Happy “National Puzzle Day” (if you’re reading this on the 29th) or “National Plan for Vacation Day,” if you prefer.
“Studies have found that when we work on a jigsaw puzzle, we use both sides of the brain, and spending time daily working on puzzles improves memory, cognitive function and problem-solving skills.”
Our stay-at-home order has been lifted here in rainy California, but I’m pretty sure vacations are still off the table. Fortunately, the puzzle shortage that occurred at the beginning of the pandemic, when folks suddenly had too much time on their hands and nothing to do, seems to have resolved itself. Puzzles are plentiful at the stores/online, and I have two just sitting there waiting for me to be “in the mood” to open them up.
Perhaps today’s the day!
Or not. Having finished “Buy a New Stove” day earlier in the week, I’m currently in the midst of “clean out the refrigerator/freezer” day, in preparation for “repair or replace” day. There seem to be things in the freezer that I never remember seeing before. Probably not a good sign, especially for things with a “best used by” date more than a decade ago.
Let the purging begin!
When I get tired of foraging in my refrigerator/freezer, I think I’ll take a break, pour myself a warm tasty beverage, and give 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?
Prompt: Out with the old, In with the new
Feel free to interpret the prompt any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
cellular smoke farm brother
hero limitless history feeling
glacial whisper bump charm
code hose pesky balloon
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 
I went to Costco today, and when I came hope with hundreds of pounds of groceries, I checked my freezer space, and … gulp. Where’s it all going to go? Good luck with your foraging, Elizabeth!
I had a lot of fun with the prompt when I got home. I wish I’d timed myself, because I *might* have broken my previous nine-minute record. But now we’ll never know.
Greener Pastures
“ ‘As the smoke poured from the farmhouse windows, Sharon’s brother experienced the limitless weight of history, a feeling of—’ I say, old bean, are you paying attention?” Atlas Cunningham closed the book he’d been reading and dropped it on the footstool with a sharp bump.
“Well, I had been, but then the hero, who’d seemed so charming in the beginning, developed that pesky habit of smirking, and the plot just plodded along at a glacial pace, so you can’t really fault me for losing interest,” Amanda said.
“Is that code for ‘we should start a new one?’”
“Didn’t you get that one about the balloon whisperer from the library? That sounded interesting.”
“She wasn’t so much a balloon whisperer as a digital rights management expert whose cellular data got hosed by an anonymous Russian hacker group.”
“That’s exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for,” Amanda said, settling back with her knitting. “Let’s start that one.”
Those heroes with that pesky habit of smirking; no wonder Amanda lost interest. Let’s hope things work out better with the next book.
As for your shopping that exceeded your freezer space –good luck with that. At least you won’t go hungry any time soon 🙂
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