Cache Cow

Jake and I went geocaching on Sunday and had a blast despite the fact that we didn't actually uncover any caches*.  Upon further inspection, two (of the three that we went searching for) were stolen and the last one was micro and ...to my knowledge... got eaten by Cthulhu or someone's mother in law.  I'm not sure which.

Speaking of mother-in-laws.  Today's writing prompt comes from Awesome Writing Prompts:

Writing Prompt #567: Do As I Say!

Write about someone who is completely and utterly awful in every way imaginable.  Maybe throw in a unicorn or a narwhal.

All righty, Word Slingers of the Free World!  Good luck!

*Note: I must find myself a few small stuffed cows -- that I shall name "Cache Cows" -- to trade with the small items when Jake and I go geocaching... 

Caching in on going out

A writer's job is very sedentary.  We sit a lot.  Because of that, it's very important to get up and get out every so often.  "But I don't wanna!  I just want to sit and write and read and surf the interwebz..."  No.  Getting up off of your tush is a necessity and it will reward you two fold:

1. It will ensure that you won't be a fat slob.
2. "Write what you know" won't help you if you don't go out and experience the world a little.

It also aids during periods when you get stuck.  Fresh air is good for the lungs and soul.  There are plenty of reasons that come to mind.  Because of this, I fully intend on sharing my experiences with you, in hopes to help inspire you to get out and do something as well.

Yesterday, I introduced the topic of geocaching to my boyfriend, Jake.  He had never heard of the term before (to tell you the truth, I think he thought I was making it up).  As defined by the website, geocaching is "a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices.  Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at the location."  Sometimes there are logbooks to sign.  Sometimes there are items to trade.  There are more that 1.75 million caches around the world since the start of the project back in 2000.  Jake was thrilled.

We have planned a test-run with a small cache located somewhere in Pensacola, this Sunday after Jake and I get finished at the gun show at the Pensacola Fairgrounds.

The minimum requirements for going on one of these GPS adventures are (1) a free membership on the website, and (2) a GPS-enabled device (like my new Windows 7 phone).  Armed with my smartphone, we will be trekking out to find our treasure on Sunday in hopes that Jake will continue to fall further in love with a hobby that we can do together.  I only learned about it myself a couple years back but am thrilled to re-fall-in-love with it.

If we do have a great time, I'm thinking of compiling a geocache specific day-hike backpack. filled with:

• Dollar General Items for trade
• a $1 Item
• a $5 Item
• a $10 Item
• Garbage bag for "Cache In Trade Out"
• "While searching for caches, geogachers collect litter along trails and properly dispose of it."  While normal Cache In Trash Out Events are larger gatherings that focus on cleaning up or beautifying the area, Jake and I plan on doing this for most -- if not all -- of the trails that we go on.
• First aid kit
• Handy wipes
• Paper towels
• Rubber gloves
• Pen
• Extra Socks
• Protein bars
• A couple bottles of water

Have you ever gone geocaching on before?

Prompt-ly

When I google "writing prompts" I get a plethora of sites that guarantee to get rid of your writer's block.  Unfortunately, I find a majority of those prompts to be...boring.  

I take the time to journal before I switch to fiction mode.  I journal to get rid of the lingering thoughts in my head before I do work.  Because of that, I don't want to write down what I ate for breakfast (using every sensory detail I can).  I don't want to write about the most vivid dream that I've had within the last five years.  I don't want to write about my mailman and what he does over the weekend.  What I really want is to jump-start my imagination.  I want a writing prompt to challenge me to come up with something worth reading.  Make me connect the unconnectable.  I want to play seven degrees of separation.  I want to play with my reader's emotions.

After scouring the vast wastelands of the Internet, I have compiled a list of my favorites and have every intention of posting my favorites here so that I can savor their flavor for years to come and share them with you.  I bet you're salivating at the thought of these tasty morsels of writing inspiration, aren't you?  Can you taste the bacon? I should trademark that question as my catch phrase.  What do you think?

Today's prompt:

Instructions for Maintaining a Successful Dictatorship in the 21st Century

Ready, set, go!

Note: Since I don't remember where I got this prompt from.  If I took it from your site and you would like credit, send me a message and I will link your site to this post.

Trying to concentrate on a short story while fretting over the Seahawks-Falcons game isn't the best idea...

Slow and steady...

While getting the rest of my schedule squared away, my writing has been suffering.  It's been slow going but moving none the less.  I have decided to work on a haunted house story for January.  It feels magnificent to start a new project but I am feeling a bit...restless.  Despite my winning NaNo during my first year, I am still used to writing short stories, which means that after a few thousand words I'm usually used to swapping projects.

I have decided that while in Florida, I should take advantage of my free time and pick up Stephen King's schedule. [see previous post]  Right now I am reading a book by Chuck Palahaniuk.  Let's hope that the next time I post, I will have tore through that and have started another book.  Let's also hope that everything has gone according to plan and I will have punched out a short story tomorrow and continued on with my haunted house story afterwards.

Happy writing, folks!

2013 Writing Resolutions

Oh my, has it really been a few months since my last post?  Quite a few things have happened since then:

1. Moved back to Pensacola for the time being,
2. Failed NaNo (but I did get nearly 30k out of the deal),
3. Met some inspirational kids at work,
4. New 2013 goals...well, they're not really all that new...
5. Got some great crafty tools.

Today, I have decided to make the most out of my new Pomodoro app for my spiffy new Windows phone.  I am excited to get writing again and I figure that this will be a wonderful way to stay motivated and be productive.  I've also filled my Kindle with as many books as it can hold.  Stephen King said that a writer needs to spend at least six hours writing and reading every day.  I am up for that challenge!  If I really want to be a writer (as a career), then I need to get serious about my efforts.

My hometown writer's group (WritersForPetesSake) has declared January as our JaNoWriMo since we were all too busy to get the most out of last November.  I'm also up for this challenge!

I have also signed up for another year of the Year of Continuous Writing Challenge (YoCW).  Last year, my efforts dwindled to nearly nothing by December but I am determined to make 2013 more productive!

All of these things will hopefully help motivate me to keep and achieve my 2013 Writing Resolutions:

1. Finish a novel and send it out to publishers/editors/agents,
2. Get published (again) in 2013,
3. Hone my craft by practicing consistently,
4. Establish a writing routine

 What are your 2013 Writing Resolutions?