together, we
in the wrong direction
writing prompt Wednesday
Unwanted Advice: Creativity Loves…
This is a story about a girl who received a piece of advice she didn’t like. One of her creative writing teachers said: Creativity loves boundaries.
No, said the girl, I don’t like boundaries. I don’t want to make anything off limits. I want it all.
But all is quite a lot. Sometimes, all staring at the girl proved too much.
Maybe, said the girl. Maybe I’ll try a boundary.
One hundred words. I’m going to limit myself to 100 words, said the girl. See how it goes.
Bumpy is how it went, at first. Now, though, it’s going well.
Hand Drawn
Stylus & tablet? Shiny, yeah.
I’d rather you gave me pen & sketchbook,
though, and let me make indelible mistakes.
Chance Encounter on Parliament Hill
You take a deep breath. Underneath the chill, you smell a hint of spring. An icy gust of wind blows away budding hopes of it arriving soon. You hop from foot to foot to keep warm.
‘Lovely despite the weather, isn’t it?’
The voice startles you. You came here to be alone by choice, but you swallow your annoyance.
‘It’s my favourite place in the city.’
‘Mine, too. Do you mind if I share the bench with you? Just until the sun has risen.’
‘Please, sit.’
To your surprise, sharing a chilly morning’s sunrise with a stranger improves the experience.
***
Story 11 of 31 for Story A Day, inspired by this week’s WP Discover Challenge.
Who Knows
Run with scissors
Ink your beloved’s name across your heart
Swim with sharks
Know that it may go wrong (but it may go right – who knows…)
Annotated Fortune Cookie Wisdom
Wildly optimistic predictions:
You will live long and enjoy life.
You will soon witness a miracle.
If your cookie still in one piece, buy lotto; lucky numbers: 4, 12, 24, 30, 40, 44
‘scuse me?
Good beginning is half done.
Life to you is a bold and dashing responsibility.
In evrything there is a piece of truth.But a piece.
Passive-aggressive self-help claptrap:
Stop thinking about the road not taken and pave over the one you did.
The harder the fall, the higher the bounce.
Your life will prosper only if you acknowledge your faults and work to reduce them.
What is it with doors?
You can open doors with your charm and patience.
Jealousy doesn’t open doors, it closes them!
Patience is a key to joy.
Nonsense lines that only sound deep (but aren’t):
True wisdom is found in happiness.
A short pencil is usually better than a long memory any day.
A ship in harbour is safe, but that’s not why ships are built.
Yeah, okay:
Never spit against the wind.
Remember the fate of the early Worm.
Ignore previous cookie.
(written for NaPoWriMo, day 13: a poem inspired by fortune cookies. All supposed words of wisdom as found on Fortune Cookie Message (including typos and grammatical errors).)
Red Hot Chilli Pepper
Matching Reds
I find my baby sister’s clothes stashed away in my wardrobe. Did she hide them here after her meltdown?
‘I didn’t notice the hot pants’ red is too orangey, it clashes with the shirt’s flower print. Look!’ she wailed.
‘You’d look stunning in sackcloth.’ Being the ugly duckling who never turned into a swan, I hated saying it. I’m glad I did.
But she insisted she’d nothing to wear and called off her date. I’d suspected the guy was bad news. He proved it by slicing her open.
Her spilt blood on the asphalt would have matched the flower print.
