One Year of Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Posted on November 7, 2019 by crispina kemp

I took this photo just as Crimson’s Creative Challenge was beginning. It seemed an apt image for this celebratory post

We celebrate this week one year of Crimson’s Creative Challenge. Wee-hay! And what a year it has been.

There have been folks joined in, and folks dropped out, some have remained faithful, some we’ve never seen again. And the responses! Every genre imaginable: comedic, romantic, fantasy, folk tale, history, maritime, western and military, dystopia, gothic and sci-fi. Wow! What a lot. Some have posted photos in answer, others have posted drawings. I note none to date has posted a dance, though we have had ditties and limericks.

I’ve been straining my brain on how to celebrate this wondrous diversity.

A recap of the photos? A pick of the varied responses to the prompts? Alas, to do justice to the full fifty-two weeks amounts to a rather long post. I thought then to provide links to everyone’s contributions. But alas, that would be equally cumbersome.

And so I’ve decided just to thank everyone for making this such a successful Challenge. And here’s looking forward to another fifty-two weeks.

My special thanks to Sammi Cox for being my inspiration last year.

And my thanks to all participants (in order of appearance):

Morpethroad | Brian Bixby | The Dark Denizen | JP the wide-eyed wanderer | The Story Files | Word Shamble | Blogternator | padresramblings | Thru Violet’s Lentz | Of Maria Antonia | Tina Stewart Brakebill | Table for One | The Abject Muse |A Dalectable Life | Flights of Fancy | MJL Stories | Bobby Fairfield | Panache | Susan’s Place | willowdot21 | Willow Poetry | Let Me Tell You the Story of… | The Haunted Wordsmith | syncwithdeep | syncwithdeep | Prats Corner | Starlight and Moon Beams | Abandoned Amenities | Jen Goldie | The Diary of a Country Bumpkin | Nut House Central | awisewomansjourney | Entangled Designs | mbrazfieldm | What she wrote next | Nova’s Namaste 365 Online |  From the Window Seat | D.Avery @shiftnshake | joanne the geek | Ramyani Bhattacharya | Indira | Na’ama Yehuda | Ruby Manchanda | larry trasciatti | Von Smith | Christine’s Collection | Bladud Fleas | kittysverses | Pratibha | Rekha Rajgopal | Invictus | rugby843 | Den of Dreams / dragonwarrior07987 | arthurhofn | Kim Smyth | Keep it alive | pensitivity101 | MythRider | Does writing excuse watching? | Fiction Playground | TedBook | Reena Saxena | MindfulDoodles draws & writes (@artmaterdotcom) | Jane Dougherty | God’s Gift – K-popawheely | Snapshot Vignettes | 68 total

If I’ve omitted your name, I do most sincerely apologise. It’s been quite an exercise going through 52 posts to garner all names.

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, On Writing, Photos | Tagged | 55 Comments

The Tweenies of Tweeny Wood

Posted on November 7, 2019 by crispina kemp

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #52

Between and betwixt the Hall and the Marsh, there you’ll find the Tweeny Wood
where Tweenies live – ‘tween this year and the last
‘tween this month and next
‘tween this day and the last
‘tween this moment and next
‘tween this and another
‘tween this bush and the rest
‘tween this berry and the flower
‘tween this burrow and the nest
leaping, skipping, capering, tripping
faster than an eye, forbidding
follow if you can and if you dare
the Tweenies’ll lead you twixt here and there
from child to teen to adulthood
twixt Hall and Marsh, in Tweeny Wood

A little bit of nonsense for Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos, Poems (Some Silly) | Tagged , , , | 52 Comments

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #52

Posted on November 6, 2019 by crispina kemp

CCC#52

Welcome to my weekly challenge—open to all—just for FUN, FUN, FUN

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

  • An answering photo
  • A cartoon
  • A joke
  • A caption
  • An anecdote
  • A short story (flash fiction)
  • A poem
  • A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
  • An essay
  • A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

  • Your creative offering is indeed yours
  • Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN.

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos | Tagged , | 119 Comments

Man, he’s crazy

Posted on November 5, 2019 by crispina kemp

image by Vitabello on pixabay

I saw him paddling a surfboard along the Thames.

Why? I asked.

Surf’s up, man, he said.

Yea, down in the Cornish bays.

I saw him atop Clifton Bridge attached to a rope.

Why? I asked.

Bungee jumping, he said. Fella sold me twice as much rope as I need.

It lay by his feet in a huge loop.

That man, I tell you, is such an ineffable crazy fool.

70 words, written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt

I think the guy in the photo wouldn’t mind me calling him a crazy fool, as that’s what Vitabello has called him.

Posted in Mostly Micro | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Sunday Fungi: Weeping Widows

Posted on November 3, 2019 by crispina kemp

And where might one find Weeping Widows? In a graveyard. And that’s where I found these Inkcaps.

Shaggy Inkcaps… alas, too late to catch them wearing their *wigs*: 15th Oct 2019

Posted in Photos | Tagged , | 15 Comments

The Spinner’s Game e-book Update #24

Posted on November 3, 2019 by crispina kemp

November update… and some news to report. I’m two steps nearer to publishing The Spinner’s Game, the date now set for the Vernal Equinox. 21st March 2020.

Editing… that deep-down word-by-word polish

I can report with great relief that Books One, Two and Three – The Spinner’s Child, Lake of Dreams, and The Pole That Threads – are done. Yay!

I am now working on Book Four, Lady of First Making. Since this received a thorough polish during the revision and rewrite process, this basically amounts to a read through to catch anything that’s still not sitting right. I’m zooming through, though I am catching the occasional blip. Also, because of some changes required to Book Five (see below), there’s a slight tweak needed, a change in dialogue in just one scene.

The good news is, I’m ahead of schedule on this. I had thought it would take me through to the end of November. Now I’ll say I should be done by next weekend. All being well.

Book Five

The other walloping piece of good news. I can now report that all the betas and critiques are back for Book Five (working title, Asaric Sins). The rewrites and revisions can begin… just as soon as I’m done with Lady of First Making. So, mid-November at the latest. And whilst doing that, the final edit.

So I guess now is a good time to reveal the chosen title. And to show off the cover, another of Lauren Willmore’s fantastic designs.

copyright Lauren Willmore

Twiddly Bits

These remain to be done. As I said last month, I hope to write the legal bits for the Front Matter and the acknowledgements for the End Matter in those micro-minutes between one thing and another. With regards the acknowledgements I shall be in touch with you, my hardworking and loyal betas to ask what form you’d like your mention: simple first name, full name, name with website, occupation etc. This will probably be around the Christmas period.

Layouts and Graphics

As soon as The Spinner’s Sins (Book Five) is polished to my satisfaction, the next task is to work on the layouts for all five books. Lauren is waiting on this, to be able to complete the book covers for print-on-demand. She’s shown me the mock-ups, they’re brilliant. Oh, excited!

At this point, I shall need the graphics. The two graphic inserts for Book Two, Lake of Dreams, are done but I still have the maps to do for Books One and Three – The Spinner’s Child and The Pole That Threads.

The Spinner’s Sin (Book Five) will also need a map.

Yay! I love maps. I. Love. Maps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But it does require me to get to grips with a map-making app. Which is why I’m holding off until I can give it my full attention.

a fantastic line-up by book cover designer Lauren Willmore

The Supplement Giveaway

To be offered with Pre-Orders, last month I reported that I was still mulling on the format for this.

Well, the mull has produced an answer. It’s to be a guide – think Lonely Planet Guides. I’ve yet to work on the title, but something to the effect of

The Spinner’s Mythic World
A Traveller’s Guide

The material for this is firmly lodged in my head.

And so, as you can see, there’s still much work awaiting me. Let’s see how much I can accomplish in the coming month. Next e-book update will be… Sunday 8th December

 

 

Posted in Fantasy Fiction, Mythic Fiction, On Writing, The Spinner's Game | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

In Amongst the Brambles

Posted on November 2, 2019 by crispina kemp

It’s the season. It can’t be helped. Let me loose along the green lanes with a camera and I’m bound to find some fungi. Even if they are Hidden.

Hidden amongst the brambles: 15th Oct 2019

And here’s one that was growing nearby.

Arguably the best Parasol I’ve found in several years: 15th Oct 2019

Photos posted for #2019picoftheweek challenge

For details see MariaAntonia

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

CCC51: The Wicker Spider

Posted on October 31, 2019 by crispina kemp

Crimson’s Creative Challenge

On Halloween Night the wicker spider weaves… a sticky web to catch the spirits on the breeze: Wicked imps and sneaky sprites, malevolent boggarts that give us a fright, streaming through the forest trees, rustling and hissing as they kick at the leaves. The spider entangles these in her thread, rolls and cocoons them, drapes and festoons them, and on the branches leaves them dead

Written for Crimson’s Creative Challenge

 

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Poems (Some Silly) | Tagged , , , , , | 39 Comments

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #51

Posted on October 30, 2019 by crispina kemp

CCC#51

Welcome to my weekly challenge—open to all—just for FUN, FUN, FUN

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

  • An answering photo
  • A cartoon
  • A joke
  • A caption
  • An anecdote
  • A short story (flash fiction)
  • A poem
  • A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
  • An essay
  • A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

  • Your creative offering is indeed yours
  • Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN.

I found this *wicca web* at Whitlingham Country Park when I visited early in September

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos | Tagged | 51 Comments

Which Lights?

Posted on October 29, 2019 by crispina kemp

image by Crispina (21st Oct 2018)

Twilight… Two lights.

Which lights?

This light? That light?

Sunlight, moonlight, starlight, lamplight?
Searchlight?
Limelight, footlight?
Nah, headlight, backlight.
Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
Ghost lights, spectral lights… witch lights?
Christmas lights, fairy lights?
Candlelight, firelight?
Gaslight, flashlight?
Ship’s lights?

Which lights? These lights.

44 words, Twilight: written for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt

Posted in Poems (Some Silly) | Tagged , | 28 Comments