You know what that means.
Yup! It’s FRIDAY!
…Go ahead and cheer. I know you want to 😉
So, my week wasn’t quite as productive as I would’ve liked it to be on the writing front. I had to take some time out of my regular scheduled programming to apply for a substitute teaching license. I wasn’t planning on doing this, but…
Okay, so long story short: My sister tried to convince me to apply for a teaching post in the Marketing Department at a local high school. For a few days, I seriously considered it. Then I realized teaching isn’t a job change. It’s a career change, and I’m not looking for a new career. I have one as a writer and a pursuer of full-time authorship.
I explained all of this to my sister and she completely understood. But she still urged me to apply for a substitute license, just in case I needed some extra cash or suddenly found myself without a job. I agreed and decided to go through the nitpicky application process.
Yeah, that was a blast. But, I’m glad I did it. It’s always nice to have some kind of cushion in case things fall apart unexpectedly.
Another thing that stole some precious manuscript time this week was on the sillier side. As most of you know, I’m an avid participant in the NYC Midnight writing challenges. Tonight at midnight, the Flash Fiction Challenge kicks off.
To celebrate, one of my friends/fellow competitors decided to make a funny “Flash” themed video to post on the competition’s forum. It’s mostly a fun way to get writers pumped up and excited for the challenge, and to create a sense of community. A few days ago, my friend emailed me and asked if I’d like to contribute some silly/beautiful/clean “Flash” type photos and videos.
Being the “Yes Girl” that I am, I said, “Sure! No problem.”
Yet, as I began taking photos, I realized something: I STINK at making come-hither eyes and sultry expressions and anything else of the sort. Worse, I kept bursting out laughing at myself, so most of my shots were useless.
After a solid hour of trying and failing, I finally gave up and sent my friend what I had. Most of them were of me puckering, trying to look alluring (haha!), and cringing at myself. Yeah, I’m awesome.
Go and laugh. It’s cool. I’m still laughing at myself.
Anyway, as I mentioned, tonight the Flash Fiction Challenge 2014 kicks off. At midnight, I’ll be assigned a genre, location, and object, and then I’ll have 48-hours to write a 1,000 word story.
*BIG, DEEP BREATH*
To be honest, I’m not sure how I’ll fair. My brain is so wrapped up in my manuscript right now, I’m afraid I won’t be able to snap out of that story and jump into another. If I receive a difficult genre like political satire, comedy, or–God forbid–romance, I might just curl up and surrender…Okay, that’s a lie. I never surrender without putting up some kind of fight. I guess I’ll just cross my fingers and pray to God for the best. Of course, your positive vibes will be much appreciated too.
So, in honor of my terrible fear of writer’s block striking this weekend, here is today’s Friday Funny. Enjoy!
How was your week? Is anyone else participating in the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge? Let me know! We can cheer each other on 🙂
Jen’s Weekly Roundup
In case you missed my posts from earlier this week, here you go!
Music Monday – You Give Love A Bad Name – Bon Jovi
One Year Blogiversary – How My Blog Saved Me
Photo credits:
http://mrwgifs.com/jack-black-salutes-with-passion-in-school-of-rock-movie-gif/
http://gifstumblr.com/cool/get-outta-my-way-1250
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy02YmNiNDFhY2MwM2Q0MDQ4
http://www.theredheadbaker.com/pizza-ground-lamb-leeks-rosemary/
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
HA! Wow…Just, wow!
I’m sure by this point you’re all wondering why my face is painted in these pics. Well, some of us competitors decided to have some fun and become Writing Warriors before the results for round 2 were announced. We dolled up our faces with whatever lipstick, eyeliner, or face paint we could find, and then posted our pics on the competition’s forum. It was a great way to show our support for one another, have some laughs, and encourage/cheer on those writers lucky enough to advance to the final round.
So, speaking of the final round: we only get 24-hours to write a 1,500 word story. Unlike the first two rounds, we won’t have a genre assigned to us. We get to pick whichever one we want. Thank. God. The genre is always the thing that scares the bejeezus out of me (rom-com, comedy, political satire…shudder). I’ll definitely be planning on writing a suspense or horror. Those are, by far, my favorite/strongest genres. And at this stage of the game, you gotta stick with what you’re good at.
Good luck to all those advancing to the final round of the 
Jen's Pen Den 