Tweet Tales Tuesday Week 162
March 3, 2015
15 Minute Tweet TalesThe past few weeks I’ve been working on a non-fiction piece for the SCBWI-Carolinas annual writing contest. I usually stay away from non-fiction because I’m pretty terrible at it. I shift into this weird, stuffy, ancient professor way of writing. Yeah, that’s totally what kids want to read. But I decided I wanted to try something completely out of the box (for me) for this contest. 
 
I picked a subject I thought had kid appeal, and I tried really hard to make the tone of the writing fun. When I got the comments back from my critique group, they said it was ‘well written and informative.’ Uh oh. I know that was code for ‘really, really boring.’ 
 
So I banged my head on my desk for a while. People usually say my fiction writing makes them laugh (in a good way… I think), so why can’t I access that funny bone when writing non-fiction? I’m not really sure, but I took another swing at the piece, pretty much rewriting everything. This time I tried to keep it chatty rather than lecture-y, and it felt much better while writing it. And the reaction from my readers was much better this time, too. I have no idea what the judge will think, but writing it was a fun challenge, and I’m glad I tried it.
 
And now on to my 15 Minute Tweet Tales, which with all the murder and cheating, I promise are very much fiction! 
 
2/25 – The hoi polloi press closer and he cringes. He should appreciate their support but is disgusted by people dumb enough to like his movies.
 
2/26 – Every creak adds to her idée fixe that husband is haunting her. But instead of confessing to cops his body is buried in cellar, she moves.
 
2/27 – Her café became trendy among the jeunesse dorée. Extra money’s nice, but she fears ending up in jail for poisoning one of the spoiled brats.
 
2/28 – Each night she watches reality TV to fit in at work kaffeeklatsch. She longs to turn it off, but making friends is part of being a spy.
 
3/1 – "This place is louche." "That's the point of a strip club." "But having PTA meeting here is weird." "Wait until principal starts to strip."
 
3/2 – "He kept saying he'd fix that loose step mañana," she sobs, as the coroner kneels beside her husband's body at the bottom of the stairs.
 
3/3 – He thought she was helping him because of noblesse oblige, but talking with him at the shelter every Saturday, she'd fallen in love.
 
Play along and write tweet tales for the above words. If you’re willing to share, post them on twitter with the hashtag #15tt or add them below in the comments because I’d love to read them. Any thoughts about this week's tweet tales or #15tt words?
15 Minute Tweet TalesThe past few weeks I’ve been working on a non-fiction piece for the SCBWI-Carolinas annual writing contest. I usually stay away from non-fiction because I’m pretty terrible at it. I shift into this weird, stuffy, ancient professor way of writing. Yeah, that’s totally what kids want to read. But I decided I wanted to try something completely out of the box (for me) for this contest. 
 
I picked a subject I thought had kid appeal, and I tried really hard to make the tone of the writing fun. When I got the comments back from my critique group, they said it was ‘well written and informative.’ Uh oh. I know that was code for ‘really, really boring.’ 
 
So I banged my head on my desk for a while. People usually say my fiction writing makes them laugh (in a good way… I think), so why can’t I access that funny bone when writing non-fiction? I’m not really sure, but I took another swing at the piece, pretty much rewriting everything. This time I tried to keep it chatty rather than lecture-y, and it felt much better while writing it. And the reaction from my readers was much better this time, too. I have no idea what the judge will think, but writing it was a fun challenge, and I’m glad I tried it.
 
And now on to my 15 Minute Tweet Tales, which with all the murder and cheating, I promise are very much fiction! 
 
2/25 – The hoi polloi press closer and he cringes. He should appreciate their support but is disgusted by people dumb enough to like his movies.
 
2/26 – Every creak adds to her idée fixe that husband is haunting her. But instead of confessing to cops his body is buried in cellar, she moves.
 
2/27 – Her café became trendy among the jeunesse dorée. Extra money’s nice, but she fears ending up in jail for poisoning one of the spoiled brats.
 
2/28 – Each night she watches reality TV to fit in at work kaffeeklatsch. She longs to turn it off, but making friends is part of being a spy.
 
3/1 – "This place is louche." "That's the point of a strip club." "But having PTA meeting here is weird." "Wait until principal starts to strip."
 
3/2 – "He kept saying he'd fix that loose step mañana," she sobs, as the coroner kneels beside her husband's body at the bottom of the stairs.
 
3/3 – He thought she was helping him because of noblesse oblige, but talking with him at the shelter every Saturday, she'd fallen in love.
 
Play along and write tweet tales for the above words. If you’re willing to share, post them on twitter with the hashtag #15tt or add them below in the comments because I’d love to read them. Any thoughts about this week's tweet tales or #15tt words?

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who never imagined her cheeky sense of humor would lead to a book about animal butts. When she's not researching fanny facts, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, short films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her booty-ful dogs.