Writing with no idea where it's heading

I've started several new stories this week but have no idea where they're heading or what they'll turn into - if anything.

Well, that's not strictly true. One of them is going to be a short story about a teenage werewolf and her (yes, I said her) boyfriend, and I've got that pretty much mapped out. Now I just have to sit down and write it. If it turns out well then I might submit it for an anthology - I know Wyvern Publications is going to be doing a Fangtales anthology next year about creatures of the night, vampires and so on.

The other ideas aren't anything like as developed.

Oh well, on with Alive, where Dak is about to find signs of sabotage and Macintyre's tracking an odd smell...

Postcrossing - bring back snail mail!

I've joined in with the postcrossing project, which seems to be gaining popularity with a lot of young people across the world. The project is very simple - sign up, get an address from the system, send a postcard. Once the other person receives the card they can post a picture of it on the postcrossing site so that other people can see it. And of course, you get postcards from all over the world as well.

This doesn't really have a lot to do with writing a suppose, but I find thinking about other places helps inspire all sorts of settings for stories, and reading letters from other people does give insights that can help flesh out characters.

And it's fun!

Writing stories for Suite101.com

Where do you get ideas from when you're writing stories, either fictional or features? This week I've been challenging myself to write 20 stories for Suite101.com and I've been finding story ideas in the most unusual places.

I've recently finished an Open University course in archaeology, and I suddenly thought 'if I've spent all this time researching and reading about the history of these cities and cultures, why not put that to use?'. The result was a raft of stories on Anyang, Meroitic religion, the Aztec empire, Rome and Teotihuacán. A few years ago I studied medieval history as well, so that gave me materiel for two more articles on 14th century women.

Other ideas come from people I talk to. I recently met a man who is a volunteer 'ancient tree hunter', which made a very interesting interview. Other people I know keep tortoises, make jewellery, own sheep and recommend hydrotherapy for their dogs, so that produced another four articles.

Another article came from a survey I read on healthcare myths that pregnant women believe, which I used as a basis for a healthy eating article.

My other four recent stories came from me. I'm involved in Guiding, which is celebrating its centenary this year; I like making things and I was looking into different styles of rag rugs; I've recently started playing Star Trek Online; and I was looking for story ideas.

And in case you'd like to read any of the stories, they're here:

Keeping Track of Your Tortoise
Anyang - The Last Capital of the Shang Dynasty
Hydrotherapy for Dogs
Etiquette when Visiting Farmland
Generating Feature Story Ideas
Meroitic Beliefs and Religion
Politics and Religion in the Aztec Empire
The Expansion of Rome
British Women in the 14th Century
The Religion of Teotihuacán
Women in the 14th Century
Rob McBride - The Tree Hunter
Healthy Eating for Mums-to-be
100 Years of Guiding
How To Make a Rag Rug
A Guide To Jewellery Making
A Guide To Star Trek Online

Haiku and Alive update

Very quick updates today. First, a haiku that I threw together as an entry into a Star Trek inspired competition. (Excuse my Trekker-ness for a moment...)

Where I want to be -
Space, the final frontier...
Beam me up, Scotty!

In case you're not sure what haiku is, it's a three line poem with five syllables in the first and third lines and seven syllables in the second line. I used to really enjoy writing them when I was at school, so when I saw the competition I had a burst of nostalgia and decided to join in.

The second thing is that the third part of Alive! is online now - poor Pilar...

Alive - part 3...

Well this could be interesting.... As my editor said:

What a surprising turn and a bunch of dark readers :)

So what happens next? You'll just have to wait and see, and find out on Tuesday when the next part comes out!

Staying alive...

The second chapter of Alive! is up now - read the story and cast your vote on what should happen next by clicking here!

I'm really enjoying this way of writing a story. It's an interesting way of getting story prompts, but at the same time I know - and the reader knows - how the story is going to go in the big picture. The cargo ship is going to go to Jupiter to deliver its consignment and the passengers. But in the course of that happening there are nots of other things that could happen, and that's what makes it interesting.

A little hint of things to come at some point - look out for mining ships in the asteroid belt, Colonel Leonard's big secret, the real reason for Pilar Perez's journey, and find out more about the colonists on the Rim.

A new project

I've just started on a new writing project which should keep me busy for a few months. This week I submitted the first installment of a seriel sci-fi story called 'Alive!' to The Novel Factory - a new type of website that hopes to get people reading again.

As it says on the front of the site:

Have you ever read a book that made you feel so alive that you wanted to jump right in with the characters? Have you ever come up with a brilliant idea for a book you’re reading that never happens? Well this is your chance to dare the impossible leap, to dream the impossible dream.

The Novel Factory is an online serial publication. Each week a new segment of a book is presented for your reading pleasure. Whether you’re a casual reader or a serious imaginer, The Novel Factory can open a door into the world of your imagination. Each section of each weekly installment ends with a space where your imagination can roam free. You can take an active part in the creation process with a choice of multiple plot twists, or a personal input box where you can enter your own ideas.

Read my story and vote on how the plot will continue by clicking here.