by Naomi L. | April 17, 2015 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
She ran as fast as she could, faster than she knew she could, faster than she had ever run in her life, down the hill, into the forest, past the young saplings she hardly knew toward the old towering oaks she had known as a cub, the same oaks she hoped would be a haven to her own cubs, the beloved litter of four she had carried for nearly two months and for whom she had traveled so far to find food, for whom she had almost found a hearty meal until the dogs had sent her fleeing, the very dogs who had made of her a widow since the day they had torn her mate apart and their men had mounted his beautiful red tail on their wall, leaving her to raise four hungry pups on her own, pups who desperately needed her to survive this chase and make it home alive, and the thought of their innocent faces put a spring in her heels as she sprinted from the sounds of barking and hooves pounding on the cold hard earth, leaving them farther and farther behind in the evening mist, until at last she heard nothing but her own breathing and the rustling of leaves under her paws, and before she knew it, she was diving headfirst into the safety of her den and the warmth of her children’s tiny bodies huddling around her, exhausted yet relieved that they might have a chance to see the coming of another spring.
This story is based on What If? Exercise 90: “The Journey of the Long Sentence”. The exercise is to write a short short story that’s only one sentence long. The objective is to understand how we can shape our writing in a similar manner that our minds function, building a linear order for observations that often consist of many overlapping aspects. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
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by Naomi L. | March 27, 2015 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
“Check it out! I got one!”
“Lemme see, lemme see!”
“Careful! Don’t let it get away. You got the jar?”
“Right here.”
“Great. Here goes… Quick, shut the lid!”
“Wow, it’s glowing!”
“Look! Here’s another one!”
“And another one! I wanna try!”
“Steady… You got it! Put it in the jar with the others.”
“There’s so many!”
“I told ya, Ginny! Tons of ’em come out in summer!”
“But why? What are they, Tommy?”
“Oh, they’re, um… They’re stars.”
“Stars?”
“Yeah! Every summer, stars fall out of the sky and fly around the fields.”
“But why do they come here?”
“Because they’re, um… they’re looking for love. And there’s lots of it here.”
“There is?”
“Sure! I’ll show you. Close your eyes, Ginny.”
“Tommy! Did you just… kiss me?”
“…Yeah.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Maybe. What do you think?”
“I think… you should close your eyes too.”
“Ginny! So you…?”
“Yes, I do, Tommy.”
“Then I guess they got it right.”
“Me too. I think the stars picked the best place in the world to look for summer love.”
by Naomi L. | March 6, 2015 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
He had never believed one bite could be his doom.
He had always thought he could never be caught.
But he hadn’t counted on such alluring bait.
Just one little bite set it off.
He thrashed with all his might.
The pulling was too strong.
A painful tug followed.
His mouth hurt.
Too late.
Hooked.
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!
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by Naomi L. | January 30, 2015 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
All she ever wanted was to be one of them.
To become a sister, you must complete a task.
Bring back the necklace hidden in the woods.
They didn’t mention she’d have to run.
The sound of howling terrified her.
The beast was gaining fast.
She reached the gate.
Almost free now.
She pulled…
Locked.
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. | January 23, 2015 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(First place winner of Writer’s Carnival’s Author-less Flash contest!)
“He promised he’d return today.”
Serena stroked the coral comb through her hair for the umpteenth time. Locks of gold will stop a man cold, her mother used to sing.
“Not this year.”
“You don’t know that, Kay.”
“The day’s done. He won’t come this year. Just as he didn’t last, just as he won’t next.”
Serena shot the dolphin a piercing look.
“Fine.” She plucked an oyster from where the waves crashed against the rock and pried it open with the comb to reveal an engraved black pearl. Turning it over in her fingers, she chanted a haunting song until the pearl vanished into dust on the ocean breeze.
“Whose life this year?”
“His sister’s.”
“Too close. Why not just take his and be done with it?”
“He needs to learn his lesson.”
The friends watched the sun sink into the horizon, concealing a ship that would never appear.
“Sailors are too fickle.”
“Dolphins are too cheeky.”
“And mermaids are too spiteful.”
“He’ll come for me. You’ll see.”
A hint of warning in his eyes, Kay disappeared beneath the waves. Serena’s tail glimmered in the twilight as she combed her golden hair, alone.
“He promised.“
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