Halloween is coming

Well before leaving for WotF, I signed up to write a story for the Codex Halloween Short Story Contest.  It’s where the weird toy post came from a month or so back.  Anyway, the story is supposed to be based on a prompt (or seed) given to me by another writer and is supposed to at least vaguely relate to Halloween.  I rejected all the easy routes to this and have decided to write a space opera.  That’s becoming my thing.  I need to write something else to get out of this rut.  But I digress.

It took me a long time to develop a sufficient story idea to make this work, especially since my prompt screamed fantasy.  Then came WotF and that raised my desire to finish my novel, so I thought the contest might just not happen.  But (isn’t there always a but?) the contest seems to inspire good writing with numerousparticipants selling their stories.  So I took a deep breath and started the story on Friday.  I’m about half done at 3500 words (give or take).  I’m pleased with it so far, which is good since it’s due October 3rd.  I plan to have a draft finished by Friday, get a little feedback, then perform surgery to make it good.

All this has of course slowed down novel production.  But I’m writing, so I won’t complain.

In the vein of Halloween, it is Homecoming week at school and part of the celebration is themed dress-up days.  Monday was pajama day; comfy!  Tuesday is 80’s day.  Sadly I outgrew my gray tweed sportcoat that might have passed for a Miami Vice theme with the right T-shirt underneath.  So what am I doing?  Change 80’s television shows…Magnum P.I.!  That’s right, the Hawaiian shirt collection is paying off.  I don’t have a Detroit Tigers cap, but I’ll live.  Oh, and the beard stays.  I’m what Magnum would have been if he’d let himself go…a lot.

I enjoy these dress-up days.  How often do I get to dress like Magnum without being laughed at?  Okay, I’ll still get laughed at, but in a friendly way.  But strangely I seldom dress up for Halloween.  Oh I was a pirate for my daughter’s sake the last couple years, but nothing I can really throw myself into.  Just once I want a badass costume: Captain Mal Reynolds; Captain Jack Sparrow; Captain Kangaroo.  (I have the build for one of those.)  I think that’s going to be one of my goals for Halloween 2011