by Naomi L. | December 7, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Welcome to December! Wow, the year just flew by again, didn’t it? As we reach the end of 2016, why not help yourself to one more batch of “What If?” Writing Prompts? Today’s set features more prompts in the theme of the holiday season. See what new holiday stories you can spin from these ideas! Enjoy!
What if… Christmas came early this year?
What if… you were stuck reliving New Year’s Eve every day until you fulfilled all your resolutions for the past year?
What if… you found a note from Santa Claus leading you on a scavenger hunt for your Christmas present?
What if… there were a mixup at the North Pole and you had to help Santa get all the presents to the right children by Christmas morning?
What if… on New Year’s Eve, time were reset and the same year started over?
Good luck spinning some more holiday tales!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | December 5, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: prevaricate
Pronunciation: prə-VE-rə-kayt
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: speak or act in an evasive way
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
While there may be some times when you do want to engage in confrontation, most people prefer to avoid it and will even go out of their way to dodge unpleasant topics that would lead to awkward situations. Taking an opposite approach from last week’s vocabulary word, today’s Word of the Week refers to evasive speech and action, a concept I’m sure we’re all familiar with. Who among us hasn’t tried at least once to “prevaricate” our way out of a conversation?
To “prevaricate” is to act or speak in an evasive manner. The word arose in the mid 16th century in the sense “to go astray” and comes from the Latin verb praevaricare, meaning “to walk crookedly”. This verb comprises the preposition prae “before” and the verb varicare “to straddle”.
Interestingly, it seems to “prevaricate” is such a common goal that there are several ways to accomplish it. For instance, one way to speak evasively is through “circumlocution“, using long-drawn-out sentences when a few words could get you straight to the point. Another way is to use the rhetorical device of “paralipsis“, bringing up a subject by saying you won’t mention it so as to avoid being held accountable for the consequences. However they choose to go about it, if your characters tend to be evasive in their speech and actions, “prevaricate” may be a good word to add to your stories!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | December 2, 2016 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
I boarded the plane with a racing heart and tears in my eyes. Goodbyes are never easy, especially with family. You just have to keep telling yourself that it isn’t farewell for good; you’ll see each other again on holidays and special occasions. In the meantime, the separation will make future reunions all the sweeter.
That’s what I told myself as I settled in my seat, what my subconscious whispered in the back of my mind through the whole flight as I read my books, watched in-flight movies, and struggled to fall asleep, tossing and turning under my blanket. The dark sky outside had never looked so welcoming and intimidating at once.
It wasn’t until the great city came into view below that I really started to feel excited. The end of my journey was drawing near. What was waiting for me on the other side? I already knew what to expect as I stepped off the plane. It was why I couldn’t stop smiling as I stood in line at Passport Control or shaking as I pulled my suitcase off the conveyor belt.
I knew that the moment I stepped through the doors to the Arrivals deck, I would see his face smiling back at me, his loving brown eyes just as bright with hope and happiness as mine. The feeling of running into his arms was the most comforting in the world, knowing I’d never have to leave them again.
Time for a fresh start. My new life was about to begin!
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