NaNoWriMo 2023 Pep Talk

 

Milk Wood

Pep Talk written for the Virtual Writers in Second Life

Ignite Your Creative Fire: A Pep Talk for the National Novel Writing Month

Welcome, writers, to the National Novel Writing Month!

Whether you have mapped your way thoroughly for the upcoming month or you have decided to ride the wave of spontaneity, the time has come for you to embark on an exhilarating adventure.

In the whirlwind of NaNoWriMo, momentum is your greatest ally. Just keep writing, even when your characters decide to rebel or the story seems to run amok. Remember, the first draft is not meant to be perfect; it's all about capturing the essence of your story. Allow your ideas to flow freely. Let your imagination run wild. Word after word, chapter after chapter, build the foundations of your novel.

Every writer faces rough times during the writing process, moments when inspiration seems to vanish and motivation fades. These hurdles are part of your journey. Instead of growing disheartened, view these challenges as opportunities for self-discovery. It's OK to doubt yourself. But know that you will become a stronger and better writer.

Writing can sometimes feel like a solitary endeavor, but during NaNoWriMo, you're not alone. Engage with your fellow writers who are also on this journey. Connect with your writing buddies who can offer encouragement and support. You're part of a collective undertaking. A strong support system provides the motivation you need to keep pushing forward.

As National Novel Writing Month starts, remember that you have the power to create something remarkable. Believe in your ability to write stories that captivate, characters that come to life, and worlds that take readers on fascinating travels. Enjoy the journey! It is as much about self-discovery as it is about writing a novel. NaNoWriMo is your chance to ignite your creative fire and unleash your potential.

So, go forth, fearless writers, and write your way to greatness!

Daily writing sessions at 8am SLT @ Milk Wood . Join us!

A Vision of Everything

 

Tim's Dreams

Black and white. A vision of nothingness inside a vision of everything.

And he points. No one knows.

And he moves forward, alone. The balloons he 's holding will be black. The stars hanging from them will be black.

And the more they fly, the less white he will see.

And nothing is there anymore. Just stars hanging from balloons, flying away in silence, ahead of him. No one knows.

And he stops. He wants to smile, but he can't.

Three cheers and all that. Be brave and all that.

Black and white. A vision of everything ahead of nothing.

100 Words Stories

Rat Stew

 

Goatswood 2023

"Not inside the cave," they said.

Why? No one answered.

Onward to the cave then.

There was nothing much going on. A few shields with Viking drawings, a few contraptions made of tiny bones, and a dead body.

She couldn't understand what the fuss was all about. Perhaps it was the cattle skull on the wall.

"Rat this, rat that. Stew?! No, thank you," she said out loud. "This dead man looks remarkably good for a dead person."

And then... She didn't see it coming.

The dead man was not dead and, much to her misfortune, she was a rat.

100 Word Stories

Part

 

As we part our ways, my dear, I hold precious memories in my heart. We walked along the bridges, watching the gondolas slide by. You were so smitten by the elegant colors that you ate that azalea. I didn't even have to tell you to. And then the green fairy. What a lovely shade of green, you said. I'll never forget you, my dear. I'll take your heart with me. And he opened his suitcase to take a quick look before the train departed. Yes, her heart was still there. Squashing it inside that damn bottle had been a struggle.

100 Word Stories

Blue Sky

 

Wonderland

"Maybe there's a blue sky out there, a blue sky that makes you wonder, a blue sky filled with smiles and laughter. Maybe there's a home out there filled with twinkling stars that make the sky bluer. Maybe, just maybe, there's a blue smile that makes you dream." He closed his eyes.

The keys played an eerie symphony as the mother locked them in their rooms for the night.

The mother didn't believe in blue skies. The mother didn't believe in smiles.

At least, no one could steal the blue sky in his mind. He smiled and went to sleep.

100 Word Stories

Afford

 

Goatswood 2023

Time. Definitely a luxury not everyone can afford. To plan a trip by train. How enchanting and mysterious! To pack your clothes neatly in a nice vintage bag. To catch a cab to the station. To enjoy the ambiance of that Victorian style. To slowly make your way to the train. To look at the station clock, 10:52. Eight precious minutes. The man was found while she was walking out of the station, a neat little bullet hole on his forehead. When the cops asked her why she had packed a bag, she replied "Because I am a professional!"

100 Word Stories

Diddums!

Kingspost

The sign said Pirate Parking Only. If you weren't a pirate, you'd be scuttled away at your own expenses. Diddums!

OK, fair enough, thought the Captain of the pirate ship.

But the truth was that he had to prove his pirate status.

He took the opportunity and started bragging.

Oh, we looted a Spanish galleon. Prove it. OK, we have these jewels of the Spanish Crown. Prove they're not forgeries. They're not forgeries! Prove it.

Infuriated, the Captain said "You, son of a biscuit eater!", but the result was only laughter. He would definitely have to work on his insults.

100 Word Stories

Basic

 

Hattuse City

There's nothing basic about a statue that is crumbling. There's actually an overwhelming feeling of panic when the darn thing starts disintegrating as soon as you pick it up.

Why did I have to be the one, he thought. So many people in this expedition and this thing had to fall apart in my hands. It's not fair. He wanted to be promoted and now he would be blamed for a catastrophic destruction of a national treasure. In his defense, this stupid statue had been buried for hundreds of years. It was time's fault.

Did he get fired? Basically, yes.

100 Word Stories

Mustard Yellow

 

Milk Wood

#FFDB58

That was it. A color reduced to a strange combination of letters and numbers.

The universe is made of numbers, his Math teacher told him, that's the universal language.

And he hated that because he wanted the universe to be made of words. He wanted the universe to be made of stories. He loved stories!

When a fellow student asked the teacher how we could communicate with aliens, the teacher said "With numbers".

He yelled and said "No, no! They'll want to know our stories!"

The Math teacher looked at him and said "But we already know your stories".

100 Word Stories

Mass

 

Island of Lost Dreams

He scribbled on a small piece of paper.

The church was dark and empty. But he didn't feel lonely. He never felt lonely. The automatic on his back was more than enough.

He scribbled some more on the paper.

Then he placed it in his pocket. They'll find it.

A few people started to arrive. He had 10 minutes to change his mind.

The church was dark and the voices became vaguely irritating.

One bullet was all he needed.

But the voices of joy... This annoying cheerfulness...

He did have more than one bullet.

That's when he changed his mind.

100 Word Stories

On a Loop

 

Milk Wood

Why should I worry about that?

Because it rhymes with grasp.

What?

Heinz 57 on a loop, unleashed.

What are you talking about?

I can't see. These glasses...

Why should I worry about that?

Because it rhymes with clasp and a clasp is always useful.

What?

Heinz 57 on a loop.

What are you talking about?

I can not hear. The voices are too loud.

Why should I worry about them?

Because they rhyme with gasp.

What?!

Heinz 57 on a...

Are we doing this 54 more times?

Silence.

They are gone.

Did I forget to take my pills again?

100 Word Stories

Overhead

BWC Village

"Who paid the rent?"

The studio was in full swing, over-booked even, and no one bothered to pay the rent for several months.

What could he do? He was just a sound technician.

One day, some goons wrecked the whole place. A fortune in high-end equipment smashed to pieces. Not to mention the broken arms and legs.

The studio was rebuilt soon after.

The mob was now managing it.

Things ran smoothly.

He was happy.

Good thing he had removed some of the expensive equipment ahead of time. The goons got there earlier. Something about a football game on TV.

100 Word Stories

Fine

 

Neverland

"No trains?"

The man sitting outside the station shrugged.

"Fine."

10am. What now?

She could walk, but her feet were killing her after 2 hours, walking from the nearest village.

A cab perhaps? Did they even have cabs here, in the middle of nowhere?

She could wait. What if there were no trains?

Then, she saw the policeman.

"No trains?"

He shrugged.

"Fine!"

Rude people.

"Lady, I saw you crossing the road over here."

"So?"

"The zebra crossing is over there."

"So? There are no cars."

"Well, here."

"What's this?"

"A fine, of course. You do love fines, don't you?"

100 Word Stories

It's a Dirty Job

 

Majesterium

He sat surrounded by orange and red and yellow pillows. All he could think of was to get rid of her. That's where he was in life. "Let's have a cocktail at the Sundown Lounge," she said. "It's so fancy!" Her voice shrilled throughout the fancy rooftop. And now, here he was, pondering whether he could break the glass he was holding, and stab her with it quickly enough. Well, he did try. But the damn lounge had some pretty sturdy glasses. "It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it," he later told his cellmate. "I trust you."

100 Word Stories

A Trying Endeavor

Octoberville

 It was a trying endeavor. A man sitting on a beam, working up high. No ropes, an emptiness below him. Just sitting there and hammering away. But she took that photograph, plus the one with the buildings. Her father had told her that those two represented the company's prestige. A man dangling, hammering away for a pittance, building the company's prestige. The pride of the family. When her father died, she took those photographs and burned them. Yes, she got rid of the company's prestige, and she got rid of her family. It was a trying endeavor. Freedom's never easy.

100 Word Stories

George was a Pirate

Then this happens...

100 Word Stories

.... and I smile.

Potato Eyes

 

Octoberville

Don't say that. Don't put it there. Don't look that way. Don't, don't. Didn't I tell you not to...

I am sick of it. And I want to move on.

But she grabbed my ankle and her hand was a shackle. She drags herself through the mud and she doesn't let go.

I knew I would... Yes, die, say it, say it, die.

She would never let go. Never.

Don't throw that away.

The potatoes? Potato eyes. The potatoes have eyes. The potatoes have...

And I throw it away, I throw everything away.

The eyes, the will, and the soul.

100 Word Stories

Split

 

Octoberville

The show is about to start.

And she laughed and laughed.

The stage was empty, but she laughed and laughed.

I just sat there, my mind filled with perplexity.

She waved her arms and laughed and laughed.

I sank in my chair. What could I do but wait for the show to start?

And I waited and waited.

That's when I realized that she had her own stage. In her mind. Everyone owed her attention, a lot of attention. She was the show. And she thought everyone knew that.

When no one clapped, she stopped laughing. Hate. She hated everyone.

100 Word Stories

Riot of Color

 

Octoberville

Out of the blue, he jumped from behind the giant canvas. Sword swallowing. A daring exhibition. He had to practice, right? "Almost caught red-handed," he mumbled. And when they asked him questions, he chuckled. "Oh, it wasn't me, officer." And they believe him, because he told them a harmless little white-lie. The officer grinned. But then he was given two days to leave the circus... Why?! Making a random passer-by swallow a sword hardly seemed a good enough reason to be fired. The said passer-by vanished into thin air, true. But still. Well, their loss. A daring exhibition no more.

100 Word Stories

Old Videos

 

Octoberville

"Come on. It's starting," I said. Old videos and popcorn!

But... I had forgotten. Our old videos don't go with popcorn. They go with sorrow.

"Say cheese for the camera," they would say cheerfully.

We never did, no.

"Don't be so grumpy all the time, you two."

We were kids. We weren't grumpy. We weren't stupid. We weren't shitheads. We were just kids.

Memory is such a trickster, isn't it? It erases everything.

And here I was, in front of the TV, a bowl full of popcorn on my lap.

I wanted to cry, but I had no tears left.

100 Word Stories