Young Writers Society

Well, I haven't been really writing much lately, a fact which I attribute to my natural sloth, as well as the fact that I'm generally busy. I'm trying to take advantage of midterm week to actually put things on my computer, but in the meantime, I think I'll use this as an excuse to make one of those running forums where I write about what I'm writing. But first:

Non-Writing:
- Fencing season is in full swing. I am 11-16 on the year, a record which should improve in our last couple matches. My goal at season's beginning was .500
- New Plays 2008 is a production of four senior written plays that I was cast in. I'm one of the leads in one of the shows.

In Progress (plays)
- Fiddlesticks: This play concept has been bouncing around in my head for two and a half years. Its been on and off paper multiple times. I think I finally know where I'm going with this. Should be about 35-45 minutes when complete.
If I can still interest people in helping me out with this please check out...A little improv...

In a fallout shelter after a nuclear holocaust, a small group of survivors attempts to construct a new type of religion and government which will ensure the peaceful survival of mankind. They fail.


- The Great Patriotic People's Hullabaloo: This is my second long-one-act play. Newer in concept, but easier to write (I think), it still has taken a back seat of late.

Waco-esque, a small island in the Nunavut territory fights for it's sovereignty against the Canadian Navy. It's about independence and freedom.


Others
- I'm writing a piece for Cal's Colorful Contest called: Green Tinted Goggles
- A bunch of ideas of late have come from the books that I've read. I just finished Finding George Orwell in Burma By Emma Larkin, which gave me the idea for GTG and another poem based on a Burmese legend. I'm in the middle of Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which has given me an idea for a play inspired by one of his characters; a pizza chef who travels to Baghdad to bring pizza to Iraq...

Thats it for now...

Ah. I have competition for dear Cal's contest.

May the best story win!

(Also, good luck on your plays, both writing them and acting them.)

-Kylan

You fence? I did one lesson at school a few years ago and din't really get it. Is it good?

So you're acting as well? Acting is fun. What's the part?

Fiddlesticks sounds cool. Be sure to tell me when you get it up! Pizza in Iraq! Haha! That just sounds funny to me, I'd read it.

Second check in, because I've got a couple new projects, and because I feel like it.

Non-Writing
+ I fenced my best in our last meet of the season, going 5-4 and ending the season 18-23, which isn't bad since I've got one year to go. Fencing is an awesome sport, chocoholic, although I admit that starting can be kinda tedious.
+ I am "Samuel" in a play called "Trail Mix". It's about a couple strange evens which befall hikers on the Appalachian Trail.

+ I have finished Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran and am now reading The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin

Thanks for the comments!

Writing
+ Fiddlesticks, and The Great People's Patriotic Hullabaloo are coming along.

+ Green Tinted Goggles is finished, and Cal's contest looks to have some of the stiffest competition possible on the site. I think Sam wrote something, as well as Kylan and Jabber.

+ Inspired by my English class, I wrote a short little poem titled Trail Mix. (Yes, that's also the title of the play I'm in. So what If I'm uncreative?)

***

+ Below: This is my newest project, it's for the 2009 NYSTEA (NewYorkStateTheaterEducatorsAssociation) conference, which has a playwrighting contest every year. The theme this year is "An Inspiring View".

Two suicide jumpers on opposite buildings discuss their woes, and their philosophies on life, and realize that they may have more in common then they think.

***

Green Tinted Goggles
Trail Mix

What am I doing on this thread reading it? I should be writing! Darn!

Attempting to clean my room.

Eimear wrote:What am I doing on this thread reading it? I should be writing! Darn!

That's the spirit!

Non-Writing
+ I have done absolutely nothing this week. Break.

+ I finished The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin. It's a fantastic book. Now, I'm taking a break from reading interesting books, to read The Scarlet Letter, the well known junior year snoozer by Nathaniel Hawthorne...

Writing
+ The first 2/5 of Fiddlesticks has been posted in the advanced critiques. Please go and read it, it isn't incredibly long...!
+ Below was also posted. I won't know how that was received until May. But critique it anyway!

+ I'm going to write something for Cal's Stolen Dialogue, as soon as I can come up with a plot... (duh)
+ In Cal's last contest, I placed third in incredibly difficult competition. Sam placed above me, and Kylan was the clear winner with his masterpiece; Hallucinogenic. Read that too! Jabber was close behind in fourth. It was fun.

***

Fiddlesticks
Below

Kylan's Hallucinogenic

Wow, last week was as crazy a week as I'll ever have. We started a new show at school, fencing continues to take up a good deal of my time and.... oh yeah.... my school was shut down four straight times due to bomb threats. We're now operating under a closed campus, no backpacks, and almost no after-school activities. Somehow, I've still been given a ton of work...

Non-writing


I'm the fencer with his back to the camera. I won 5-4.


Here's a nice shot of Rigel. He's facing the camera. He also won this one, 5-4 in the priority minute. Stupid epeé.



Writing
+ I've got a new idea for a short play; A man walks into a bar Expect it to appear sooner or later...
+ I also put up a second part of my Trail Mix series. Occasionally something inspires me to write little poems like these. This one is roughly inspired by John Muir, but structured by the "Take only pictures, leave only footprints" credo of hikers everywhere.

Trail Mix

I'm nearing the end of my novel...and it's hell finishing it! Anyone ever got the feeling that once they've read over their work, it's like- 'why the hell have I wasted the last seven months writing this rubbish?'

I have.

And let me tell you something, it's really very bad.

Sighs.