Hello, My Name Is...

A week ago, I had put together a wild piece of fiction based on an off-hand comment that was made my one of my friends on FaceBook.

Go ahead and read it here, I'll wait. Back? All right.

Gary..
Another day, but what to write about? Thoughts?
at 7:20
o
Lizzo My life as Liz?
at 7:26am
o
Gary.. Two weeks, 2500 words, based on FB posts?
at 8:15am
o
Lizzo Aaaaaaaaaaand GO!
at 9:46pm
o
Gary.. Working on a different project, but I'll have it by the deadline.
at 10:07pm
o
Gary.. I must warn you, you may not recognize it as a true representation of your story. ;)
at 10:08pm

So, the ideas begin to percolate. I begin to go through what I know about my friend. She’s a strong woman who seems to have a bit of bad luck. She’s also a very determined woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. These scant strips of character are enough to start building.

There’s something else I need though.

Gary..
You on Twitter?
at 10:07am
o
Lizzo No sir....
at 2:03pm
o
Gary.. Well... doesn't THAT suck. Anyway... almost ready to start... you want a particular kind of story?
at 2:05pm
o
Lizzo Suprise me! I'm so excited! Lol!
at 2:06pm
o
Gary.. Hurm... surprise is something of an understatement when it comes to my writing... you have a favorite genre?
at 2:07pm
o
Gary.. ‎10 more min to respond for favored genre... then I start and woe be unto you, as you are my protagonist.
at 3:51pm
o
Lizzo How about some sort of fairy tale ending? That would be nice....
at 4:07pm
o
Gary.. You have actually READ my stuff, right? If not, you should or talk to Ren. Fairy tale ending... BWAH-HAHAHAHA!
at 4:14pm

And so it began. I plotted and revised and struggled to put together a piece of 2500 words. I had to pad words at one point, pare down at another. Random plotlines assaulted me as I plucked the correct tone for the scene I was about to write. Which ones was I going to suggest? Which ones was I going to be proud of?

I pushed through the afternoon wit a couple of breaks for dinner and to stretch my mind. In a prior time, this is where I would have relied upon a cigarette to clear my mind, but that old crutch had been pushed by the wayside almost a year ago. I still went outside to breathe in the fresh and crisp air.

My fingertips cruised over the keyboard and Pandora fed me lines and attitude. Somewhere along the line Elvis came on. He had inadvertently set the tone for this scene.

That is power.

When you can reach beyond the grave and into the future to put a slight spin on a complete stranger’s work, you are verging on the path to sainthood.

Finally, after about 8 hours of real time and perhaps 6 hours of work, including research, I was done! I was done with this beautifully dystopian vision taking place on the way to San Diego from parts further east and perhaps a bit south. The story had the right lines, showed the right amount of vulnerability and character and built a world that was just slightly out of sync with our own.

Sadly, there was one thing missing, a title.

Several have been suggested:

“Popcorn”
“Zombie Assholes”
“Not Again”
“Old Comfortable Shoes”
“Shi de...To Nowhere”
“Checkpoint”
“Not Again? More Popcorn for Zombies”
“Zombies for Idiots”

I’m going to extend this ‘Name Game’ Until March, 15, 2011. On the following Friday, I will choose the best title. Oh, and another little incentive on this, the winner of this little contest will take on the role of the protagonist in this story. I will either use their name (or any name they choose) and change he gender of the character of the story.

Who wouldn’t want to be immortalized in an unpublished short story from a veritable no one in print? It may not be you, but it will be someone!

Feel free to leave the suggestions for the names in a comment or visit my professional FaceBook page located here to leave a comment.

Good luck and enjoy!