This is a reminder about the joy of constraints. In my Flash Fiction Workshop, we talked about how it is sometimes necessary to trap yourself inside of a box in order to think "out of the box."
Whether what you produce ends up being a piece you edit to fruition, or just the thing that gets you writing again, prompts that illicit constraints can be quite reviving and in a way relieving. To put it simply, whether you like them or not, a lot of the writing decisions are suddenly made for you.
More often than not, I find I write something of a nature I would not have otherwise written, yet it is still "me." I find the constraints inject a sense of surprise and creativity into my writing that simply wouldn't otherwise be there and that I learn and grow exponentially from. I also find that for a very self-aware writer that may fear "they only have one story to tell" that this fear can be twisted into an excitement -- how many different ways can I tell the same few stories so that no one notices?
I responded to two challenges recently, which I'll share here. I encourage you to do them, and to look for such challenges regularly in your writing. It is excellent practice. Both of these are one session drafts. They took maybe 1/2 an hour of my time each (less for the poem).
The first was self imposed. I checked out my blog stats and discovered that some set of someones had been recently visiting my Sevenling Poems post from some time ago. I couldn't remember what I had written then, so I viewed the post and was inspired anew. I challenged some writer friends to write some, and in doing so, figured I should write one too.
What is a Sevenling?
A Sevenling is a seven line poem where the first stanza is 3 lines and contains somewhere a list of 3. The second stance does the same but with a new list. The 3rd stanza is one narrative line that throws something about the rest of the poem into question. They are surprisingly narrative in their structure.
Here is my new one:
The other challenge came from what was somewhat of a joke from SB Judah, a fellow writing friend, who posted in our private writing group just for the fun of it.
Here's what he said:
So I reviewed what an "injunctive mood" is and set to it. To save you the head ache, an injunctive mood, at least as far as English is concerned, is a very strongly implied sense of command in what is being said. The sentence itself may be descriptive or suggestive, but the implication is clear that the speaker expects this to happen because they have said it. This Injunctive Mood actually became the running theme in my little piece, and though SB may not have realized it, fit rather nicely with future-perfect tense (stating that something "will have happened" by a certain time in the future). Keeping this in Passive Voice (where the subject has things happen to it rather than acts on its own) was actually the hardest part of this. After all, SB said he simply picked what seemed like the most inconvenient constraints and put them out. They were inconvenient, and yet, with the right focus, they actually all went really well together.
Here's what I wrote in on short sitting:
So all in all, I rather like both of these pieces. They'd needs some editing before I'd send them off, and I'm not sure I'm married to the tense and passive voice in the 2nd, even though that is what lends it its theme and creep factor, but I like them. I surprised myself. And happily stood by my statement that "anything is possible" and for that matter my tweet from a few weeks ago:
Whether what you produce ends up being a piece you edit to fruition, or just the thing that gets you writing again, prompts that illicit constraints can be quite reviving and in a way relieving. To put it simply, whether you like them or not, a lot of the writing decisions are suddenly made for you.
More often than not, I find I write something of a nature I would not have otherwise written, yet it is still "me." I find the constraints inject a sense of surprise and creativity into my writing that simply wouldn't otherwise be there and that I learn and grow exponentially from. I also find that for a very self-aware writer that may fear "they only have one story to tell" that this fear can be twisted into an excitement -- how many different ways can I tell the same few stories so that no one notices?
I responded to two challenges recently, which I'll share here. I encourage you to do them, and to look for such challenges regularly in your writing. It is excellent practice. Both of these are one session drafts. They took maybe 1/2 an hour of my time each (less for the poem).
The first was self imposed. I checked out my blog stats and discovered that some set of someones had been recently visiting my Sevenling Poems post from some time ago. I couldn't remember what I had written then, so I viewed the post and was inspired anew. I challenged some writer friends to write some, and in doing so, figured I should write one too.
What is a Sevenling?
A Sevenling is a seven line poem where the first stanza is 3 lines and contains somewhere a list of 3. The second stance does the same but with a new list. The 3rd stanza is one narrative line that throws something about the rest of the poem into question. They are surprisingly narrative in their structure.
Here is my new one:
"Best Laid Plans"
She'd written
her will, her goodbyes,
and detailed instructions for her banana bread recipe
She traveled to the cabin
to remember the good times
to forgive herself the bad and make one last memory
But she'd forgotten the bottle of pills at home
The other challenge came from what was somewhat of a joke from SB Judah, a fellow writing friend, who posted in our private writing group just for the fun of it.
Here's what he said:
At first, I simply replied "anything is possible," knowing it was just a little fun probe. Yet, I found myself still thinking on it the next day.Writing Challenge: Second person, future-perfect tense, passive voice, and injunctive mood. Any word count needed to make a coherent story.Good luck.
So I reviewed what an "injunctive mood" is and set to it. To save you the head ache, an injunctive mood, at least as far as English is concerned, is a very strongly implied sense of command in what is being said. The sentence itself may be descriptive or suggestive, but the implication is clear that the speaker expects this to happen because they have said it. This Injunctive Mood actually became the running theme in my little piece, and though SB may not have realized it, fit rather nicely with future-perfect tense (stating that something "will have happened" by a certain time in the future). Keeping this in Passive Voice (where the subject has things happen to it rather than acts on its own) was actually the hardest part of this. After all, SB said he simply picked what seemed like the most inconvenient constraints and put them out. They were inconvenient, and yet, with the right focus, they actually all went really well together.
Here's what I wrote in on short sitting:
"Everything that Will Have Been Done, Will Have Been Done for You"
A story dedicated to SB Judah. (Though not actually about SB Judah, I hope)
At this time next year, your body will have been found satisfactory by societal standards as exercises will have been frequently practiced by you and all the healthy foods will have been eaten by you. No choice will have been given to you to do otherwise because the little room you will have been locked in and will have ran in and will have kick boxed in will have never been exited by you. By this time next year, relish and joy will have been felt by you for me and for these activities. My theories on Stockholm syndrome as a viable means of finding true love and a reliable, trustworthy partner will have come to have been accepted by you because worshiping me fully will have been fully embraced by you. While you were easy to capture, by that point in time the sad state of your current physical form will also have been fully realized by you, and many thanks for getting you in shape will have been lauded upon me. These accolations and professions of love will have been the very thing given to me from you that will have had made the door unlocked by me, just for you. Everything I do, you will have realized, has been and will have always of been for you. These ideas are rejected by you now, but even in a day or two, the rope burns on your wrists will have begun to heal and will have been treated by my tender hands, and the plates of salad and raw meet will have begun to have become desirable to you in the wake of no other choices. In only a few weeks time, the fat will have begun to have been dropped from your body, and your muscles will have been awakened by electroshock if necessary. Your understandings of "easy," "hard," "normal," will have already been replaced by this new daily routine. Sooner than that, my way of speaking will have become normalized to your ears --by the end of this, you will have already learned to read me as typical-- and not long after this, living in the future only -- only accepting my perceived version of yourself and our love and our future -- will have been completely embraced by you. I will have already been elated in my success.
As for the present, think of this future, of our love, of our potential, and before this car ride is over, this trunk will be viewed as a safe haven by you. But if you cannot stop kicking and screaming before we reach our destination, then by the time we have hit main street, I will already have been forced to have pulled over, and these toxins will have been injected into your blood stream, and my heart will have certainly have been broken by you.
As for the present, think of this future, of our love, of our potential, and before this car ride is over, this trunk will be viewed as a safe haven by you. But if you cannot stop kicking and screaming before we reach our destination, then by the time we have hit main street, I will already have been forced to have pulled over, and these toxins will have been injected into your blood stream, and my heart will have certainly have been broken by you.
So all in all, I rather like both of these pieces. They'd needs some editing before I'd send them off, and I'm not sure I'm married to the tense and passive voice in the 2nd, even though that is what lends it its theme and creep factor, but I like them. I surprised myself. And happily stood by my statement that "anything is possible" and for that matter my tweet from a few weeks ago:
There are no bad ideas. Only bad executions.
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