short stories

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

Congratulations for making it through another week.  As a bonus, here in the US, that means it’s time for a 3-day weekend, courtesy of President’s Day.

Yay!

Although Valentine’s Day is a well-known holiday, February 15 marks a slightly lesser-known celebration:  Singles Awareness Day.

By placing Singles Awareness Day on the day after Valentine’s Day, the undertone of self-pity and sadness was removed from it, and it instead became more of a celebration and a day of pride. It became an alternative day to Valentine’s Day for single people who may have felt left out, and it reminds everyone that being single is okay. It celebrates the love between friends and family, and love for oneself.  Celebrants also spend the day volunteering, traveling, and treating themselves to things they enjoy.

Although celebrating the day with a little traveling sounds like a great idea, I’m pretty sure my boss would much prefer that I spend the day in the office.  Sigh.  Ah well, at least I can mini-celebrate with some of those left-over chocolate strawberries and heart-shaped cookies left-over from yesterday.

Always a bright side.

Before I call it a day and officially kick-off the three-day weekend I think I’ll give today’s random words a shot.

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

I’m writing this post on Thursday evening, which I just found out is “National Periodic Table” day.  That certainly explains some of the posts I saw on FB today from my science-y friends.  It’s also apparently “Fettuccine Alfredo Day”, which I would have been far more likely to celebrate, had I only known sooner.

It’s too late now, so I guess I’ll have to set my sights on tomorrow which, among other things, is “Fly a Kite” day (cue the Mary Poppins soundtrack).  Luckily I’ve got a brand new kite in the garage just waiting to be taken for a soar and the wind is rattling the trees as we speak.

That certainly sounds like more fun than going to work, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, go to work I must, so my kite flying might have to wait until the weekend, especially if the rain in the forecast materializes.  I have plenty of other things to do tomorrow including getting some words on the page before I crack open the latest book from my TBR pile.

I think I’ll start things off by giving today’s random words a shot.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

If you’re reading this on Friday the 1st, are you celebrating National Wear Red Day?

Celebrated annually on the first Friday during the month of February, National Wear Red Day is a holiday in which men and women wear the color red to raise awareness about heart disease. It’s also a day in which women are encouraged to find out their five most important health numbers: Total Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure and BMI (Body Mass Index). By knowing these numbers women can find out their risks for developing heart disease and take measures to prevent it.

I’m sure I’ll be red-in-the-face after I finish my workout at the gym – I wonder if that counts?  Maybe I better wear the red-sneakers, just in case.

Since I already know my Five Most Important Health Numbers, I think I’ll focus on writing instead.  Once I finish with work, the gym, and dinner, I’m going to give today’s “what-if” and random words a try.

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

I have been craving chocolate dipped blueberries for weeks.

I blame Louise Penny and her story, The Beautiful Mystery (or as I like to think of it – The Mystery of the Murderous Monk).  Her description of the chocolate dipped delights, like all of her food-related descriptions, had me searching the aisles at the local markets.  I was finally successful a few days ago, but the package remains on the counter, unopened.

Crazy, right?

I think it’s unlikely that they will taste as delicious as what Penny described, but as long as they are in the package, I can believe they will.  Once the package is open, reality will kick in.  Sure, they might be even better than I’m expecting, but then again they may not.  So for now, I’ve got a good book in hand and potential deliciousness awaiting.

To take my mind of chocolate dipped blueberries, flaky croissants, baguettes, cafe au lait, and all of the other delicious-sounding food Penny includes in her stories, I’m going to spend some time trying to put some non-food-related words on the page.  I have a story in progress, but I think I’ll start things off with an attempt at today’s random words/prompt.

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

Happy Friday!  Hope you’ve had a good week and, if you were in one of the areas with earthquakes, high winds, lashing rain, blizzard conditions, or just politics-as-usual, that you have survived unscathed.

It has been a hectic week at the Day Job, so I’m looking forward to some downtime and dinner with friends this weekend.  If you’re looking for something a little more exciting, then you’re in luck.  Saturday marks the 3rd Annual Women’s March.  The main march will be in Washington, D.C., but there are satellite events scheduled across the globe, including one just blocks from my office.  If you’re interested in attending, check here to see if there will be a march near you.

Not in the mood for marching this weekend?  Well, Saturday is National Popcorn Day, so maybe you can celebrate by heading off to the movies with a big bucket of buttery deliciousness.

I’ll be here curled up on the couch with a cozy blanket, a mug of coffee, and a lazy cat, alternating between reading the latest Louise Penny book I’m in the midst of, and doing some writing of my own.  I’ve got a story with a sagging-middle that needs some work, but before I tackle that I think I’ll try and jump-start my creativity by giving today’s “what-if” and random words a try.

Care to join me? Continue reading →

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

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.

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Elizabeth: Friday Writing Sprints

Welcome to the our first Writing Sprints of the year.  Hope you are all well rested, refreshed, and ready to put your creativity to good use.

I’ve been reading lots of mysteries lately.  For the investigators in the stories, it’s a case of asking, “and then what happened,” over and over again to reach the truth.  From the writing perspective, the start of a new story is more often a case of, “what would happen if?”

  • What would happen if someone down on their luck suddenly won the lottery?  (I happened to someone in real-life just recently).
  • What would happen if a close-knit community suffered a devastating fire? (This is a real-life what-if, culled from the headlines.)
  • What would happen if “the detective investigating a crime fell in love with the suspect?” (This happens in my current contemporary mystery).

This year, our story prompts are going to focus on “what-if” scenarios, and we’re going to see what happens from there.  I’ve got lots of story ideas floating around in my head – either left there by Santa or fueled by all of the holiday treats I may or may not have consumed.  Regardless of where they came from, I’m going to try to put them to good use by giving today’s story prompt a try as soon as I get home from work.

Care to join me? Continue reading →