Mar 25 2009
WWW: Keepin’ It Short II
For those of you thinking this would be another Moon posting, hey, it’s Wednesday and so it’s time for a writing exercise, which, eventually, someone will do. 
So, what can you do with a few words? Well, you’d be surprised. When I hung out on Gather a great deal, there were a couple of groups that specialized in assigning prompts for short stories. Among the shortest was the group that calls for 50 word stories.
FIFTY WORDS! Yes, that was my reaction, too. What can you say in 50 words. Half my sentences are longer than that. But, you know what, it was easier than I ever expected. And fun. I’m not expecting a full up story story, mind you, but you should be able to show me why someone is crying - without coming out and saying it.
Since short stories are all about keepin’ it short, I thought we could try this. Normally the rules are 50 words, no more no less. I’m willing to let you go +/-5 words on the limit.
So, in 45-55 words, tell me why ___________ is weeping.
Here’s an example:
The clatter jarred her from her stirring. She spun and gasped, as her toddler lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs. “Tommy!” Instantly, she was on her knees, afraid to touch him, to know if–. Tommy stirred and began to cry. Only then did she weep.
Or
With an exhausted sigh, she collapsed on the couch. Home at last. Without thinking, she reached to the nearby cushion, then stopped, tears starting to her eyes. Her sister wanted her to get a kitten, but a kitten could never replace Romeo. Without him, it just wasn’t home any more.
Now, you try.
Also, since you all are so patient, here’s a photo of the moon, courtesy of morguefile.
Here’s my somewhat unimpressive contribution. I’m just not on my game today.
She slammed the phone. How dare him!
She tapped her manicured nail, wondering how she would end it. The gun? Too quick. The knife? Too messy. No… something that would make him suffer, but spare her the grief.
Her eye caught the fertilizer bottle her gardener left on the stoop. Perhaps…
It’s poison…
Here’s mine, for what it’s worth:
The wailing chilled them. Why the creature, whatever it was, howled each night, no one knew. Had they seen the event, the night her curse chained her into a wolf’s form, they would understand her weeping.
Her own lover knew. He heard the crying, and he smiled, whispering, “She’s mine.”
Sorry that’s all I could come up with. Distracted…
I’ll try harder next week, I promise.
Everyone’s so dark or depressing! Why aren’t there cheerful stories?
Nothing helped with living like moonlight. No color, maybe, and the running on all fours was a nuisance, but dew under the paws, scents that didn’t all blend together–Lyssa wondered, as her throat reverberated with her last greeting to the fading moonlight, why lycanthropy was called a curse.
Thank you, Shakespeare. It is indeed poison.
I just watched too many Unsolved Mysteries episodes… women putting fertilizer or something similarly nasty in their husband’s coffee, etc.
Besides, ravyn, what’s wrong with dark and depressing? The dark and depressing part is my favorite. It’s the same reason I like songs in minor keys, Lent, etc. Your passage is dark, but not depressing… and that’s interesting, too.
But weeping is hard to make happy. Then again, if someone’s happy, where’s the tension? I like TENSION…