by Naomi L. | July 7, 2017 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
The knight had never seen a battle that surprised him.
Until that fateful day when the terrible creature appeared.
No one would survive to tell the tale.
He wondered what had made everyone freeze.
Then he smelled its fiery breath.
The entire army stared, speechless.
Nervously, he turned around.
Piercing yellow eyes.
Enormous teeth.
Dragon!
This piece is based on What If? Exercise 93: “Ten to One”. The exercise is to write a 55-word story in which the first sentence has ten words, the second has nine, etc., until the last sentence has only one word. The objective is to show that precision and thrift in writing can produce surprisingly powerful results. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
Back to the story
by Naomi L. | July 5, 2017 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Yesterday was Independence Day in the US, so here’s a special set of “What If?” Writing Prompts to celebrate! This week’s batch features more prompts in the history genre, specifically American history! See what historical tales you can spin from these ideas, and feel free to add more of your own! Have fun!
What if… every state in the US were its own country?
What if… the “Wild West” hadn’t been settled in the 18th century?
What if… the stock market hadn’t crashed in 1929?
What if… the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had never happened?
What if… the US hadn’t undergone McCarthyism in the ’50s?
Good luck writing your own stories about American history!
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. | July 3, 2017 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: oligarchy
Pronunciation: AH-lə-ɡahr-kee
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
It’s Independence Day in the US tomorrow, so why not take this opportunity to learn a new political word? Today’s Word of the Week is one I’ve been meaning to write about for a while, and now that some might say it’s more relevant than ever, it’s a good time to finally add it to the list! We love to believe in the idea of democracy, a government of the people, but sometimes the reality seems more like a select few are calling all the shots. In a nation where the wants of the few outweigh the needs of the many, we can only be living in an “oligarchy”!
An “oligarchy” is a form of government in which a small group of people control an entire country, institution, or organization. The word arose in the late 15th century and comes from the Greek noun oligarkhía, meaning “rule of few”. This noun comprises the adjective olígos “few” and the noun arkhḗ “authority”.
Historically, an “oligarchy” has usually been characterized as tyrannical and oppressive in nature, with power belonging to minorities distinguished by such criteria as nobility, wealth, or religious influence. Aristotle first used the word synonymously with “rule by the rich”, a definition that many critics still use in reference to certain modern governments. If your stories are set in a fictional world ruled by a small but powerful group, you’ve definitely created an “oligarchy”!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
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