Getting to Know You: Games and Toys

As we head into the season for Christmas, Hanukkah, and other gift-giving holidays, let's take a moment to recall the toys and games that made our childhood holidays fun.

What was on your childhood wish list?












What kinds of games did you most like to play?











Are any of these toys and games the sorts of things you'd enjoy today, if no one were watching?

First Line Challenge

Are you ready to get your creative juices flowing!  I will give you a sentence (or part of a sentence) from the opening of a famous book.  Your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to try this little exercise.  Let's see how many different perspectives we can create.

Bonus points for anyone who can identify the book the sentence(s) are from.  Last week's line was from Eragon. 

Okay, are you ready? Here we go...

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a...

Social Weekday: Happy Thanksgiving!

Although not everyone here recognizes Thanksgiving – officially, an American holiday that stretches back to the Pilgrim days – I thought it might be pleasant to come together for a celebration of our own. After all, we don’t really need to use an official holiday as an excuse to be merry, eat yummy treats, and show gratitude for all the people, creatures, places, and things that we hold dear.

So, pass around the turkey and stuffing – or whatever delicacies you treasure – and let’s have a party!

As always, all are welcome – including busy authors and sun-challenged characters alike!

Getting to Know You: Valuable Experiences

Since it's Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, let's start thinking about experiences we're thankful to have had!

What have you done that was exciting, fulfilling, or left cherished memories?










What experiences shaped you in valuable ways that make you a better individual today?










Let's all start this week off right by sharing our most valued (and valuable) life experiences!

First Line Challenge

Today we are going to start a feature designed to get your creative juices flowing!  I will give you a sentence (or part of a sentence) that is the opening line from a famous book.  Your job is to turn it into a paragraph that is totally unique, and totally you!

Authors and characters are all welcome to try this little exercise.  Let's see how many different perspectives we can create.

Bonus points for anyone who can identify the book the sentence(s) are from.  Okay, are you ready? Here we go...

Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that...

A Forum Game: 2012

You might have heard the news... Earth (as we know it) is coming to an end by the winter solstice of 2012. That’s at least according to ancient cultures such as the Mayans, who had remarkably accurate lunar and solar calendars – or so say some historians.

Why just tonight, my husband and I watched Hollywood’s version of the world’s catastrophic end in the obviously titled film 2012, and I must admit that witnessing all those destructive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tidal waves on a larger-than-life screen was unsettling and thought-provoking indeed.

So, just out of curiosity, I thought we could play a “game” of sorts. Of course, if you believe in the 2012 predictions, consider this not a game, but a chance to prepare for the worst.

Well, here we go... If the end of the world was nigh, what would you do? Where would you go? Who would you want to spend your last moments with? Or, better still, do you have a survival plan in mind?

All authors and characters are welcome to share. And who knows? Perhaps in the sharing, we’ll even hatch a group plan. Stranger things have certainly happened.

Getting to Know You: Old Age

None of us is getting any younger...















Do you dread the passage of time? Do you fear growing old? Why or why not?

If you're already old, is it what you expected? What advice would you give to those who are younger?

Getting older can also mean getting better, so lets discuss how we feel about aging!

A Forum Game: Have you ever, redux

A very long time ago, this was the first forum game we ever played at CIC. We thought it might be fun to try it again. It's a fun game for authors and characters alike.

The game is simple:

The first person asks a question, starting with the words: Have you ever....?
The second person answers it, and asks the next question.

For example.

Person #1: Have you ever played the forum game: "Have you ever?"

Person #2: What's a game? What's a forum? What's an ever? Who are you and why are you following me around asking me questions?

Okay, my question: Have you ever been followed around by someone who asks you strange questions?

So, there you are! A CIC forum game: Have you ever.....?

Well. Have you????

Dialogue This: Greetings

This is Toby. Welcome, Toby. Welcome to our place here.

Toby would like to greet you. Toby says: "....."

Do you want to say something back? If so, you say: "....."

Two lines of simple dialogue, that will be (dare we say it), out of this world!

Take us to another place: what does Toby say, and how do you answer him?

Dialogue This!

Authors and characters welcome!

Getting to Know You: Urban or Rural?

Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?

Do you live for the bright lights of the big city?








Or do you prefer the pastoral pleasures of the countryside?












There's a lot to recommend either one, so tell us about your favorite place to be, and why you love it!

Author-Character Chat: Secrets

Secrets.

We all have them. We even have them from each other.

And ourselves.

So, what are your secrets?

Authors: What would your characters be surprised to know about you?

Characters: What is it that even your author doesn't know.....or won't admit they know?

Let's tell.

Let's get it all out in the open.

The truth shall set us free, right?

So, let us know. We all want to know. What are your....

SECRETS?

Character of the Week: Alexander!

 Hello! I'm Alexander Clark, it's a pleasure to meet you all. 

I was born near London in 1833. I honestly don't remember much of my childhood, except that my parents were always inviting the Owens over to visit. My mum and dad died when I was 20. I believe that might have contributed to my recklessness. 

When I was 22 I attempted to summon a demon, Stolas.  Charles tried to stop me, but I refused to listen to his logic and instead convinced him to stay and watch. I was too cocky in my dealings with the demon and as punishment, Stolas began to mess with our lives.

Charles again tried to convince me not to meddle, but I found a book Stolas left in my study and just couldn't help myself. It was almost a year after my failed summons that I tried out the first thing in the book - a potion to shift oneself into a wolf. The first time I tried it, I killed a messenger I had sent to warn Charles and almost attacked Charles, who had once again come to save me from my foolishness. Luckily the potion wore off, and I again swore off meddling.

What I didn't realize was that the potion was semi-permanent. I am in essence a werewolf now. I am forced to change into a wolf on every full moon. However, should I need to become a wolf, say to protect myself, I can drink the potion and transform. 

Since my first full moon transformation, Charles and I have been traveling. I'd say our most interesting adventure was when we immigrated to the US. I had to bribe the customs officer to not look in the conspicuously body sized box that contained Charles. That was also the end of our family's old money and since then I have done whatever odd jobs I can find.

Charles and I now own a lovely little cottage out in the country, even though we don't live there. We only go there the night before the full moon so that I can transform away from most people.

Almost everyday I regret summoning Stolas. One moment of weakness has led to an immortal lifetime of regret. 

So what mistake do you regret the most? What one moment of your life would you change? How has it affected your life?

Emote This: Celebration

After all our recent talk of Halloween, haunted houses, zombies, and death, I thought it might be nice to focus on Life for a change – and perhaps even celebrate our favorite things about it.

What – or whom – do you celebrate most in your own life?

Pretty flowers?











Yummy food?











Loved ones?











Something else entirely?











As always, authors and characters are welcome to share. So, let’s celebrate together!

Getting to Know You: Death

Yesterday was Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Today is All Souls' Day. This would be a good time, then, to discuss how we feel about death.












If you're undead, how is that working out for you?

If you're mortal, are you afraid of death? Why or why not?















This can be a touchy subject, so we ask that immortals please not mock the concerns of the others.

So how about it? What do you know, or think you know, about the hereafter?