Writing Warm-up Journal

[Defiant-Six]

Does anybody else do one?

In my outlook calender, the first reminder that crops up every morning is a link to a Word document that I use as a warm up journal. The theory is that I sit down and write in it for at least a half-hour a day.

Usually it'll be scenes I've had rolling around in my head for novel(s) I'm trying to work on. (Great way to keep those great scenes you've thought up from escaping out your ear canals.)

It can be something entirely unrelated; practice looking out the window and discribing what you see from a character's perspective: what is the guy that just walked past on his way to do; that kind of stuff.

Generally I use it as a means to practice getting as discriptive and visual as I possibly can, in as few words as possible.

Check out some samples from my journal below, and tell me what you think...

[Defiant-Six]

“What about weapons”, he asked.

“What about them”, Decatur replied, uncomfortable with where this tangent looked to be headed.

“Well, do we want to include them on the prototype or not? Being a prototype, it will be going places, and possibly running into folks that humans have never encountered before. I think that since we can’t possibly know the mindset of those folks, or how they’ll perceive an unknown starship warping into their little corner of the big dark, it would be prudent to include weapons on the prototype.”

“Why would we need them”, Decatur countered. “The drive itself is the best protection we could ask for against hostile intent. The singularity’s gravitational pull will suck in every missile, every projectile aimed at us, because it has the biggest gravity well in the region. Heck, even lasers, grasers, and masers aren’t immune to the singularity’s gravity.”

“True; but what happens when somebody decides to use the singularity as a homing beacon?”

The question was unexpected. Decatur had thought about the very scenario David was proposing many times, and had always thought a singularity was undefeatable as a defensive measure. “What do you mean?”

Carstairs called up a holomodel of the prototype, the projection presenting a broadside aspect to him and Decatur. With a few keystrokes, he activated the model’s singularity ahead of the image of the prototype.

“If you shoot at the prototype from this aspect”, Carstairs gestured at the flank of the translucent model before them. “Or even from here, here or here”, he said as he indicated points ahead, above and below the ethereal starship. “Then you’re right; the singularity will pull the projectile or beam off target, and suck it down the gravity well.” David hit a single key, and the model spun, until the miniature singularity was obscured by the “up the kilt” view of the prototype. “But what about here? If your opponent is smart, the moment they figure out that the singularity drive is going to suck in their weapon, they will maneuver in behind you, and all of a sudden, those weapons have to pass through the ship to fall into the gravity well.

Decatur was stunned. Then he turned ashen; another thought troubled him even more than what David had just showed him. “That gravity well is going to make it just as hard for the ship to fire out as it is easy for an opponent to fire in. What do you recommend”, he asked.

[Defiant-Six]

Jarvis Lunde sat in the empty conference room, the hum of the air circulators the only distraction he had to keep his mind from wandering. His shift had started over an hour ago, of that he was sure. The security mastodon had waggled his finger at Lunde while he was in the locker room; he had just donned the coverall and was reaching for the lower half of his suit when the behemoth told him they had a few questions for him. That had been two hours ago, and Jarvis had been left, locked in this conference room for most of that time.

This time, the drone of muffled voices in the corridor outside was accompanied by the opening of the compartment door. A broad shouldered man stepped into the room, ducking beneath the top of the doorframe to do so. He turned to close the door, and Lunde saw a manila folder, stuffed about an inch thick with papers,

“Mr. Lunde, my name is David Carstairs”, the man said, offering his hand to Jarvis. “I apologize for keeping you hanging so long. A fax from Earth-side just caught up to me.” He gestured absently at the folder crooked under the dark, leathery flesh of his arm.

When Jarvis merely shrugged, Carstairs pulled up a chair opposite him, and sat, flopping the file folder down on the table in front of him. Instead of opening the file folder however, Carstairs reached into the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a shiny green and silver circuit board, tossing that to Jarvis on the other side of the table. Jarvis’ pupils widened as electricity shot down his spinal column.

“Care to tell me what that was doing in a trash bin”, Carstairs deep, smooth baritone rumbled.

[Floyd Looney]

Interesting. Probably something I should be doing too. I just have no discipline whatsoever.

[Defiant-Six]

Apr 8, 2010 16:18:42 GMT -5 Floyd Looney said:

Interesting. Probably something I should be doing too. I just have no discipline whatsoever.

Nice thing about Outlook's calendar. Set it up as a recurring task, and the discipline develops itself. Outlook will nag you until you do have the discipline.

[Floyd Looney]

I'll think about that. I don't like the computer nagging me about stuff though. heh.

[Attero Dominatus]

My method of writing is to develop the basic plot, basic events and the characters in my head and then go scene by scene, writing problems and then using the characters to solve them, which often paves the way for the next (actions have consequences).

[Floyd Looney]

I just write what comes to me. I know I should do better.

[Aaron Burr]

Just get all liquored up and sit sobbing in front of the computer screen.

Oh, wait...I probably shouldn't have given away my trade secret so easily.

Damn booze.

[Floyd Looney]

If I don't finish something soon I might just have to try that method.

Since I don't drink, probably wouldn't take much liquor

[Aaron Burr]

A writer who doesn't drink? Oh man, now I've heard everything.

Look, just get some cough medicine and chug a lug that. If that don't work try one of those bottles of vanilla extract.

In a pinch you could sniff glue, but I don't recommend that as you might wind up gluing your fingers to the keyboard.

[Attero Dominatus]

Count me in as one of those writers that don't drink lol.

[Floyd Looney]

I drink tea, cola, lemonade, those fake fruit juices that come in gallons, cola, milk, orange juice, cola, water, and... cola.