On June 17, the day before I leave, I will announce a contest for One Significant Moment at a Time followers, old and new. The prize? Something cool I pick up in France! I'll be on the lookout for interesting, regional souvenirs, things that represent la France but which are impossible to buy here in the States. Both my State-side and international follower-friends are eligible to win. Be sure to check in on the 17th for full details!
I haven't written a word for my WiP in a couple weeks. However, I have printed all the chapters and organized them in a ring binder, along with a copy of the outline and blank pages for notes. After a little break from the project, I'll have fresh eyes when I read it over on the plane. I won't be editing, but brainstorming ideas on how to make the story stronger and outlining future chapters.
My daily writing has taken on the form of entries for a two-week long creative writing contest at Writing.com. The contest is called "15 For 15" and runs from June 3rd to June 17th (finishes up just in time for my trip!). Each day for fifteen days the contest judge posts a photo prompt. Contestants are challenged to write off-the-cuff for exactly fifteen minutes, producing a flash fiction piece, vignette, poem, song, letter, article, etc. based on the image.
Timed writing is a wonderful way to stretch my writing muscles, and believe me, fifteen minutes is not long when you're trying to get a cohesive piece of work finished. Once I've posted my daily entry, I love reading all the entries by the other contestants. It's fascinating how many interesting and creative directions writers take with the identical prompt. (Should you be interested, here is a link to my collection of entries.)
My writing goals have also included preparing a series of blog entries that I'll schedule to post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while I'm away. Each post looks at a facet of French culture and discusses the most jarring differences with American life, which caused me culture shock when I lived there. I'm having a blast writing them, and I hope you'll enjoy reading them. And -- they will play into the contest I'm announcing on the 17th!
How have you been tweaking your writing schedule to adjust to summer vacation plans? Have you packed your journal yet? :D
