The doorbell rings.
Terry opens the door to find Little Tiffy standing there. “Can Brian come out to play?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s busy.”
“Doing what?”
“I don’t know. Some kind of writing project thing.”
“What’s that?”
“A writing project. Where he writes. What grade are you in?”
“I’m not supposed to give personal information to strangers.”
“I’m not a stranger. You’ve been coming over here for years.”
“Oh. I might not know what a stranger is, then. Will Brian be done with his project tomorrow? I miss his stories.”
“I don’t think so. It’s a big project. Why don’t I have him call you when he’s done.”
“I guess that’s okay.”
“It will have to be okay. Now run back home and we’ll talk to you soon.”
Little Tiffy just stands there.
“Is there something else?”
“Well, since I’m already here, do you wanna buy any Girl Scout cookies?”
Editor’s Note: Little Brian is currently taking the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge, a daunting adventure wherein one attempts to write 50,000 words in the month of November. This means that he will not be available in the dazzling world of social media as often as he would like, thus explaining time gaps that you may have already noticed with his blog work. But he wanted me to let you know that he will still get new material out as often as possible, so please continue to stop by for potential surprises.
Little Tiffy: “Who’s that man talking over us? Jesus?”
Terry: “Hardly.”
“He kind of sounds like Brian.”
“Then it’s definitely not Jesus.”
“Can you go see if Brian’s done yet?”
“I’m sure that he’s not. You just need to be patient.”
“I’m not very good at that.”
“You should practice more.”
“Mom says the same thing, all the time.”
“Speaking of, I think I hear her calling your name. Better go see what she wants.”
“I don’t hear anything.”
“Adults can hear things that children can’t.”
“I know that. That’s why I can’t watch R-rated movies.”
“Sure, that’s exactly what I meant. Now look, Tiffy, it’s really time for you to go.”
“Okay, fine.” She turned and plunked down the porch steps.
Terry firmly closed the door. He turned and took three steps, then heard an odd scratching. Turning back around, he watched as a something dropped out of the mail slot. He picked up the folded page. A message was written on Hello, Kitty stationery.
“Is he done yet?”
Originally published in “Bonnywood Manor” on 11/06/15. No revisions made, although I should point out that NaNoWriMo hasn’t quite left the station, what with it not being November yet. I’m just doing a little bit of foreshadowing as I will soon be in the midst of the madness, and it’s possible that my posts might become a bit erratic. I still plan to post every day, even if it’s just a snapshot of me sobbing over my inspiration-deprived keyboard whilst Scotch the Cat glares at me, impatiently waiting for his kibble, but we shall see what wickedness this way comes…
Categories: Work In Progress
Good luck with NaNo – I didn’t realize that you were a masochist until this post. 🙂
I doubt that anything short of a guaranteed purse of many gold coins could induce me to attempt to write to metronome metrics. I hope you find it works for you — I truly wish you the best.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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It’s not really all that masochistic for me, since I’m retired and all. (In fact, I really don’t have an excuse to NOT finish, barring a crisis of some kind.) I can babble for days, and I generally go well over the limit. The masochism comes about in the Editing, after November has faded, when I try to make sense of my meandering drivel… 😉
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Boy do I get THAT one! I doubt it’s drivel, however. ❤
xx,
mgh
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I just clicked on the ‘Like’ button on this and the tally immediately shot from 6 to 14.
Do I win £5.00?
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Um, sure. I’ll leave it for you at the Stepney Green station. Go there and wait… 😉
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15 hours and still no sign of Brian. Must get something to drink…feeling so faint…must…UNH! *thud*
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Sorry, had to slip out for a pint or twelve. Maybe next week? 😉
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Wow. I want to read that novel. Are you done yet?
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Check back in a month… 😉
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Hang in there and enjoy the cookies.
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I don’t think I’ve ever NOT enjoyed the cookies… 😉
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You don’t need any luck at all but I will wish you my favourite French expression ‘bon courage’ – it sounds so full of fortitude. Perhaps I’ll do nananono or whatever its called but in emoticons …. as a warm up, here is my representation of your November in pictures … 🐈 💻📄📄📄📄📄📄💡🕯🍪🍪🍪🍪🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃
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I think you summed up the experience quite nicely with your emoticons, although it should come as no surprise that there’s usually just a tad bit more alcohol involved…
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so funny but good to know that brian will come out to play when he’s finished
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Thanks, Beth! I try to play well with others as often as possible… 😉
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Sounds like complete and utter masochism to me, how on earth do you write to someone else’s timescale? Surely you write when inspiration comes? For me it can be 2 in the morning and I have to get up out of bed or it disappears. I have to have a completely quiet and preferably empty house. I have to check all social media first, then again, make a cup of something, choose a snack, tidy the room, clear the table and only then can I begin to type, but even then, if I feel chilly I have to get up and heat up a wheat bag to put on my knee or behind my back. You can see why – apart from a complete lack of talent! – I am not an author 😂
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Now, now, we’ve already established that you’re a terrific writer, so I’m not buying that at all. 😉 And although the constricted time-frame can be a bit daunting, I’ve actually enjoyed every year that I’ve done it. Once you get into the mindset of “just run with your ideas and sort it all out later”, it’s a lot of fun…
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😄👌🏻
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I wish you few Tiffy interruptions and no lower back pain. 🙂
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I promise I will do my best to avoid both… 😉
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Good luck with NaNoWriMo! 🙂
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Thanks, Barbara! I’m excited right now, but we’ll see how I feel around Thanksgiving… 😉
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I’ve been thinking about participating in NaNoWriMo. I haven’t done it since high school.
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If you’ve got the time, come join us. If not, it will still be here next year… 😉
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Do you have to register on the website?
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Yes, you’ll need to register, and it’s best to do so a least a few days in advance of the 1st so that everything is in order. I personally haven’t registered yet this year, as I’m still trying to decide which project will keep my interest for a full month. If you decide to give it a run, it would be swell if you could become one of my “writer buddies” so we can encourage each other, although you may not be able to do so until I officially get set-up for this year…
https://nanowrimo.org/
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That’d be awesome. I will need someone to encourage me & get my arse in gear, myself. LOL.
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Good luck with NaNoWriMo!
You are done yet? 😉
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Little Tiffy: “See, Little Brian? People need you to hurry up and be done with this. Now get to work!”
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No pressure. None at all. 😏
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Really, you’re gonna go for the gold again? I’m toying with the idea, but as is customary with me, I’m thinking about cheating.
I have a story that I wrote a long while back that needs rewritten big time, and it’s such a daunting task that I keep putting it off. I got to thinking that NaNoWriMo might be the kick in the pants I need.
Still considering it though. Mainly, not sure how it will work around this pesky full-time job I have. 🤔
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I still haven’t decided what this year’s project is going to be. Right now I’m leaning toward working on the Oak Cliff Murder Mystery that I’ve been diddling with for years, but I probably won’t reach a final decision for a few more days, frantically entering my details three seconds before the deadline…
A pesky full-time job? What is that?
Hey, did you just kick me?… 😉
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I’d keep a careful eye on Tiffany. She sounds passive aggressive and we’ve all had encounters with the darker sides of that… Congratulations on NaNoMo (forgive me if I fudged the name).. I’m impressed with anyone who dares to attempt such a thing. I’ve thought about it, hell, some of my posts and comments here probably qualify, but I’m also shy about sharing my book thoughts. And there’s the whole keyboard thing. *sigh* If you’re wondering what the obstacle is in that collaboration this is it. Laptop is not designed for doing any type of word processing – not the proper software and not the patience on this teeny tiny keyboard designed for wee hands. But they promise tomorrow will see my new unwatered keyboard at my door and I hope they ain’t lyin. I have others besides your fine self waiting on my magic fingers…
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I’ve always got one eye on Tiffany, as I learned my lesson a LONG time ago. As for NaNoWriMo, you are quite right: If you add up all your posts and comments, you could easily break the daily total every time. I think you would really enjoy it, and you definitely have the right skill set, but if you don’t have the right equipment, it’s not really feasible or doable. They also have a “summer camp”, usually around June, with the same setup but a much lower end goal, sort of a practice run. It’s something to consider…
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Bahahahaha
Oh, and good luck 🙂
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Thanks, Vanessa!
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Enjoyed the flash fiction and have also read through some of your past imperfects. Great fun.
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Thank you! I just tried to visit your own site, but apparently you have it locked down as you work on a secret mission… 😉
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Should be open. Will check.
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