Category Archives: writing

covering writing, not so much results

For the Cause of Concern

May 23, 2015writingfiction, Friday Fictioneers, leaves, mistadamjasonp

Welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt photo is from Santoshwriter, over at Words.

No, I didn’t get in on time. But I did manage to write a story…one that hit too close to home, so… I went ahead and subsequently wrote something else that may get me kicked off Friday Fic… Enjoy.

100 words

[ff_santoshwriter-1.jpg]
Photo Copyright © Santoshwriter

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” Lorne spoke.

Damon rolled his eyes.

“But convenience…” Lorne continued. “Paves a road to hell. Speak our minds? Well, we sell our ourselves with that. And for what? The illusion of control? Fun? A cause? The Great and Powerful Distraction. The market’s invested in low patience.

…

“It didn’t used to be this bad. Yes, I know, the global connectivity couldn’t exist last century. …But all freedom has costs.

…

“The rain forests must be weeping, for today we have droughts. Our distracted wants have outweighed our needs.”

Damon raised his brows. “That’s new.”

The goal for Friday Fictioneers is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in at most 100 words, based on the prompt photo. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.”

Click here to add yours or see what others have written for the prompt.

Visit Addicted to Purple for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers page, stories, and artwork. You can follow Purple for the prompt each Wednesday.

Friday Fictioneers: All Smoke and No Fire

April 17, 2015story, writingfiction, fire, flames, Friday Fictioneers, smoke, town mobsadamjasonp

Welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt photo is from Roger Bultot.

At least one of the ideas I had were already used…and I already wrote an arson story… Well, this is one’s inspired by an actual case. Enjoy.

100 words

“Those boys’re guilty!” yelled a town local.

“The ‘Satanic five’ stand accused of murdering Billy Sawyer, who was just five years old when his body was found in a—”

Gracie shut the TV.

“What is with this place?!” Gracie said. “Satanic five??”

“You know the media hype things for ratings,” responded her husband.

“I cannot believe people buy into this…garbage. Our son is not a killer!”

A window shattered downstairs.

Approaching the stairs, Gracie and Rob saw flames.

Scared to death, they quickly grabbed their son, and got out in time.

Damning evidence led to the arrest of Sawyer’s uncle.

Participation is welcome to all. The goal is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in 100 words or less. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.”

Click here to add yours or see what others have written for the prompt.

Visit Addicted to Purple for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers page, stories, and artwork. You can follow her blog for the prompt each Wednesday.

Friday Fictioneers: Good Neighbors

April 3, 2015story, writingfiction, Friday Fictioneers, pranks, strange photosadamjasonp

Welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt photo is from La La of tales of a charm city chick, via Amy Reese.

I had a few ideas…but April Fools was just two days ago. So the theme here involves neighbors and pranks…

99 words

[prompt image]
Photo Copyright © Lauren Moscato

Each year, Calvin and Wendell were the “butt of the joke” of the neighbors next door. “Surprise!” the neighbors yelled. The two didn’t ask for the pranks—the spring-loaded boxing glove in the mail box, the giant dragon balloon no one could figured how it got into the living room.

This year, Calvin decided to get back at them.

“It’s a bit much, don’t you think?” said Wendell.

“Have you ever pranked anyone?”

“No.”

“Exactly. You don’t know what ‘too much’ is.”

The following day, two police officers arrived at their door.

“You’re lucky he survived the fall. …Who removes stairs?”

Participation is welcome to all. The goal is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in 100 words or less. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.”

Click here to view the inLinkz for what others have written for the prompt, or add one.

Visit Addicted to Purple for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers page, stories, and artwork. You can follow her blog for the prompt each Wednesday.

Friday Fictioneers: Hobbies and Interests

March 27, 2015writingbrass band, fiction, Friday Fictioneers, gazebo, humoradamjasonp

Welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This week’s prompt photo is by David Stewart of The Green-Walled Tower.

Always short on ideas, I began this silly story using a second prompt—the first line. Initially, because I was ~~watching~~ listening to Mad Men, specifically “Time Zones”, I wrote Don Draper into the story. But since I don’t want to get sued, I cut him out. Enjoy.

Genre: Humor
100 words

That’s a strange way to say hello.

Before we spoke, Ralph kissed me on the cheeks. I suppressed my urge to punch him in the face. I knew it was customary for him to kiss friends and relatives; he was European; his name was pronounced “Rafe.” And he came all this way. We’d met online, and now in person to play in a brass band.

Halfway into the second song, smoke billowed into the gazebo. No one saw any flames, but we promptly vacated. Except Ralph. Turns out, I had overlooked Ralph’s online profile. His “hobbies and interests” included: arson.

Participation is welcome to all. The goal is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in 100 words or less. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.”

Click here to view the inLinkz for what others have written for the prompt, or add one.

Visit Addicted to Purple for Rochelle’s own stories and her Friday Fictioneers page for more details. You can follow her blog for the prompt each Wednesday.

Friday Fictioneers: Dumb as Dirt

March 7, 2015writingbutton mushrooms, fiction, Friday Fictioneers, writingadamjasonp

Welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. One of Erin Leary’s photos were used for this week’s prompt.

I got in a bit late. I spent only 40 minutes on the story, but other things came up. This was posted just after Saturday hit.

Important note on word counts: I found the WordPress visual editor has a bug that takes the non-breaking space used as a placeholder for empty lines as words. It also, apparently, takes “word,” (with a comma,) differently than “word.” (With a period.) As usual, I used an actual word processor (albeit old—ClarisWorks) to perform an accurate count.

“Dumb as Dirt”
100 words

For years, Geraldine wanted a garden of her own. Trial and error produced the right mixture of nutrients, and she smiled when the first sprouts arrived. Until the family pet tore up her work. She disciplined accordingly, and fenced. And then there were pests. Of course. Fence deeper, she told herself.

Then, one day, content as an official gardener, the oddest thing caught her eye. Fungi. This wasn’t here, she thought. She went to fetch the camera, but when she returned they were gone.

Her son cried as her husband finished the burial. “Stupid dog.” Dad muttered. “Always eating everything.”

Participation is welcome to all. The goal is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in 100 words or less. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.” Constructive criticism is welcome for all the stories, implied unless stated otherwise.

Click here to view the inLinkz for what others have written for the prompt, or add one.

Visit Rochelle’s Addicted to Purple for her own take(s) and her Friday Fictioneers page for more details. You can follow her blog for the prompt each Wednesday.

Physical Engagement – Guest Post

March 1, 2015poetry, writingEnta Kusakabe, Gogyohka, guest post, poetry, reader participation, writingAmy Reese

I’ve been reading about different poetic forms in my Writer’s Digest. Today, I’d like to explore the Gogyohka form.

Gogyohka literally translates as “five-line poem,” and hails from Japan, developed by Enta Kusakabe. The rules are quite simple. The poem consists of verse written in five lines, but each line is a separate phrase. It is described as “having a different feel to five-line verse commonly found in Western poetry.”

Here is a sample by the creator of the form, Enta Kusakabe:

What kind of
stained glass
have your
rose-coloured cheeks
passed through

It’s meant to be both concise and free. A compound or complex sentence is probably too long. The phrases may be seen as separate, but connect.

Here is my offering, inspired by a recent workout my coach named, “Fifty Shades of Pain.” Oh, yes!

Physical Engagement

Standing tall
I drop my head
to curl small
and breathe
easier dead

Aching body
acetaminophen cured
strong enough
to climb mountains
on my mat

Slam down
the medicine
in a ball
rolling around
thrusting it out

Push up
that kettle to
slide against the wall
holding the squat
just a bit more

Fifty shades of pain
reward your body
with sweaty beads
glistening skin
a sea of sparkles

What about you? Do you have lines you’d like to share? Give it a go.

photo credit: ** via photopin (license)

Editor’s note: I asked Amy if she could do a regular gig here, and she was up for something monthly. You’re all invited to participate, in a comment or ping-back. If this poetry form, and a few more ahead, sound good for an official Link-Up, let us know.

Friday Fictioneers: The Other Side

February 27, 2015writingfiction, Friday Fictioneers, train tracks, writingadamjasonp

Welcome to Friday Fictioneers, hosted by the one and only Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. This time, we get a 2012 peek at Dawn Landau’s photo album for the prompt.

I would like to apologize for missing the last one. I did catch the prompt, and thought about what to write. The only thing jotted, though, was the final line: “He said he was from Krypton.”

Well, now I got this one down. Other than formatting and rolling ideas in my head, I spent only nine minutes on this. Enjoy.

“The Other Side”
Genre: Fiction
99/100 words

I took a camping trip, glad to get out. I always wondered what was on the other side of the train tracks. It was a new experience, to say the least.

Kylie was allowed to take Lucy, since Lucy was so well-behaved.

We walked beside the tracks, and hit our trail. And that’s when it happened.

The growl was loud; it startled us all. Getting killed wasn’t what I had in mind for “the other side.” But Lucy fought. She took all the bear’s attention. Eventually, the bear gave up.

Yeah, I think I’ll stick to my side for now…

Participation is welcome to all. The goal is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in 100 words or less. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.”

Click here to view the inLinkz for what others have written for the prompt, or add one.

Visit Rochelle’s Addicted to Purple for her own take(s) and her Friday Fictioneers page for more details. You can follow her blog for the prompt each Wednesday.

what appreciation meant.

February 15, 2015poetry, writingappreciation, desire, poems, poetry, sensuality, writingadamjasonp

So warm,
your skin,
your embrace,
I desire.

So intoxicating,
your taste,
your presence,
I admire.

So deep,
your contact;
your eyes;
I aspire.

Ever so slowly,
we caressed,
capturing the scents,
never fully knowing

what appreciation meant.

Friday Fictioneers: Beyond the Portico (2015.02.13)

February 13, 2015writingcolumns, fiction, Friday Fictioneers, guilt, writingadamjasonp

Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for both the prompt and the photo.

The photo made me think of a period piece. I can’t call this historic fiction because there’s nothing in history to base it on. (I’m not an avid reader on history, let alone someone with in-depth knowledge of Georgia state history.) I did not sleep before I wrote this. You can still constructively criticize me to death anyway.

“Beyond the Portico”
Genre: Fiction
100 words

Today, the sun shines its welcome, while infirmity confines me to bed. Still I hear the hooves outside, crushing, churning gravel. Not one bit, are those sounds lost on me.

I was in love that day. I chose to surprise Tom. I thought I’d have his hand, and his mine. And what a surprise it was that my brother leapt to save me.

Time has not appeased momma’s pain. Still, I find it odd that she does not blame me for Jacob’s death. Momma suspects my guilt caused this horrible illness. At last…I think it’s time to see my brother.

Participation is welcome to all. The goal is to write a story, beginning-middle-end, in 100 words or less. You are also encouraged to “think outside of the box.”

Click here to view the inLinkz for what others have written for the prompt, or add one.

Visit Rochelle’s Addicted to Purple for her own take(s) and her Friday Fictioneers page for more details. You can follow her blog for the prompt each Wednesday.