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Category Archives: Writing

The Little Writer That Could

19 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by kathyd65 in That's Life, Transition, Truth Mostly, Writing

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Humor, Life, Personal experience, Silly, truth

The Little Writer That Could

Once upon a time there was this girl. She wanted to write, to share her stories, both real life and imagined.  She didn’t know how to tell a story really well, on purpose. But she had determination and a computer. She started a blog – an intermittent blog (that’s what I could rename this blog – The Intermittent Blog) – with stops and starts, great ideas put down in digital words, and some not so great ideas that folks stopped by to read anyway.

She got likes and comments, and she felt real good about it on the days she had thoughts to share. There were other days though, days when life got busy and no blog-type thoughts visited her mind. Those days were harder, because she wanted to be consistent, and share all kinds of interesting stuff and insight, get lots of followers and share experience and knowledge.

This is one of those times – it’s been days since I posted. And I felt bad – I said I’d post. I guess committing to a post every day is just too much for me to ask myself right now. I mean, even great writers had their off days.

I am taking a couple of online courses – focused education. I am learning more about real estate wholesaling and also about social media marketing. I have great teachers.

I also invest in real estate and that involves a lot of footwork, meeting with homeowners who want to sell their homes and do not want to do any work to the homes or deal with a real estate agent. My husband and I help with that – we find buyers who want to offer cash in exchange for a discount on the property. It’s not for everyone – there are folks out there though who are grateful for our service.

And life, in general, day to day stuff – the expected and the unexpected. (For example, there is a large adult skunk residing somewhere in our yard at the moment. Seriously. I would have taken a photo today, but I also did not want to upset the gentle creature. Made it difficult to leave the house until the sun broke through the clouds. The cat was not happy.)

Anyway, that’s my story and (as my husband loves to say) you’re stuck with it.

Tomorrow is the release of the photo prompt for Fictioneers Friday. Stay tuned.

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Friday Fictioneers – New Purpose

15 Friday Mar 2019

Posted by kathyd65 in Fiction, That's Life, Transition, Writing

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Fiction, Fun, Magic, Poetry, Story

New Purpose (Friday Fictioneers – 100 words limit)

The early 1900s, and I was grand.

Ivories first tickled by a young piano teacher.

An instrument of training for great and future pianists.

My rich sound, inspiration of a thousand students.

The centerpiece to decades of recitals.

A good, long life in service to others.

But time, and the instructor, passed.

Age took its toll.

No more was I cared for or tuned.

I was shuffled into a corner.

And then to the alley.

Nature’s elements then took their toll.

Years passed, and one day…

A kindly soul, some soil, some flowers.

I gained new purpose.

I serve again.

FF Prompt 2019-03-13 piano-anshu

PHOTO PROMPT © Anshu Bhojnagarwala

The challenge – write a complete tale in 100 words using the photo prompt as inspiration – and that’s Friday Fictioneers. Thanks to Rochelle for posting the photo prompt for Friday Fictioneers. Special thanks to Anshu Bhojnagarwala for this thought provoking photograph.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, as I enjoyed writing it.

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Almost There

04 Friday May 2018

Posted by kathyd65 in Fiction, Writing

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

100 words, Fiction, Photo Prompt, Story

Almost There

FF Prompt 2018-05-04 karen-rawson

Photo Prompt by Karen Rawson

“We’re almost there! 15 years have passed since I last stood in this spot. See that roof? That’s the cabin. That wasn’t visible from this spot, once upon a time. Not sure how we’re gonna get across the muck that was once a gentle, babbling brook. And those steps, once solid and surrounded by a forest of green, look pretty questionable now. That cabin was once a safe haven. My happy, hidden place. It’s not on any map. I hope it’s still safe. Take care and keep your head low, though. The world has changed. It might already be occupied.”


It’s been a while since I’ve made time for the Friday Fictioneers. Here’s my 100 words inspired by the photo. Thanks to Rochelle for keeping it going. Thanks also to Karen for the photo.

An InLinkz Link-up

Solitary

24 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by kathyd65 in Fiction, Writing

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

100 words, Fiction, Life, Personal experience, Story

Solitary

ff-prompt-2017-02-24-sarah_potter-january-snowfall-nighttime

After midnight. Can’t sleep. That committee between my ears making all manner of ruckus. Funny the things that seem urgent in the boardroom of the mind. Rehashing unresolved regrets. Organizing tomorrows to do list. I toss. I turn. ENOUGH. Rolling quietly out of bed, grabbing my robe, I head to the porch with pad of paper and pen. The porch offers solitude and a beautiful view. The world is quiet, all sound absorbed by this mantle of pristine, unmarred snow. It covers everything. Setting pad and pen aside, I sit quietly instead, meditating on the streetlight’s glow. The committee disperses.

—

I hope you enjoyed reading this, as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks to Rochelle for continuing to post the weekly 100 words photo prompt for Friday Fictioneers. Special thanks to Sarah Potter for her lovely photograph.

An InLinkz Link-up

Savoring the Written Word

21 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by kathyd65 in Writing

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Life, truth

Savoring the Written Word

Usually when I read a book that interests me I devour it, like a person who feels better after several days of illness. Or a woman right before her monthly cycle, eating way more than her own body weight. When I read, I sprint through the pages, the content flying by my eyes, the words a blur. I’ve recognized that as I get closer to the end of a story, I race to that finish line, as if I am competing. Which makes the book entirely new to me if I read it again later, because I didn’t really absorb it.

This time I am reading a book slowly, deliberately. Savoring each word and digesting the author’s paragraphs, as if eating a bit of rich perfect cheesecake or an exquisite Belgium chocolate truffle. I’ve decided to read only a chapter each day, and her chapters are only three or four pages, but dense with wisdom.

I picked up the book I’m currently reading because I’ve read one other by this author: Anne Lamott. That other book: Plan B. That book was recommended by a friend who knows me well, and I enjoyed the light and humorous narration with some life experience thrown in. It’s my favorite kind of writing these days – real honest words, with a touch of comedy and no unnecessary drama.

My current reading -Bird By Bird – is Anne’s HOW-TO book for writers. And it’s not what one would expect. Well, it’s not what I expected. See, I took a few classes in college because I want to be a writer… like Anne. I signed up for American Literature, Creative Writing, and a third class I cannot recall. I dropped them all within the first four weeks. Because I wanted to relay my experience…I didn’t want to dissect books. ‘What was the author thinking when he wrote that piece? Which character was the protagonist? What was the meaning of the moon shining on the wheat in the winter at midnight?’ At the time, that was not what I was looking for. I’d rather enjoy the story – fictional or non-fictional – than think about why the author wrote it. Maybe I’m missing out on that experience as well. Instead, I am getting a different kind of education – that of the non-fictional and personal variety. And lessons I didn’t expect (another favorite of mine these days: lessons in the form of leisure entertainment. I believe you can find a positive growth experience in anything if you know HOW to ‘read’ it).

Anyway – I’m reading her book. Chapter by chapter. And I’m considering what I’ve read instead of immediately diving into the next chapter. And the words mean more, and the content sticks better in my mind. I read the chapter Perfectionism twice. So I could understand how better to let go of it.

So I wrote this, to practice putting down words on paper. Spew. Walk away.

I’ll also recommend On Writing by Stephen King. He also has some great suggestions mixed in with personal life stories.

That’s all for now.

 

 

Pause

09 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by kathyd65 in Fiction, That's Life, Writing

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

100 words, Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Life, Personal experience, Story

Pause

Head down, collar up, feet moving, thumbs texting. Distracted. Absently reaching for the handle, I pulled a door open and entered.

“Please, silence your cell phone.” I looked up, startled. “Turn it off.” Smiling, her face was transformed into love in a hundred soft creases.

I complied. She gestured toward another set of doors and bowed her head slightly. My feet moved forward before my mind caught up. I pushed through the heavy, silent doors and as they closed behind me, I exhaled slowly. Here, hidden in this noisy, busy city, was a haven of peace. The Japanese garden.

ff-prompt-2016-10-07_ceayr

photo prompt courtesy of C.E. Ayr

Friday Fictioneers: The rules: 100 words, no more, inspired by the weekly photo prompt. Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for the weekly prompt and to C.E. Ayr for the photo.

An InLinkz Link-up

The Caretaker

02 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by kathyd65 in Fiction, Writing

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

100 words, Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Life, Story

The Caretaker

Stored, sometimes forgotten, memories. Stuff. People squirreling away the overflow of abundant lives, enduring the expense for months or years, to hold onto the past or in anticipation of the future.

A child stores an elderly parents effects to deal with later. A couple marries and duplicate belongings end up in a five by ten unit. The downtrodden cache their meager treasures ‘for just a few months,’ fruitlessly hoping to eventually recover their collections.

I watch over all these items. I am here to ensure that your possessions are as you left them. In case you return to reclaim them.

ff-prompt-2106-09-30-from-amy-reese

Photo courtesy of Amy Reese

Friday Fictioneers: The rules: 100 words, no more, inspired by the weekly photo prompt. Thanks to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for the weekly prompt and to Amy Reese for the photo.

An InLinkz Link-up

Remembering

21 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by kathyd65 in Fiction, Writing

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

100 words, Challenge, Fiction, Friday Fictioneers, Story

Remembering

ff-prompt-2016-09-23-from-roger-bultot

photo courtesy of Roger Bultot

When I was an adolescent, I could sense extraterrestrials visiting Earth. I would hear a high-pitched tone in my right ear – always the right ear. The first time I heard it, I felt compelled to look to the skies and saw, far off, a shining, oblong shape. It occurred during recess, while playing with my classmates. I believed it was a spacecraft. I shared this information with my playmates. After that, I kept that information to myself. The visits continued to occur for a few years, eventually stopped. I grew up, out grew, forgot. Yesterday, I heard the ringing again.

~~~

I hope you enjoyed reading this, as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks to Rochelle for posting the photo prompt for Friday Fictioneers. Special thanks to Roger Bultot for his thought provoking photograph.

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I am more of a story teller than anything and, I will throw in and sprinkle some motivational personal experiences.... & Every Little Thing.

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