What I saw from
Above you,
Of you,
Is what I see
Into you,
To you.
How could you ever
Fancy me?
See me.
You’re all I want
Before me,
For me.
Yet if you don’t
Believe me,
Leave me.
I saw all the lies
My ego threw you
Go through you.
I see the truth
In you– no, me.
You know me.
And I’ve known this,
For a while, of you:
I love you.
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
The archery competition was to be held in the village.
The grand prize: ten thousand coins and a kiss.
He was only here to win the latter.
He’d loved the lord’s daughter since childhood.
Secretly, she prayed for his victory.
He drew his bow steadily.
His arrow flew straight.
The maiden smiled.
True shot.
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!
A year ago, I shared a blog post dedicated to two of the most important people in my life: a list of lessons on romance inspired by the love I’ve seen between them my whole life. I learned almost everything I know about love from them, which is why most of the romantic stories I write are about couples who started out as friends. If my parents taught me anything about romance, it’s that the best kind of love is based on friendship!
So to honor them again this year, here’s a new list of five details of loving relationships that you’re more likely to see in couples who started as friends. Keep these in mind if you ever write romance that blossoms from friendship! Enjoy!
This one is a bit obvious, but it deserves to be pointed out nonetheless. You choose your friends based on how much you like them, and that depends on how much you enjoy spending time with them. Logically, the same principle should apply to romance: if you like being with your partner, you make an effort to prolong your relationship. One of the great advantages of starting out as friends is that you already know you like each other by the time you get together. When you already have fun together and make each other laugh often, the romance simply enhances an already beautiful connection. It’s like fast-forwarding through the awkward getting-to-know-you phase to the actual fun part of a relationship! Admittedly this might not be to everyone’s taste, but I highly recommend it. It worked for my parents, and it’s certainly working for me!
There’s nothing wrong with a little mystery in romance, but it’s so great when you don’t have to hide every little flaw you might have for fear of driving your partner away. A true friend is someone who not only knows almost everything about you, but accepts all the things that make you you, good and bad alike. In my experience, the freedom to openly express yourself and everything you like to your partner makes a relationship much more enjoyable in the long run, especially when that freedom is mutual. Let’s face it, you can’t hide your real self forever and you should never try to change yourself to please someone else, so if you’re lucky enough to fall for a friend who already loves you exactly the way you are, I say keep them!
You wouldn’t be friends with someone you don’t respect, right? So it stands to reason that if you’re romantically involved with someone you consider a friend, you’re much more likely to treat them as an equal. Respect is key in any relationship that hopes to last, so lovers who started as friends have the advantage of already beginning on an equal footing. This makes it much easier to build and maintain a healthy relationship: by respecting and valuing one another, you’ll help each other grow and become better people over time!
Move over, Ross and Rachel; Monica and Chandler are the real greatest couple of Friends!
Ah, the best part of being in love! Superficial flings may be appealing to some, but when it comes to long-term commitment, romances based on friendship definitely have the upper hand. Enjoying each other’s company and knowing each other well leads you to trust each other completely, and with trust comes greater loyalty and intimacy. A deep emotional connection with another person is something most of us search for our whole lives (and many of us never find), so your best chance at finding such intimacy is with someone you’d consider your best friend!
For all the above reasons and more, lovers who started as friends are more likely to stay together for life. Friendship is the most solid foundation for love because life is most enjoyable when shared between two people who enjoy talking to each other, often make each other smile, understand each other well, and value each other for who they truly are. So try exploring this kind of love in your romantic stories, and maybe if you’re as lucky as my parents, you too will discover (or perhaps already know) that the best romance is based on friendship!
What are your favorite kinds of romance? Do you write stories about love that starts as friendship?
Today’s creative writing post is dedicated to my parents, the happiest couple I know. Thank you for teaching me the value of love founded on friendship! Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you both so much!
Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday is changing things up! Instead of simply sharing an inspirational quote, the challenge now is to write a flash fiction story or poem to go with it! Sounds like fun!
This week’s theme was romance, and the quote I chose is one commonly attributed to Dr. Seuss:
You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. – Dr. Seuss
I know so many quotes have been misattributed to Dr. Seuss that it’s hard to tell the true from the false, but though I have yet to find a credible source saying this quote is in fact a Seuss/Geisel original, I thought it was too beautiful to resist sharing for this theme. So without further ado, here’s a short romantic poem I wrote based on this lovely quote. Enjoy!
Insomnia
Awake in bed
Each night I rest,
The feelings inside me
Put to the test.
I gaze outside
At the starry skies,
Dreaming of you
Without closing my eyes.
Against the lure
Of sleep I fight.
I won’t let this feeling
Be lost to the night.
But though the dreams
May call from above,
They never can vanquish
The power of love.
Try as they might,
They’ll never tempt me.
They can’t be as good
As my reality.
Awake through the night,
I smile as I think,
‘Til I rest in your arms,
I won’t sleep a wink.
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!
Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but love goes on and on! If you celebrated this year, I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day (or Singles Awareness Day; I’m not judging). If, however, you found yourself lonely and longing for a significant other with whom to share the day, then fear not! You may be surprised to learn that there’s one commonly underrated trait that can help you attract a partner: proper grammar!
Grammarly partnered with eHarmony to determine whether the writing skills displayed in people’s online dating profiles affect their chances of finding romance, and, in true Grammarly fashion, they summarized the results along with other online dating statistics in an infographic. So if you’re searching for love, be sure to consider these helpful grammar tips; they may save your chances at romance! Good luck!
Today’s creative writing post is brought to you by Grammarly, the World’s Best Grammar Checker. For more information on Grammarly, visit https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check. Thanks for reading! Happy writing!
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