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Fleur Blüm

~ writer, performer, musician

Fleur Blüm

Tag Archives: Writing exercise

Performance Artist

09 Wednesday May 2018

Posted by toearlyretirement in Art, Writing

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Inspiration, Melbourne Fringe Festival, NaNoWriMo, performance, poem, Poetry, Writing, Writing exercise

This is one of the poems from my recent NaPoWriMo experiment. I hope you enjoy it.

 
Performance Artist

I’m shy
I don’t want to talk to people
they seem so much more legitimate than me

I’m uncomfortable
my legs don’t sit nicely when I cross them
because of my massive thighs

I ate luke-warm, oily Bolognese
scoffed it down before heading
into this room full of arty types

The book I brought to write in is massive
it takes up too much room
it’s not spiral bound

but it does have a shiny pink metallic cover
and was a present from my Kris Kringle at work
colour and writing, my two obvious features

I’ve only got four business cards with me
which seems like an oversight now
I have hundreds at home, where they’re of no use

Take a deep breath. It will be fine.
Stick out your hand and introduce yourself.

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

05 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Inspiration, Motivation, NaNoWriMo, Winning, Writing, Writing exercise

I realised today that I hadn’t done a blog post to brag about my NaNoWriMo win this year! So here it is!

I finished my 50,027 word draft on 29 November. I took the next day off. I have not written any more since, it’s  been nearly a week.

I think I’m a bit over halfway through the story – I keep adding extra details and obstacles into my plot – so I think I have about 30,000 words left. I’m not great at guessing these things but that sounds right. I’ve given myself a deadline of 14 February, coz that’s romantic and stuff. And I work better with a deadline, arbitrary or otherwise.

About half way through the month I mocked up a cover image and title for the new manuscript because I was procrastinating writing a scene.

Behold My Mother’s Sectret:cover-jpg

I have a bunch of editing work that needs to be done on my third and my fourth NaNoWriMo manuscripts as well as possibly rewriting the first two to be more in line with genre conventions. I think I’ll have plenty of work to keep myself busy over the summer.

We also had a great gig for Hello Volume this Sunday at the Workers Club, so we hope to have a bunch more of those before the summer is over.

It’s a good thing I don’t work full-time or else I’d never have time to sleep. Keep motivated!

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Fiztroy Garden

07 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by toearlyretirement in Writing

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Fiztroy Garden, Melbourne, nature, Poetry, poetry groups, Writing, Writing exercise

I can hear the rumble of traffic
The clang and clatter of trams
While the soft, sweet scent of trees
Blows past in the a gentle summer wind

Sitting on the buttressed root
Of some ancient fig
Looking at the needles of the Cyprus
And wondering if they belong here

Our heritage of colonial conquest
Out tendency to squash nature
Trying to impose order onto our lives
Mindlessly droning, buying, dying

The collective memory of this place
The wisdom of the ancestors
Is buried under this manicured lawn
Hidden, waiting, patient and eternal

I often feel disconnected from our Mother
Gaia, her gifts and kindness
Are always there for the asking
But in this world of concrete and paper and money
I have forgotten the question.

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Writing Exercise

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Adventure, Artist Date, Melbourne, Mentors, Motivation, Nurturing yourself, Penguin Publishing, Victoria, Writing, Writing exercise

As part of the Penguin workshop we were given a scenario and 7 minutes to write something about it. I thought I would share it with you, it just goes to show that even when you think you have nothing to write, you can find something.

Stimulus: We are at a very fancy party, a woman is arranging flowers in a vase, someone appears at the door, the room falls silent. What happens next?

I watch her standing there in the corner, arranging her fucking white roses for the fiftieth time. I know she’s seen me, how can she not? I’m at the door, dripping onto her expensive carpet, soaked through and freezing at her fucking party.

“You weren’t invited.” she says over her shoulder, without looking up. She doesn’t need to speak loudly the room is deathly silent.

“I…” I start, interrupted by a violent shiver “I had to see you.” I don’t move, I know there is a fine line to tread to get her to listen.

“Why?” she asks. A simple question but it means she’s willing to listen.

“I know it’s my baby Gemma.” I say, “I know you wanted to get rid of it, because it doesn’t fit into your plan, and because you think you want to be with Henry now, but dammit, I know you can’t kill it.”

Now she turns to me, her eyes full of fire, and stalks across the room until she’s inches from me. She looks up into my face, hers twisted into a sinister smile.

“It’s already gone John. There is no baby anymore.” she looks away and laughs bitterly.

“You have nothing to be here for, get out of my house.” she still speaks quietly but I know there is no question in her mind that I will go.

“Gemma!” I protest.

“Just go.” she sighs, turning back to the party.

 

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Melbourne, Australia
fleurblum@hotmail.com

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