What I do while washing the dishes Ep. 2

Fun fact; Purple dish gloves and touch screens don't mix. 

     When I'm listening to podcasts it's normally on my phone. Something I've found helpful is to put in a dish of some kind while I'm cleaning. My preference is a smaller Pyrex container. This protects my phone from soapy dish water and amplifies the speaker. 

    I try to Listen/watch a variety of things while taking care of the chores. Being that I'm trying to follow along with the assignments for Writing Excuses I try to give myself a week between each episode. What's been filling in my time is Crash Course. This week it's been Psychology and Philosophy I really enjoyed Episode 13 "The Problem of Evil. what I love about Crash Course is it's a great overview of a topic or idea and gives you an idea of where to go and look for more information. 

    Last week I listened to episode 10.1 for Writing Excuses. I didn't complete the assignment. Yep. Luck would have it that I was familiar with some of the ways they suggest to build ideas. However I'm missing out on chances to flex some creative muscles and be a better storyteller. I'm going to try a little harder and complete not one but two assignments this week. 

The plan at the moment is to take some of my writing time and dedicate it to the assignments. My little one is my number one priority. When she is asleep that's my opportunity to write. On occasion there are epic bedtime battles. Normally there are tears involved, sometimes mine. I fight for my writing time. 

    This week I listened to Episode 10.2 "I Have an Idea; What Do I Do Now?" 

My notes were scrambled and I ended up listening to this episode once and then skimming through a second time to find the points that stood out to me. 

• Stories that suggest conflict. -Wells brought up looking for the How? That conflict is there if you look for it. (I've struggled with this on occasion.)
•  "It's going to ruin somebody's day."-Sanderson Whatever the change may be it's going to have an effect. 
• I love the point of What's at Stake and Who has Agency. That Mary Robinette Kowal brought up.
• Notebook! I love my notebook and for idea storing it is invaluable. I'm not alone in carrying a notebook! 
• The idea of "What would happen if?" This can be a process of combining ideas or digging a little deeper.
• What would i do with this? & Would I get caught?  Howard Tayler Whether it's a magic system or unique piece of Tech.
• Dig Deeper- Come up with a problem you can't solve. -Wells
• Brainstorming  is great for idea development. The table I'm working on is covered in butcher paper that I've scribbled on for my current project. 

     I'm using these entries as a way to stay accountable. If you want to improve your writing or even different creative outlets Writing Excuses is a great place to start.