The challenge: Rico's day

Arbitrary goals are what will keep things interesting.  What could be better than writing about our well known companion's day: his complex thoughts, his motivations, his varied experiences.  But I don't mean to constrain artistic goals by over-articulating this challenge.  I think the guide line is simply the title.  Do what you must with it.  We will see who gets the Good and who gets the Bad!  The gauntlet is down.  There is spit in your eye.  Your mother has been besmirched.  The public ridicule is upon you.  You have been slighted.  There is only one way to recover you honor.  Write Rico's day.

Welcome to the accusing blank page.

First entry for a daily writer's blog

David Lodge once highlighted the importance of the first paragraph of any piece of short or long fiction (if I remember correctly from The Art of Fiction). Here readers can catch a first glimpse at the writer's craft: his/her choice of genre, character, language, style, etc. The introduction can actually serve as the final puzzle piece for the whole picture (i.e. if you were to read the introduction and the conclusion one right after the other you would see what he was getting at; not that I encourage this sort of thing at the first read).

Anyways, my introduction is meant to explain the purpose of this blog and the best explanation or interpretation that I can think of is a Spanish tertulia (or get-together of close friends/colleagues to discuss literary or political subjects of the day usually in a very cool coffee house such as the Four Cats in Barcelona). We ideally will propose weekly topics for the art of fiction; that is to say, we hope to encourage either inspiration or writer skill/practice....Adelante!!

A kick in the ass

Here's the initial plan: write lots.  There is a expression in sailing, "if you can't tie knots, tie lots". In sailing, it is important to tie things down (anchor lines, sheets, booms, you name it) so that in rocky weather things don't fly around go, hit people in the head, or over board.  The right knot for the right circumstance is best.  But failing knowing how to tie knots, it's better to make sure things don't come loose, so--ties lots.  I hope it applies to writing, since I am a bit lacking with the skills of writing.

The goal is to use this blog as a way to spur on some daily writing adventures. To encourage this writing lots goal, we are employing guilt and competition by having it a joint blog, hence the title: Good Muse Bad Muse.  I'm not sure if it's more a Good News-Bad News kind of thing or a Good Cop-Bad Cop kind of thing.  The bottom line is, I will probably be associated with the Bad.  Only time will tell.

Let the blog begin...