I should be cleaning...

...but...I'll get to that later. :) Instead, I'm sitting at my computer in the most adorable new apron. I got it for my birthday from a very good friend, and I can't bring myself to clean in it yet. I don't know how I'll ever possibly cook in it. It's just too darn cute. What if it gets dirty? I know, I know, that's what it's for. But not today. Today, it's for being cute, and making me smile.

I think the computer is a safe spot to hang out, and keep it nice and clean. Hopefully my printer doesn't explode and spray ink all over. That would make me cry. I don't know if the ink would come out.

Moving on...

My creative writing class has been having a contest this week, and it's been a blast to see all the entries. It's a Bulwer-Lytten contest, which means its a BAD BEGINNING contest. There have been so many great entries. Just for fun, here's a couple of mine. (Remember, they are supposed to be bad!)

Once upon a time, on a dull and lonely morning, Judith opened her eyes and tried to remember the one important task she needed to do today, but was unable to think of it because of the strange dream she had just had about a flying carpet that was chasing her through the woods-oh, that was it; she was having her carpets cleaned today.

"Stop the train, I dropped my lipstick out the window!"

Life sucks, and then you die, but since I haven't keeled over just yet, let me share my story.

Do you know the feeling when someone is rambling off about something that you could care less about, but they think it's the most wonderful story in the world, and you have no choice but to just sit and listen, hoping it will end soon, so you can talk about something much more interesting, like yourself?

As I've been focusing on bad beginnings this week, it's made me think a lot about good beginnings as well. I'm working on revising my first chapter, trying to get it ready to enter into a first-chapter contest. Just when I think it's ready, I get a little more feedback, and change a few more things. Then I begin to doubt the chapter as a whole, which leads to doubting the entire manuscript. It's a vicious cycle.

My goal for the upcoming week is to focus on first chapters. I plan to read the first chapter, or at a minimum, the first couple of pages, of dozens of books on my bookshelf. Many of them are in the genre I'm writing in, and some are not. I've read them all, but never payed much attention to what goes into a first chapter.

By the end of next week, I'll either know I'm headed in the right direction, or I'll be trying to convince myself not to burn my own first chapter.