I have heard about The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Lucky One, etc but I never got acquainted of reading these books nor watched the filmed versions of these masterpieces; not until a friend talked about Nicholas Sparks’ latest work entitled The Choice. Ops, it was my first time either to hear about this author. Poor me!
Since i learned about the book, I've been dying of getting a copy of it. Actually, till recent i never get a chance of reading Sparks' latest release. As i returned home from Greece, all bookstores i went on was out of stock (anyhow, congrats Mr. Sparks!). Meanwhile, this is what i have - so to those who haven't read the book yet, just sharing you this synopsis i got online. I will post a review after reading 'The Choice'. The attention-grabbing line How far would you go to keep the hope of love alive remains a cliche to me. I'm counting days, huh ;-)
THE CHOICE by Nicholas Sparks
Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life -- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him...and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heart-wrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?
Friday, December 19, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I Will Never Date That Alien Again
Today, i challenge you to make a fiction story and convince your readers that the story is real. Using a title I will Never Date That Alien Again, your challenge is how to make your version realistic...as if it really happened at our time.
In my attempt to this one-hour writing challenge, here's what i have come up.
I WILL NEVER DATE THAT ALIEN AGAIN
In the history of mankind, the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) has suddenly become a word of everybody’s tongue. Perhaps, we all have heard about a 15-year old girl in United States who was abducted by aliens; and after several years was returned to earth at her same young age.
Different speculations come in and some attempts to theorize what aliens and their spacecrafts may look like. Still, there are people in our generation who never believe in aliens and think that the Earth is the only planet in the galaxy filled with living creatures.
From the very first time I’ve heard about aliens, it has evoked my curiosity and opened my mind to the possibilities that there are really aliens existing and sometimes they get to visit on Earth. I have read several books about people’s real encounter with aliens but the one I grabbed in the library entitled I Will Never Date That Alien Again tells a different story. It's alienated story is not just interesting because it talks about a creature from other dimension. Indeed, it is worth attention-grabbing because it talks about a real encounter between a female author and an alien, and the love story at their emotional peak.
In the book, the author has stated about her experiences with the aliens; and has described how the alien and his spacecraft look, how she in the character is elated upon seeing the UFO landing at the back of their house, and how the alien has saved her life several times. It sounds like a romantic heroism, isn’t it?
I was about to finish the final page when a line caught my attention – My alien friend waved goodbye. My heart was squeezed and I started to cry for I learned to love the alien who saved my life so many times. His flying saucer was about to fly when he hurriedly went down and ran toward my direction and said “Can I take your earrings, necklace, bracelet, and the ring in your hand? You might not ask but I really love to be a woman”.
I have almost believed in the story of love and heroism between alien and people on Earth. I must admit that I used to be one of those alien-actual-encounter fanatics. But after I read about I Will Never Date That Alien Again and find out that the alien is a GAY. All i could say? I will never read about aliens again!
In our life, there are lots of stories about aliens that are unanswered. Their technology was never even justified, no reasons for their earth exploration were given, and we didn’t even truly see one of their flying saucers. There are people who have made their efforts to read or even more conduct a research about people’s factual encounters with alien. We have several insightful alien invasion stories that can set our curiosity afire. But if they get the same chance of reading the book, I Will Never Date That Alien Again, I am rather very interested to see how they react on it!
In my attempt to this one-hour writing challenge, here's what i have come up.
I WILL NEVER DATE THAT ALIEN AGAIN
In the history of mankind, the Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) has suddenly become a word of everybody’s tongue. Perhaps, we all have heard about a 15-year old girl in United States who was abducted by aliens; and after several years was returned to earth at her same young age.
Different speculations come in and some attempts to theorize what aliens and their spacecrafts may look like. Still, there are people in our generation who never believe in aliens and think that the Earth is the only planet in the galaxy filled with living creatures.
From the very first time I’ve heard about aliens, it has evoked my curiosity and opened my mind to the possibilities that there are really aliens existing and sometimes they get to visit on Earth. I have read several books about people’s real encounter with aliens but the one I grabbed in the library entitled I Will Never Date That Alien Again tells a different story. It's alienated story is not just interesting because it talks about a creature from other dimension. Indeed, it is worth attention-grabbing because it talks about a real encounter between a female author and an alien, and the love story at their emotional peak.
In the book, the author has stated about her experiences with the aliens; and has described how the alien and his spacecraft look, how she in the character is elated upon seeing the UFO landing at the back of their house, and how the alien has saved her life several times. It sounds like a romantic heroism, isn’t it?
I was about to finish the final page when a line caught my attention – My alien friend waved goodbye. My heart was squeezed and I started to cry for I learned to love the alien who saved my life so many times. His flying saucer was about to fly when he hurriedly went down and ran toward my direction and said “Can I take your earrings, necklace, bracelet, and the ring in your hand? You might not ask but I really love to be a woman”.
I have almost believed in the story of love and heroism between alien and people on Earth. I must admit that I used to be one of those alien-actual-encounter fanatics. But after I read about I Will Never Date That Alien Again and find out that the alien is a GAY. All i could say? I will never read about aliens again!
In our life, there are lots of stories about aliens that are unanswered. Their technology was never even justified, no reasons for their earth exploration were given, and we didn’t even truly see one of their flying saucers. There are people who have made their efforts to read or even more conduct a research about people’s factual encounters with alien. We have several insightful alien invasion stories that can set our curiosity afire. But if they get the same chance of reading the book, I Will Never Date That Alien Again, I am rather very interested to see how they react on it!
Nature's Cry
This so far is a simple challenge. With its minimal requirement, it is not surprising if you can finish it at half an hour only. Can you see the object? All you need is list down at least five (5) adjectives that could best describe the photo shown. Using the adjectives you've listed, write a poem that could best fit to the mood of the photo.
In my attempt to this challenge, i played around with furious, thick, poor, devastating, and damaging. With my love and appreciation to nature, this is what i come up after an hour challenge.
NATURE'S CRY
Ashamed, I was part of this barbarity
The furious fire burned out of control
All for mankind’s greediness,
Greenery turned into ashes.
Thick smog-like haze over the crying forest
Poor, it dirtied up the skies,
Devastating destruction!
A damaging threat to mankind
Mother Nature cried…
Everybody got it together
Green, green! All covered in flowers
“Bring me back to tranquility!”
Day of Evil
Imagine putting life to an object. Can you do it? Here's how. Think of your favorite object and make it as your story's main character. In my attempt to this writing challenge, i played around with LIGHTS as my narrator of the story. Here, i preferred of adapting to a horror-story approach. For an hour tough challenge, this is what i got.
Day of Evil
People called me Lights. I lived at the ceiling of St Benedict Hospital where all newborns were placed after delivered by their moms. They called it ‘Nursery’. My role in the hospital was to offer lights to babies. I didn’t expect to witness an evil’s ritual to happen. But it did, and I was there.
June 6, 2006. It was Tuesday and I called it the ‘Day of Evil’.
Inside St. Benedict Hospital’s nursery, sixty six newborns were peacefully sleeping at that time. I watched their faces from the ceiling, ensuring I could offer them enough lights – that’s my role of welcoming them in St. Benedict.
When the clock pointed its long hand to 12 midnight, a horrifying story started.
Amidst the heavy storm, the thunder’s roar, and the lightning’s anger, I heard the cries of babies. But Baby Daniel, the son of the country’s renowned gymnast and a dauntless policeman, was different and mysterious.
I heard Daniel’s laughter, enjoying the bad weather condition. Suddenly, the wind blew so cold and I saw his body rising and a black smoke appeared, forming a human body. I saw the evil and his horrifying smile while carrying Daniel on his arm.
“This is the earth. I welcome you, son!”
The music of evil played; and I saw the door as it opened, inviting Daniel’s mom to come in. The gymnast danced with the music of evil, and the policeman, undoubtedly, pointed his head with a gun.
“To you my Lord…” the policeman kneeled. “… I offer my wife, my son, and my blood”.
The policeman killed himself and the gymnast hurriedly dropped his blood to Daniel’s mouth. To its horror, Daniel transformed into a treacherous monster.
Daniel hungrily ate the policeman’s flesh and sipped his blood.
I heard the sound of evil echoed in the nursery and faded slowly and everything was gone – the storm, the thunder, the lightning, the gymnast, including Daniel.
No trace was left. The story remained a secret. The ritual I had seen remained untold.
It was the horrifying ritual I’d ever seen. If I could speak and foretell my story to the people, perhaps no one would buy it. But I was there; and I witnessed an evil’s ritual.
Day of Evil
People called me Lights. I lived at the ceiling of St Benedict Hospital where all newborns were placed after delivered by their moms. They called it ‘Nursery’. My role in the hospital was to offer lights to babies. I didn’t expect to witness an evil’s ritual to happen. But it did, and I was there.
June 6, 2006. It was Tuesday and I called it the ‘Day of Evil’.
Inside St. Benedict Hospital’s nursery, sixty six newborns were peacefully sleeping at that time. I watched their faces from the ceiling, ensuring I could offer them enough lights – that’s my role of welcoming them in St. Benedict.
When the clock pointed its long hand to 12 midnight, a horrifying story started.
Amidst the heavy storm, the thunder’s roar, and the lightning’s anger, I heard the cries of babies. But Baby Daniel, the son of the country’s renowned gymnast and a dauntless policeman, was different and mysterious.
I heard Daniel’s laughter, enjoying the bad weather condition. Suddenly, the wind blew so cold and I saw his body rising and a black smoke appeared, forming a human body. I saw the evil and his horrifying smile while carrying Daniel on his arm.
“This is the earth. I welcome you, son!”
The music of evil played; and I saw the door as it opened, inviting Daniel’s mom to come in. The gymnast danced with the music of evil, and the policeman, undoubtedly, pointed his head with a gun.
“To you my Lord…” the policeman kneeled. “… I offer my wife, my son, and my blood”.
The policeman killed himself and the gymnast hurriedly dropped his blood to Daniel’s mouth. To its horror, Daniel transformed into a treacherous monster.
Daniel hungrily ate the policeman’s flesh and sipped his blood.
I heard the sound of evil echoed in the nursery and faded slowly and everything was gone – the storm, the thunder, the lightning, the gymnast, including Daniel.
No trace was left. The story remained a secret. The ritual I had seen remained untold.
It was the horrifying ritual I’d ever seen. If I could speak and foretell my story to the people, perhaps no one would buy it. But I was there; and I witnessed an evil’s ritual.
Trailer
Let's explore to the world of Trailers. One way to promote a movie is creating a trailer to entice the target market. Prior to the airings of movie trailer on broadcast media and theater houses, it has undergone a stringent procedure of conceptualizing a copy.
Let's put the challenge this way. Think of your original version of movie concept and come up your own title. Right then, all you need is to formulate a copy. Here's what i got after an hour challenge of producing a trailer copy for my movie i entitled...
UNDERCOVER
“In 1909, the world witnessed as the gate of Hell opened with its unprecedented simultaneous volcanic eruption in Nepal killing billions of people from all over the world. From the mouth of the volcano went out the Son of Satan whom, by the joined forces of 11-F from the East, was imprisoned in Mt. Bakulkeg in Nepal.
After 100 years…in year 2009, the 11-F is back, forming the so called –‘iCOMM Team’. Its mission is to act as special marketing undercover against the world’s renowned soap manufacturing company in the US that is owned by the most controversial King of Cults whose products are patronized worldwide. The Cult’s ritual will happen in the first day of year 2009. There are 10 days left.
No one escapes the powers and genius minds of the iCOMM Team, here in UNDERCOVER”.
Let's put the challenge this way. Think of your original version of movie concept and come up your own title. Right then, all you need is to formulate a copy. Here's what i got after an hour challenge of producing a trailer copy for my movie i entitled...
UNDERCOVER
“In 1909, the world witnessed as the gate of Hell opened with its unprecedented simultaneous volcanic eruption in Nepal killing billions of people from all over the world. From the mouth of the volcano went out the Son of Satan whom, by the joined forces of 11-F from the East, was imprisoned in Mt. Bakulkeg in Nepal.
After 100 years…in year 2009, the 11-F is back, forming the so called –‘iCOMM Team’. Its mission is to act as special marketing undercover against the world’s renowned soap manufacturing company in the US that is owned by the most controversial King of Cults whose products are patronized worldwide. The Cult’s ritual will happen in the first day of year 2009. There are 10 days left.
No one escapes the powers and genius minds of the iCOMM Team, here in UNDERCOVER”.
Vulnerably Miserable
Have you tried writing a stage play? Today, let’s focus on a scene of two best of buddies in their serious-turn-wacky conversation. Can you figure out the element needed to put down the script requirement into context? This is how.
Here, you are given the opening and closing conversations. With the middle story missing, it’s your challenge to play around and make your play justifiable.
The opening statement “Did I ever tell you about Daisy”
The closing statement “Yes, I think the zoo is a terrific idea”
Shooting my wild imagination, here’s what I came up after an hour challenge. Enjoy!
VULNERABLY MISERABLE
Characters:
Gino
A jobless and lonely man whose life always depends on what he only earns in a day.
Melvin
An ambitious civil engineer. He is Gino’s childhood friend.
SCENE:
2:30 PM at Melvin’s house. Melvin and Gino are drinking beers.
Gino: (after staring at Melvin for a minute) Did I ever tell you about Daisy?
Melvin: (keeps on drinking) Daisy?
Gino: (sigh) I mean Daisy! The pretty white –
Melvin: (burping) – Oh, yes. I Got it. For all I know, she’s pregnant.
Gino: (sigh) Yes, she is.
Melvin: (puzzled) Something is wrong?
Gino: (sad look) She’s sick, man. She’s getting thinner and I’m afraid it could affect her pregnancy.
Melvin: (placed the glass of beer on the table, pulled his pocket and handed a calling card) I wish this could help. Let my doctor see her.
Gino: (blushing) Is it fine –
Melvin: (shrug) – I know how much you love her!
Gino: (shameful look) Do you think I can pay? I have no work this time.
Melvin: (insisting) You’re a friend. Who do you think will help you?
Gino: (sigh) I’m sorry. I know this is too much –
Melvin: (hands up) Well, maybe not ‘too much’. It is just so ridiculous to see you mourning for…
Gino: (blushing) Does it look bad?
Melvin: (laugh) Well, not too bad!
Gino: (helpless) Funny?
Melvin: (sarcastic) Hmmm, not even funny but it’s just a bit disgusting. Why don’t you look for a WOMAN to marry for instead of worrying for a DOG for the rest of your life? You’re not getting younger…
Gino: (hit by his ego) So, shall I send Daisy to the zoo so she can have a better life there?
Melvin: Yes, I think the zoo is a terrific idea.
Lights dim, curtains close.
Here, you are given the opening and closing conversations. With the middle story missing, it’s your challenge to play around and make your play justifiable.
The opening statement “Did I ever tell you about Daisy”
The closing statement “Yes, I think the zoo is a terrific idea”
Shooting my wild imagination, here’s what I came up after an hour challenge. Enjoy!
VULNERABLY MISERABLE
Characters:
Gino
A jobless and lonely man whose life always depends on what he only earns in a day.
Melvin
An ambitious civil engineer. He is Gino’s childhood friend.
SCENE:
2:30 PM at Melvin’s house. Melvin and Gino are drinking beers.
Gino: (after staring at Melvin for a minute) Did I ever tell you about Daisy?
Melvin: (keeps on drinking) Daisy?
Gino: (sigh) I mean Daisy! The pretty white –
Melvin: (burping) – Oh, yes. I Got it. For all I know, she’s pregnant.
Gino: (sigh) Yes, she is.
Melvin: (puzzled) Something is wrong?
Gino: (sad look) She’s sick, man. She’s getting thinner and I’m afraid it could affect her pregnancy.
Melvin: (placed the glass of beer on the table, pulled his pocket and handed a calling card) I wish this could help. Let my doctor see her.
Gino: (blushing) Is it fine –
Melvin: (shrug) – I know how much you love her!
Gino: (shameful look) Do you think I can pay? I have no work this time.
Melvin: (insisting) You’re a friend. Who do you think will help you?
Gino: (sigh) I’m sorry. I know this is too much –
Melvin: (hands up) Well, maybe not ‘too much’. It is just so ridiculous to see you mourning for…
Gino: (blushing) Does it look bad?
Melvin: (laugh) Well, not too bad!
Gino: (helpless) Funny?
Melvin: (sarcastic) Hmmm, not even funny but it’s just a bit disgusting. Why don’t you look for a WOMAN to marry for instead of worrying for a DOG for the rest of your life? You’re not getting younger…
Gino: (hit by his ego) So, shall I send Daisy to the zoo so she can have a better life there?
Melvin: Yes, I think the zoo is a terrific idea.
Lights dim, curtains close.
Beggar’s Cellphone
Have you ever plunged to a challenge where shape is one of the requirements? This entry below is a masterpiece I created after an hour challenge of coming up an 11-line poem in a shape of a DIAMOND. Enjoy reading...
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