Writing Prompt
WRITING OBSTACLE
Choose a sentence from a book that you have read recently and use it as the first line of a short story.
A single line can take you in any direction you please; you can stay faithful to the source material, or create something entirely new from it!
Writings
My Apologies
When you’re at war, you barely have any idea of what a dead man is. And you certainly don’t know what to do with one. They’re everywhere—seen, smelled, and heard. Some you might know. You might think about stopping, taking his hand, or reassuring him. You might want to dig a grave, carve a headstone, and make sure everyone knows there’s a dead man there.
But in war, you all look alike. You stare...
The Soldier That Lived
The flames devour the fields, boiling the stew of clouds and debris. I can feel the burn on my legs and in my bleeding heart. A blade of glory and one of failure; I cry in pain.
"You're killing me.” a shaken voice utters, the words shattered.
"You stabbed me first." My voice, burnt by the fire, turns to ash.
We fall to our knees in unison. The flames huddle around us, consuming everything but u...
Count My Kills
Some people count sheep to stay relaxed, I count my kills. It is the only thing that can keep my mind focused. I don’t want to start daydreaming in the middle of a job. That would be disastrous on so many levels.
I was about halfway through my list as I watch my target pulls up to her house in her van. She just dropped her kids off at school, the perfect time to make my move.
I was just about t...
Because We Are Also What We Have Lost
Dawn jerks awake with a strangled scream caught in her throat. Her muscles tense, unable to move, as her eyes dart around trying to search her surroundings for danger.
Every shadow seems like an unseen danger before her eyes land on a familiar form less than 3 feet to her right. Oz, her brother, sleeps soundly, undisturbed by her sudden thrashing and ragged breathing.
He always did sleep like a ...
Don’t Become The Kite That Never Flies
Don’t become the kite that never flies,
Get caught in the gentle summer breeze,
Or fly through the hurricane,
If you’re strong enough,
If you’re brave enough,
If you’re willing to risk it,
Let go,
Use your magic,
Use your brains,
Fly with the airplanes in the sky,
Be unafraid to tread new waters,
Love when you’ve never before,
Whatever you do,
DON’T MARRY THE BAKER’S SON,
ENCHANTERS ARE OBVIOUSLY ...
Will Power Struggle
He was standing over the Lord with a knife to his head.
“You need to leave,” directed Satan. “Leave now or face my wrath.”
“And if I don’t?” asked the Lord.
“I’ll do the world a favor and kill you.”
Defiant, God stood upright with arms folded in front of His chest, and looked towards the horizon. A few seconds later, Satan reached out to provide evidence that his threat wasn’t a bluff. He...
Let’s Be Honest
Later, I would’ve told myself it was a panicked fantasy, a delusion that gripped me in a moment of terror and shock.
No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was real. I kept telling myself every possible explanation, but it still didn’t change the fact that I was still standing here covered from head to toe in blood with no memory of what happened.
W...
unraveling
(We go home without talking, though the little girl hums strange songs to herself all the while.) You drive because I can’t, but I think you’d still be driving even if I could. I try to make a list of things that only I can do, only I can offer, but can’t come up with anything. I resort to my childhood methods of passing time during a car ride, watching the inspection decal on the windshield slice...
Witchy
The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow moonlit lane. Walking toward the house. Not knowing who they are, nor what they want I ran out the back door. With all the young witches that have gone missing in just this week alone. We are all terrifed. What if we’re next? They wont stop till they find you. I have been on the run for weeks, they somehow keep finding me. I'm ge...
Onion
He could have had love but instead he chose onions. Sassy reds, sensual walla wallas, and
coy yellow onions lolled on his granite countertop. Long and hard, his Wusthof was slick with sweet onion juice as Chris sliced. Stefany, with the pouty lips and the annoying voice that always sounded as if every sentence was a question, texted. Again. He let his phone vibrate with her pent up frustrations. T...