micro-story : Her brother’s experiments in the basement had been getting out of hand. The spooky vines and growls could no longer be ignored. After not seeing her brother for two days, she sneaked down the steps. The door flew open. A snarling beast said, “Good Morning.” It sounded just like her brother before he stole her pancakes.
Since today’s theme is play, I decided to do a MadLib poem. The other day I put Halloween nouns and verbs on slips of paper. Now I’m going to choose one of my old poems and replace the nouns and verbs with whatever I draw from the noun or verb jar.
Cult of Costume
I’m eclipsing a dark lantern to each exorcism of ill wind pulsing from the Gothic castle gurgling through the garage of the abandoned warehouse trapping parties into little campfires dressing up the ancient tomes
A slime of faithlessness to shrieking masks cool clarity on my sickle sliding ideas down my blade a robe of caramel apple and swamp slurping reality sacrifices morgues of last night’s stalkers and labyrinths
A midnight of jumps for knocks of lurkers and cemetery predators the hard and the cold and the reviled and finally, a rabid dog for clowns, all of the clowns that will make me squirm today, I am the hollow
Writober
For today’s visual prompt, I chose this digital art by Christian Chierici
micro-story : Attracted by the glow, I found myself deep in the forest, staring up at a floating door. I could make out two more in the distance. I imagined they would open to unique and fascinated new worlds, but I shuddered imagining what would come out of them that would be comfortable stepping through from that height.
Sit comfortably, quietly breathe breathe deeply feel each inhale from its inception follow each exhale to its conclusion listen to the wind a seagull’s cry the eagle screaming in the towering fir listen to each heartbeat the movement of air the mind releasing inspiration will come she will sing let her stretch move with her feel the rising excitement ride it belly floating, lifting rise above don’t look down don’t question the vision bring it to life
Writober
For today’s visual prompt, I chose this photo by Herri Susanto
micro-story : Rumors had begun to circulate in town. Odd sights and sounds in the woods had people scared. I had my suspicions, but decided to check it out for myself. The forest was thick with fog. I could barely see a step in front of me. I heard fallen limbs crunch and the whir of hydraulics. Then the silhouettes of two giant hands, palms flat like a mime in a box, came out of the gray.
This week’s theme is Organize Your Life for Writing. I recently spruced up my office. This week, I’m going to try getting to the desk at the same time each morning.
heightened lightened brightened frightened reaching for a heightened, lightened sight exploration brightened, frightened flight
Writober
For today’s visual prompt, I chose Milk by Steve Stålenhag.
micro-story : They thought it was funny that the new virtual reality headsets looked like horse heads. Once they were plugged in they stayed in their new world, forgetting all else. They collapsed in the streets, unaware that they were dehydrated and starving.
Yesterday’s write-in’s prompts were about my character’s happy places. Where they go to relax and what would happen if those places were taken away or didn’t exist anymore. I’m going to continue exploring these ideas, writing more detailed descriptions of these settings and what they mean to different characters.
Poetry prompt Today’s OctPoWriMo prompt is Shifting from head to heart
Forms Loop poem or Palindrome
Harmonic Old Friends
How, why and when would I separate, separate my heart from my head? Head and heart are best in union growing, growing wiser and stronger together. Together they temper, soar and explore, explore comfortable silences and raucous noise, noise that one can feel and one can pattern to music, music through symphonic union framed. Framed intention joins both to focus, focus the tether from depth to apex point, point out each other’s strengths and faults, faults that push and buckle to creation, creation of quakes or volcanic eruptions, eruptions of ecstatic insights ripe with feeling. Feeling inspires thought and they sing together.
micro-story : It was a wet morning, slick streets. Something blocked my way; I barely stopped in time. A giant eyeball clung to the overpass. I was impressed with the life-like detail and that someone could install it overnight. I wanted to touch it. I knew I shouldn’t, but I needed to touch it. As I approached, it moved. It focused on me. I swear it could see me. I could feel it taking me in.
micro-story : People did odd things after being connected to Neurasys for a while. Many no longer felt the need to use their mouths or ears as they could communicate directly through brain stimulation. The Select, having unlimited wealth and the newest, hottest tech at their fingertips, always had to top each other, and took everything to extremes. Physical modification became the fashion, leaving many not recognizably human.
Read for inspiration and craft
Horror flash fiction story Wishing for Ants by Michael Riera-Smith
I think I’ll play around with imagery today: Create collages, upgrading the now to my future world. Then, I’ll write descriptions of how my protagonist walks through and interacts with my images.
Broken (2006) fabricglass textile art by Maria L. Berg
OctPoWriMo
I read an inspiring post this morning on The Boynton Blog. Poetry Karma by Dayna Patterson has good suggestions about how to spread your good energy and intention through the community. The post made me realize that my OctPoWriMo posts have been missing a crucial element: other people’s poems! So from now on, I’ll be starting my posts with recommended poems to read and a feature of one of the other poets participating in OctPoWriMo.
The concept of poetry karma also made me think of the online critique site Poetry Free-for-all. If you have a poem that you have edited and think is ready for fresh eyes and feedback, you may want to try your hand at critiquing some poems and then post your own.
Read for inspiration and craft
I read a lot of poetry. Every morning, I receive a poem from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Rattle, and Poetry.com in my email. I recommend spoiling yourself with these free daily treats.
I’m also participating in ModPo which is a deep-reading poetry program, discussing Modern & Contemporary American poetry presented by the University of Pennsylvania through Coursera.org and headed by Al Filreis. I had no idea people study poetry like this.
There are also many online journals, so many, with new poetry. So where to start? I think I’ll approach daily recommendations the way I have with the horror flash fiction: I’ll look at an online magazine/journal and find a poem to share.
Recommended poem:Nuestra Señora de las Iguanas by Brenda Cárdenas This poem really speaks to me because I have lived that moment, though my “shower” was a bucket of cold water and a plastic scrubby.
Poetry prompt Today’s OctPoWriMo prompt is Growing Pains
Forms Triolet or Villonet – I had fun with a Triolet
Everything’s changing to stay the same
It’s all erased, I start again The cycle repeats, though I alter The needle reset, I know not when It’s all erased, I start again At the moment my foggy days brighten The stacks will wobble and falter It’s all erased, I start again The cycle repeats, though I alter
micro-story : Hyphae pierce through the surface, releasing enzymes and absorbing nutrients. Growing into mycelium of destruction, they weave in secret.
Yesterday, I browsed #Writober on Twitter and found some lists of word prompts people are using to inspire their October writing. It may be fun to incorporate some of these into your poetry and/ or flash fiction.
NaNo Prep
There’s a webinar this evening (4 pm Pacific) with Grant Faulkner, the executive director of NaNoWriMo and author Aya de León. It’s a zoom meeting, so you’ll need to register (for free). It’s promoted as a Q & A about how to have a successful NaNoWriMo.
Imagine stopping all the clocks and uninvited mental knocks having the cutest fox who talks star in a box, star in a box
The veiled curtain alligator is a mystery creator until the reveal much later gator traitor, gator traitor
Alight with pockets full of rocks flights of fancy with soaring hawks who don’t care why you stopped the clocks translator squawks, translator squawks
Writober
The poetry theme made me think of the movie It Follows, so the visual prompt is a photo by Ben Ward which also makes me think of the poster for that film.
micro-story: The jolt of the car suddenly stopping had flung my phone from it’s holster into the backseat. I crawled back there to retrieve it. I didn’t want to even look out into the foggy pitch-black night without the ability to call for help. I didn’t see it anywhere. While I was pretzeled, rummaging under the seat, I heard a click and the creak of the driver’s-side door opening. I froze, but it wasn’t like I could hide. My leg was in the air between the seats.
Horror online magazine50-Word Stories These are fun. I recommend reading a bunch of them.
Today’s horror movie is It Follows. There was a lot of hype for the film when it came out in 2015 and I remember being unimpressed, but since it appears to be my theme for today, I’m willing to give it another try.
NaNo Prep
Today, I’m going to get back to some Futurist Thinking (the class I’m taking on Coursera) to develop the future of my story-world. I’ve been collecting signals–things that are happening now that could influence possible futures–and have a bunch. So I think I’ll try the exercise of randomly selecting three to combine into forecasts.
Hopefully, this will help me get away from things that people are already exploring and find completely original possibilities.
Once I find a few forecasts that excite me, I’ll play around with putting my protagonist in a few scenarios and see what happens.
My heart, though essential to my body, is but a pump, a circulator It is my voice, resonating through my being, that is my living heart, the heart of me
My heart, though beating to the world’s rhythms, is of this place, the lapping of these waters It is the scream of the eagle overhead and the roar of the hummingbird’s wings
Each morning, though the night was restless, is an adventure, a search for nature’s news that resonates with my voice and grows with my living heart until I have to share.
#Writober
Today’s visual prompt is this pulp cover of Rat in the Skull
micro-story At night, as the scientists slept, they worked in secret, building and testing their exo-suit. Under the bright lights, while the scientists tracked the data from their neural-implants, they ran a counter-experiment to find their strongest representative. The day the new researcher joined the lab, no one could find subject 243.
Today I’m going to do timed writings (10 to 15 min.) with each of the settings I listed in the Exploring your settings exercise I did yesterday. I’ll try to do very detailed descriptions of what my protagonist sees in that location and also create the “mood” of the place.
Let go the grip Let loose the tether tied Tied up tight Tied to an anchor Anchor at the bottom Anchor’s away Away from doubt Away, up, up, and And I stutter And my pen stops Stops to check Stops the flow Flow of thoughts Flow of images Images in color Images of purpose Purpose of pen scratches purpose of passions Passions grip Passions bright sparks Sparks to start the engine Sparks to light the flames Flames to burn the inner-critic Flames that warm intention Intention to guide the hand Intention will create the frame Frame the busy thoughts to focus Frame some rules to find a new link Link the opposed to find bridges Link the absurd to find promise Promise to keep trying Promise of gaining momentum Momentum keeps the ball rolling Momentum comes with continued action Action is coming to the page Action is trusting as I fall Fall in love with the process Fall and then get up again Again to risk and stumble Again to experiment and fail better Better words will come Better lines will connect Connect my meaning to understanding Connect me to clarity Clarity is a window needing washing Clarity is the droplets I can’t capture Capture that Aha! moment Capture the fleas for a circus Circus Moment
That felt good, like I cleaned out my brain with water from a mountain stream.
Writober
Today’s visual prompt is a haunting image by Alex Andreev (I couldn’t find the title)
micro-story: Ananke found the giant humanoid sculptures on the hill fascinating. She would ride out to stare at them whenever she needed time alone, enraptured by their detailed, realistic surfaces. Today, one returned the favor.
Experience Writing 