Tag Archives: blogging

June 10, 2013

The Green-Walled Tower is 1 year old!

Well, it’s happened. My little baby is growing up. This blog, The Green-Walled Tower, has turned 1 today. Thank you very much to everyone who has read, liked, commented on it faithfully. I appreciate you all.

For a little history, the name of the blog comes from the title of one of a trio of interlocking stories I wrote a few years ago. In that one, the Green-Walled Tower was the home of a seer who had a special glass that let him peer into other worlds and even, once, go between them. That seemed like a fitting metaphor for writing fiction, so that’s why I chose the name.

My first story on this blog was called Mayor Jim, about an alien that becomes the mayor of a small town. It got 3 likes. Hopefully I’ve improved in my craft a bit after just shy of 250 posts.

My most viewed story so far has been Motivational Drill Sergeant Meets his Wife, which currently has over 500 views; way more than even my Freshly Pressed post. I’m not entirely sure why, although I think people find it through Google.

Thanks again. I’m looking forward to another year of writing and blogging in the Tower.

24 Comments | tags: anniversary, blogging, green-walled tower | posted in Uncategorized

May 16, 2013

No Joke: Three Men Walk into a Bar

By David Stewart

I don’t usually do the Daily Prompts, but this one caught my eye.

Three men walk into a bar…

Source

…and stop at the sight of four figures in a tense standoff.

One man is holding a .45 caliber pistol. He is wearing a rattlesnake skin jacket and has a patch over one eye. His hand is steady and he has the look of a killer. A briefcase bulging with cash is open at his elbow.

The second figure is a woman holding a rocket launcher, and swiveling it rapidly back and forth between the other three. She is wearing a pair of orange pajamas and has long purple hair. She has a crazy look in her eye. Crumpled divorce papers lie at her feet.

The third figure is a monkey holding a blowgun and loading a peeled banana into it. Its back is shaved and a large tattoo proclaims it part of the “Armed Primate Expeditions”. A typewriter and sequined tutu are on the floor by the bar.

The fourth figure is a man in a speedo who has clearly just come from swimming. He is holding a towel, his hands are in the air, and his face shows that he is about to wet himself from fright.

Two of the men at the door look at each other. “Another bar?”

“You guys go ahead,” the third one says. “I’m just going to make a few notes for my next blog post.”

19 Comments | tags: bar, blogging, Daily Prompt, fiction, flash fiction, funny, quirky, standoff | posted in Light

May 14, 2013

Swoosh! and Phewf! – Pictures of Sounds

By David Stewart

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a story premise challenge and offered one of a variety of prizes to the winners. Two of them chose for me to take a picture of a word, spelled out creatively. So here are the pictures of the two words: Swoosh and Phewf!

Swoosh: This was requested by Michelle Proulx. Actually, she asked for Shwoop! which is the sound of a spaceship bending the space/time continuum. But I got mixed up and did Swoosh, which is a more mundane type of speed word. I think I will have to do Shwoop! at some point. My apologies, Michelle.

It was pretty fun drawing this, although I got some strange looks. Luckily our street is so quiet that no cars passed while I was drawing it. The downside of that, of course, is that I had to wait a long time for something to drive by. It’s even more fun, since it’s not a word that people could find in a dictionary if they looked it up.

Phewf!: This was requested by Jilanne Hoffmann. It’s an expression of relief, such as Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes might use.

I made this by wrapping thread around pins in a very specific pattern. Here is what it looks like uncropped:

There were three third winners, but the third one, nightlake, opted for a story, so I’ll post that when it’s ready.

13 Comments | tags: art, blogging, prize | posted in Uncategorized

May 10, 2013

The Story of My Story Queue

By David Stewart

Today, instead of writing a story, I’ m going to write about writing stories. Friday is my hardest day of the week, work-wise, and if I don’t have a story ready to post when I get home, there is little hope of getting one written in the evening. So instead, let me tell you about my story queue.

As long as I have been writing, I have had a file for story ideas. This is just a place where I can write random thoughts and ideas that might develop into a story later on. Some of these ideas are terrible, but at least several of my novels sat for years as one-line premises in a story idea file before I developed them into full-length novels.

For my blog, I have a separate story idea file that is mostly for short stories. It has about 45 story ideas in it now. Some are quite terrible and will never be written, but most could have a shot at being decent if/when I get the time and chance to write them.

Recently, however, I have a new thing developing, which is my story queue. These are stories that I have either committed to writing or that I am actively planning to write, and this is growing quite fast as well. Here is what it looks like at the moment:

– a full story based on my Visual Fiction story, Blue Storm (monsters raining from the sky)

– a full story based on the Visual Fiction story, The Sundering Fog

– a longer story based on my Classics Arguments story

– a longer story based on The Lake

Are you sensing a theme? These are either flash fiction stories or teaser stories I wrote that people have commented that they’d like to hear more about. Of course they are stories I am interested in too, or I wouldn’t even consider writing more about them. I don’t mind sharing these, since they’re all based on posted stories. However, there are others that I am working on, or planning, that I am more hesitant to share, since they’re still just ideas. Here are a few of them:

– a time travel story that I’m writing for Amy of the Bumble Files, as part of my Invitational Prompts series. I’ve been working on it for a long time and it’s about 10,000 words, but soon it will be finished and I will post it in sections.

– a story about North Korea (#3 in the Invitational Prompts series), which I will be writing based on ideas provided by nightlake.

– a story about a (fictional) friend named Sammy. We all know a Sammy. He’s quite a guy, and not always in a good way.

There are a few others that are less defined or that I don’t want to share yet. I am going to write all of these eventually and I will give priority to the Invitational Prompts stories, but the main problem with this list is that about half the stories I write come from sudden inspiration. I get an idea, sit down, and just write it, maybe in half an hour or an hour (not including an equal amount of time for editing). So, it always takes me a while to get through the list and then more things make their way onto it.

Writing is a very private thing, but I’m curious: how do you write your stories or blog posts? Do you have ideas that you plot out, or do you write everything off the top of your head? Since I do both, I see the merits of both, but I’d love to hear what you have to say about the matter.

http://www.fanpop.com

18 Comments | tags: blogging, story ideas, writing | posted in Uncategorized

April 6, 2013

How to make my day

By David Stewart

So, I came home this evening to see this:

Yep, my blog post on Jeonju’s south gate got Freshly Pressed.

As you can imagine, I’m pretty happy about that.

Thank you to everyone who has visited, liked, commented, and followed the blog as a result, as well as all those who have been faithful followers for a while. I appreciate you all.

18 Comments | tags: blogging, Fresh Pressed, Jeonju, Pungnammun, thank you, writing | posted in Uncategorized

March 27, 2013

A.W.A.R.D.S

By David Stewart

I woke in a room that smelled vaguely of peanut butter and wasabi. It was the kind of smell that slapped you awake and made you write home to mom about it. Once I was fully awake (and had written a short note to my mother) I noticed I was in a long, pearly-white corridor. It was shiny and plastic, like something from a 1970’s sci-fi movie.

I stood up and noticed a plaque on the wall that said Ancient Wasteland And Robotic Doughnut Society, or A.W.A.R.D.S. for short. An arrow pointed down the corridor with a friendly reminder written next to it that said “I’m pretty sure this is the way you want to go.” I took the wall’s word for it and started off.

Before too long, I came to a door with a computer screen next to it. On it, were the words:

Most Influential Blogs of 2012. You were nominated for this award by Alastair of Alastair’s Blog. Do you accept? (Y/N?)

Blink. I wasn’t expecting that. Of course I hit yes. To be nominated for anything by Alastair, who posts such amazing photos and cool music was a honor.

The screen changed. There are no rules for this award, it read.

“Is that true?” I said.

Yes, the screen said.

“Can you hear what I say?” I asked.

No, the screen said. I was suspicious. Please enter blogs you have found influential.

That was an interesting challenge. Hmm, I thought and started punching in names.

– Arjun Bagga of http://arjunbagga.wordpress.com/ I love his beautiful pictures and stories and actually I was inspired to write my Fantastic Travelogue after reading one of his posts. I love the way he captures the souls of common people.

– Rochelle Wisoff-Fields – Addicted to Purple http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/ I have had a lot of fun and learned a lot participating in the Friday Fictioneers, a group she runs. I love the way she comments on every story that’s posted.

– Sharmishtha Basu: http://sharmishthabasu.wordpress.com/ Sharmishtha has been very influential to my writing, from inspiring stories, to using pictures of mine in her writing. I love her fantastic stories, great artwork, and spirit of activism to help those in need.

– Written Words Never Die: http://ericalagan.net/ Eric has been a very influential blog for me. I love his dark and fantastic stories and his short, but powerful flash fiction.

I stopped for a moment and the door suddenly opened. There were others that I found inspiring, but the screen had turned dark, so I continued down the corridor. I walked for a while and was passed by a robotic doughnut that was playing with a yo-yo.

I came to another door. This one was glowing and next to it was a screen with cherubs on it. The cherubs were playing cards when I got there but when they noticed me, they jumped up and shoved the cards out of sight.

“Welcome!” they said in unison (they said everything in unison, which was a bit disconcerting). “This is the Shine-On Award. You got nominated by Kim, from Unwalled. Do you want to accept?”

“Of course,” I said. “Kim is awesome. I don’t have any other friends in the Bahamas (that I know of) but I could have a million and still not have one as nice as her.” They nodded enthusiastically.

“So what do I do here?”

“You have to nominate 15 people that you think really shine,” they said.

“And what does that mean?” I asked.

They conferred for a moment. “That’s up to you. Also, you have to nominate 7 blogs that tickle your fancy.”

“I just put in some that were influential. Can I skip the ‘tickle your fancy’ part?” I asked.

They conferred for another moment. “Fine, as long as the influential ones also tickled your fancy. Did they?”

“Assuredly,” I said. “Can I nominate Unwalled back?”

“Uh…No. But you can thank her.”

“Very well.” I started to think of some blogs that I thought really shined in one way or another.

“Would you like to add why?” the little cherubs asked. “It’s optional.”

“Will the people see this?”

“Mostly likely, yes.”

Very well. I started typing.

1. Teacher as Transformer: http://ivonprefontaine.com/ A source of inspirational thoughts from a fellow teacher.

2. Miss Four Eyes: http://missfoureyes.wordpress.com/ Really, what’s not to love? Adding a little joy to my daily reading.

3. Mindful Splatter: http://marilyndavies.wordpress.com/ Great stories and pictures of daily life.

4. An Evil Nymph’s Blog: http://evilnymphstuff.wordpress.com/ Wonderful photographs and stories from the island of Mauritius and the mind of an evil nymph.

5. Ironwoodwind: http://ironwoodwind.wordpress.com/ I love reading his great, compelling stories every week.

6. Rambling and Other Nonsense: http://matronbell.wordpress.com/ She posts beautiful thoughts and great stories. I just finished her novel, Planet Atlantis, and really liked it.

7. Josie Coccinelle: http://josiecoccinelle.wordpress.com/ The only French blog I follow. She has such a sweet heart. I wish I could comment more confidently on her posts, but I’ve forgotten a lot of my French.

8. The Urge to Wander: http://theurgetowander.com/ She goes all the places I wish I could, or remember going. I travel the world through her pictures.

9. ABC of Spirit Talk: http://abcofspiritalk.wordpress.com/ Such great thoughts, especially those that use animals as metaphors.

10. Diary of a Lost Girl: http://completelymistaken.wordpress.com/ I love everything I read from her and am always happy when I see her around.

11. Boomie Bol: http://boomiebol.wordpress.com/ What a great and kind poet. Passion and love exude from her writing.

12. Life in Kawagoe: http://cocomino.wordpress.com/ My window into the world of Japanese culture, sharing the simple side of life.

13. Luddy’s Lens: http://luddyslens.wordpress.com/ A wonderful look at the world through photographs.

14. Elixir: http://bradleyball.wordpress.com/ One of my oldest friends. I love reading his perspectives on life, family, and Christianity.

15. Jodies’ Journies: http://cutenosegrl.wordpress.com/ Inspiration and thought-provoking posts.

I could have kept going, of course (my blogging friends really do shine on) but as soon as I had put in the fifteenth name, the door slid open.

“Bye bye!” the cherubs said in unison and then disappeared.

By this time, I had no idea what to expect next. I came to a staircase and starting climbing up and up. Lightning flashed. Somewhere, off in the distance, the Inspector Gadget theme was playing. I came to a third door. Actually, it was a portcullis. The screen next to it was 3D and when I approached, a booming voice shouted:

“You have been nominated for the Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness!”

“Is that a real thing?” I asked.

“Yes, of course. You were nominated by the Blog of the Imaginator, a very epically awesome person in his own right. Do you want it or not?”

“Of course,” I said. Who wouldn’t want an award for being epically awesome, or awesomely epic?

“There are rules!” the voice boomed. “First, you must tell me ten things about yourself…and write them on pieces of fruit!”

“I don’t see any fruit,” I said.

There was a rattling sound and a wagon-load of fruit rattled down the corridor towards me. “Sorry!” the voice echoed. “Our cook quit today. Now get writing!”

I picked up a banana and wrote: I hate getting up in the morning.

“Be more interesting!” the voice shouted.

I wrote I have watched the entire Simpsons series in order on a rather large apple. The voice didn’t say anything else, so I got down to work.

3. I abhor long sleeves (written on a mango)

4. The longest I’ve been unemployed since I was 12 is five months (written on a bunch of grapes; one word on each)

5. I’ve always lived on either the top or bottom floor of a building (written on a watermelon)

“These are becoming pedestrian!” the booming voice warned.

I picked up a cantaloupe and wrote: I love coffee. The voice huffed a little, but shut up.

7. I am currently listening to Don Francisco on Youtube (written on a jack fruit)

8. My current cell phone was obsolete when I got it in 2008 (written on a mandarin orange)

9. I really want to go camping in Greenland sometime (I tried to write this on a strawberry, messed it up, ate the strawberry, ate a few more, then wrote it on a musk melon.)

10. I hate it when I maek typos (written on a papaya)

“Are you being sarcastic?” the voice demanded, but then noticed that I had ten things and continued. “Next, you must nominate 10 people whom you think are epic. Get cracking!”

I stepped up to the screen and started to write.

1. Monk Monkey: http://monkmonkeysblog.wordpress.com/ A great, funny blog

2. Music and Fiction: http://musicandfiction.wordpress.com/ Music plus fiction equals a great combination

3. Oh God, My Wife is German: http://ohgodmywifeisgerman.com/ Hilarious cross-cultural fun. When people think fun, they think Germans.

4. Chosen Voice: http://chosenvoice.wordpress.com/ Seriously, check out her artwork and stories. Epic is the only word.

5. Tales of a Charm City Chick: http://talesofacharmcitychick.com I’ll read anything I can get from the inimitable La La.

6. waldotomosky: http://waldotomosky.wordpress.com/ Sweeping sagas of brawling Norsemen are just the beginning.

7. Christopher de Voss: http://chrisdevoss.wordpress.com/ Great quirky fun that’s right up my alley. Plus, he’s the guy that made up the name Edward “the Squid” Morrison.

8. The Bumble Files: http://thebumblefiles.wordpress.com/ One of my oldest blogging friends and such a great wealth of quirky stories and great thoughts.

9. Dysfunctional Literacy: http://dysfunctionalliteracy.com/ Where I go to feed my love of great and weird books, as well as the continuing saga that is the Long Story.

10. Moments with Millie: http://momentswithmillie.wordpress.com/ I love reading her inspirational thoughts every day. She has a beautiful, loving heart.

“Next, you have to tell the people that you nominated them!” the voice shouted.

“But won’t they know when they get the notification that I linked their blog?” I asked.

“Are you that lazy?” the voice shouted. “Where is your netiquette? Now go tell them!”

“Are you going to open the door then?” I asked. There was a pause.

“Fine.” The portcullis clattered up and I walked forward. Soon I found myself looking out of my own Green-Walled Tower. The land of A.W.A.R.D.S. makes you feel good but it sure can be strange sometimes.

For those who are interested, here is what the original forms of the awards look like:

http://kattermonran.com/2013/03/01/most-influential-blogs-of-2012/

http://unwalled.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/the-shine-on-award/

http://theimaginator.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/awesome-again-only-epically-so/

40 Comments | tags: blog award, blogging, epic, fiction, green-walled tower, influential, shine-on, writing | posted in Uncategorized

December 11, 2012

If I had a dollar for every post I’ve made…

By David Stewart

…I’d have a hundred dollars. That’s right, this is the 100th dispatch from the Green-Walled Tower.

I’d like to thank all you who have read my posts faithfully and those who have just stopped by for a visit. I appreciate you all. So how well do you know the workings of the Green-Walled Tower? Take my quiz and find out. Get more than seven right and I’ll send you an autographed smile via ThoughtNet. Get them all right (and fly yourself over here) and I will treat you to a bowl of soup of your choosing. The answers are at the bottom.

1. What was name of the very first story I posted?

a) The Long Ride Home b) Mayor Jim c) Three Writers on a Bus d) Ants Go Squishie!

2. How many countries have visited my blog?

a) 53 b) 87 c) 99 d) 142

3. Which country has visited the most (besides the US)?

a) India b) Canada c) Djibouti d) South Korea

4. What is the name of the dimension-traveling woman who first appeared in See the World Through a Cardboard Tube?

a)Klista b) Calista c) Margaret d) Betty

5. What does it mean to snee?

a) when you start to sneeze, but then catch yourself b) when you smoke 20 cigarettes at once through a PVC pipe c) when you answer a question before it’s asked d) when you see things that are invisible to other people

6. In the story Alone on Top of the World, what was the girl Aerin’s job?

a) shepherd b) astronomer c) farmer d) accountant

7. What is Edward Morrison’s robot friend called?

a) Chingu b) Amigo c) Droog d) Ami

8. What was the name of the very first Open Prompts story I did?

a) Saturday 4am b) Klutz c) Wine and Spirits d) Meanderbus

9. Where do I live?

a) Canada b) US c) Japan d) South Korea

10. What am I going to do for the blog’s one-year anniversary?

a) buy you all a car b) finally go to Disneyland c) eat a liter of ice cream and cry softly d) build a real green-walled tower and invite you all there for a party

Answers: 1-(Mayor Jim), 2-(87), 3-(India), 4-(Klista), 5-(when you see things that are invisible to other people), 6-(shepherd), 7-(Droog), 8-(Klutz), 9-(South Korea), 10-(?)

21 Comments | tags: blogging, milestone, outside the tower, quiz, writing | posted in Uncategorized

December 4, 2012

The Green-Walled Tower gets a new schedule

By David Stewart

Source

I’m curious, fellow bloggers, do you have a schedule for posts you write every week? Do you always post on certain days, or just as the muse strikes you?

When I first started blogging from the Green-Walled Tower, I posted two stories a week, since I didn’t want to overwhelm myself at the beginning. I soon added a third story a week and for most of my time here I have done three posts a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the Wednesday story being shorter, which is why I called it the Mid-Week Flash. I’ve added other posts along the way and so I have come up with a schedule, just for my own sake and for my readers, if you care at all. So, here it is:

Sunday: Visual Fiction – This is where I post a photograph I’ve taken myself, along with a short prompt or story. Usually something that inspires me.

Monday: Story – A longer (about 1000 words) story or an installment of one of the continuing story lines

Tuesday: Random Post – either nothing or just something like this where I post something that’s not fiction.

Wednesday: Story – either flash fiction or whatever I’m working on that is ready to go out.

Thursday: Story – similar to the one on Monday, something longer or part of a continuing story

Friday: Friday Fictioneers – I’m going to try this, thanks to the encouragement of my friend Amy at The Bumble Files. We’ll see how it goes, but it looks like a good laugh (ie. fun).

Saturday: Nothing! – Hey, everyone needs a day off sometimes. I guess I’m Jewish in this respect, taking the Sabbath off.

Thank you again to all you who read and follow my blog. You’re awesome.

28 Comments | tags: blogging, flash fiction, green-walled tower, outside the tower, schedule, writing | posted in Uncategorized

November 7, 2012

What I learned about writing from Cambodian children

By David Stewart

If you’ve ever visited Cambodia, you know that the whole country has an entrepreneurial spirit. People offer you rides on their scooters for a price, men sell cut sugarcane, and children mob you selling postcards, handmade crafts, books, and pretty much anything and everything else.

The competition is beyond stiff and you see a whole range of tactics, from super aggressive to friendly. I was the most impressed with the children. The best ones immediately told you their name, asked your name, where you were from, told you facts about your home country, and anything they could to make an impression and develop a rapport. They did it fast too–they had about ten seconds maximum to make you want to buy their products and not the next person’s.

It worked too. I was much more likely to buy something from Jentha who had two brothers and a sister at home and called me by my name and could name the capital of my country, than I was from some random little girl offering me five postcards for a dollar when I already had all the postcards I needed.

I realized that this is a little like fiction, especially short fiction and especially blog fiction. People are more likely to give a novel a chance to develop the plot and characters, but on a blog, people who are clicking around randomly have half a million other blogs to choose from, so why do they choose mine?

The title, of course, is important to draw people in, but also the first paragraph. With blog writing, the currency is not money, but time, and I know for myself, it is often the first paragraph, that part that shows up in the summary, that determines if I’m going to read more or not.

Of course, there is another aspect. For the children this process is all about selling. They learn the names of perhaps hundreds of tourists a day and probably forget them almost instantly, but it was also easy to tell those who were only after the money and those who were also truly friendly and engaging. Blogging is not just selling our blogs, it’s also about building relationships. We should be engaging and attractive, but we also have to be honest. People are attracted to authenticity and can tell if it’s not there.