i know all there is to know about the writing game

15 CommentsThursday • January 31, 2008 • by michelle

My dear blogging buddy Jen of A2eatwrite has organized an amazing project called “The Writing Game.” You may have noticed the button over there on my sidebar? Well here’s what it’s all about:

Each person who wants to play sends Jen story ideas, character descriptions, and a conflict. Jen then randomly swaps these lists among the participants so that each person has a blogging buddy and writes something based on his or her buddy’s ideas.

I was matched up with one of my favorite bloggers who I can’t wait to meet in person when she moves to Rome and who gave me a fantastic set-up, characters, and conflict. Grazie mille NYC/Caribbean Ragazza!

Below is just a taste of my story entitled For Love or Garlic.

Go here to read the rest of my story on The Writing Game blog and see NYC/Caribbean Ragazza’s original ideas. And don’t forget to let me know what you think either here or there (or everywhere)!

Also, while you’re over at The Writing Game, take a look at the rest of the stories (each with different plots, themes, ideas) from this edition of The Game, and start thinking about your ideas to join up next time!

For Love or Garlic

I can’t believe it’s 2 a.m. and we’re stuck within nose-shot of the garlic capital of the world, thought John as leaned back against the front bumper of his Mercedes. He zippered up his new lightweight jacket, one that was never meant to weather any actual weather, and crossed his arms in front of him.

“It’s not my fault, you know,” Melinda yelled through the passenger side’s open window. They had been together for 10 years and she knew what John was thinking by the way he sighed as he looked toward the sign pointing the way to Gilroy. “And there’s no need to wrinkle up your nose. You can’t actually smell garlic from here.”

She pulled her head back inside the car and wrapped her scarf a little tighter.

John Russo and Melinda Wayne had a peculiar history with the town least likely to be a setting for an Anne Rice novel. A few summers before, Melinda had finally convinced John to drive out from Los Angeles to the famous Gilroy Garlic Festival, assuring him that it’d be a perfect spot for an upcoming shoot.

The studio head didn’t agree, though, and John had to endure finding cloves of garlic on his desk for many months after he suggested the idea. Of course those silly pranks were better than his eventual reward of a brand new although garlic-free desk at a different studio with a boss 15 years his junior.

With the young buck to compare himself to, John increasingly felt as if his own 45 years were speeding toward the half-century mark like a getaway car.

Getting away from what was the question he struggled to answer.

The mere sight of the Gilroy sign complete with festive garlic cloves started that old film reeling in John’s head–and it didn’t do much to unwrinkle his nose either.

Besides, there was definitely something pungent in the air.

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Be sure to click through to read the rest of my story For Love or Garlic.

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[tags] the writing game, fiction writing, writing, gilroy, garlic[/tags]