How has your week been going so far? More bright days than dark, or are you living under the cloud of our country’s current game of chicken? Hopefully it’s the former, not the later.
Things have been going pretty well here at the Writing Castle. The vestiges of Christmas are still hanging on, but the tree’s days are definitely numbered, no matter how much I enjoy coming home to the sparkly lights.
The other thing I’ve been enjoying is, unexpectedly, getting a fair number of words on the page. Obviously my Girls in the Basement are fickle – as soon as I told them, don’t worry, take a break, we’re going to focus on fun for a while – they started throwing up thoughts and plans for my Cassie & Nicolas manuscript that has been sitting on the desk, neglected and gathering virtual dust.
Not that I’m complaining.
Though “fun” is still front and center on my radar, I’m going to give the Girls their heads and let them play around with today’s “what-if” after work.
Care to join me?
For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), if you’re not feeling random, we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.
If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, I hope today’s story prompt and/or random words will catch your creative fancy.
Ready?
What if: “Your character found a bag of money by the side of the road?”
Feel free to include any (or all) of the following random words:
heist landscape heartbreak bubble
heavyset confetti couch loyal
delightful dinner toy doormat
scheme sticky monster psycho
I look forward to seeing your stories in the comments. If you’re not feeling in the writing mood today, or don’t have time, feel free to post suggestions you might have for future “what-if” prompts. Ideas are always welcome.
Happy writing to all!
Eight Ladies Writing 
Got it done! I wanted it to be like “Waiting for Godot,” but you know, there’s only one Samuel Beckett. And he isn’t I. So here you are:
The Heist
“You’re such a doormat,” Ziggy said.
“You’re such a psycho,” Bandit said.
The two of them trudged down the long, dusty road away from town, bound for who knows where. The delightful scheme they’d hatched for conning the rich widow out of a wonderful dinner—and maybe a lot more—had collapsed faster than a soap bubble in an avalanche, and now they had nothing to show for it. And they were both hot, thirsty, hungry, and tired.
“If you hadn’t spilled the molasses on the couch—” Ziggy began.
“It was sticky way before that,” Bandit defended himself. They both sighed, thinking of what might have been. Their heartbreak was profound.
The landscape they passed through was richly rural. Pristine picket fences surrounded white houses and red barns. Black-and-white cows dotted lush, green pastures like confetti. The whole place looked like a kid’s toy set blown up to supersize. To them, however, it was the site of their biggest failure.
“That pit bull was monster,” Ziggy said, about a mile later.
“It was,” Bandit said. “Loyal, though.”
“To a fault,” Ziggy agreed.
As they came around a bend in the road, they spotted the unattended bag simultaneously. It looked full of something. Bandit hoped it was lunch. He could use some lunch.
“What’s that?” he said.
“Kid’s backpack?” Ziggy said, not really sure. They hustled forward simultaneously, but Bandit, less heavyset than his companion, reached it first. He unzipped it.
It was full of money.
“Holyoke, Massachusetts,” he said, peering inside. “This must be the take from that heist we heard about on the radio at the widow’s house.”
“How much do you think there is?” Ziggy said, taking the bag from him.
“Enough for lunch,” Bandit said. “But we have to give it back.”
“No, we don’t,” Ziggy said. “You’re such a doormat.”
“No, I’m not,” Bandit said. “You’re such a psycho.”
Good job, Kay. Sounds like Bandit and Ziggy’s luck is changing. Wonder which one will win out – will they give it back or get some lunch?
LOL! Love this! Particularly the unshown Molasses Episode! I think Ziggy and Bandit have landed into yet another sticky situation! Holyoke, Massachusetts!