Archive for the ‘Group Information’ Category

Here is a small HTML primer in case you need help inserting images and formatting your posts.

Indents

For a five space indent, type the following into your post in front of the sentence you want to indent:

The “nbsp” stands for non-breaking space, the “&” symbol tells the computer that what follows is code. Make sure you use a semi-colon not a colon when you use this.

Inserting Images

When you want to post an image into your post, like I did here, you will need to copy and paste this into your post on the left side in front of the sentence you want it to show next to. Anything in () brackets you need to customize with a link to the image.

Need help?

If you are in need of a copy of the image you used for an exercise we did at one of our meetings, drop me an email and I will send it or embed it for you.

How It All Began: A note from the Founder

“Word Whimsy was technically formed in 2001, though we didn’t go public with it till January of 2007. My best friend, now writing partner, Laurel Mathis and I used to get together once a week to play Scrabble. We both enjoyed writing but had hit tough times with our muses. During one particular game we were discussing our writing projects and I had an epiphany. We produced roughly 30 to 35 words each Scrabble game. Why didn’t we use those ‘word lists’ and write a story with them? We gave ourselves one week, till our next get together, to write a rough draft of a story.

We still do the collaborative word lists, only we do them as a group now which is a lot more challenging as we are always throwing in ‘ringers’ for an extra challenge.”

Word Whimsy
PO Box 830635
Ocala, Florida 34483-0635
USA

Email list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wordwhimsy/

Three Dollar Squirrel, the Word Whimsy writer’s zine
http://www.threedollarsquirrel.com

Ana Maria Seaton, Founder and Moderator
24/7 Direct Voicemail: 352.867.6858
Email: renmeleon@gmail.com

We are currently looking for an alternate location for our monthly writer’s meetings. Our ideal spot would be a cafe-like setting where we can purchase “fuel” (i.e. food, snacks, coffee, tea, or all of the above). Free WIFI would be a plus but is not mandatory (we should be writing not surfing) and we would need bathroom access (a must).

If you would be interested in adopting Word Whimsy for one or more of our meetings, please contact Ria at renmeleon@gmail.com

We will happily link to you from our site and, who knows, you might end up in one of our next novels!

Fractured Fiction

Fractured Fiction is one of our “warm-up exercises”. Inspired by an old Victorian parlor game, Exquisite Corpse, all participants start out with a blank sheet of notebook paper. Writing their name on the bottom right corner, they write one sentence using a given word starting on the first line. Once written, they fold the top of the paper over to hide their work. Making sure everyone is done with theirs, the entire group passes to the next person counterclockwise who, in turn, will write their sentence and fold it down. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Once the papers have made a full circuit, the person who wrote their name on the bottom having gotten theirs back, the group leader reads them all aloud. Most are very funny but there are those gems that come through once in a while that are amazingly in sync.

Just for fun, take a look at this Exquisite Corpse Adventure.

Artfully Inspired

Participants are supplied with an art piece or a photograph and given specific instructions on how to “interact” with it through flash fiction.

Spontaneous Elaboration

Suppose you are sitting in a meeting. Laurel or Ria, you never know which, turns to everyone and gives you a topic or sets a scene for you. You are given 45 minutes to write and expected to elaborate on what you were given…maybe we should call it “Spontaneous Combustion”.

Write Now

Random challenge generator here.

And now for something completely different…

Board Games

Baffle Gab – A Funny Story In Every game!
Balderdash
US Games Snatch Word Game

White Elephant

Once in a while, on holidays or special occasions, we pick a theme and have a little fun. White Elephant gift exchanges can be done anywhere, anytime, and the rules are fairly simple: Bring a wrapped gift that fits the theme and add it to the pile. Everyone chooses a number and the gifts are opened in order. First person pulls from the pile, shows everyone. Second person can pull from the pile and unwrap a new one or steal from the first person forcing them to choose another gift. The third person has the choice of a new gift or taking one of the first two. Lather, rinse, repeat. Three steals allowed per person. So far our themes have been writing related (book, author, word) but this past Christmas was our first annual “Ornamental Elephant” swap. Sadly, it was rather short…no one stole anything! We all enjoyed what we got so much that we kept them.