Categories
Creative Writing Projects

NaNoWriMo 2014 (In 2016)

This was a long time coming (look who is finally getting their stuff together). From the cozy confines of a laundromat on a rainy Wednesday night, I bring you the affectionately titled “Best Novel Ever Written.” We are not arrogant enough to think this was truly the best novel ever written. Hell, this is hardly long enough to warrant the title of novel. But, wait, “we”, who is this “we” you speak of? Well, the “we” of which I speak are my friends Tim and Mike. We admitted that the idea of writing 50,000 words in a single month sounded a bit daunting, and truth be told, it probably is a bit more than that. We wanted to co-write a novel during NaNoWriMo. “Geeze, but now what is NaNoWriMo?”, you’re asking. Fear not, dear heart, I will explain. NaNoWriMo stands for “National Novel Writing Month”. It started in 1999 and occurs annually for the month of November. The goal is to write an entire novel, defined as 50,000 words, during the month of November. It’s not an easy thing to do; a crazy amount of respect to those who do finish. We managed 16,103 words between all three of us. Guys, it’s hard.

The tenuous rules of this were that we would switch off writing duties everyday, round robin style. The person could write whatever and however they wanted. A person could end how they wanted, mid-sentence in some cases. That was really it. Full disclosure, we missed days. It was tough to devote that much time each day to it.

Over a year too late, I present our unedited, untitled magnum opus. I color coded each section to highlight who wrote it, and not get in the way of reading. It’s not great, but I kind of love it.

Categories
Creative Writing Music

On Poetry Month – Poem 4.

For my last poem of poetry month I decided to do a found poem with some cavets. The poem is written with the lyrics of the first song to come up on my iTunes when placed on shuffle (The song also must contain lyrics). The poem must contain only words found in the lyrics and those words can only be used once each unless they repeat in the lyrics. The content does not have to relate to the song in any way.

So, when I put it on shuffle I got the song Black Out by Pavement. An awesome song and band. Here is what I wrote. It’s pretty dark, but I really like the turnout. I will post the lyrics to the song below the poem.

Dirty Trail

 

Where does it go? How do I get there?

No one has a clue

 

Criminal’s rattlesnakes walkin’ past

Shut up. No, talkin’

Count to ten

 

They start turning

 

Spastic wrestling

Shots

 

I…Actually…Bleed?

 

Frigid air felt like grass

Summertime

Gauzy rays of lights dancing

Parting with the elements

 

What will I find?

 

Black Out by Pavement


Sunday driving past your own hall of fame

It’s closed on weekdays, shut for good

Pick out no one when you’re talkin’

Felt like rattlesnakes were walkin’

No one has a clue

 

The parting shots, the thin caught

Fault line dancing across the frigid air shafts

A spastic grass, a criminal’s child

 

Count to ten and read

Until the lights begin to bleed

Lights; til you actually a-see the rays

And your thoughts they start turning

 

Tells you lessons that you’re learning

No one has a clue

 

The gauzy thoughts of those dirty scots

Wrestling with the elements up on the trail high

I need to know

Where does it go? how do I get there? what will I find?

 

(fun fun fun, fun for the summertime blues)

(it’s gonna set you free)

Categories
Creative Writing Personal Philosophy

On Poetry Month – Poem 3.

As my ongoing commitment to Poetry Month I bring you a poem inspired by my current fascination with the singularity.

I tried to write this in the style of E.E. Cummings and while it’s not up to snuff compared to him. I do think it has some caché to it.

Love in 2552

I do think when

We do merge (inevitably-finally)

With machines

We will not lose – the ability to

Love

 

Consider the works-innovations-breakthroughs

Fueled solely by

Love

 

The spectrum of emotions

Fully realized only by

The ebb and flow of

Love

 

That’s why

Though a virus at times

As machines we will be

With a heart and still with – the ability to

Love