WFMAD Day, um, err, Day 17, I’m pretty sure

Did you have a good weekend?

The Officemouse and I went to the Regional Farmer’s Market on Saturday. It is a sign how bad this summer was for me that this was the FIRST time I made it to the market this year. We came home with oodles of blueberries and peaches, froze most of the blueberries and made a couple batches of jam. Tomorrow I’ll can and freeze the rest of the peaches.

(Tangent: Remember how I completely lost my mind last summer and picked about a million pounds of strawberries and made a bazillion kinds of strawberry jam? Well, it was a good thing I did because I completely missed strawberry season this year. Needless to say, we still have strawberry jam. But now I can feel slightly smug about my foresight.)

We also got yogurt, milk, and cheese from the BEST dairy farm in Central New York…

Wake Robin Farm!! If you see any of their products in the store BUY THEM. Top-notch quality and taste made by people who care. (That’s Meg in the picture. I was stunned to learn she reads this blog. Hi Meg!)

Let’s get to work before the heat and humidity drive us all to the movie theater.

Ready…

Today’s advice: "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." Ray Bradbury 

Set…

Today’s prompt: Today you need a coin, preferably a big one like an American quarter. (Are any of you guys living in countries other than the United States? If so, where? And what is the largest coin you have?)

OK, back from tangent. Sorry. Am having focus issues today.

Got your coin? Good.

You are going to do a quick and dirty plot outline with the help of Chance. You can do this with your current WIP or make up a new character from scratch.

This plot outline is going to be basic and fast. Start with a sentence or two, like "She walks in the grocery store."

Then ask yourself the next plot possibility, phrased in a binary way, like "Does she buy the pate?" (See howthat can be answered with a "yes" or a "no"?) OR "Does she steal the pate or buy it?" 

Once you’ve written down your plot question, assign an answer to each side of the coin. "Heads: she buys it. Tails: she steals it." Flip the coin and you have your next plot point. Continue with the consequences of that action and set up another coin toss, and another, and another.

Have fun with this. The point is to be a little more open to allowing your story to wander down unpredictable paths.

Scribble…Scribble….Scribble!

8 Replies to “WFMAD Day, um, err, Day 17, I’m pretty sure”

  1. I LOVE Wake Robin Farm yogurt!!! The vanilla is my favorite!!! It is like eating custard!!!! YUMMY!!!!!!

  2. I am joining in from Australia. Our 50c piece is the biggest. Love coming here every day and being challenged/inspired!
    Naomi

  3. thanks!

    Laurie- “Hi” to you too! Thanks for mentioning us in your blog, and congrats on making the best seller list!
    – Meg at Wake Robin Farm

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