Taking Requests
by Steve
Hello everyone. I thought it might be fun to ask for some requests. What would you like me to write about? You can just offer a word, or a title for a post, or supply a detailed break-down of what you would like me to write. Or you could suggest a video or image or song as a starting point.
I’ll endeavour to write a post for every single suggestion, with the usual caveats that I might veer widely off-subject, approach the prompt in a tangential way or ignore any instructions. But I’ll try my best not to do that.
Lately I’ve been knuckling down to write more, but a few things I’m working on are longer and just a little unwieldy so it may take some time for them to see the light of day. They may never see the light of day at all. So, it seems sensible to keep writing smaller things in the meantime, hence this plea for inspiration. I think brief writing exercises, for want of a better phrase, are a healthy way of keeping the old writing muscles in shape.
This is something I’ve tried a few times before on here and it has always generated some interesting topics to write about, so thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have. I think it would also be fun for anyone else reading to take those suggestions and prompts and have a go too, which I’ll very happily collate and plug as and when they come in.
However, I’m also aware that this blog doesn’t get a whole lot of visitors and this post may not generate any prompts, so I end with a warning. If I receive no suggestions I may have to delve into the dark world of WordPress’ Daily Prompt instead. And I’m sure nobody wants to see that. I tried writing a response to the prompt “Plop” and believe me, it was awful.
Wait until next year 
Your “by request” posts are always fun. I had planned to use my blog as a doodle pad for fine-tuning ideas and stylistic maneuvers that is ultimately use in a longer story that I have mapped out in my head, but I ultimately abandoned the idea because I know myself, and I suspect that I would go down the doodle rabbit hole rather than work on an actual story. But I suspect that your work ethic is stronger than mine, so I’d like to suggest a few posts where you beta test ideas or strategies that you are wanting to try in your longer pieces
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Thanks Mike! I’m not convinced I have a particularly strong work ethic, more that having some sort of doodle pad (great way of putting it) is a way to let off writing steam and at least write something, rather than getting bogged down with larger projects that never really get off the ground. I guess it is a tactic to stop writing feeling like a chore, as at least I’m doing something (semi) regularly to stop the guilt.
I will definitely test some new ideas and strategies – I have one post nearly ready to go that perhaps does that. I’ve been thinking a little about “voice”. I can see how I fall into certain habits with particular tics and rhythms. I can also see how I’ll read an author with a distinctive voice or way of structuring their prose and I start aping that. But then sometimes I feel like my writing and style is all over the place, and I can’t work out if that is a good thing or not. That may be the overarching aim of the next few months, and testing things out here seems a good way of working out what I actually what to write and how I want to write it.
I hope you will resume blogging soon?
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I’m afraid I’m on a blogging hiatus for the rest of the year…I have decided that THIS is the winter when I’m putting together a rough draft of a book. Maybe even a first draft! But if I’m using the blog as a doodle pad, I’ll end up devoting all my time to that instead. I know me. But I’ll be following along with your adventures. Looking forward to seeing regular posts.
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