Writing Prompts

The following two pieces blossomed out of writing prompts -- little phrases/suggestions intended to get the writing juices flowing.  In the past week, these prompts have led me into a land I've never been before -- the land of fiction.  It's rather fun and freeing as I don't have to get hung up about facts and chronology. If you have desire to write, try these out: http://creativewritingprompts.com
Choose one that intrigues you, set a timer for 10 minutes then start writing.  See what comes out of that pen -- uncensored, unjudged.  Don't worry about spelling or tense, just free write, after all the only person who sees it is you (unless of course you, like me, decide to blog it).

Here are my two, one from last week and one from today:Enjoy!

The Prompt: "She threw herself into the paths of unsuitable men."

She thew herself into the path of unsuitable men.  Oh but the pleasures she found there, short-lived as they were, were so irresistible. Like the mind numbing jingle of slot machines to a gambler, or the sound of ice cubes clinking into a crystal glass to an alcoholic, the first sight of a Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, was all it took for her to fall again.  Yes, she was addicted to danger all right!

The anticipation, fuelled by so many encounters in the past, prickled up and down her neck sometimes causing her breath to catch in her throat and spawning torrid dreams and fantasies.  All senses on hyper alert, she was always on the lookout for the next man, the next pursuit, the next capture, the next betrayal, the next rejection, the next deluge of remorse, the next promise to do better.

The Prompt: "write from the point of view of a freshly scrubbed floor"

Oh my!! I feel so marvellous, so over-the-moon with joy -- Fresh! New! Eager!  All those many layers of spills -- savoury sauces with names like marinara, bearnaise, bechamel; festive pan drippings featuring turkey, prime rib, ham; and flavourful libations of orange juice, espresso, vintage wine; all topped off with dust bunnies and dog fur and down trodden by bare feet, slippers and running shoes -- all of this detritus has been scrubbed away. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man." -- Oh wait, that's been written by someone else -- a Dickens of a man I recall..

What will be the first spill?  Who will be the first scoundrel to mess me up?  And whose ignorant feet will track through it?  Whose shriek will announce the first violation of my pristine state? Will anyone take a moment to gently wipe my soiled face? Some perpetrators just slink away you know. They think they can get away with it.  But they can't.  I know who they are. I know their feet well and I will remember. One of these days...

February Funk

Gee, it's been an awfully quiet here on the blog lately.  A month since I last wrote...
What's up with that?

In January I was a beehive of activity -- lots of stuff to do but very little writing time.  Now it's time for my February Funk, that almost annual bloom of apathy and inertia.  Every year there is always just enough energy to propel me through January, but come the second month of a new year, the last of the vitalising drops of cheer have been squeezed out.  The only evidence of life are melancholy blooms waving lazily in a grey mist....

Time to nip these suckers in the bud!  I've learned that there is no point in trampling or weeding this garden of 'un-delight' -- such activities require too much of the kind of energy that is in very short supply right now.  The best strategy is to patiently poison the little punks with small but regular doses of accomplishments.  So, I've stepped up my workout routine a notch and added an afternoon nap -- a balanced approach is always best!  And I've stocked my pharmacy with lots of little enjoyable projects, each one of them completely doable in an hour or less.  On a sunny day, like today, I can easily knock back 4 or 5 doses and still get in that nap!

Speaking of which -- it's about time for a 'toes up'!
Today's poisons: Gym, menu planning, travel research, blog post, nap.  And that's just so far.  The day is not done yet.
Cheers!