by Naomi L. | March 2, 2018 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
I used to hate the reflection in my bedroom mirror.
I wanted to be loved, but I’d always failed.
Until I learned to see past the face.
From that day on, my life changed.
Other’s opinions no longer meant anything.
I’d found a true love.
And she was beautiful.
Nobody else mattered.
Only her.
Me.
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!
by Naomi L. | December 15, 2017 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
My family and I decorate the tree with colored lights.
Outside, the snow falls as carolers sing sweet music.
Come evening, we enjoy a delicious meal together.
Then we all gather around the tree.
We spend the night exchanging gifts.
At midnight, the bells ring.
I grin with joy.
The holiday’s here!
My favorite!
Christmas!
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!
by Naomi L. | October 20, 2017 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
I didn’t believe it when they said what I’d become.
But deep down, I knew it must be true.
I no longer felt any warmth inside me.
The taste of blood had become delectable.
And the sunlight burned like fire.
Embrace the darkness, they said.
Accept what you are.
No longer human.
Cursed soul.
Vampire.
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!
by Naomi L. | August 11, 2017 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
I must be a terrible teacher.
Since college, all I ever wanted to do was teach. I studied pedagogy for years. I took student teacher positions at three different schools. And I graduated from my university with highest honors. But evidently, I was unprepared for the real challenge of being a full-time teacher.
I was sure my students would hate me just for teaching everyone’s least favorite subject. So from my first day, I tried to make math as fun and accessible as possible. I tried to create stories with numbers. I came up with scenarios that had applicable solutions. I made every effort to explain problems in a way even the slowest kids could understand. I thought if I made my class interesting enough, they would want to put in the effort to learn.
But I never saw any appreciation from my students. They never asked questions in class, even though my subject is difficult and unpopular. They never requested extra credit, even though I offered dozens of worksheets to help them pass their tests. They never came to my after-school tutoring sessions, even though I sat in my classroom for two extra hours every Tuesday and Thursday just to clear their doubts. By all accounts, they were utterly determined not to learn math.
Yet miraculously, as I sit here grading their final exam, they all seem to have passed with flying colors. Even without answers or extra credit or tutoring, not a single student has flunked my class. It’s as if they all banded together and studied hard on their own time just so they wouldn’t have to endure my class for another semester. Math is extremely difficult; there’s no way they did so well based on my lessons alone. They must have gotten help. Just not from me. Because they hate me.
There’s no other explanation. I must be a terrible teacher.
This story is based on What If? Exercise 24: “The Unreliable Narrator”. The exercise is to write a self-deceiving first-person story containing clues that the narrator is not the person she thinks she is. The objective is to create a narrator who unwittingly reveals that her judgment of people and events is too subjective to be trusted, so readers must create a more objective version of the story for themselves. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written! Thanks for reading!
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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
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