Early in March I received an email from the people that run National Novel Writing Month, introducing me to a new challenge – Script Frenzy.  The idea is similar to NaNoWriMo – write a 100-page script during the month of April.  As a movie fanatic, I decided to give it some thought.

With April being an insane month (most weekends booked and the possibility of a move), I initially decided it might be better to wait for next year to attempt this challenge.  However, when it was announced that I could get a copy of the uber-awesome writing program Scrivener for half off if I completed, my unemployed / frugal side decided to give it a try.

Only one problem…I have never written a script before and have no idea what I’m doing.
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When I was a child, I begged and pleaded with my parents for a puppy – like most children do.  Eventually my parents gave in, with the condition that the dog was my responsibility.  Like any child, I quickly agreed.  How hard could taking care of a dog be?

Within the first two weeks, the puppy had stumbled upon some lose within reach.  I came in to see him swallow the shiny objects from off the end table.  When I informed my parents, they informed me I would need to make sure the change came back out from my dog.

To say this would be a shitty chore would be both an understatement and a really bad pun.
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Sometimes life gets in the way of the best ideas.

When planning ‘Writing Lust,’ I only considered all the ideas floating through my head.  The great stories that were bouncing around like a lottery ball waiting to pop out.   All the songs I could write about.  All the love in the air around that crazy VD holiday.

Minute details like an abysmal work schedule and prior engagements never factored into my thought process.  Why should they, I was like a young lover who refuses to see the real world around him.  Nothing can take him off that high.

Well, the high wore off and real life was staring at me from the opposite pillow.  Rather than give up on my relationship with Writing Lust, I just took a bit of a break.  I hope to finish up the three or four stories I am behind and likely exceed my original numbers.

Thus Writing lust will continue for an undermined amount of time – basically until I have no desire to do it anymore.  Don’t expect anything for the next couple days, as I continue to focus on a very busy week.  However, you can expect to see new writing tagged with the love handle resume next week, and sporadically thereafter through February and March.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Recycling – It saves.  That’s what we’ve ben told throughout our life, and I tend to believe it.  Thus, I am recycling my Dane101 article on the big VD for Writing Lust.  To quote Captain Hammer – “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”  Also, “The only doom that’s looming is you loving me to death.”

The Dean is In: Love Sick

Over the past week, you may have noticed your friends and colleagues more on edge than normal. They are frustrated, nervous and broke. You ask them if they have plans for the forthcoming weekend, and they look at you like you are insane.

The cause of their ailment – the Big VD.

The Big VD is a disease that runs rampant throughout couples this time of year. Symptoms include continuously asking everyone about restaurants, a glazed look in their eyes and being easily distracted by anything heart-shaped or shiny.

Not only does the Big VD affect couples, but it can be worse on those that are single. Chocolate consumption, sappy movies and a bottle of peppermint schnapps are just a few warning signs that you may be infected.

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It only took about a week, but here is the first ‘Love Song‘ of Writing Lust.  For those unfamiliar with this Matthew Sweet classic, you can listen to it here.

Girlfriend

He pulled the car off the dirt road, onto a trail used mostly by tractors during the harvest.  The eyes of several deer in the field shined in his headlights before he killed the engine and extinguished the glow.  Neither James no Lisa wanted to draw added attention to the periodic passer by.  The deer were happy to return to their grazing.

As pair of teenagers feverishly embraced, James clicked on the radio.  This was the fifth real date for the two, and the first unsupervised.  Sure, they had privacy watching movies in his parent’s basement, but the possibility of someone walking down at any time provides limits.

James raised the armrest to allow further contact.  The hand-me-down ‘91 Plymouth he received for his 16 birthday was perfect for illicit behavior. Plus it had its own sense of style.  The red upholstered seats were more comfortable than the leather in his parent’s new car.  The fake plastic wood interior had screamed class in its time.  It had power windows, cruise control and a decent sound system; everything he could want.
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Monday, Monday.  Just can’t trust that day.  However you can trust me to post a new Writing Lust.  Something fun for the first day of the week.

Love Acquired.

Paris — In business news, True Love — which has been around seemingly forever — was acquired in a hostile takeover by Pleasure Incorporated.  A spokesman for the American-based Pleasure Inc. said “True Love has had a good run at the top.  Hell, for a while they had a monopoly on the relationship market, but now it’s out time.”

True Love has dominated the romance industry for millennia.  However, over the past century, Pleasure Inc. has made a strong run at the top spot.  With such wildly successful programs as Casual Sex, Porn, Fuck Buddies and Divorce, Pleasure Inc. fostered a new way of thinking in America, which soon spread around the world.

“As more people jumped on our bandwagon from the True Love side, we were able to continue our groundbreaking researching and come up with even more programs such as The Threesome, Drunken Hookups, and Domination.  Many young people weren’t interested in in the same romance programs their parents had.  We were able to provide them with options.”
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Getting back into it today after the best laid plans went awry yesterday.  A double dose tomorrow should bring ‘Writing Lust’ back on track.

The Conversation

“It’s one of those things that needs to be done,” Matt stated as sipped his plain black coffee from the paper cup.  Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered how much waste these damn cups produce in a year, but that was a concept to discuss later.  “I imagine you would tell me to do nothing, just sit on my hands and wait.”

“I wouldn’t say do nothing,” responded Mindy.  Her straw penetrated the chocolate and whipped cream atop her frosty beverage as she took her initial sip.  “I just think you are looking at it the wrong way.”

She set her plastic domed cup on the composite wood table.  “Seriously, you and Jill were only together for about a month.  One month.  I know your world is kinda rocked right now, but this just sounds stupid.”

The brown and orange walls of the chain coffee shop were inhabited by new wave furniture and decor to provide a repetitive and soulless venue.  The pop-esque but ignorable music was available at the counter for the fool that might have an extra Jackson burning a hole in their pocket.
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Today, a nice simple poem for the woman that means the most to me.

Earthbound Goddess

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Here is the story for day three – Geekend.  It’s another old favorite that some might have viewed before, but I still really like.  Enjoy.

Geekend

“You can’t be serious.”

“Don’t tell me you never gave it any thought?”

“No, I really haven’t.  Is this the kind of thing that keeps you up nights?”

Scott ignored the question.  “Look, you’re the Emperor.  You’re trying to complete a new military base to fight off a a small group of insurgents, and you’re already short staffed.  You have a group of soldiers on a planet below you that are there to protect the force field which, in turn protects your ship.  Why are you equipping these soldiers with a speeders which will no doubt cause a huge causality rate?  Seriously, those things are more dangerous then the people you are fighting.  I’ll bet they had about 30 storm troopers a week who were killed or injured because they ran into something with their speeder.  Think how that depletes your work force.”

“Come on.  They’re the equivalent of  a motorcycle in the Star Wars realm.”

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For day 2 of Writing Lust, I present ‘A Bottle and a Memory.’ This short continues the happy love story trend set yesterday by ‘The Candle.’  Enjoy.

A Bottle and a Memory

He sat motionless in the corner.  The coordination required to hold the bottle of whiskey was gone, so it sat next to him on the floor.  His fingers  caressed the glass, his wrist ready to damper the pain at a moments notice.

He listened to the sound of his heartbeat.  Thu-thump.  How could it continue to beat when it was broke?  At least it processed the alcohol through his body.  He occasionally wished the beating would stop, but realized that would solve nothing.

Thu-thump.
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This is a sort (short) story I wrote some time ago, but is the favoite of my best friend.  It is the first installment of Writing Lust.  Enjoy.

The Candle

The erratic soft glow of the flickering candle gave the small room an uneasy hue. It was a forgone conclusion that the light would soon be replaced by darkness as the candle as the candle clung to life amidst the miniscule amount of wax that had not dripped quietly to the floor. As the light from the candle flickered, so did the life in Julie’s eyes. Her blood dripped to the floor in perfect rhythm with the candle.
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February.  The month itself is associated with many events and holidays. Groundhog Day.  Black History Month.  Presidents Day.  Spring training.

The biggie is Valentine’s Day — a day to celebrate a certain four-letter word.  Whether it is love, lust or just a good-old fashion infatuation, Valentine’s Day is the holiday for couples around the world.

Those that follow me on Facebook or Twitter know that I’ve been in a silly and romantic mood as of late.  Rather than waiting for it to pass like indigestion, I’ve decided to use my mood to create.  This is where the idea for February Writing Lust derived.
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One week is an eternity.

One week can be filled with birthday celebrations, outings with old friends, and the election of a new president.  Add in Halloween parties and a job with a time-consuming commute, and you are left with very little free time.

By the end of today, I should be over 10,000 words for NaNoWriMo.  I’m currently sitting at about 1800, not counting what I hope to write tonight.  While my weekends and days have been filled with outings and festivities, that is not the main reason I am so far behind.
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This article origionally appeared on Dane101.com.  Check back here for updates throughout the month of November.

It started harmless enough – an excuse to sit down and devote my attention to he rough novel idea I had been kicking around for a couple of years.  So began my initial journey through National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo as participants call it) in November of 2005.

As the month sped past, I managed to juggle school, work, and a social life while transcribing the ideas that floated through my head for years.  The concepts made their way to my computer screen, and by November 30th I completed my novel and “Won”  NaNoWriMo.

Little did I know that was only the beginning.

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Simple.  Basic.  That is how life and art look to spectators when perfected.  The complexities are there for those that look closely, but the average person should easily determine what an artist is trying to say.  Jane Hammond’s mastery of this skill is one reason why her “Six Sets” piece currently showing at the Chazen Museum of Art can attract even the casual observer.

Simple.  Six identical televisions hang on the wall, each on a different “channel,” each channel a human trait.  Color and depth make the carved wood sets pop from the paper, while the television concept evokes simplicity.  The sets are an old design of a bygone era when televisions had separate dials for UHF and VHF; a time before the flick of a remote could provide access to hundreds of channels.

Hammond’s uses a collection of 276 found images in all her work from this period.  The images that reside on the televisions are visible throughout her collection.  The six traits used by Hammond are easily grasped, even without the note cards that list their names; Faith, Insight, Kinship, Patience, Perception, and Fairness.
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