I Write Her Weekly Haiku/Senryu Challenge #41

entangled

Charlotte’s silent stares
keep dreams of Eden at bay –
her webbed dream-catcher

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While I would not have screamed bloody murder at Charlotte, that is really a huge spider!

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

PLEASE follow them! I’d hate to not see your piece(s) represented in the recap the following week! Confused? Any questions – email me at sushibocks@gmail.com   

For more detailed information, read about this challenge here.

• Create a standard three line 5/7/5 syllable count haiku/senryu
• Deadline to submit for this week’s challenge will be 11:59pm 10/19/19
• Up to 3 pieces permitted
• Link your piece to this “IWH Haiku/Senryu Challenge” on your post
• Always give photo credit if there is one
• Complete entry form below

Prompt: I Write Her Weekly Haiku/Senryu Challenge #41

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Three Line Tales, Week 193

photo by Tony Wang via Unsplash

The stories he would tell would have been enthralling, if anyone bothered to ask him.

How he arrived this place, how he was trapped here, how he was patiently waiting while his people worked hard to bring him back and how different his home was – of the exotic animals and fantastic inventions.

Too bad everyone thought he was a lunatic when he claimed he arrived here in a scientific experiment from a parallel universe 500 years ago.

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They are out there…somewhere…LOL

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

You’ll find full guidelines on the TLT page – here’s the tl;dr:

• Write three lines inspired by the photo prompt (& give them a title if possible).
• Link back to this post (& check the link shows up under the weekly post).
• Tag your post with 3LineTales (so everyone can find you in the Reader).
• Read and comment on other TLT participants’ lines.
• Have fun.

Happy three-lining!

Prompt: Three Line Tales, Week 193

Inspiration Call: Create a 6 -Word Story

Photo credit: © Pixabay.com

Balloon islands trapped in time tunnel

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If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Inspiration Call: Tell the story behind this picture in just 6 words. A Six Word story is a challenge for each writer to come up with a short story within six words.

Publishing opportunity details for this writing prompt can be found at Open Publishing Projects.

Prompt: Inspiration Call: Create a 6 -Word Story

Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #33

alexlibris999 | DeviantArt.com

The Owner and the Book

The man knew treasures when he saw one. And that book was unparalleled treasure – a compendium of divination skills rumoured to grant its users power over the future. To think he would encounter such a valuable item in this dingy shop.

“No, how many times must I tell you? It’s not for sale,” the owner rejected his offer yet again.

Hongyi refused to give up. “Why display the book if you have no intentions of selling it then?”

The owner did not reply; he merely gazed at Hongyi steadily. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Hongyi shook his head and left, but a plan began to form in his mind.

The next day, the owner came down from his living quarters above the shop and noticed the compendium in the display glass case was missing. After all, the display glass case was not sealed, neither was it wired to any alarm system. “So that man came to steal the book after all,” he muttered to himself. He shook his head and went about his day of business, hardly worried about the empty display glass case.

It was only mid-morning, when the owner was sipping his Longjing tea that the compendium reappeared in the display glass case, as if it had never gone missing. The owner sighed, set down his tea and walked over to the display glass case with his hands behind his back respectfully. The book was in perfect condition, except the geometric design on the cover had grown larger.

“Looks like that man can’t handle your power,” the owner observed. He returned to the coffee table and continued to sip his tea. Idly, he wondered when the book was going to choose its next Guardian so he could pass on the responsibilities.

(298 words)

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Ooh, what happened? Did Hongyi die? Was the Book magical? Who was the owner? I have no idea as well. I originally created the character, the owner, as part of the series for the Witch I developed a long time ago – the Witch of Wishes, the Lady of Dual Sides, the Collector of Souls and the Merchant of Time.

Sadly, I have only written two stories about the Witch and one about the Lady of Dual Sides (all for The Weekly Knob on Medium). I have conceptualised the Collector of Souls and the Merchant of Time and even planned out the stories for them both, but sadly, I don’t seem to have the same writing stamina and level of interest in finishing the stories.

My promises of writing these stories seem to drag on forever.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to “Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge.” Each week I will be posting a photo I grab off the internet and challenge bloggers to write a relatively short flash fiction piece inspired by the photo. While there are no definitive style or word limits, I suggest trying to keep your posts to under 300 words.

If this picture inspires you and you wish to participate, please write your post, use the tag #FFFC, and link back to this post.

The issue with pingbacks not showing up seems to have been resolved, but you might check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

Please take a few minutes to read some of the other responses to this photo challenge.

Prompt: Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #33

Kira’s Sunday Scribbles

Chasing Monsters and Hunting Demons

They thought they would live in this valley forever – not for all eternity, naturally, but at least long enough for them to settle down and raise their children in peace.

The unicorns grazing in the fields peacefully, the kite monsters flying free in the skies, the levitating fisherman angling for unsuspecting birds, the mist demons playing hide-and-seek and the blurring dandelion trees basking in the warm sun.

That was the beautiful scenery in the giant’s mind as he looked down the at the valley he once called home.

But a burning valley with screams piercing in the air was the horror that would be imprinted in his eyes, and the eyes of their children, as they fled from their enemies. Their enemies who once accused them of any wrongdoings or unfortunate events; their enemies who invented rumours about them; their enemies who turned them away from the community just because of their appearance.

The humans.

And their enemies relentlessly pursued them and hunted them down – not for revenge, not for self-preservation, not for profit, but for stereotypical mindset of ridding ungodly things.

Were they not children of the gods too? Why would the gods put them together with the humans then?

The giant, leading what was left of the villagers, turned and left, forced into hiding in darkness.

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One thing I like about Kira’s art pieces is, they are truly inspiring. So many ideas come to mind at once and the ideas all seem to too good not to jot down. What is left is actually to sift through the ideas to identify what works and what does not, then combine the ideas together to form a single coherent and cogent story.

This piece is somewhat dark and ominous but overall, I like where it is going, seeing that it can be a commentary on our society these days.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Welcome to Kira’s weekly inspirational art piece.

Let the whole picture tell you a story, or dive into the small intricate details to make one up! Write a poem, a fiction piece or come up with a picture or drawing of your own, that you feel relates to it.

Feel free to copy Kira’s drawing, to add it to your own post!

Anything goes, there are no rules. But don’t forget to link us to your post with a pingback. Not sure how to do that? See how to create pingbacks here.

Prompt: Kira’s Sunday Scribbles

FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER: #38

https://morguefile.com/creative/GaborfromHungary/47/all _DSC7913

The Old Man with the Study Desk at a Local Bazaar

The old study desk has been in the bazaar for a long time. The old man is unconcerned that among all the goods, it remains unsold.

“I fish with a straight fishing hook. Don’t accuse me of cheating if they buy things which are not of their expectations,” he explains to his fellow street vendors. They are puzzled why he always insists the customers to test the drawer.

It is stuck.

No matter how many people have attempted, the stuck drawer prevails.

The old man with the study desk at a local bazaar even becomes a kind of attraction – customers who have tried would bring their friends along. The customers seem to have forgotten that the old man is running a business. Not that the old man minds.

He encourages – eggs on even – people and charges no money for their efforts. And everyone is having fun fooling around with the study desk.

After all, this is just a small local bazaar. Who would suspect such an old study desk is Pandora’s Box? And Devil himself is sitting in broad daylight waiting for the reincarnated Pandora to open the Box once more?

The old man grins.

(198 words)

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Fishing with a straight fishing hook – this is a Chinese two part proverb, in which the first part is a story and the second part, often left unsaid, sums up the meaning. In this case, fishing with a straight fishing hook means you cannot really catch any fish and if you do catch a fish, it only means that the fish is willing to be caught instead of being cheated (line, hook and sinker much?). I just could not help but included this proverb into the story.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner is a weekly writing challenge designed for both the flash fiction newbie and the more experienced writer. It is the desire of this challenge to allow writers the opportunity to clear the cobwebs from a more tedious and involved project. Becoming a part of a new and growing writer’s community might be just what the doctor ordered to rejuvenate your writing juices.

The challenge for Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner will open early Wednesday morning.

Allow the prompt to take you anywhere you want to go! (Limit your stories to 200 words.)

The Six Easy Guidelines

1. A photo prompt topic is to be used as your ‘muse’. They will arrive promptly at midnight each Wednesday morning.
2. Include the photo prompt and its credits with your story on your blog.
3. All stories are to be crafted and honed to under 200 words in length.
4. Each flash fiction piece should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. No serial stories. It is harder to stay abreast of a serial story. (Please keep content PG-13.)
5. Once you have your post complete, create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. If that is not an option for you, add your post’s link in the comments section.

Prompt: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER: #38

Kreative Kue 229

The Procession

She was definitely not impressed by this show of royalty, yet she was obliged to honour the tradition. With her butler in the usual place behind her and the coachman clucking at the horses, the heir to the royal throne began her procession.

But the entire affair was met with solemn silence; the ceremony was merely a distraction from the recent catastrophic event which claimed an alarming number of death, both in armed forces and commoners alike. Instead of distracting everyone within the walled city, the naming of the heir only served to highlight the royal family’s desperation to keep up with the normalcy of their lives.

With every clip-clop of the horses’ hooves, everyone wondered how long their lives could continue.

After all, winter was coming and the rotting cloves of garlic could not keep the vampires out of their walls forever.

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Yet another vampiric tale. I seem to have an obscene fascination with these reanimated bloodsuckers…

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

On to this week’s challenge: Using this photo as inspiration, write a short story, flash fiction, scene, poem; anything, really; even just a caption for the photograph. Either put it (or a link to it) in a comment or email it to me at keithchanning@gmail.com before 6pm next Sunday (if you aren’t sure what the time is where I live, this link will tell you). If you post it on your own blog or site, a link to this page would be appreciated, but please do also mention it in a comment here.

Prompt: Kreative Kue 229

100 Word Wednesday: Week 137

Image by Cyranny

Four Guardian Beasts

The drought turned what was once green brown, then nothing.

The boy grew distraught. What was to become of his family?

Naively, he dug a well under the sun. Still, no water. The boy collapsed onto the cracked ground.

“Azure Dragon God of the East is no more. Rain would not come. Would you sacrifice your love for your family to bring rain to everyone on this land?”

Yes, he thought. Yes.

Black Tortoise of the North carried the boy to the Eastern Sea to become the next Azure Dragon God.

Rain came for everyone on this land once more.

(100 words)

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Just my perspective, loosely based on Chinese mythology and Daoism.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

How to participate? A few guidelines as we begin….

1. Simply check my feed, or search the reader, for the 100WW or tag #100WW, post each Wednesday. I’ll also be posting on my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Feeds.
2. Write your submission on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook Feed and ping back to the weekly blog post. Feel free to use the image provided or your own. Please do credit the artist whose image we use — Links provided.
   
3. I have not enabled automatic pingbacks due to a plethora of spam messages attempting to link up. Do feel free to also continue posting your links and I will enable your pingbacks as I check my blog. Thank you for understanding!!
4. I’ll provide a Weekly Summary, or Windup, of posts on or by Tuesday; take the opportunity to read and comment on your fellow bloggers posts {keeping in mind to give each other grace and space}. I try to read them all and post your submission in the Weekly Windup.
5. Have fun! I enjoy reading your challenge submissions!

Prompt: 100 Word Wednesday: Week 137

Weekend Writing Prompt #122 – Museum

Photo by Una Laurencic on Pexels.com

Persevering Art

She always enjoyed this part of the museum – not only was it quiet, the paintings important to her were housed here too.

Her ears perked up when she heard a curator explaining as he led a group of tourists into the gallery.

“…painted his queen, depicting aspects of their lives. Never before were such magnificent pieces of artwork recovered in its entire collection, especially from the famed King Joranor’s tomb. You can imagine how special she is to the king. Sadly, the Church, a powerful entity then, feared her influence and instigated a charge of witchcraft against her. She was convicted and beheaded four days later…”

She smiled as the curator droned on. Oh how wrong they were, blurring the lines between myth and history.

She was the one who painted herself into immortality.

Too bad the King and the Church failed to learn her magic.

(147 words)

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I had to Google “King Joranor” to ensure I did not commit any treason. All in all, I really had a lot of fun writing this.

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below.

The challenge is simple: each week you will be given an exact number of words you can use to write a poem or piece of prose.  You can use any format or style you like; go wherever your inspiration takes you.  The only rules are these:

• your poem / prose must contain this week’s word.  The word does not have to count towards the exact word count total – it can be in the title, or the first letters of the lines of a poem can spell it out – you can be as creative as you want as long as it’s there somewhere.
• the length of your poem / prose must match the number of words stated in this week’s challenge.  No more.  No less.

Prompt: Weekend Writing Prompt #122 – Museum

FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER: WEEK #33

XxL3HMZ9Ywgj72pIQZQLuQZRBTr68OTE2WBG7e41 freephotos.cc

The Best-Laid Schemes

Not all hot air balloons fly.

Some drift and others float. Ours died and the pilot, together with his crew, is desperately resuscitating it. The envelope rises and falls to the rhythm of our bored breathes as the crew members blow, ironically, cold air into it with the fan before they turn on the propane burners. Another crew member is circling the balloon like a patrol soldier – not knowing what to look for but pretending to look busy to avoid a scolding from his commanding officer.

The weather looks good; the prognosis does not.

“Oh, how can this happen?” my wife cries and stamps her feet. “We should be up there hours ago, enjoying the sight!”

“M’am, I’m sorry but we are trying our best -” the pilot starts.

“Well, your best is not enough! Try harder!” my wife yells back.

I shake my head in resignation. I could have told him it is pointless to explain; she is used to getting her way.

She turns to me. “This is so unfair!”

I nod. It is very unfair indeed, God. I was looking forward to going up there in the balloon and pushing her off.

(196 words)

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I have no idea where this story comes from. I started with the sentence “Not all hot air balloons fly.” without an idea what I want to write next. I thought about going all philosophical but decided against it halfway. Before I knew it, this darkly humorous story completed itself in front of me and I wondered “Why not?”

I would have probably made a very good murderer if people leave me alone long enough…

If you are interested, the prompt is linked below,

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner is a weekly writing challenge designed for both the flash fiction newbie and the more experienced writer. It is the desire of this challenge to allow writers the opportunity to clear the cobwebs from a more tedious and involved project. Becoming a part of a new and growing writer’s community might be just what the doctor ordered to rejuvenate your writing juices.

The challenge for Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner will open early Wednesday morning.

Allow the prompt to take you anywhere you want to go! (Limit your stories to 200 words.)

The Six Easy Guidelines

1. A photo prompt topic is to be used as your ‘muse’. They will arrive promptly at midnight each Wednesday morning.
2. Include the photo prompt and its credits with your story on your blog.
3. All stories are to be crafted and honed to under 200 words in length.
4. Each flash fiction piece should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. No serial stories. It is harder to stay abreast of a serial story. (Please keep content PG-13.)
5. Once you have your post complete, create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. If that is not an option for you, add your post’s link in the comments section.

Prompt: FLASH FICTION FOR THE PURPOSEFUL PRACTITIONER: WEEK #33