Happy Friday!
Hope you all have had a good week. Things here have been hectic, but now that the election results are in, it is at least safe to turn on the television again.
What it isn’t particularly safe to do is to go out in public and hang around other people. I don’t know about where you are, but it looks like most places are in the midst of a “weather is cooling down, Covid is gearing up” scenario. My area is increasing closures again in an attempt to stop the rise in cases before they get out of control. It’s looking like it will be a very socially-distant Thanksgiving this month.
I wasn’t planning on going to a sit-down restaurant or heading to the local bowling alley any time soon, so the impact of the new closures is minimal. As long as I can get to the grocery story every week or so, I’ll be fine. We’re supposed to be seeing a bit of rain today/tomorrow, so that is extra incentive to remain safely at home. Fortunately, I have plenty to keep me busy, even though I will be off work for the day.
My version of NaNo is starting this Sunday, so I think I’ll warm up by giving today’s writing prompt and random words a try.
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 gets some great news?
Feel free to interpret the “What” any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
soup ginger bright racket
goodbye armchair feet color
sticky nectar decipher dreamy
sunrise hoax glamor lighting
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 
Well, this was a fun one! I hope your NaNo writing goes well. The rain should be an incentive to stay in and put words on the page. Good luck with it!
The Life and Times of Fliff Padgett
“Fliff, come and taste this ginger soup,” said Maelys, his wife. “It’s dreamy. The nectar of the gods.”
“What color is it?” Fliff Padgett said, not stirring from his armchair. He had reason to doubt his wife’s assessment of her culinary efforts.
“Don’t be that way,” Maelys said. “Sort of a bright orange. The color of sunrise.”
Fliff tried to decipher what that meant. The last time she’d said something was nectar of the gods, it was more like nectar of sticky mold spores, a mass of unpleasant brown goo. He’d almost said his eternal goodbyes on that one, and he hadn’t relished the experience. He didn’t want to be fooled again by a trick of the lighting.
“My feet fell asleep,” he said. “I can’t get up.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang, an unusual occurrence in the Padgett household.
“I’ll get it,” Maelys said. “Since your feet are asleep.”
“Probably a guy with some kind of a sales racket,” Fliff said. “Aluminum siding, I should think. Or politics.”
Maelys flung open the door to see a liveried courier, dressed in a glamorous red-and-gold uniform, holding a large box.
“Congratulations, Madam!” the courier beamed. “You are the lucky winner of one year’s worth of ready-to-eat meals, courtesy of Hogs’ End Catering! And here’s your first box!” He pushed the box into her unresisting arms.
“I don’t think so,” Maelys said, handing back the box. “Whoever you are, it’s a hoax.”
“Maelys, what are you doing?” shrieked Fliff, leaping to his feet. “Let the man in! This is our lucky day!”
Very fun, Kay. Nothing like the offer of free meals to get Fliff up and out of that chair. Let’s just hope it wasn’t a hoax; although ginger soup does have potential.