by Naomi L. | June 15, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Here’s another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge! Yes, I really need a break from the stresses of life, so I’m indulging in some more creative inspiration!
The theme for this week was adventure! To shake things up this week, I chose a quote straight out of a certain 2009 Pixar movie:
Adventure is out there! – Up (Pixar)
I know I usually choose quotes by famous real-life people for this challenge, but this line from Up was the first quote to pop into my head when I read this week’s prompt, so I just decided to run with it. On the theme of adventure, here’s a short story I wrote inspired by the tagline of Up. Enjoy!
Adventure is Out There!
“Shh, there it is, Bernie!”
Farryn crouched behind the bushes, her younger brother Bernard kneeling on the grass beside her. The two adventurers peeked out through the foliage at the enormous black hound lying just outside the entrance to the cave.
“You really think we can get past it, Farr?” Bernard whispered. His sister smiled at him and winked.
“Just follow my lead.”
Farryn slowly crept out from the bushes. Bernard unsheathed his sword and followed only a few steps behind. The moment it sensed them approaching, the massive hound lifted its head and turned to face them, stopping them in their tracks.
“Head to the left,” said Farryn as she slowly reached behind her back, never breaking eye contact with the beast for a second. Her brother did as he was told while she carefully pulled a large discus from her backpack. At the sight of the object, the hound started panting and wagging its tail furiously.
“You want this?” Farryn teased with a sly smile. “Go get it!”
She tossed the disc to her left, where Bernard was already waiting to catch it. The sight of him swiping it out of the air seemed to excite the animal further; within seconds, it had leaped to its feet and was bounding toward the explorer with a wild look in its red eyes. Quick as a flash, Bernard tossed the disc back to his sister. The beast skidded and whirled around just in time to see Farryn snatch it behind him. The moment it started toward her, she turned and flung the disc into the lake several meters away. The hound chased after it and plunged into the water with a great splash.
“Go, go, go!” Farryn called, and she and her brother raced toward the cave before the animal even had time to resurface. Bernard used his sword to slice through the invisible barrier they knew was sealing the entrance, and the two of them hurried inside. As soon as they had crossed the barrier, they collapsed into fits of giggles.
“We did it!” Bernard said as though he couldn’t believe the plan had worked.
His sister laughed. “I told you! The Discus of Distraction works every time!” Suddenly, she stopped giggling and covered her brother’s mouth with her hand as she whispered, “Quiet! We’re in the sleeping giant’s cave, remember?”
The pair of adventurers rose to their feet and crept down the dark hallway toward the chamber at the end of the cave. A colossal tiger was guarding the entrance when they arrived, but they were prepared for it. Farryn reached into her backpack again and extracted a large ball of rope, which she tossed behind her to roll away into the darkness. The beast bounded after it in a flash, chasing it down the hallway and out of sight.
“Animals are so predictable,” Bernard mused quietly as they crept into the room that the tiger had just left unguarded.
The first thing they noticed upon entering was the giant sleeping in his huge throne in the middle of the floor, his thunderous snoring echoing throughout the chamber. The siblings tiptoed their way over and cautiously scaled their way up the stack of giant-sized books beside the throne until they were level with the armrest.
“Where’s the idol?” Bernard whispered. Farryn pointed at the giant’s hand, underneath which they could see a black corner of the object they sought, the prize of their quest.
The adventurers knew what to do. Bernard gently slid the flat of his sword underneath the giant’s wrist and edged it upwards with the greatest of care. When enough of the idol was exposed, he stopped and held the sword in place while Farryn eased the item out from between the massive fingers, inch by inch, until at last it was free of the giant’s grasp and sitting in the palm of her hand.
Bernard carefully lowered the giant’s wrist back onto the armrest, then the siblings stared at the idol in wonder. It was long and rectangular, with oddly-shaped buttons all across the upper face. Their quest was over; they had finally found…
“The Lost Control of Remoté!”
As they spoke in unison, the young explorers suddenly realized that the giant had stopped snoring. Looking up, they noticed him beginning to stir, and they paled at the sight of him gradually opening his eyes.
“RUN!”
Farryn and Bernard tumbled down the tower of books and ran out the exit as a great rumbling filled the room behind them. They dashed down the hallway for the cave entrance, but their path was suddenly blocked by a huge shadowy figure, and the next thing they knew, they were frozen in place, staring up at a second giant looming over them…
“What are you kids doing?”
The children looked up at their mother in silence, too stunned to answer. She looked around to make sense of the scene before her. Through the open door of the den, she could see her husband yawning and stretching in his squeaky armchair, a stack of books collapsed beside it. The ginger cat was curled up in a corner of the living room, busy tearing away at a ball of yarn between her paws, and outside the glass doors leading to the backyard, the dog was swimming laps in the pool with a frisbee in his mouth. Looking back at her children, the woman noticed a remote control in her daughter’s hand and a cardboard sword in her son’s. She smiled at them.
“Did the giant take away your TV privileges again?”
Farryn and Bernard exchanged awkward looks, then nodded as they stared at the floor. Their mother laughed.
“Well, I’m glad to see you know how to keep yourselves entertained. In fact, since you’re such great explorers, I have another quest for you.” She took the remote from Farryn, then extracted a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to the girl. “It’s from the Dessert Kingdom. Follow this map to find the sweet hidden treasure of Cocina Temple. I hear it tastes great with milk.”
Farryn and Bernard grinned at their mother as she winked. They looked down at her hand-drawn map of the house, then thanked her and dashed past her toward the kitchen, where a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies was waiting for them. Their mother laughed again as she heard her children shouting for joy from down the hall.
“Adventure is out there!”
I hope you enjoyed my story! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | June 1, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Welcome to June! Why don’t we start off with another post for Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge? I’ve been having a lot of fun with these lately, especially since they help keep me creatively inspired through a particularly stressful time. Thanks, Silver and Ronovan!
Appropriately for Memorial Day, the theme for this week was freedom! The quote I chose comes from the collection of Benjamin Franklin’s works:
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. – Benjamin Franklin
There’s an interesting history behind this quote: originally taken from a letter Franklin wrote regarding a tax dispute and the necessity of military defense, it has since become a popular saying in arguments about the risks of modern technology and surveillance, and has even been paraphrased to defend the fundamental right to privacy. Evidently there are quite a few ways to interpret this quote, which makes it great inspiration for a creative writing exercise!
So in the spirit of Memorial Day, here’s a poem I wrote inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s words on liberty and safety. Enjoy!
Liberty or Safety
If you had to choose,
Would you rather
Have Liberty
Or Safety?
Would you rather
Be free to make choices
Or be safe from their risks?
Would you rather
Be free to make mistakes
Or be safe from their consequences?
Would you rather
Be free to speak your thoughts
Or be safe from their dangers?
Would you rather
Be free to live your life
Or be safe from the fear of death?
Safety always seems appealing
To those who lack courage,
But in the end it comes
At the cost of true Liberty.
For Safety oftentimes
Is merely temporary,
But Liberty is forever
An essential right.
Those who would give up
Essential Liberty
To purchase a little
Temporary Safety
Deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | May 18, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Who’s up for another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge? I know I am! With all the schoolwork taking up my time lately, it’s good to keep up on my creative inspiration now and then!
This week’s theme was change, and the quote I chose is one that’s commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi
Like a certain “Dr. Seuss quote” I shared a while back, there is no evidence to support that this one was ever actually said by Gandhi, though many sources agree that it may have been paraphrased from a much longer quote of his about the possibility of changing ourselves to change the tendencies in the world:
We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do. – Mahatma Gandhi
Still, I found this famous “bumper sticker quote” too uplifting to resist, so I decided to use it anyway as inspiration for a motivational poem. Enjoy!
Be The Change
If you wish to
Change the world,
Start with yourself.
If you wish to
See more peace,
Be mindful of your actions.
Avoid resorting to violence.
Know when to be patient,
And learn how to forgive.
If you wish to
See more kindness,
Be compassionate toward others.
Smile often at strangers,
And always be there
To help your friends.
If you wish to
See more tolerance,
Be open to the new.
Don’t be quick to judge.
Exercise understanding,
And treat others as your equals.
If you wish to
See more love,
Be a caring and generous soul.
Promote affection and respect,
And always do unto others as
You would have them do unto you.
If you wish to
Change the world,
To see more peace,
More kindness,
More tolerance,
More love,
Start with yourself.
You must be the change
You wish to see
In the world.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | April 27, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Yes, it’s another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge! School has been keeping me extra busy and exhausted these days, so I figured now would be a good time to seek inspiration and recharge my creative energy!
The theme for this week was mystery, and the quote I chose is another one from the brilliant mind of Albert Einstein:
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. – Albert Einstein
This lovely quote pretty much sums up why I’m so fascinated by both art and science, so for this challenge, I decided to write a free-verse poem inspired as much by Einstein’s words as by my own experience as an “artistic scientist”. Enjoy!
Artistic Scientist
With the mind of a scientist
And the heart of an artist,
I look around me
And I can’t help but wonder:
How does a world
That we’ve known for so long
Still have so many mysteries
Yet to be solved?
Why are we so fascinated
By the world we live in?
What drives humans to discover,
To learn, to know more?
How do the colors and shapes in nature,
In the land and the sea and the sky,
Inspire us to create
Such beautiful works of art?
How do so many animals
That seem so simple
Have such perfect designs
And sharpened instincts?
How does a dog or a cat
Know exactly when to comfort you,
To nuzzle up against you,
Like it senses the pain in your heart?
Why are we always seeking happiness
Yet unable to live without suffering?
Why do dreams so often show you
Secrets you didn’t know you had?
What’s swimming deep down
In the depths of our oceans?
What’s lurking out there
In the great space beyond?
Is there a higher power
Somewhere far above us,
Existing just beyond the boundaries
Of our known limited world?
And how can we humans
Think ourselves so grand
While being mere specks
In the vastness of the Universe?
Mind of a scientist,
Heart of an artist,
I see so many questions
Still longing for answers,
And I smile as I think how
The world is full of
Beautiful discoveries
Just waiting to be made.
So don’t shy away
From the wonders of the world.
Marvel at the mysteries of life,
Lest your eyes become dim,
And you someday find yourself
As good as dead.
Embrace that artistic scientist in you,
And you’ll discover that
In true science and true art,
The most beautiful
Experience we can have
Is the mysterious.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
by Naomi L. | March 30, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
It’s time for another round of Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge! I had so much fun with the romance prompt a couple of weeks ago that I decided to participate again! Here goes nothing!
The theme posted last week is one of my favorite creative writing topics: magic! The quote I chose for this challenge is by one of my favorite authors from my childhood, Roald Dahl:
And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it. – Roald Dahl
This quote comes from Dahl’s last children’s story, The Minpins. In fact, these are the very last lines of his last story, making this quote a final message to his young readers before he passed on. Beautifully said, Mr. Dahl! And now here’s a short story I wrote inspired by this lovely quote. Enjoy!
Believe
Abby watched from behind a tree, waiting quietly with a piece of string clutched tightly in her hand. She had laid candies and chocolates under the box a few feet ahead; surely something would be hungry enough to come along and eat them soon.
She was right; within ten minutes, a few little balls of light appeared from behind another tree across the clearing. Abby watched as they slowly floated over to the box, and the moment they landed on the sweets, she pulled the string. A stick attached to its other end dislodged from under one side of the box, dropping it and trapping the figures inside.
“Gotcha!”
The eight-year-old grabbed a large glass jar sitting beside her and ran over to the box. A minute later, the jar contained a handful of small chocolates and three colorful glowing fairies. Abby smiled at the tiny creatures inside, who were too busy nibbling away at the sweets to even notice they had been captured.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered as if they were listening to her. “I promise I’ll let you go tomorrow.”
And she hurried away through her backyard into her house to punch some holes in the lid. She could hardly wait for tomorrow.
The next morning, Abby took the jar to school for Show and Tell. She was so excited for her classmates to see what she had caught that she couldn’t stop fidgeting in her seat. When it was finally her turn, she pulled the jar out of her backpack and hurried to the front of the room to proudly display it to the class. To her surprise, however, they simply stared at her in confusion.
“What’s so special about a jar of chocolates?” said a boy in the front row.
“It’s not the chocolates,” said Abby, amazed that anyone would ask such a silly question. “It’s what’s eating the chocolates!”
The other children looked closer, but they merely giggled in amusement.
“There’s nothing eating the chocolates!” a girl in the back exclaimed.
“Yes, there is! Look! Don’t you see the fairies?”
“Fairies?!” At this, all the other children burst out laughing. “There’s no such thing as fairies!”
“Ya-huh, they’re right here!” Abby held the jar up for the whole class to see, but the tiny glowing figures only seemed to be visible to her. All the other students began pointing at her and jeering.
“Abby believes in fairies!” they shouted. “What a dummy!”
The teacher tried to calm the class while Abby hugged the jar close, bowing her head to hide her watering eyes. She spent the rest of the school day sitting quietly in the corner of the room, and she went home that afternoon in tears.
That evening, Abby sat crying on her back porch, the fairies eating a fresh helping of candies in the jar beside her. She was so lost in thought over the day’s events that she didn’t realize a man had stepped out the back door onto the porch until he spoke.
“Abby, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
Startled, Abby looked up to see her father standing to her right. Suddenly embarrassed, the girl wiped the tears from her eyes before she answered.
“Nothing, Daddy.”
“Are you sure?” His daughter looked away as he sat down beside her. It was then that he caught sight of the jar sitting between them. “Could it have anything to do with these fairies?”
Abby snapped her head up, her eyes wide with shock. Her father smiled.
“Your friends can’t see them either, huh?”
The girl hesitated, then shook her head. The next thing she knew, she was sharing all the events of the past 24 hours, from catching the fairies to trying to show them to her class to crying on the way home after being teased. She then listened as her father told his childhood story about the time he had found a gnome in his mother’s garden and tried to show it to the neighbor kids, only to be made fun of for having an “imaginary friend”.
“They laughed at me for weeks”, he said with a shrug, “but I knew what I saw. That gnome was no more imaginary than these fairies.”
He lifted the jar and unscrewed the lid. Abby reached out her hand and her dad tilted the jar to let one of the glowing creatures tumble out into her palm. It was still nibbling on part of a chocolate coin. Father and daughter laughed as the former reached into the container and extracted a lollipop from which the other two fairies were dangling.
“Daddy”, said the eight-year-old as she stared curiously at the creature in her hand, “why can’t the other kids see them?”
Abby’s father set the fairies down on the porch, then split the lollipop in half and offered a piece to each of them. He thought seriously for a moment before turning back to his daughter and smiling again.
“Because they aren’t looking for them.”
Abby faced her dad once more as he scooped the fairies up from the porch. She was too amazed to speak, instead sitting in stunned silence while they both watched the tiny creatures munching away on the sweets in their hands.
“Don’t ever change, princess,” he said after a minute. “This is my greatest advice to you. Keep on believing in magic. Always look for the beauty in the world. And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you, because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.”
Father and daughter grinned at each other, then simultaneously lifted their hands to let the fairies fly away into the forest behind their house. Abby huddled close to her father when he put his arm around her, and as the two of them watched the little balls of light disappear into the night, he whispered with a smile…
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
I hope you enjoyed my story! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
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