Writing Prompts #9-12: Quickies

Hi everyone! M. here. So much for blogging more often, right?

I am back after a long production week of our play! I don't have anything specific to write about from that experience, because most of it is kind of a blur in my mind.... but I digress. I may write about it at some point. Today I'm taking a few short creative writing prompts from my pinterest and putting them in one post!

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Writing Prompt #9:

Something along the lines of Taylor Warren or Jess Mavery. If I published a book under a pen name I would make it ambiguous anyways so you couldn't tell if it was a guy or girl. 

Writing Prompt #10:

Pain is dirty, sometimes dull, other times sharp and glaring. The color of an injury, in my mind, is a flash of white followed by that dark uneven maroon. When a loved one is lost, pain is the color of the world blurred by tears. Everything that manages to come into focus is sharper, more cutting than before. The worst pain is blacker than a funeral, yet even then light usually manages to come through.

Happiness is Thanksgiving day and sitting at the table with family. It tastes like the meals shared, along with the often times odd conversations and babies cooing - or crying. It's warm rolls and pies passed around for all. Happiness is also like a free chocolate, given as an unexpected gift, or freshly baked cookies just out of the oven.

Writing Prompt #11: 

"49!" The warden yelled. "Get back in line!"

49 shivered and shuffled back into place. He glanced furtively across the muddy field. Sandy, ragged hair hung over his eyes, blocking his view. He accidentally jostled 48 as he reached his spot.

"Watch it." She muttered. 

"Whatever." 49 didn't care anymore. His broad shoulders had lost their once solid stature and the elements, specifically the cold, had taken their toll on the prisoner. They were about to be shuttled back to earth where they had to pretend all that went on here was fine. If they didn't keep quiet, well, the corrector would pay the captives a visit. Poor 15, thought 49. It was his job now. His job to start the revolution. That, and to stay alive.

(Possible future longer prompt???)

Writing Prompt #12:

1.Where I put my glasses.

2. Where I put my phone.

3. Where I put my shoes.

4. Just where I put my things in general.

5. ..... Uhhh, I forgot.

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And here, free of charge, are a few pictures from my pinterest I thought were especially funny.

(I SHALL CALL HIM STABBY AND HE SHALL BE MY STABBY)

If you ever want me to write about a certain topic or have a prompt you want me to do, let me know! I may decline, of course, but it never hurts to ask. See you guys next time!

-M.

(That's all.)

Creative Writing Prompt #8: Shakespeare Style Remixing

Hi again! M. here.

I think that I must be turning into a broken record. Sorry for the lack of posts. Too much of life around here! Well, not completely true. more like too much procrastination. But I digress. Back to Baker Street.

Today I have a (sort of) Creative Writing post that's going to take a bit to explain.

This prompt was inspired by a comedy act done by John Branyan. He does a Shakespearean take on the Three Little Pigs. (Find it here) In class this week, our teacher had us get in groups and remix a fairy tale, Shakespeare style, using a Thesaurus, and memorize it to deliver in class.

As it was a group project, I only did the last third of the story, unfortunately. But I thought I'd share it with you all anyways.

I hear you behind that computer screen. "Stop explaining and give us the story, already!" I know, I can't help myself sometimes. Alright, I'll give it to you. You expect me to actually write what I said I was going to write?

Writing Prompt #8: Remix the Cinderella Story, Shakespeare style.

We enter into the scene with a sobbing, destitute servant girl who desired above all to attend the celebration at the monarch's domicile. She had dashed to the garden where she could wallow in her sorrows in peace. That's when the Enchantress came.

(Above lines are equal parts improvisation and lines acquired from the essay of my classmate. The rights do not belong to me.)

The enchantress smirked. She, with a flourish, shook the sceptre which was beheld in her hand, and conjuring a gown the hue of roses for Cinderella, ne’er so finely perceived before. On her feet here appeared slippers of glass, translucent and sparkling. “As for transportation, no fair maiden simply strolls to a dance.” Spoke the kindly witch; "Make haste and fetch a gourd!” The said orange squash was instantly transformed to a hansom by the fairy. Then the wand was here utilized on creatures, not unlike rats, seven in number. Up from the grass rose beasts out of the small pests, into six sleek steeds, standing silently, subsuming solid shafts, stirrups, and supple straps surrounding said stallions. Of the seventh mouse, an operator of carriages hence appeared.

“Take heed and record in thy mind that to the stroke of midnight, you are charged to make haste from the promenade.” The charitable fairy warned. “Then my work shall no longer lend itself to work.”

Within the space of the consecutive three hours was delivered a sensational evening for the destitute servant girl. Cinderella caught the lingering glance of none other than the monarch’s son and they waltzed late through the dusk and neared the twilight. Then, the pendulum on the grandfather clock swung down a final time that night to call a new day. Cinderella noted with alarm the first peal, wrenched herself from the grasp of the Prince. One of the translucent heels she wore tumbled from her foot and rested itself on the stair as she hastened from the manor.

The gentleman, known to the majority of creation as “charming”, and infatuated with the vanishing maiden, discovered the damsel’s silver shoe situated still on the step. He commanded his ministers to scour the entire territory owned by his progenitor and not to cease ‘til his precious princess was promptly procured. The attendants attempted to partner the magical footwear with every set of feet in the land, til the final foot left belonged here to Cinderella. Though her stepmother refused adamantly to let the ministers try the said shoe on, The glass conformed to the foot of the servant without qualm or resistance.

Henceforth, Cinderella was to wed her love, the Prince, and maintained her time left on earth sincerely, consistently, subsequently.

-Concluded.

Hope you liked it! I will post another of my writing assignments soon. (I wrote it out rather than typed it, but I have to wait to get it back to post it on here.) Anyway, see you next time!

-M.

On Why I Don't Post Enough and Creative Writing Prompt #7

Oh, Hello there. What did you ask? Oh yes, I'm doing fine. Yes, I'm still alive.

Well, I haven't written because I'm a very busy person. Homework is, after all, a bigger priority, right? (very true, writing is more fun...) I've also been dealing with some writer's block lately. I do have a creative writing assignment in class this week that I'm going to publish here when I finish!

Anyway, none of the above is very true. I've been gone because I'm lazy.

A definition: lazy means hopelessly obsessed with Sherlock Season 3 and forgetting about my poor blog. I would do a "review" of Sherlock, but I'm not going to. At least not yet anyways.

Hmmm.... well, the writer's block part was somewhat true. And I do have a story about my hobby that I'll share soon!

I guess I'll finish with a creative writing prompt and a verse that encouraged me this week.

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(This prompt is from my Pinterest, but I can't get the picture to show up in the window. Go figure.)

Writing Prompt #7 - Write about the most beautiful smile you've ever seen.

The most beautiful smile, some say, belongs to the one that has seen pain, and yet, still smiles. Charlotte certainly didn't think so right now. It had been a week. The house was so empty without him, knowing he'd never come back. He couldn't, after all. Charlotte's best friend, her husband of 48 years, was dead. Heart attack. Her heart broke when his did. The tears that rolled down her face today were ones of desperation, fear, and utter loneliness.

Her tightly clasped fist opened to look at his miniature photograph in her locket again. Kenny at eight years old, dressed up in a nice suit for Sunday church. Charlotte's vision blurred again as the necklace clinked on the floor. I hate this, her mind whispered. I hate him. Why would he do that to me? Charlotte shook herself and stood up. No, She argued. I love him; it wasn't his fault he died.

Ever so slowly she gathered the courage to walk to their room. She stopped at his closet, hands shaking. Kenny's last words to her resurfaced. "When I.... die, look on... the top shelf... of my closet... It is my... last... gift to... you. I... love you." He had said, his quavering hand on Charlotte's check. A week later, she was still afraid to look. Pushing back her doubts along with the closet door, her eyes rested on a box on the highest shelf.

Charlotte gently took the box down and set it on the floor, sitting down next to it. She lifted the lid to find all sorts of memorabilia contained inside. Several photos of Kenny, apparently not at his greatest moments.  Charlotte had teased him about those childhood photographs before, so he had hidden them from her. Several letters were also in the box from her when Kenny had served overseas in the military. She pored over every word that had been written by her years ago. Now the tears were ones of nostalgia, and love.

The very last thing she pulled out puzzled her. A red ball with an indent on one side. What is this? Why did he keep it in here? A note was taped to it. "Don't stop laughing. From the first day I met you, I loved your laugh. Keep laughing for me!" Charlotte's eyes widened as she flipped back through the pictures. One of young Kenny as a clown for Halloween. The ball in her hand was on Kenny's nose in the picture. A grin spread over Charlotte's face, and she dropped the picture as she giggled like a schoolgirl. The most beautiful smile, some say, belongs to the one that has seen pain, and yet, still smiles.

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A verse for you today... Proverbs 4:23, NLT - Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

It's a short verse, but I read it this morning and it really impacted me. It is really a self explanatory verse and I should be putting it up somewhere that I can always see it. I'd rather learn the easy way.

Thanks for reading this blog, guys! I love to hear that people enjoy it. See you next time! (Hopefully sooner than last time...)

-M.



Latest drawing;)

   Here is the hilarious and cute drawing, that took a while for me to finish. but it worked out better than I thought it would!:

Isn't it adorable?;) And if you haven't seen any of the pooh movies, well then all I can say is you are missing out!! 

   

   This wallpaper is so that you can compare and contrast between drawing and actual picture. (here is the extremely small wallpaper that I drew the picture from! I had to look at my iPod screen the whole time)

Let me know if I did a good job!

~E

Sun screen, Books, and THE SHACK

   Hey! It's E here. Well I have been sick for the past week (and still am) so I apologize for not posting anything. I will hopefully make up for it in the next few weeks! In this post I just feel like talking about a bunch of random stuff! Namely...things that are simplex...hopefully. I'm not quite sure how that's going to work;)

   I figured that I would start with sun screen! Why sun screen? You ask? Because it really is a great invention! Just think about it for a moment...(a little bit longer than that)...it's a simple lotion that you rub (or spray) on your skin to protect it from a specified form of non luminous radiation, otherwise known as UV rays, or the Sun! Isn't that crazy?! And we all take it for granted! (at least..I know I do) just imagine what would happen if sun screen had never been invented! To think...all those people enjoying a day at the beach, only to go home with ugly red welts on their skin! (Ok, that's not the best picture to have...but I'm sure you get the idea!) I think that sun screen is simplex, how 'bout you?

   Mirrors are also cool, and yet so very simple! Glass, Metal, and a Frame! That's all that a mirror is! Amazing isn't it? And yet a mirror shows you a whole different world! A completely different way of looking at things! And yet, everything that you see in a mirror is just the reverse of the real thing! So simple and yet complex. I always have wanted to be able to go inside of a mirror and see what it's like....I wonder....

   Ohh dont get me started about books! Too late!..Books and their mysterys. When I walk into a library, I sometimes feel sad. I'm sad for the books that never get read...the ones that sit, almost droopy like, just collecting dust because no one reads them. And I love the feel of a old book that's been read time and time again, so that the cover is worn and the pages have marks on them from years of fingers passing over each word. I love the smell of old books, with yellowing pages, so fragile you're almost afraid to touch them. If only I had more time...to be able to read all the books in the world! Both good and bad...the stories of people, their struggles  and victorys, conveyed through ink. New books are just as good...to open the cover of a brand new book that has never been read since being printed. The cover crackles quietly and the pages inside are crisp and white. The black letters are firmly pressed to the page, lined up like little soldiers, some round and fat and others tall and thin. Oh the joy of poring over words that tell a fantastic story spun and woven through an authors hand is so incredible it's hard to put into words. If books were ever banned from being read I don't think I would be able to live. And somehow eBooks just aren't the same.....well I'll stop there before I go too far..though feel like I could continue on forever about books!

   The last thing is God. But I don't know if He is simplex, maybe...hmmm. I know that everytime i try to figure him out, I  just get more Confused!  I'm currently reading a book right now (big surprise) that's called 'The Shack' by William P. Young.

   I'm nearly fininshed with it, and I have to say it is truly an amazing book about God and His mysteries. If you know me, then you would probably know that I say many books are amazing, but this one is phenomenal! And if you do know me please don't hesitate to ask if you can borrow it! The books summary goes something like this:

   Mackenzie Allen Philips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

   Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

   In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question: Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.

   This book has definitely made me stop and think things that I've never considered before. It has shown me again that God is truly a mystery that i'll never understand!! It reminds me of a verse in Revelation. In it God is speaking, and he says: 'I am the alpha and the Omega,' says The Lord 'the one who was, who is, and who is to come. The almighty.' I hope that if you read this book, you really will be changed by it. 

 Here are two reviews:

   “THE SHACK is the most absorbing work of fiction I've read in many years. My wife and I laughed, cried, and repented of our own lack of faith along the way. THE SHACK will leave you craving for the presence of God.” -Michael W. Smith, recording artist

   “Wrapped in creative brilliance, THE SHACK is spiritually profound, theologically enlightening, and life-impacting. It has my highest recommendation. We are joyfully giving copies away by the case.” -Steve Berger, pastor of Grace Chapel, Leipers Fork, TN

   Well I guess that's all I've got for today! have a wonderful Super Bowl weekend and don't eat too much junk food!;)

~E

   

On Recent Movies

Hi all!

Again, humble apologies for the lack of posts. At the moment, academic achievements are higher on my priority list than blogging. But thank you for reading anyway!

Well, here we are almost 1/12 of the way through the year! Only 11 months til Christmas! (Seriously? Where'd the time go???) I really haven't been to the theater in a while, but I thought I'd give my opinion on the past few movies I've seen.

There will probably be SPOILERS ahead. Just a warning.

#1 - Gravity

This movie is vast. It's really a simple setting, and a simple plot. Reminds me of Kaleidoscope by Ray Bradbury. It's really just two people attempting the impossible journey back to safety. 

Yet it's incredibly impacting. The visuals are stunning. The cast (of two people) carry the movie incredibly. The little amount of dialogue used tells of a bigger story. The inescapable meaning in life, in this enormous universe, shine through, as does the beautiful quality of hope. That's really what this movie is all about, is hope. 

Content-wise, there's some unnecessary language and the initial violence is pretty scary. (For me, anyway. I do tend to get scared somewhat easily.)

#2 - Frozen

I can't even talk about this movie without getting emotional. Seriously. What can I say that hasn't been said? Okay, a few things. They may have been said before though. 

First - the music is a-maz-ing!!! Every number is well made and the voices they have on the cast are top notch. I do wish that they had made a final number during the resolution, maybe a reprise of "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" 

Second - the characters are extremely lovable. It was easy for me to identify with both Anna and Elsa, even Kristoff. And admit it, Olaf completely steals the show. 

Third - the story. I did NOT want to see this movie when we went to the theater. Within five minutes I was completely drawn into the lives of the characters and the plot that followed. It was predictable, up until of course evil Hans betrays poor Anna! I didn't really see that coming.

Content-wise, there's really no issues at all. The lessons mixed in, about not marrying the guy you just met, and the importance of family, are wonderful too. I honestly think Disney has finally produced another movie that will be among their most popular for ages to come. 

So, there's my modest observations on those two movies. If any of you have movies that you want me to share my opinion on, let me know! 

I'm planning to have a new creative writing prompt up by the end of the week, so look forward to that! See you all later!

-M.