Three Words #23

One of my favorite writing games is something I call three words. I post three words and encourage you to write a flash fiction piece containing those three words. If you would like to challenge me – post three words for me and next week I will post a piece of flash fiction using your words. Enjoy!

Three Words

• Petal
• Breeze
• Page

Flash Fiction

Using the three words: Keyboard, Loaf, and Cloud (from last week)

The cloud drifted through the sky like a whimsical bunny hopping through the forest...

I blinked and looked down at the my fingers where they rested on the keyboard, then back up at the screen. Did I really just write that? A whimsical bunny? Really?

In frustration I attack the backspace key and obliterate the offending sentence. Now where was I?

The hill rose out of the mountain like a loaf of bread.

Okay I stink at similes.

Prompt Tuesday #23

Every Tuesday I post a writing prompt and my response. It gives me a chance to exercise my writing muscles outside of my WIP, and hopefully inspire you to write. So enjoy my flash fiction piece and post your own in the comments!

Prompt

Source: The Writer's Idea Book first prompt on page 238

Write a scene in which a character receives very disappointing news. Rather than show the disappointment, she does something else, perhaps focuses on refinishing an old chair. Suggest her emotional state through her actions.

Response

Sara opened the letter. Her eyes darted back and forth as the consumed the message on the page. Rejected again, she thought.

She looked down at the floor. A grimy, greasy streak of who knows what ran the whole length of the kitchen. Sara discarded the letter and torn envelope on the counter and moved to the sink. Bending over she removed the bucket and soap. Three caps fulls of the brown goey soap dripped slowly into the bottom of the bucket. Sara stared at the mass of ooze for a moment.

What was I doing? she thought to herself, then spotted the streak again. Oh yeah.

Sara filled the bucket with water. She did not turn the faucet on all the way. Instead she selected a level somewhere between a trickle and a pour and watched as the water level started to rise slowly. Absently she moved the bucket back and forth on its perch. The water swished to and fro as a film of bubbles started to form.

Turning off the water, Sara moved the bucket from the sink to the floor.

"Mop." She said to herself and pulled the mop from its hiding place between the wall and the fridge.

The mop plunged into the hot soapy water. Sara pulled it out and let the water drip from the ends, like tears falling from dozens of eyes. Taking the white strands in her free hand she wrung them out. Squeezing, twisting, turning until they were almost dry. She put the mop to the floor and sighed. Returning the mop to the bucket she repeated the process.

Once again the mop hit the floor. Once again she sighed. I can't clean the floor with a dry mop! she scolded herself.

When she wet the mop again she did not bother to wring it out and just slapped it onto the floor. A puddle of clean water spread across the floor, becoming cloudier as it picked up dirt.

After staring at the murky puddle for a while, Sara got to work. She moved the mop over the floor until it shined.

Never Compromise when it comes to Your Self

I would like to take a little time to talk about something that I feel very strongly about. Not changing yourself to please other people, especially when it comes to your writing.

In the writing webverse I have heard lots of advice on what to do, or not to do, to increase your chances of being published. Now, I must point out that I do not write to get published. I write for me. And I would like to believe that to some extent, all writers write for themselves in some way.

If you are writing a specific piece with a mind toward publication there may be some standards you should hold yourself to. But remember these two points:

1. The publishing world is always shifting and changing. So what is standard now may be a big mistake in the future.
2. Many authors (and their work) have broken the rules and become very successful. It may be hard, but it is possible.

But even someone writing for publication should take time to write something, however small, that feels right to them. No matter what the publishing industry is looking for.

If you love to write the type of thing that breaks some convention or other - write it. Don't worry about what others think. Don't shape yourself or your writing just to please others. If you betray yourself, you betray your writing and your story.

Now, I should point out that if you have a flaw in your writing. Like you use the same sentence structure over, and over, and over (like I do), this is something you should change. But changing your voice just because someone else does not like it - bad!

So if it feels natural for you to write in third person omniscient - but the publishing world has put out a ban on that point of view - do it anyway. You may not be published but you will remain true to yourself.

*Sigh* Okay, I got that off my chest and I feel much better. I am very interested in hearing your thoughts on this subject.

Special Post: I took the Plunge

I did it! It took a lot of self-pep-talking and quite a lot of nerve. But I did it. I submitted my novel, Shadowed Stones, to Shadow Mountain. I have kind of been plastering the news all over the place - but I can't help it. I just fulfilled a childhood dream and I am like happy and nervous and stunned and excited all at once.

I want to thanks my critique partners: Jennie, Terron, Christina, Roseanne, and Alexander who are helping me continue to improve my novel and my writing.

A special thanks to Jennie for getting me writing again.

And another special thanks to Roseanne for giving me the push to get my novel out there.

Since I am basking in the happiness of achievement - I would love to hear from all of you about your achievements. Nothing makes a day like today better like hearing of others success.