November 2009
15 posts
Round Two of Too Many Cooks, or Cary Gone Wild
I’ve procrastinated posting my thoughts on the recent round of TMC for a couple of reasons. One is that I believe Maria will be publishing another chapter of her story, and the other is because I’m not sure I’m finished thinking about it. I will share some of the thoughts I had as we went through the cycle. The other writers are great and I wouldn’t dream of critiquing them.
I was very surprised...
Even In the Quietest Moments: Thoughts On Round 2
Well, here we are again, at the end of another story-cycle. Hope y’all liked it! Here’s my reflections on how things went:
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“Saints Above!”—I love a good farce, and I wish I was better at writing them. I really love what Paul did with this story—I mean, aside from the audacity of a light comedy about death and formaldehyde, the prose and dialog and...
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Nan's Journey - final thoughts
For round two, I wanted to write something a little different that would challenge my fellow writers to work in an unusual narrative structure and still be fun for the audience. I think we succeeded in making “Nan’s Journey” a fun story to read. I know I had a lot of fun each week seeing how everyone else was finding a way to fit (or not, as the case turned out to be) their...
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King of the Sandlot - Chapter 6
Previously…
Billy Joe Danforth didn’t catch many of the details of his parents’ accident until later. Janice the social worker continued to talk, but he didn’t hear a word. There was a roaring sound in his ears, like he was sitting under a waterfall. He looked down at her hand covering his. On her middle finger was a sapphire ring. The back of her hand had two lumpy blue veins that...
Weekly wrapup - Round 2, the final chapters.
Saints Above!
My heavenly tale reaches a happy end for all our Saints. Well, almost all.
Autophobia: A Love Story
Oledoc finishes things off for Warren. I told you I saw this one geting creepy!
Nan’s Journey
Nan ends up back where she started as Coyotesqrl ends at the beginning and goes on till he comes to the end: then stops.
Choking
Monkeyfrog burns down the house and leaves a...
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Choking - The Finale
Previously
I woke up again, not knowing what day it was. I remembered where I was this time, though, and why. I stared out the window, squinting into the sunlight. It was that thin sunlight you only see on a frigid winter day, reflected off of the snow. I was warm, and I felt like I needed to brush my teeth and shower. I must be getting better.
A nurse’s aide limped into the room with her blood...
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Nan's Journey - Chapter 6, The Shocking Conclusion
Previously…
Nan listens at the door for the familiar sound of her Chucks squeaking against the tile, heading off to third period. She has a few hours to kill and needs to keep from running into herself; she decides to head to the library.
“You’re saying I need to hide? Or do I need to search for something there?”
I’ve already told you: I’m not your...
Autophobia: A Love Story: Conclusion
Previously
“Where are you, you bitch?” Warren whispered. His eyes darted around, left, right, even up and down. he stood and turned in a circle. “Where are you?” he whispered again. Nobody seemed close enough to have left the newspaper. Aside from the joggers on the path (the women, looking at him, their eyes hungry, their mouths predatory, slowed down as they passed him),...
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Saints Above - Chapter 6
Previously.
Actioni contrariam semper et æqualem esse reactionem: sive corporum duorum actiones in se mutuo semper esse æquales et in partes contrarias dirigi.
Newton’s third law has much wider implications when it comes to interactions between this world and the next. Unfortunately, St. Sqwirl’s flagrant disregard for Interworld Supplicant Protocols had resulted in things getting...
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King of the Sandlot - Chapter 5
Previously
Billy Joe must have dropped his papers and equipment five times as he left the library. He had never felt so flustered before in his life. He really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Sure, he knew he had a thing for Suzy, but he was an athlete! Why was he suddenly so clumsy?
As he rode his bike home, Billy Joe daydreamed about Suzy. Suzy in a tight sweater. Suzy sternly teaching...
Saints Above! - Chapter 5
Sometimes even Eternity requires tech support. St. Dismas and St. Joseph, so pleased with the results of their joint effort, had started to bicker about who should receive the greater part of the credit. Their argument was, at first, lighthearted, but it soon devolved into a rather mean-spirited debate regarding whether or not they should intercede in the obviously dangerous conditions within the...
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Choking - Chapter 5
I don’t know how long I stumbled through the woods. I remember branches clutching at me, trees crowding like rush hour subway riders, and my heart pounding in my ears like the ocean. I fell two or three times but managed to push back to my feet with bloodied knees and torn up hands. A large branch, hanging low, scraped across my forehead and spun me around. I stopped just long enough to...
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Nan's Journey--Chapter 5
Previously.
She tumbles for a long time, feeling again like Alice. Nan is getting tired of being bounced around like a rubber ball in a rubber room. She is hungry, thirsty, her eyes still hurt from that damned sunlight trick from before, she’s getting a headache, and above all she wants to go the hell home. “Yes, yes. I think I explained that pretty well a few minutes ago. You have a...
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Autophobia: A Love Story - Chapter 5
Previously.
The crisp morning air slapped Warren in the face as soon as he left the apartment. Rather than clearing his head it just seemed to heighten the sense of anxiety which was coursing through him. He stuck the photograph in a pocket and began to half walk, half run, with no particular destination in mind. Right now he just needed to not be where he was, to keep moving.
His...
Week 4 Wrapup
It was a big week for Too Many Cooks, with excitement and advancing plots. One more chapter for each story, and then the conclusions for this cycle. I hope you’ll stay with us-we’ve got some real creepy, interesting, and humorous stuff happening.
Saints Above! - The Saints finally assist Amos behind the scenes by giving him some business. But is killing that many people really...
