How’s everyone out there? Still doing okay?
I’m doing fine though even I, introvert that I am, am about ready to go back to the office for a little human interaction. I was thrilled to get to the grocery store yesterday so I could pick up some milk and assure myself that I’m not staring in an episode of “Last Man Standing.”
I was online chatting with a co-worker yesterday who is working from home along with her husband and has apparently had just about enough “togetherness.” I guess no matter which end of the spectrum you’re on, after a month you start to wish for something else.
I’ve been going for a walk in my local park before dinnertime every day–socially distant and with my mask–which is a nice chance to get out and about and at least see people from a distance. Everyone has been pretty good about keeping far apart, except for Sunday when there was some Easter egg hunting going on.
I had fun with Wednesday’s short story (you can check it out here if you missed it). I think I’ll see if I can build on it, using today’s writing prompt and random words.
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 either today’s random words or writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.
Ready?
What if: “Your character tries to make bread for the first time?
Feel free to interpret the “What if” any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
pretend monochrome glow copper
uprising chemical blood victory
scheme headstrong fatality hollow
debris vision burning pragmatic
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 
Congratulations on your social distancing, Elizabeth! I think you’re right—people are ready for a change, and they’re baking a lot. Most people seem to have settled on bread, but I’ve been going with cake. No yeast. 🙂
The Bakers
Cricket Fairchild, always the more pragmatic of the Fairchild sisters, gazed at the debris that littered the kitchen. The place was a disaster, but at least there had been no fatalities. Not so far, anyway. Although to judge from the appearance of her sister Bee, blood had flowed.
“Maybe you should declare victory and get out now,” she said.
“No,” Bee, the headstrong one, said, applying a Band-Aid to her injured thumb. “That victory would be hollow.”
“Yes, but at least you’d have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat,” Cricket said. “What’s that burning smell?” The odor, sharp and acrid with chemical overtones, is what had drawn her downstairs to begin with.
“There was an accident,” Bee said.
Well, that was obvious. Bee had conceived of a scheme to assume domestic duties, beginning with baking bread. Her vision, however, seemed to have fallen short in the execution department.
“I don’t think you bake bread in copper bowls.” Cricket didn’t pretend to know anything about domestic bliss, but the bowls, normally burnished to a deep glow, had as far as she knew, never left the decorative hooks from which they’d hung for more than twenty years. Now, dull and lifeless, the bowls were heaped into the sink, a monochromatic mess of ruined metal.
“Oh, really?” Bee said. “I wondered if that charcoal fire was too much. Maybe that’s why the bread didn’t do any uprising.”
Cricket wiped the stove handle free of flour and peeked into the oven. Several flattened black pads sat smoldered on the oven racks.
“Yeah, definitely time to declare victory,” she said. “And while you’re at it, let’s order out for delivery.”
I loved the copper pots, Kay. Great way to to fit in the word. Definitely sounds like throwing in the towel and ordering out is a good choice for Bee and Cricket.