In My Father's House

In one of my writing groups, we used to throw out prompts and then we had to post something within five minutes, less than 250 words, just letting our minds go and writing what came to mind regardless of whether it made much sense or not.

I'd love to hear what you come up. Come on, give me your five minute version.

The prompt is "in my father's house". Here's what I came up with.

In my father's house resides a mystical aura, one which enshrouds each visitor, changing forever, that which they believe. Those who would enter are enchanted with the sunset seen through the tower window. Prisms of light shine through its gleaming glass, making the crystal statues come alive. The eyes of the unicorn gleam brightly, as if knowing the secret -- the secret of the house. The wizard speaks, but there is no dialogue. His mouth sparks in the glowing sunset, and the stranger who partakes of this phenomenon hears his words. As the sun descends, a darkness falls, bringing a silence that is louder than the death blow of a hammer. And with great difficulty, the visitor descends the stairs, changed forever.

Know When to Hold 'Em, Know When to Fold 'Em

That old Kenny Rogers song kept playing in my mind last night while I was staring at the monitor wondering what would come next in Joshua's Hope. It made no sense, and as much as I tried to shut the music off, it just kept running through my mind. Have you ever been there?

Frustrated, I turned away from the monitor and keyboard and flipped on the television and watched a bit of Deal or No Deal. But that song kept repeating in the background. I summoned my muse and asked her what was going on. That's when she hit me with the hammer. "You're trying to force the story. It isn't working. It's like playing poker. You need to know when you have a losing hand and throw in the cards."

She was right, of course. I had been forcing it. And it didn't work. So I took a deep breath and began to think about what needed to be cut. The entire last chapter! It was too soon for this particular scene to take place. Immediately I knew what needed to take place, and that old song stopped playing.

Yeah, now I'm playing dice. I'm rolling on.

Ever had a similar experience? Care to share? I'd love to hear!

Tuesday's Challenge - Use All The Words #1

Hopefully, you've read my new blogging schedule and know what to expect. I hope you'll all find something of interest, and I hope you'll give this Tuesday challenge a try. The winner of this week's challenge will win a hand beaded book thong and a Godiva chocolate bar. Nothing goes better with a good romance book than a nice book thong to mark your place while you take a big bite out of a chocolate bar. So give me your best shot on this challenge:

Use all four words in a scene. It can be one paragraph or more...whatever works!!

paramedic, pencil, bathroom, cheese

Make sure you use all four words to qualify to have your name entered in the drawing! You'll have until Sunday night to post your answer to this blog entry. Good luck, and most of all...have fun!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow when I'll be sharing info on the latest romance I'm reading!