Day 13 Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Happy Tuesday morning folks. Can you believe this is the last day of April already? 2013 is 1/3 of the way over. I think it was George Carlin who said, life is like a roll of toilet paper, it goes quicker as it nears the end (paraphrased obviously, but you get the meaning). Where does the time go?

I will not be doing any writing today. I need to do some last minute shopping and start to pack because Thursday morning my husband and I are leaving for beautiful Williamsburg, Virginia for one of our “Why the heck did we get married?” weekends. With all the crazy hustle, bustle and demands of everyday life, it’s very easy to forget what drew you and your partner together in the first place. I think it’s important from time to time to remind yourselves, hence the “Why the heck did we get married?” weekends. Once a year or so, just the two of us escape for a few days so we can reconnect. Over 23 years married and still counting, so I guess it is working.

On to yesterday’s challenge. I wish some of you would start posting because I’m curious as to what you found on your doorstep.

You hear your doorbell ring. You go to answer, but there is no one there. You look down and find…

It’s a glorious day, the sun is shining; it’s hot but not humid, the gentle breeze creating an ideal temperature. The windows and doors are all open, the radio is blaring and I’m bopping along, singing while trying to vacuum up all the dust gorillas formed by my shaggy dog when I think I hear the doorbell ring. I turn off the vacuum, turn down the radio, corral my now barking dog and head for the front door wondering who could be there in the middle of a weekday morning. I guess getting to the door took longer than expected, because when I arrive there is no one there, no car or delivery truck pulling out of the driveway. I open the door and poke my head out, just to make sure there is no one lurking out of site, and when I step onto the stoop, I notice a beautifully wrapped box. I pick it up and read the tag. It’s for me, but who is it from? The tag does not say. It’s not my birthday, my anniversary. What could it be? Curiosity getting the better of me, I don’t even bother to go back into the house, but sit right down on the front step and gently pull the lavender ribbon loose and lift the lid.

Perhaps I should up the time to 15 minutes, this is getting frustrating. No, I will keep it to 10 and simply revisit if I feel there is really a story in the making. So how did y’all do? What was in your box? Do you too have a story brewing? (I know you're writing, but just not posting.)

Day 13 Challenge:

One of your best friends is a singer-songwriter, but she/he has writer’s block and has asked you to help write a song.

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 12 Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

It’s raining. I just asked my husband yesterday if he remembered the last time it rained because I couldn’t. Pretty sure it has been over two weeks; so much for “April showers bring May flowers.” If I recall correctly, we’ve only had three or four days of rain this entire month. So is it a sign we are going to have a long, hot, dry summer OR is May going to be so soggy we’ll start to grow mold? All I know is I wish I was complaining about how hot it is instead of complaining about how cold it is. I am beyond ready for the warm weather.

I’ve said it a million times already and I’m sure I’ll say it a million more; they should never have used the label “Global Warming”, it should have been labeled “Global Unrest”.  The strange weather patterns, the unprecedented storms, the record snow and rain falls, to me, say “unrest” much more than simply “warming”. Wouldn’t “unrest” make more people stand up and take notice, bring more of a sense of urgency to the situation? Our choice of words is a influential tool. When we chose the wrong ones, our impact is greatly diminished. The words we pick need not be “$3” words folks need to look up to know what they mean, they only need to be the ones which pack the most powerful punch in the situation.

After talking to some folks yesterday, I did confirm they are taking up the writing challenges I have posted, but are still not confident enough to post them online. Perhaps in time, after writing day after day, they will gain the confidence. In the meantime, I will continue to toss the prompts out there to fuel their imagination. Did you find yesterday’s prompt fun? Did it bring back some fond memories?

You are a little kid going to the circus for the first time.

It was a day of firsts for me; first train ride, first trip to New York City, first circus and not just any circus, the Ringling Brother and Barnum Bailey Circus, the biggest circus, the circus to end all circuses. All day my anticipation and anxiety level grew. I vacillated between excited to nervous to down right scared. At first the train was fun, but then more and more people started boarding and I started getting nervous. The man who came to take our tickets was a scary giant in a uniform, but then he smiled, crouched down next to me and asked me about the adventure I was having. He told me he had two little girls just my age and he was taking them to the same circus the following week. The giant turned out to be really nice and not so scary after all. When it was time to get off the train, my mom told me to stay close to her and then she held my hand, really hard. I didn’t care though because there were so many people and the train station was so big. I stayed right next to my mom’s side and held on with both hands. We rode a really, really, really long escalator up, up, up. I peeked behind me once, but then turned around quickly. Boy were we high up! The crowd pushed us along and all I could see were peoples backs and butts, but I knew I was safe because I was holding tight to my mom.

We finally broke away from the crowd and went to where they took out tickets. I got to hand mine to the smiling lady. She said she hoped I would enjoy the show and then she started to laugh when I ducked under the turnstile. I thought I had done something wrong, but the bar would have hit me in the head, so I went under it. The nice lady told me it was ok and she turned it by hand when I was on the other side. We made a quick stop at the bathroom and then for popcorn and drinks, before we went and found our seats.

Goodness 10 minutes of writing and I never even got into the big top, never got the chance to describe any of the amazing things I saw, heard, smelled, the lights, the music, the animals and people in sparkly clothes (yes, both the animals and people had sparkly clothes, I did not dangle anything here). Oh well, guess “short” stories are not my forte.

Your Day 12 Challenge is:

You hear your doorbell ring. You go to answer, but there is no one there. You look down and find…

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 11 Challenge - April 28, 2013 (Yeah, finally all caught up!)

Hi, it’s Christina –

The sun is shining, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming and I’m sneezing my head off. It’s a relatively small price to pay to have such a beautiful day. Yesterday’s birthday party was a success, even with the four surprise guests. There was plenty of food and drink, and everyone seemed to have a good time, especially the birthday boy. Today we’ll be taking a little road trip to have a belated birthday celebration for our God daughter, but unfortunately, none of our kids will be joining us because they all had other plans. I don’t care. I’m looking forward to spending some time with my extended family.

So, I have decided to believe you are all taking up these writing challenges at home, but are just too shy to post them online. If I believe this, then I will not get discouraged when I don’t see any comments posted as responses. I know how daunting it is to put something you have written out there for the world to see, therefor I can rationalize the lack of replies, and I will keep posting.

Your Day 10 Challenge was:

You’ve just entered the most beautiful place you have ever seen…

A walk at dawn had seemed like a good idea at the time, I thought as I shivered and pulled my sweater sleeves over my chilled hands. I knew I needed to get away for a little while; I needed some me time to clear my head and center my thoughts. The conference was going well, but the constant demand for my attention was rubbing me raw, but I couldn’t let it show. Since there was barely enough light to see, I walked with my head down, watched each step so as not to misstep and injure myself, for that would be the last thing I needed. As I listened to the rhythmic crunch of the leaves beneath my feet on the path and the occasional rustle of some critter in the trees or underbrush, my mind released. Gone was the endless to do list, gone were the revisited questions and concerns of various conference goers and the answers I had provided. Just as I started to notice the peace come over me, I looked up from my feet and took notice of what surrounded me. The path had led me to a clearing with a happy little creek which bubble through its center. The sun was now high enough rays of light shown through the trees and illuminated the tuffs of fog which hovered slightly above the ground. I smiled as images of friaries and wood sprites came to mind.

Yup, 10 minutes is becoming frustrating. You just start getting into a flow and, EEERRRNNNTTTT, the timer goes off and it’s just like someone threw a bucket of water on you. Poof, the scene is gone and any brilliant thoughts with it.

On to Day 11:

You are a little kid going to the circus for the first time.

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

 

Day 10 Challenge - April 27, 2013

Hi, it’s Christina –

Another GLORIOUS day in NJ, though still a bit chilly. Thank God it’s not raining! Today is my husband’s birthday and we have the whole family coming over for dinner. I splurged. We are having filet mignon wrapped in bacon which we will be cooking on the rotisserie, heart attack potatoes (my friend Sharon’s recipe – potatoes, red onion, cheese & bacon all baked in a pan), garlic green beans which my sister-in-law is making, and corn. My mom is bringing a regular salad and my daughter is making a green apple and feta cheese salad in raspberry vinaigrette. It’s only 7 am and I’m looking forward to dinner already!

Have a million things to do and I’m already pressed for time, so let’s get right to it. Yesterday’s challenge (again I apologize for spacing out and not posting it) was:

If you could go back to any point in your life, knowing now what you didn’t know then…

If I could return to any time in my life, even knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t do it. I have been there. I have done that. There is no mystery, no awe, no learning. Each new day is a remarkable and wonderful experience. Even though you have seen thousands of sunsets, you have never seen tonight’s sunset, and this sunset holds its own unique beauty. If you go back, it could or would never compare to the feeling you had the first time you saw it. Each memory, good or bad, would lose its value, its significance if you were to return to the point in time. Although this is a common dream for many, it’s not a dream I share. I like the surprise, the excitement, the magic of each new moment. The old memories are stored in my heart, to be reflected on when I choose, but never to be diminished by being revisited.

Your Day 10 Challenge is:

You’ve just entered the most beautiful place you have ever seen…

 

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

 

Day 9 Challenge - April 26, 2013

OH GOOD GRIEF! I WROTE THE BLOG BUT FORGOT TO POST IT! Because the site doesn’t have spell check, I write the blog in Word first, then cut and paste. Guess I got distracted by a shiny object yesterday, so you’ll be getting 2 today. I’ll wait a little while to post the 2^nd one in the off chance someone out there is actually doing the challenges and needs some time.

Hi, it’s Christina –

What a GLORIOUS day in New Jersey! The sky is so blue it hurts your eyes to look at it, and we’re supposed to be hitting 65 today. I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for Spring to stay.

You would think, by day 9, someone would have either taken up one of the writing challenges OR given me advice on how to get Networkedblog to actually link to my website so I don’t have to do dual posts every day. Still not discouraged though…

Here was Day 8’s Challenge:

You’re eating an ice cream cone. I have never had, nor will I ever be able to have one, so let me live vicariously through you and please describe it to me.

The best part is the anticipation of a treat I don’t allow myself too often to indulge. Ice cream is a memory of on a hot summer day, walking hand in hand with my Grandfather so he could surprise me with something special. We’d enter the sweet smelling shop and the ching ching of the bell would make me smile. My eyes would go wide and I’d worry my bottom lip while surveying, to what my young mind imagined, and endless variety of choices. Did I want chocolate or vanilla or strawberry? Perhaps something more exotic like mint chocolate chip or fudge swirl or butter pecan? The choice had to be perfect because it was a rare treat indeed. The jovial old man at the counter asks me what I would like. The moment has arrived. I look to my grandfather, but he only lifts his eyebrows and nods toward the man. Last minute vacillations volley in my brain before I finally decide on mint chocolate chip on a sugar cone. I practically bounce out of my red Keds while waiting for the man to construct my decadent delight. He hands it to me and I barely suppress a squeal. The first lick of the cold, creamy, minty confection is pure bliss. Then I nip at the ice cream edge which over hangs the cone so it won’t fall and the crunch of the frozen chocolate chips adds a new dimension to the experience. Although I want to take my time and savor every second, I am forced to rush because within minutes the evening heat proves too much for my frozen dessert and it begins to melt and dribble down my fingers.

I don’t know about you, but 10 minutes seems to get shorter and shorter. I’m not even sure I really answered my own challenge, because I barely described the ice cream. Oh well, just like my characters, my stories take me, not I them. OK, on to the next challenge, and I can’t take credit for this one. It is the challenge we did at WWW, but it was a good one so I’m going to use it.

If you could go back to any point in your life, knowing now what you didn’t know then…

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 8 Challenge - April 25, 2013

Hi it’s Christina –

Happy Thursday morning all! Inadvertently I took a page out of a far greater book than I will ever be able to write, for on the seventh day I rested, as far as the blog went at least. Yesterday I needed to take my mother for an early morning medical procedure (she’s fine), followed immediately by helping a friend who needed to be moved out of her house yesterday, followed immediately by Wednesday Writer’s Workshop. By the time I got home last night, the last thing on my mind was the blog. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing this, but quite frankly…I was pooped!

I almost didn’t go to WWW because I was so tired, but I’m glad I did, because just like last week, I felt energized when I left. As predicted, the ebb and flow did alter attendance last night from the previous week. Keith and Joe were not there, but I got to meet JoAnne who I’m pretty sure enjoys writing plays, she has a dry tongue in cheek sense of humor and I know I’m going to like her. Mary, a breathtakingly beautiful woman who blew me away when she said she was sixty, who is writing a memoir - she gave us little informal bits and pieces of her story and I think it will be a fascinating story when it is finished. Sue, who will be leaving on a 200 mile trek through Wales with her husband and then writing about it; and finally Debbie, who is going through a messy time in her life and is finding an inner strength she never knew she had through writing. AND (yes, I started a sentence with a conjunction), I swallowed my embarrassment at not hearing properly the first night and asked Sangita (not Agita like I thought last week) for her actual name. Remember how I said last week she was one of those people who looked somewhere between 25 – 35, well last night she looked barely 19, so now I’m really confused. The one sad thing about last night, Beth, our Grand Pooba, announced the WWW will dissolve at the end of June. She will be moving on to bigger and better endeavors. I spent some extra time chatting with her last night after everyone left and I felt much better about the group disbanding so soon after I found it. I will simply find another group (or start one with help) and I will just keep Beth as a friend. WWW may have introduced us, but we have so much in common and I thoroughly enjoy her company, it would be ludicrous not to continue the friendship past June!

Anyway, on to Tuesday’s assignment and the Day 7 …hmmm… or should I call it Day 8 Challenge? Would it be confusing to call it Day 8 when it was only the 7^th challenge? No, I wasn’t labeling the challenge numbers, I was labeling the days, so it will be the Day 8 Challenge. (Aren’t you just so glad I wrote all that out…still on my first cup of coffee, sorry.) Day 6 Challenge was:

You are house hunting and the realtor has brought you to an old, needs some serious TLC, Victorian. As you wander the home, you see it has definite possibilities, and then you open a set of French doors…

I stared at the Victorian from the street, not holding out much hope I would fall in love with it and make it my home, because quite frankly, from this angle, it looked like it came off the set of a “B” rated horror film, complete with broken shutters hanging askew. I trotted reluctantly in the Realtors wake and tuned her out as she blathered on about the house needing just a little TLC to make it wonderful. SQUEEK, went the front steps as I climbed. CREEK, went the front door as it groaned open to a cavernous foyer sporting a, you guessed it, dusty chandelier. I literally did an eye-roll when I noticed the drop cloth covered furniture and thought, all this place needs is a menacing dude walking down the stairs with a bloody axe and it would be just perfect. At least, the home held no sense of dread. It was just old and weary and unloved.

At this point, the Realtor’s chattering was becoming as annoying as being pecked to death by a chicken so I wondered away, taking time to actually look at the house. An amazing river stone fireplace caught my eye and I headed toward it, even through the dust you could see the varying colors. It would be the room’s focal point when cleaned, light from its fire reflecting on the polished wide planked floors. My eyes traveled around the room, no longer seeing the dust and the hard work it would take to make this place livable, but seeing the craftsmanship in the crown molding and the woodwork, picturing a future Christmas tree placed prominently in front of the bay window. OK, so this dinosaur had some potential, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, so I wandered on through room after room, coming to the back of the house where I was met with shuttered French doors. Curiosity getting the better of me, I peeked inside, pause to register what I saw, then threw the doors open wide and simply stood there in awe. I was Dorothy opening the doors to Munchkin Land for the first time. Never in a million years would I have imagined this house sported the most breathtaking gardens I had ever seen. Trellises with fragrant wisteria created an archway to

Dang, I was on a roll. I could really see the house, felt like I was really there. I may have to save this one for inspiration on a future novel. 10 minutes was definitely not enough for me on this one, but as I said before, it’s a writing exercise, not meant to be an entire story. So onto the Day 8 Challenge:

You’re eating an ice cream cone. I have never had, nor will I ever be able to have one, so let me live vicariously through you and please describe it to me. (For the record, I love ice cream; this is just a writing exercise and not a true scenario.)

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

April 24th

No time for the blog this morning, I'll have to do it later, but in the mean time, here's a quote for you to ponder...

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

Day 6 Challenge - April 23, 2013

Hi it’s Christina –

This morning’s blog writing secession may prove interesting because Colby is insisting on helping…he’s in a mood today, so please ignore any stray characters you may find in this post which I missed editing out. He’s being a real nudge! Well, it’s now day 6 and no one has yet been brave enough to take up the challenges, but I’m not discouraged. Eventually one of my silly prompts will spark someone’s imagination. Hey, if you happen to think of one you would like to see, message me on Facebook and I may just use your suggestion. The catch will be, YOU will have to participate in, at least, the challenge you submit.

Out of curiosity, how many of you are actually doing the challenge at home and just not posting your responses? You know what? I’m really ok with that. Although I would have liked the interaction and discussions, the goal was to have fun and get you writing, so I would still consider the exercise a success.

Hopefully you found this challenge a whole lot easier than the other four, because let’s face it, which one of us doesn’t have a favorite long winded joke they love to tell, in their own special way of course?

Yesterday’s challenge:

You’re in an Irish pub with friends, each taking turns telling long-winded jokes. It’s your turn. Make us laugh. (Please keep them PG rated at most, there are some younger folks who read the site.)

My favorite joke (wish I could tell it in person, much more effective with the visuals):

Miss Payne’s kindergarten class was working on the five senses one week. Monday – sight, Tuesday – hearing, etc. After Thursday’s lesson Miss Payne tells her class before they leave for the day, “OK class, tomorrow is Friday and we’ll be working on the sense of taste, so don’t forget to bring your tongues to class tomorrow.”

The kids laughed and clapped their hands “YEAH!!!”

Friday comes and Miss Payne says “OK class, I want everyone to close your eyes and open your mouth and I am going to put a lifesaver in everyone’s mouth. Your job will be to tell me what flavor it is.”

The kids clapped their hands “YEAH!!!” and closed their eyes as Miss Payne put a CHERRY lifesaver in each of their mouths. They sucked and tasted and one little boy raised his hand high, “Ooo Ooo, Miss Payne, Miss Payne!”

“Yes Martin?”

“It’s cherry!

“Very good Martin” She praised and the kids laughed and clapped their hands “YEAH!!!”

“OK class, close your eyes and open your mouth again.” She said as she put a LEMON lifesaver in everyone’s mouth.

They sucked and tasted and one little girl raised her hand high, “Ooo Ooo, Miss Payne, Miss Payne!”

“Yes Suzy?”

“It’s lemon!

“Very good Suzy” She praised and the kids laughed and clapped their hands “YEAH!!!”

“OK class, close your eyes and open your mouth one last time. I will warn you, this one is a little harder.” She said as she put a HONEY lifesaver in everyone’s mouth.

They sucked and tasted, tasted and sucked, but no one raised their hand to answer so Miss Payne said, “OK class, I’ll give you a hint. It’s what your Mommy calls your Daddy.”

Suddenly Billy jumped up on his desk and yelled, “Spit it out, it’s an a-hole!!!”

OK, I’ll fess up, I went over by twenty seconds, but if I didn’t get to the punch line you may have punched me, and it wasn’t your fault my dog was distracting me so I couldn’t type as fast as usual.

OK class, back to using your imagination. The Day 6 challenge is:

You are house hunting and the realtor has brought you to an old, needs some serious TLC, Victorian. As you wander the home, you see it has definite possibilities, and then you open a set of French doors…

Same rules, yup, they ain’t gunna change folks - You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 5 Challenge - April 22, 2013

Hi it’s Christina –

Happy Monday mornin’ y’all! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Mine was busy. My puppy graduated from training school; we are all very proud of our Colby. We had our invisible fence adjusted so now Colby can be outside with us and we don’t have to worry about him running into traffic. We did some overdue spring cleaning (yup, still lots to do, but we started). We mowed the grass for the first time this year. Helped a friend with her yard sale, she’s moving this week, so we’ll be helping with that as well. As I said, BUSY, but it’s all good.

So, did anyone take up yesterday’s challenge? One person commented back to me that their writing wouldn’t compare to mine and they’d appear not smarter than a 5^th grader, so they wouldn’t try. L THIS ISN’T SUPPOSED TO BE A CONTEST. This was supposed to be fun. Each of us has a little writer within ourselves. This was just meant to get some of your creative juices flowing. The more you write, the better you get. No one’s writing is better than someone else’s, it’s just different. True, one can have better grammar or spelling, but those are things which can be taught; it’s the ideas, the story which show the creativity. There are books out there which are deemed “a classic” or “an example of what literature should be”, but I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than have to read them again because as far as I was concerned the stories were utter drivel.  So please, give the challenges a try. You may just surprise yourself.

Yesterday’s challenge was:

They are doing a modern day remake of “I Love Lucy”, but they want to keep it as light and innocent as the original. You are asked to come up with the story for one episode.

I’ll admit, this one was not easy for me, and quite frankly my reply doesn’t thrill me, but here it is:

 “Little Ricky” isn’t so little anymore. In the fall he will be going off to college, but for the summer he wants to backpack across Europe. He just has to try and convince his parents to let him go…and to flip the bill. Scene opens in their New York apartment (I always felt the show “jumped the shark” when they moved out to the country). Lucy is sitting on the couch looking distraught and wringing the life out of a hankie she’s grasping. Ethel walks in to canned applause.

“What has you so upset you had me running up here in such a hurry? I’m getting way too old to be running up these stairs every time you think you’re having a crisis. Now if Fred wasn’t so cheap and we moved to one of those fancy places with an elevator…”

“Oh Ethel, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” (Lucy whines and sniffs into her hankie.)

(Ethel sits beside her on the couch and puts her arm around Lucy.) “Honey, what’s wrong?”

As I said, I didn’t get very far and it’s really quite bad. Sorry about the commentary in the beginning, I couldn’t resist. As you can see, I have no clue how to write a script or if that was the proper way to do (scene cues), but I thought the scenario was plausible…no?

Anywho… on to day 5 challenge:

You’re in an Irish pub with friends, each taking turns telling long-winded jokes. It’s your turn. Make us laugh. (Please keep them PG rated at most, there are some younger folks who read the site.)

Same rules - You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 4 Challenge - April 21, 2013

Hi it’s Christina –

What a glorious Sunday morning! A tiny bit chillier than I would hope for this time of year, but I’ll take it! Today is day 4 of the challenge and still no one has posted any writing attempts. Strange, because I know more than half the folks who are linked to the page are writers themselves. Whatever, this is a 2 week exercise and I plan to see it through.

Yesterday’s challenge and my response:

 

You wake up one morning to find you have turned into a (insert animal here).

Before I even open my eyes a sense of vertigo assails me and I think, oh no, not another headache coming on, but there is no pain, only this strange feeling. The scents of hay and barnyard are the next to register. Perhaps I left a window open and the wind is blowing just right. Reluctantly I open my eyes and gasp…or more accurately whinny. The sound startles me and I attempt to slap my hand over my mouth only to find my hand is no longer a hand, it’s a hoof. What in the name of all that’s Holy? My heart is pounding. It’s getting hard to breathe. I panic and bolt out the barn door. I race across a meadow and leap a fence. I brace myself for the landing, but it doesn’t come. There’s a burning between my shoulder blades and the air is getting thinner. I glance around and see the ground getting further and further away. I look sideways at powerful brown and white wings. A bird? I’m a hawk? I can’t be a bird, I’m afraid of birds! But, oh my God, I’m flying!  I soared across the fields, over the trees and to the sparkling ocean where something caught my eye. I dove after a particularly tasty looking fish, when, much to my surprise, splash.

Too many distractions around the house this morning, so the 10 minutes went by a lot quicker than usual. That’s what I get for sleeping in a little. Oh well, it is what it is. Ready for the day 4 challenge?

They are doing a modern day remake of “I Love Lucy”, but they want to keep it as light and innocent as the original. You are asked to come up with the story for one episode.

 

Same rules - You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 3 Challenge - April 20, 2013

Happy Saturday Morning! It’s Christina.

I think I have temporarily figured out a way around the technological problem. Until I can get this blog running the way it should, I am also posting the challenge questions on my Facebook page. It’s not ideal, but it’s a bandage. I can’t wait to get the bugs out though because I’m excited to see what y’all have written.

So how did you do with yesterday’s challenge?

I am from another world and unfortunately I cannot see color. Please describe RED, BLUE and YELLOW to me.

Here’s my reply:

A world without color, how sad

I could not even imagine, but I shall try my hand

Red is a rage you feel

Red is the heat of the sun to help you heal

Red is a warm towel from the dryer

Red is the anguish at a funeral pyre

Blue is the snowflakes on your tongue you catch

Blue is a high soaring bird you cannot reach

Blue is cool water on a hot summer day

Blue is the sorrow you feel when a loved one goes away

Yellow is comfortable, serene and calm

Yellow can be a healing balm

Yellow is meadow flowers dancing in the wind

Yellow is a memory you pull from within

Colors can hold more meaning than just sight, it’s true

Because you cannot experience them, I truly feel sorry for you.

Where the heck did a poem come from? Not usually my area, but there it be. So onto the day 3 challenge.

 

You wake up one morning to find you have turned into a (insert animal here).

 

Same rules - You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

Day 2 Challenge - April 19, 2013

Hi it’s Christina –

As I figured, no one is reading the blog yet, but it’s probably because I can’t figure out how to get the blog host linked to the actual blog. I keep getting an error message. I still hold out great hopes I will figure it out eventually. In the meantime, I will post responses to the challenge questions and post new questions in hopes someone someday will start responding.

 

 

Yesterday’s challenge:

You’re walking along the beach and you find a bottle with a message in it.

There are few things more cathartic than walking along the beach on a bright sunny winter’s day. The briny air assaults your nostrils, the biting wind your cheeks. The waves hold a more powerful fury, angry their majesty is only beheld by a few insane creatures brave enough to walk the shore at this time of year. During one of my solitary dawn walks, I was contemplating some of my trials and tribulations, bemoaning my less than perfect life, and seeking some emotional and spiritual balance when a ray of sun reflected a shiny object ahead of me, catching my wandering attention. I neared the object with admitted curiosity as to why I should notice this one piece of debris when, unfortunately, the beach was strewn with items from a recent storm. As I knelt and gently brushed away the sand with my fingers, the sound of the pounding waves receded and the mournful cry of the lonely gulls was silenced. A bottle, I had found a bottle; one of probably hundreds littering the shore, but this one was different. I could feel it even before I realized the bottle contained a note. I lifted it and sat down facing the water. My heart raced as I contemplated what the message would reveal. Was it very old? It looked to be, but that could just be the wear and tear of being battered by the ocean. Was the message from someone in need? From some kid looking for a pen pal? From just another troubled soul looking for a creative way to vent? The possibilities were endless.  The only way I would know was to open the bottle, but yet I hesitated. Did I fear I would feel foolish after opening it? Feel disappointed at what I would find? Feel overwhelmed with some stranger’s sorrows?  I seriously contemplated returning the bottle to where I found it, letting it be someone else’s responsibility or foolishness.

Don’t be mad, ten minutes is shorter than you think and this is just supposed to be a writing exercise and not entire stories. OK, today’s challenge is:

I am from another world and unfortunately I cannot see color. Please describe RED, BLUE and YELLOW to me.

Same rules - You have 10 minutes (I’m trusting you to be honest here). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

 

Day 1 Challenge - April 18, 2013

OK, I give up. I cannot figure out how to make myself not be "Anonymous" on my own blog, so If it's coming from me, I'll just start with "Hi, it's Christina" until someone out there can walk me through fixing it.! So, here goes...

 

Hi, it's Christina.

 

I attended my first writers' workshop last night and quite frankly I had a blast. The moderator, Beth, is an amazing woman with an amazing story. She is fun to be around and has truly motivated me already. It nearly blew me away when I found out she is twenty years older than me, she looks fabulous and has such a young spirit, I had her at 15 years younger at minimum.

 

Last night’s group consisted of Keith, the catalyst for me joining the group, is a middle school English teacher somewhere around my age, but probably a bit younger, who writes psychological horror novels; Joe, who I have children older than him, who writes fantasy; Angita (I probably slaughtered her name here, she is a very soft spoken woman and I doubt I got her name correct) who is one of those people who looks to be anywhere between 25 and 35, but you just can’t tell and I’m not quite sure what she write because she is just starting to write for herself as opposed to just helping others write; Jillian, a beautiful senior who is writing a memoir of the trials and tribulations of building a home in South Africa; Stephanie, an unemployed  fortyish year old who is just starting to spread her writer’s wings; and myself, a 47 year old writer of romance novels.

 

Needless to say, we are an eclectic group, but somehow we all seemed to gel. We each have very unique writing styles, as became apparent during our writing exercises, each truly gifted in our own way.

 

There is only one rule for the group – check the editor at the door. This means our own internal editor as well as any need to critique the others in the group. Beth has created a “safe haven” where we can share without recriminations and there is no set format other than you must introduce yourself to the group as a writer and participate in at least one (time permitted for two last night) writing exercises. We are given a scenario and then given 10 uninterrupted (except when I came out with a one-liner during the silence) minutes to write. Then, if we chose, we share what we’ve written with the group. Our scenarios last night were – “You wake up one morning and all of a sudden you can sing opera” and “Princeton needs some swagger”.  Some of the submissions were beautiful and poignant and some were tongue in cheek, but all were wonderful in their own way. The really interesting part was watching the one timid member of the group who refused to share her writing the first time, share the second time and gain some confidence because of the group’s reaction and encouragement. It is very frightening and intimidating to read out loud something you have written.

All told, there are actually almost 40 in the group and the sampling will change from week to week, so I am looking forward to meeting the other members in the weeks to come.

 

OK, I doubt anyone is reading this blog just yet, but I’m going to put this out there any way. Your writing exercise is:

 

You’re walking along the beach and you find a bottle with a message in it.

 

Go. You have 10 minutes (I’m trusting you to be honest here.) There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written.

 

Transferring from the blog that wouldn't link to anywhere.

Because of some technological glitches which I could not figure out how to remedy, I now have this new blog location. I am going to transfer the previous blogs here and then start fresh tomorrow morning.