Assignment: Confessions

I wanted to post this yesterday, but Common Ties has some kind of server error going on. I've managed to copy from cached Google pages most of the information you need below. Keep trying the website, as it would be helpful for you to read some other people's work perhaps. I'm sure they will get it sorted.

I love Common Ties, the posts they've published are heartwrenching, funny, wonderful etc. And, they have published two of my pieces. AND, they pay.

You can choose to do this assignment one of two ways: As an entry for the Common Ties book/website, which means SHORT  - 50 words or less!!! -  and it also means having some kind of image to go with your piece (lots of arteests here who might be able to help with that) (November 1 is their deadline for submissions.)

OR (and?) simply as a jumping off point for an assignment here. I suggest you do both: A long version, and a short version.

Below are some of the Questions from Common Ties (these may be old examples, so keep checking their page until the server is fixed) BUT you can simply answer your own question.. a riff on 'Confession' perhaps.

SO: choose one of the questions, or simply take “Confessions” as your prompt. Don't think too hard which question, just choose one. Write the question or 'Confession” down on your page. Don't think too hard.

Then, write what comes up! Write for 20 minutes. GO FEARWARD! Do not edit as you write. Post up your work unedited. Give all the details - be specific as you can. Don't try to manage what comes up… don't direct traffic!

If you want the piece to be posted anonymously, that's fine, send it to one of the moderators to post it up for you.

You might like to then, later, once you have posted your 20 minute piece, shorten the piece to 50 words. This is a great exersize actually, to really get elegant and direct and to the point and punchy with your writing.

Ready? Ok, here they are….



1. What door do you wish you never opened?
2. What is your most obsessive thought?
3. What is the smartest/dumbest thing you have done?
4. What is the one thing your parents don't understand about you?
5. What is the best/worst advice you’ve ever received?
6. What is your deepest secret?
7. What is the most shocking thing someone has confessed to you?
8. What were the strangest circumstances under which you have been intimate?
9. What happened on your most unusual date?
10. What email/letter do you wish you had sent/not sent?
11. What is the most interesting thing you have ever found or stumbled upon?
12. What is the strangest, funniest, or most embarrassing thing you have done/seen?
13. What is the most gracious act of kindness you have witnessed?
14. What is the nicest/nastiest thing you have ever said or done?
15. What was your funniest social or professional faux pas?
16. What was your most memorable encounter with a celebrity?
17. If you could meet someone from your past again, who would it be and why?
18. What was the most uncanny coincidence in your life?
19. What was your most life-altering moment?
20. Open Question: Submit your own question and answer.


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COMMON TIES

ANNOUNCEMENT: Common Ties has secured a book deal! Our deadline for reviewing content is Nov. 1, 2009, and we plan to publish a book of illustrated confessions through Santa Monica Press in 2010. We are paying $100 for each illustrated confession in the book.

Writers Guidelines

If you would like to submit an illustrated confession, please email CT20Questions@gmail.com with the question(s) you are answering (if any - see our Questions page for examples), your answer, and artwork (see Artists Guidelines for details). Please keep in mind:

1. Answers must be pasted into your email.
2. Answers should be 50 words or less. The shorter the better.
3. We only reply to those whose answers we wish to publish.
4. We only review answers that include artwork; if you prefer to collaborate with an artist, you are more than welcome to do so.
5. Please submit your name as you would like it to appear when published; use a real name, a pen name, or “Anonymous.”
6. By submitting to Common Ties, you warrant that you have full rights to your submission, and that it has not been previously published (if it has, let us know where and we will determine if we can still use it).
7. Artists retain copyright to their work; by submitting to Common Ties, you grant us a perpetual, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, distribute, and otherwise exercise all copyright and publicity rights with respect to that information at our exclusive discretion. Common Ties reserves the right to select, edit, and arrange submissions for publication.

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NOTE: if you post a short version here and send it to Common Ties you will have to tell them you have 'workshopped' it here, online. I suspect they will be fine with this.

Re: Assignment: Confessions

Commenting Note: As with all such assignments, its very important to comment on the writing, not on the author. As in - treat the piece as if it were fiction. Say what works for you, what you felt as you read, where your energy was held and so on… don't think about *who* wrote it - what's important here is the writing.

Re: Assignment: Confessions

this is exciting. I tried to find the artists guidelines but wouldn't work, maybe it will work later.
There is a lot I could say, but I have trouble with confessions. would probably have to be anonymous.
thanks for posting this sandra.

Re: Assignment: Confessions

OH font. Gaia just lost my post.
anyway: anonymous is fine, Jenni - either as a post here or for the Common Ties site.

As far as artist guidelines: I think they want a high resolution image, or at least a large file. 2 megs maybe. I'll keep checking the site and let you know here when it's up.

You could use a photograph - either a digital one or get a print one scanned, you could draw something and get it scanned (any photo lab should be able to do this), use one of your kids drawings, get a friend to do something and so on. It can be way out and whacky, they like that. If you want to use something and 'fiddle' with it digitally - if you don't know how to do this yourself I”m sure there are friends who could - here certainly. I'd be willing to help.

Assignment: Confessions - COMMON TIES note

I'm adding a note here about the Common Ties aspect of this assignment.

There are some beautiful short pieces coming out of this assignment, and I'm hesitant to make any suggestions to them. However, if you are thinking of submitting to Common Ties – my comments will reflect that. So perhaps let us know if you want Common Ties appropriate comments or not..?

The pieces they've published have been very direct, very straightforward. Telling a story in very very few words. Nothing unclear. Every word counting, saying something. You'll get a sense of this from the progression of Rob's piece here. They do of course want to be shocked, surprised, touched, moved, made to laugh. So you have to go for the jugular really. I know as soon as the site is up you'll be able to see what I mean… sigh… I”m going to send them an email about the site to find out what's happening.

Here is one piece they published of mine.

In answer to: what was your most memorable encounter with a celebrity?

Re: Assignment: Confessions - COMMON TIES note

impact!

Rob

Assignment: Confessions - CT server is back up!

It's back up.. go look! http://www.commonties.com/
You'll see that many of the pieces are over 50 words. So they do have lee way.