Jean M. Cogdell

Secrets to Keep – FSF

Published on April 26, 2013 by Jean M. Cogdell

Secrets to Keep

My mouth tasted like a desert, and I looked like crap. Another night of tossing and turning, but at least I did get some sleep thanks to an old standby.

Some secrets should remain a secret, and digging out my old fairy night light is one more I’d keep even from my best friends. I hadn’t used it since grade school but couldn’t stand the thought of one more night lying awake in the dark.

A soft glow from a Tinker-bell lookalike had pushed the shadows to the far corners of my room giving me a false sense of security until I drifted to sleep.

Thanks to Lillie McFerrin for her Five Sentence Fiction Prompt “Shadows” this week. My entry is an excerpt from a WIP, hope you enjoyed it.

You can join in the fun

Published on April 23, 2013 by Jean M. Cogdell

Thanks to Janice Hardy for a great writing exercise on her website. Join in the fun and rise to her challenge. You should hop over to The Other Side of the Story and get writing because the Winner gets a 1000-word critique. Here is my entry.

Spring Forward

She turned the last clock forward an hour. Whoever invented Daylight Savings Time had a mean streak. Can’t squeeze more than twenty-four hours out of a day no matter which way you turn the hands on a clock. It had to be a man who thought up an idiotic idea like that because no woman in her right mind would bother with such foolishness.

At the refrigerator, she stopped and made a note for James to change the batteries in the smoke detectors. She didn’t think they had the right size so he’d need to go the store for more. She added a question mark to the note.

Lord, just thinking about tomorrow made her tired. Church in the morning, assuming she didn’t over sleep, afterward lunch at the in-laws and James Jr’s T-ball game at four. Sunday hadn’t been a day of rest since the birth of their first kid.

She slipped through the screen door and settled on the porch swing. The warm breeze and the song of the tree frogs washed away her stress. Fireflies winked in the grass keeping time with the symphony. In these stolen moments, when her world stopped spinning, she recharged her own batteries. With just eight weeks left of school, she soon wouldn’t have much time for quiet reflection.

The door creaked behind her, and she stood turning to follow James to bed. He was right morning would come all too soon. An hour earlier to be exact.

Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday (newsnet5.com)
Springtime Musing (vandesjewelry.wordpress.com)
Springtime and Flowers Help Improve Mood (theepochtimes.com)
The worst part of springtime (gilraensblog.wordpress.com)
Springtime in the South (freelancephotog.typepad.com)
The Art of Losing an Hour (turnaroundandswim.wordpress.com)

Sparks of Creativity

Published on April 22, 2013 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Time to get back to basics. Using writing prompts is one of the best ways to keep writing fresh. I’ve slacked off in participating in the various websites that sparked my creativity in the past but it’s time to get back to it. I’ve been busy writing on a novel and letting life in general keep me distracted. Maybe your writing could use a fresh spark. If so check out some of my favorite websites and let me know yours.

http://writeonedge.com/ Write at the Merge is a writing prompt for creative writers. We offer two items for a prompt response. You can use either, or both, to inspire your response. Fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry are welcome, and there’s a 500 word limit for responses.

http://lilliemcferrin.com/five-sentence-fiction-angles/ Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on the prompt word. The word does not have to appear in your five sentences, just use it for direction.

http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week85/ 100 Word Challenge for Grownups is a weekly challenge for those who are over 16 and enjoy challenging themselves with writing. Each week you are given a prompt. It may be a few connected words, a selection of individual words or a picture.

Sparking Creativity (writingwranglersandwarriors.wordpress.com)
Read-spiration (cultofracewood.com)
Lauren Flynn; Creative writer and poetry guru (itstheturningtables.wordpress.com)
3 Ways to Keep Writing…or How Not to Lose Your Writing Mojo(writingthefire.wordpress.com)
Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #325 (creativecopychallenge.wordpress.com)
Today’s online writing groups’ poetry and story exercises (19 April 2013)(morgenbailey.wordpress.com)
Writing Prompts… (nicolalmcdonald.com)
Today’s online writing groups’ poetry and story exercises (18 April 2013)(morgenbailey.wordpress.com)

Do you procrastinate?

Published on April 8, 2013April 8, 2013 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

It’s Monday and I’ve accomplished nothing. Read emails, and played on my computer putting off the things I need to do. I’m close to finishing my first novel and here I sit twiddling my thumbs. I take Saturday and Sundays to relax and read for pleasure. But getting back to writing on Monday is not easy.

In my defense I did read a couple of blogs about writing. Does that count? I’m in a funk and trying to pull out of it. My WIP (work in progress) is stalled too. I need to throw something wild in the story line to jar both myself and my characters.

How do you overcome the Monday blues? How do you overcome the desire to just veg instead of pushing the characters in your WIP? How do you motivate yourself when your WIP is stalled.

Now that I’ve wasted the morning with my whining I’ll go fix lunch. Maybe something to eat will get the juices flowing. Ooh this website looks interesting, think I’ll read this first. http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writers-block.html