the same as last round. Wish me luck.

To make the check-ins on Sundays and Wednesdays - This is the first Wednesday so YAY I made it.
To visit 5 fellow ROW80 bloggers each check-in - Didn’t manage to visit anyone since Monday.
To write 667 words every day to keep up with my Camp NaNo goal - I hit this goal on Monday, but not on Tuesday. I fell short by less than 200 words on my flash.
To post every additional day in April for A to Z - I barely made it Monday and missed Tuesday, but have high hopes for the next check in period.

Orange Prompt Type Winner


Orange prompt: Sensory Prompt a prompt that makes you use one of your five senses. A smell, a taste, a sound, touch, something visual


Thanks to those who helped me by participating. I like this suggestion, there were 4 really good choices and I am happy to start making new prompts. The first Orange Sensory Prompt was created by my daughter. I really need to do a LOT more research before I try another contest because I didn’t get much participation, but that is a post that will need to wait until April is over. Do you have any tips for running contests to get me started thinking about what to do better next time?

What do you do when you have bitten off too much? Do you spit some of it out or try and choke it down even though it may cause the quality of tasks accomplished to diminish?

For some reason I couldn't find the ROW80 code to add the linky list to my post so click here to see the others who posted today.

Photos by Pixabay.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Success And A Group Happy Dance

Come dance with me!
I did it! For the first time since I started participating in NaNoWriMo events in 2011 I flopped across the finish line. The happy dance started at 4:16 on Thursday morning. Camp NaNo was a lot easier because I set my goal at 25,000 but I'm still happy and really excited. It was a lot of work and I was very frustrated several times, but in the end I am glad I worked on it and made my goal.

I had a homophone exchange very late Wednesday night and I was so delirious I laughed for like 10 minutes managing to wake up my husband and son. Then I had to write the following in my blog draft before I could move on:
I can't discuss this right now. I have to meat someone. Get out of my way!

Most hilarious error EVER! That's right I am just off to shank someone with a T-bone steak. Don't stand in my way or I'll get you first. This scene has taken a whole new twist. In the middle of my mad dash for the end I had to stop and write this down so I don't forget it, even though I am sure I never will.

What is the funniest writing error you can remember making? Come on share with us in the comments we all want to laugh together. Make sure you leave a comment to say hello. Don't forget to let me know where you are visiting from so I can follow you back and see what you're up to.

At the beginning of the round I made 2 sets of goals. July's Camp NaNo goals and a more relaxed strolling set for August and September. I took the rest of July (1 day) off completely because sleep is good and it keeps us from yelling at innocent bystanders.
ROW80 August & September Goals Rundown

1. Write 2 Poms every day.
I am still plugging away at The Most Magical Place, but not at a pace that is guided by word counts. I am sticking to my Poms and focusing on writing after the snoring sound is coming from my son's room. So many people say the write to music, but I prefer the melody of a running dishwasher and snoring kids.

2. Post for every ROW80 check-in.
I love participating in ROW80 because it gives me something to focus on when I'm not sure what to say. So far so good on getting posts out.

3. Spend 1 Pom per day visiting ROW80 friends.
I skipped Wednesday and Thursday, but hopped around Friday and Saturday.

4. Post to Twitter on ROW80 days.
I posted to Twitter several times as I got closer to the end of Camp NaNo and remembered to tweet when I posted on Wednesday. So I think this check-in's goals are all wins. Take a picture because this doesn't happen often.


Photos by Pixabay.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Winner and One Word

The blog hop was a lot of fun. I loved reading all the excerpts. I think I might have misunderstood what they were doing because all I had to offer was a flash fiction. Now on to more exciting news, the winners.

The winner of my drawing for a $20 gift cert to Amazon or B&B is: Mary Frances Roya

Thanks you so much for all your comments and I truly hope you enjoyed my story.

The grand prize winners can be found here.

In addition to the awesome news about the lucky winners. I also wanted to leave you with a One Word. The word was cry.

I wish I didn't have to cry, but the best way to get him out of my system is to cry it out. He abused my heart by leaving with a piece he didn't even want. Now I just need to move on, but there is something that keeps bringing me back to him. His eyes, his smile or maybe being forced into situations where I have to deal with him on a regular basis.

Not sure where that was going, but it just popped out.


Smiling guy photo credit: danimaniacs via photopin cc