Writer's Digest Got it Going On!

Yet another Writer's Digest writing prompt that got my attention. Admittedly, I had to sift through a few pages before finding this, but I'm patient. This particular prompt is very unique and hopefully will help me learn to write details. Here it is:

Look around the room and pick an object. Write one paragraph describing the object in full detail and a second paragraph explaining where it came from.

Photo credit: dianaschnuth

My garbage bin sits underneath my tiny work desk. It makes for less leg room, but admittedly, there is no other place to put it inside the office. The tan, plastic garbage bin stands a little over a foot tall, a foot and a half wide and less than a foot deep. To say it's ordinary is an understatement! The black garbage bag that lines it is tied taught to one side by a knot. It's contents include: 3/4 full container of low fat mixed berry yogurt (sweetened with Splenda, I couldn't stomach the horrible aspertain taste) with a plastic disposable spoon still in the container, a Trader Joe's brand Jasmine Green Tea bag and some of the tea steeped dark (leftover from yesterday's afternoon cup), and the plastic packaging for the heavy duty plastic binder dividers along with the colorful paper packaging that pictures and describes the product's features. Probably the strangest of the bin's contents are a dozen budless flower stems with dried leaves and all. The multi-colored roses survived almost two weeks in the murky waters; a gift from my thoughtful co-workers on my 30th birthday.

Everyone in the office appears to have their own garbage bin. For those who lock their doors at the end of the work day, they leave the bins outside in the hallway. All lined up, they get magically emptied after hours, and often re-lined with new garbage bags (especially for those bins that had food and drink). Every morning my officemate arrives to work before me, she thoughtfully places my garbage bin underneath my desk...always in the exact spot.

Writing Exercises at Their Best

I found a decent site for writing prompts in Writer's Digest. It's updated frequently as they have holiday/calendar related prompts. This is one I chose (hoping I'll do a good job with dialogue):

When out to lunch with co-workers, you bump into a close friend who refers to you by a nickname. Because of its unusualness, the nickname catches the interest of one of your co-workers who asks for the story behind it. Start your story with, "This may come as a surprise, but ... " and end it with, "And that's how I got the nickname (fill in the blank)." (500 word or fewer)

Photo credit: flashlightfish

"This may come to a surprise, but...I'm a bit of a goody two shoes, " I reported. "That nickname, Sovereign is in regards to me being a good two shoes, princess type...in fact when Daniel and I used to play Super Mario Brothers, I always played the princess character. And on top of that, my middle name is Severina. Which I guess sounds like Sovereign."

The three of us continued to walk down the street towards our building. Maggie looks over and says, "I guess I see it."

"So, Daniel is your friend from high school and you've had that nickname since then? Who else calls you by that name?" asks Lara.

"Yes, Daniel went to Wash with me. Hmmmm, but the nickname didn't surface till college. Our other friend, Charles made it up. He was into nicknames...and was desparate to find one for me.

"He should have tried harder...though, I suppose it's regal. Get it?!" Lara joked.

I laughed all the way up the stairs and into my office, only waiving at Maggie as we parted ways to our separate wings.

"Gee, it wasn't that funny," Lara said.

"Maybe not, " I replied, "but it got me."

Always unmotivated to work after a bento box lunch, I decided to check my personal email before cracking down on that event budget. Daniel had already sent me an email about meeting up later in the week for coffee. Oh, sent from his Apple iPhone...la ti da, I thought to myself. As I was replying to his email, I began to go over our 15 year friendship. I realized there was more to the story of the nickname and had to share with Lara down the hall.

"Hey, Lara! I remembered more details around how I got my nickname. I was at the mall with Daniel and Charles, and I ran into a family friend who's name was Princess. I hadn't seen her in years, and after small talk, I realized I didn't know her at all anymore. In fact, I disliked how fake we both were in our conversation. 'I used to envy Princess,' I told the two. 'She always had prettier dresses and cooler toys than me...she was always prettier too.' Charles retorted, 'But look who's prettier now? Who's better dressed, and has two fly boys at her side?' Daniel added, 'And you're about 5 inches taller than her too!!' 'Ah ha, Charles added, "looks like you're more of a princess than she is. And we shall call you, Sovereign."

"And that's how I got the nickname, Sovereign."

************************

Opps...425 words!

Writing Exercise(s) Found Online Part 2

The minute I read this writing prompt, I knew I wanted to do it. I had a blast attempting to write the prose in my last writing exercise, and I can only imagine this will be even more fun. (Dialogue is hard to write...for some reason.) Here's the prompt:

Shifts in Perspective: Write about a past family gathering, the most embarrassing thing that ever happened in your high school, the best (or worst) teacher you ever had, the time you learned to do something important (swim, ride a bike, use a computer), or the biggest event you ever attended. Write the story in as much detail as possible, explaining what you saw, what you did, and how you felt. Then rewrite the same story from the perspective of someone else - a relative, a fellow student, another participant, a passer-by, etc.






My Perspective

Mr. Bob Matthews was every one's favorite 7th grade teacher...favorite teacher, period. He gave us 7th graders a reason to like Math and Science. In fact, Science was my favorite subject back then because of him. I'll never forget receiving an A+ in Science on my report card. Who gets an A+ in Science?! It was all the extra credit points he used to issue us after the actual exam. Fun little tidbits of knowledge that we'd absorb like a sponge. For instance, FUCK is an acronym--For UnCardinal Knowledge. Yup, that's something we learned from Mr. Matthews. He knew what was and wasn't appropriate.

Last day of 7th grade, someone had the idea that we'd do a nice send off to Mr. Matthews. Earlier in the year, he showed us the movie, Dead Poets' Society with Robin Williams. Everyone was captivated by the movie. To this day, I think of 7th grade when I watch or the mere mention of the movie. Last day of school...12:15 or something like that because it was a half day...the bell rings, I and 30 other classmates stand on top of our desks and say, "O Captain, My Captain". Just like in the movie, we are emotional. Tears stream down my cheeks. I look around the room and it's not an uncommon emotion. Mr. Matthews looks as if he's near tears. He bows. He says a few parting words of gratitude, and then quickly leaves the room. We got to him...and he had to run out of the room cause he didn't want us to see him cry.



The Janitor's Perspective

That Bob Matthews was every one's favorite teacher. Always kids around him staying after class with questions. I was mopping the hallway near his classroom the other day and I heard how he captivated his students. One student proclaimed, "You make Science so much fun!" He treats his students with respect and you get a sense that he's making a difference in their lives.

Yesterday was the last day of school. I was doing my rounds upstairs when I peaked inside Mr. Matthews classroom. He stood before them and the students were on top of their desks. Strange sight. Some looked very emotional with tears in their eyes. Mr. Matthews himself looked near tears. He was speaking in front of the class one minute and then rushing out the door the next. Matter of fact he almost ran into me on his way out. The students came down from their desks and cried. Hugged each other and cried. I wonder if it had anything to do with them being 8th graders now.

Writing Exercise(s) Found Online

I googled "writing exercises" and came across websites, with you guessed it, writing exercises upon writing exercises. I clicked on the very first link, and interestingly enough, came across a writing exercise for narrative prose. I haven't written much prose before, and thought I'd give it a try. Below is the prompt:

One of the mistakes beginning writers make is to think it is interesting to read about people being happy and having fun. In prose narrative, in general, negative events and situations are more vivid than happy ones. I think this is probably because narrative thrives on conflict, and conflict is sometimes-- not always-- expressive of negative emotions or situations. Perhaps it isn't so much sad versus happy or positive versus negative as it is dynamic versus static.

Write a scene with people doing something pleasant, enjoying themselves. Make it a real scene, with dialogue and action, not just a description of eating a delicious fresh cannoli! Have everyone happy and relaxed. Then, something bad or dangerous or confusing happens. The scene becomes full of strife or tension. It may not last, but it happens. Whether it is serious or funny is your business, and also whether or not things go back to the original serenity.

Photo credit: Tomatoskin

The two marveled at the rain from her office window. The down pour was quite lovely, romantic and cozy even, as they were indoors with their cups of tea.

"This is exactly what we needed. It didn't really rain like this last year either," said Lara as she took a sip of her tea.

"Uh-huh..." Danica agreed. "Look at how the rain turns into little beads traveling across the wire..."

They continue to gaze out the window. A bird flew right into the almost sheets of rain. The leaves are heavy and drooping downward. The constant stream pounds on the pavement. Solitaire drops hit the window sill and a puddle forms. The sounds and the sights of the rain are gifts for the senses.

The rain ensues, but the two had to return to work. Danica retreated to her desk to an email in her inbox. The subject title said, "Bad news". Her heart started to race. She didn't recognize the addressee's email. With little hesitation, she opened it.

Hi Danica,

I know this is not the best way to tell you, but Jordan was in a car accident. It happened earlier today during the morning rain storm. He was driving down 280 on his way to meet with a client, and he skid and lost control of his car. He hit the car ahead of him, and it resulted in a three car pile up. He was rushed to the hospital with contusions to his ribs and minor head injuries. He's unconscious right now, but the doctors say he'll wake up any minute. I know you haven't been close lately, but thought you'd want to know.

Call me if you want to stop by the hospital. I know it would mean a lot to Jordan if you stopped by.

Mark
555-5232

Danica had not seen Jordan in five months. Their breakup was amicable enough, but perhaps that what made it hard to move on. She still loved him, and wondered if he still loved her. She didn't know if showing up at the hospital was a good idea. They said that with time, they'd try to be friends, but it hasn't materialized yet. She needed reassurance, so she called Mark.

"Mark, it's Danica. Is he awake yet?"

"No, not yet." Mark answered. "Are you coming by the hospital?"

"I think so. I'll stop by after work. Is he at CPMC on Webster?"

"Yes. Room 2433. You'll have to register at the nurses station for a visitor pass, but they should grant you one."

"Okay, sounds good. I'll see you soon. Mark, I'm scared. He's going to be okay, right?"

"I hope so. He's in stable condition as far as the doctor's say. He just needs to wake up."

"Okay. I'll see you."

She became somber. Every other email in her inbox seemed unimportant. Meeting on Thursday. Deadline next Monday. She could barely stay focused enough to process any other information. She packed her bag, turned off her computer and bid farewell to Lara.

"What's wrong kid?" Lara asked.

"Something big. Jordan's in the hospital. I have to go. We'll chat tomorrow. Stay dry and take care."

"Oh no. I'll be thinking of you. Take care and call me if you need to, honey."

"Thanks, I will. Good night."

The next 20 - 30 minutes in transit were a blur. Her mind raced. She was so full of different emotions. Scared. Sad. Anxious. "He has to be okay...he has to be okay," she almost chanted.

At the hospital, Mark greets her. "He's awake. Literally after I got off the phone with you, he opened his eyes."

"That's great news. So, he's okay?"

"Yes...but he has amnesia. He doesn't remember the accident. And the doctors don't know how far back of his memory he's lost. As far as they know now he doesn't remember anything that happened today. Do you want to go see him?"

"Sure. Come in with me?"

"Sure thing, Danica."

The two walked slowly into the room. Nurses and doctors were prodding and poking him. Jordan swatted the nurse. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I feel great." He looks up and sees Danica.

"I'm better now that my girl friend is here," he gestured and pointed to Danica.

Danica and Mark stop dead in their tracks and both shared a look of bewilderment.

"Huh?" said Danica. "He doesn't remember that we broke up..."