Rolled out at 2:30 again, fired up to write. I got my coffee, checked email, and an aphorism sprang to mind. I wrote that one in a “Quotations” text document I keep, and it birthed another one. That happened several more times, along with the necessary revisions, and then I went to another file I’ve kept for years: definitions.
I spent some time there, writing a few new definitions and transfering some older ones to my list of quotations. Before I was finished, two and a half hours had passed. So I was writing within a half hour of getting out of bed, but not on the novel. Yet. (grin)
Then I came here. More in the topic below on aphorisms. Hope you enjoy it.
Had a necessary trip to Sierra Vista today (about three hours). I planned to write for awhile first, but we went sooner than I expected. Got back, pulled up the novel, wrote about a hundred words, and remembered My Team (LSU) might be playing today.
Looked them up online. Sure enough, Auburn at LSU was on, halfway through the 3rd quarter. The score was lopsided. Well, there was only a quarter and a half left, so I went to watch it. (grin)
Hey, priorities right? The novel is going really smoothly right now. I’ll have a bit of time to write after the game, and I’ll write for a few hours in the morning before I go to Tucson.
By the way, I’ll be at the SSA Forum tomorrow at around 10 a.m. That’s at the Tucson City Center InnSuites Resort, 475 N. Granada. Primarily I’ll be there to visit and to announce four new all day seminars. Hope to see some of you there.
Okay, went back to the game for a bit, and LSU beat Auburn 45 – 21. Geaux Tigers. (grin)
Now to the novel for awhile. Then I’ll come back and post my numbers.
My Current Goals and Challenge
My goals remain to write 3,000 words of publishable fiction per day and at least one short story per week. I still also intend to write 30 short stories before October 1. I have a ways to go on that one. (grin) Stay tuned.
Topic of the Post: Fun with Aphorisms
“Aphorism” is defined by dictionary.com as “a short pithy saying expressing a general truth.” My aphorisms sometimes come out as definitions (ala Ambrose Bierce) and are most often satirical. Here are a dozen of mine. Remember, these are tongue in cheek:
- apology, n. A device intended to soothe wounds and thereby put a victim off his guard; a precursor to the next offense.
- arrogance, n. ignorance advertised.
- common sense, n. A myth. What’s common to some is obviously a luxury to most.
- human, n. 1. The most conceited animal on earth, unjustifiably so.
- intellectual, n. 1. One who will drive a Hummer six blocks to a Save the Ozone rally. 2. A closet tuna-eater.
- intolerance, n. Proof of an atrophied mind and a lazy disposition.
- kindness, n. An imagined effect created by hopeful expectation. The word itself never issues forth from one whose lips the word has crossed, except to convey superiority.
- opinion, n. Offered as it is from a single point of view, a meaningless group of words to anyone but the author.
- patience, n. A pliable substance that wears thin when it’s most needed.
- protestor, n. 1. One who exercises the right to dissent, provided him by a patriot, against whom he most often dissents. 2. One who, lacking a cause, will create a posterboard sign decrying the lack of causes and picket the nearest conservative.
- question, n. Because it stirs thought, the only truly important grouping of words in any language.
- victim, n. In our society, the person held responsible for the crime perpetuated against him.
And a few straight aphorisms:
- Failure is only practice for success.
- The right to free speech does not include the right to an audience.
- The one thing I cannot tolerate is intolerance.
How about you? Do you write aphorisms? It’s a fun exercise and a great way to keep the brain pan lubricated.
Today’s Writing
Didn’t write as much today on the novel as I expected to. I could have written more this early a.m. I could have written for the hour or so that I was watching LSU football.
No biggie. Sometimes I allow things to interfere. I know I’ll be gone much of tomorrow, so I’ll hit it early and hard before I leave in the morning. (By the time I leave for Tucson, I will have been up 6 or 7 hours.)
So I screwed around today a little too much. Because of that I missed going over the half-million mark for the year. (grin) Bad, bad Harvey.
Fiction Words: 1516
Writing of “Norval Babineaux” (umm, novel)
Day 1…… 3405 words. Total words to date….. 3405 words
Day 2…… 1487 words. Total words to date….. 4892 words
Day 3…… 4139 words. Total words to date….. 9031 words
Day 4…… 1516 words. Total words to date….. 10547 words
Writing of “Curious Shapes” (short story)
Day 1…… 1022 words. Total words to date….. 1022 words
Day 2…… XXXX words. Total words to date….. XXXX words (done)
Writing of “Nick Mansione” (short story)
Day 1…… 1458 words. Total words to date….. 1458 words
Day 2…… XXXX words. Total words to date….. XXXX words (done)
Total fiction words for the month………… 33955 (1590 on Wes)
Total fiction words for the year…………… 498996
Well, I’ll go over the half-million mark tomorrow then. Easily. (grin)