Now, first of all, I was not the only one. Other writers participated in this Challenge. Unfortunately, right now I can remember only two of them, who linked their stories to me, but if one of the participants I forgot wants me to include him in this post, just say it! Send me a link to your blog or wherever you wrote the stories, and I'll gladly put it here.
The ones I remember were Dominic Lowery (http://writerscometolife.blogspot.com/) and Miles Nagaharu (http://writingnagaharu.blogspot.com/), give them an applause!
Now, back to my part of the challenge.
- Day 1 - Rain
Did I like this one? Yes, I did. It was fun to write, and both characters wouldn't stop talking. They basically wrote the story themselves.
What have I learned from this? Trust your characters. They know better. Also, grumpy characters are fun to write.
- Day 2 - Town of the Beginning and the End
Did I like this one? Yes! It felt like a prologue, but Josè and Tonino were refreshing characters for me. I can't remember the last time my characters were so cheerful and innocent, and I really enjoyed it, both writing and reading. And the idea was nice, so this one may be one of my favorites.
What have I learned from this? I can't write a decent short story without making it feel like a prologue. It happened more than once, actually. Also, children are fun to write, and I should do it more often.
- Day 3 - The solitude of Darkness
Did I like this one? The first part, yes. The second, not much. It was different from what I usually wrote, but I'm glad I tried. It was totally worth it.
What did I learn from this? As Jessica Fry commented, "one story can be complete in a very short span". I should have stopped after the first part, but, oh, well, you learn by making mistakes, right? (I'm gonna further explore this concept in Day 5... -.-)
- Day 4 - A storyteller's name
Did I like this one? Meh. I think the basic concept was nice, but I wasn't capable of transforming that idea into a story. That means more training for me! Write, write, write!
What have I learned from this? If inspiration isn't there, the story isn't good. But I don't blame this entirely on inspiration. I need to get my mind working on translating a concept into words. I don't know how, but I need to. Any advice?
- Day 5 - The dancing shadows
Did I like this one? No comment. Don't get me started.
What have I learned from this? I CAN'T FIND AN INTERESTING IMAGE, THINK OF A STORY (and a title) AND WRITE IT DOWN IN FIFTEEN MINUTES! Not if I want it to be at least decent. But, as I said, I'm going to learn from my previous mistakes. Have to train more and become a great
- Day 6 - Dangers (not) lurking beneath the sea
Did I like this one? Yes, I did! It was a nice change, from no-inspiration-quick-writing-boring-story to this light-hearted story which actually had somewhat of a plot. It was also my first attempt on writing some humor. Don't know if it was good, by I found it enjoyable, at least.
What have I learned from this? I've learned to recognize what makes me laugh in a story, how is the punchline delivered, why do I find it funny, etcetera, etcetera, and to apply it to my own stories. Like I said, it was a first attempt, and I'm satisfied with what I've achieved.
- Day 7 - Sincerely
Did I like this one? Yessssss! It was adorable writing as Junko and Gabriel, and I'm going to stop there because I could talk for about an hour (or several pages) about everything I liked.
What have I learned from this? I enjoy writing letters, and every moment of my everyday life is potential inspiration. In fact, I decided to write "Sincerely" while chatting. Ha! Aaand, I've also learned that I really need to know when a previously read story was "inspiring" and when I used too much of its concepts. The story I was inspired from was also called "Sincerely", and talked about two boys writing to each other. I used both the concept of a boy being mistaken for a girl because of his name and this person telling about violent acts to protect a sibling, and asking to the other if he hated him. The characters personalities, preferences, etc., though were original, not like I copied the story!
Overall, did I enjoy the Storyteller's Challenge? Of course! I think I've learned much from it, and am satisfied of 5 stories out of 7 which is a good number. I knew from the beginning I would have ups and downs, so I expected more or less a similar result. Also, I proved to be able to write a different story everyday, without taking breaks! It's a good way of boosting self-confidence.
What about you? Did you enjoy the Storyteller's Challenge, and which stories were the ones you liked the most? Thank you for coping with me as I had writer's block and wrote ridiculously long stories, as I blabbered about just anything, etcetera, etcetera.
See you next time! *Goes back to writing a longer story*
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