"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." ~Toni Morrison

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

A Room With a View: Writing 101, Day 2

Today’s Prompt: If you could zoom through space in the speed of light, what place would you go to right now?

Today’s twist: organize your post around the description of a setting.

Our blue and yellow tent sits amongst the trees near an almost-dry streambed.  The mosquitoes have awakened and they swarm me furiously until I locate my Deet bug spray and send them searching for another prey.  We begin the walk along the narrow forest path, over roots and rocks, around the other tents and people.  The dusty pathway leads us to a vast meadow.  The grass is lush and soft beneath my feet.  Ghosts of summer swarm the meadow; they tumble, juggle, toss frisbees, salute the sun through a series of yoga poses.

As we exit the meadow, the dusty path begins again.  It leads us through the trees and between the rows of abandoned storefronts, a summer marketplace that blends into the woods, not yet in business.  We climb to the upper level of the closest booth and look out across the dusty stillness.  The emptiness and stillness belie the crowds that will fill the site in mid-July, but there is a spark in the air that promises magic.

We kick up dust as we walk the path alongside the river.  The banks of the river are lush and green, yet the dry and dusty path makes to hard to believe that the river floods this site every year, drowning the dust and trees, submerging the meadow and shops, completing a natural cycle that has repeated itself over the centuries.

We approach a wooden platform flanked by rows of worn wooden benches.  Ghosts of acrobats tumble and dance across the stage.  A strange music wafts in.  I sit and sift through the memories of years past.

Reflection on Day 2:  Half way through this post, I almost gave up.  My self-doubt almost stopped my writing.  Maybe that is why I have such a difficult time completing a story.  My self-doubt creeps in and decides that it is not worth finishing.  I had to fight the doubt in order to finish this piece.  I'm still not sure if I like it.

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