The Garden Gate stands open

Daily writing practice prompt for Wednesday, July 8, 2009: Write about a gate.”

The garden gate stands open
you can walk right in
inhale the fragrance of the flowers
of pick the fruit
and then walk out again.

Or you can stay in the garden
and cultivate the plants
prune the trees and plant the flowers
you never have to leave again
because the garden gate stands open
inviting everyone in.

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Writing is hard work

Writing is hard work, of course, nothing worth doing is easy. Actually, life itself isn't easy. It takes work and persistence to survive. Writing is mental work, thought work; a writer can write a specific amount of words before mental fatigue set in.

Mental fatigue, unlike physical fatigue, requires you to get up and do physical exercise. In my case, I'm going to get up from in front of my computer then check the cloths on the line. If the cloths are dry, I will bring them into the house. After that, I'll sweep a floor or take out the trash.

Once I have mentally rested, then I will return to the computer write or do three or four reviews. The secret to writing is to get away from the computer and the writing when mental fatigue arrives.

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Nobody sends postcards any more

aDaily writing practice prompt for Friday, July 10, 2009: “Write about a postcard.”

"Nobody sends postcards any more," Lara sit staring out the kitchen window watching the limbs of pink oleanders blowing in the morning breeze.

"That's not true, Mom," Clara studied the expression on her mother's face. "I received postcard in my e-mail box yesterday. It was from Uncle Joe."

"I'm talking about postcard sent through ordinary mail, not over some electronic device." Lara sighed, "If more people sent postcards through the postal systems then the economy would improve."

"How do you figure that, Mom," Clara smiled as her mother poured coffee into their cups.

"Well," the sound of mail falling through the slot in the front door interrupted Lara. Getting up, she walked into the entrance hall and picked up a postcard off the floor.

"Who's it from, Mom?"

"It's from your Uncle Joe!"

"Uncle Joe? Mom," Clara took the card from her mother's hands, "it can't be from Uncle Joe. He doesn’t use snail mail any more!"

A Beautiful Summer Morning in Las Vegas

Kamál (Perfection), 1 Kalimát (Words), 166 BE – Monday, July 13, 2009 about 6:01 AM Pacific Time

It's a beautiful summer morning in Las Vegas. I've said part of my morning prayers. I just finished my first cup of coffee. My washing machine finished its first load of cloths. I've checked the my bank account and my PayPal account.

I'm feeling a little better this morning then yesterday morning. I don't ache all over, all though my knees hurt when I got up this morning. The pain in my knees is a normal part of my morning. It goes away once I start walking around and getting a little exercise. My exercise routine is to walk.

Yesterday the temperature in Las Vegas rose to 110. I haven't checked my e-mail to see today's forecast. I don't have a working T.V. in the house so I have to get all my news and weather from the newspaper or off the Internet. I'm going out to get the paper as soon as I put my teeth in my mouth. At 62, I have enough wrinkles with my teeth in my mouth; I don't want anyone to see me without my teeth any more.

It was as if …

Daily writing practice prompt for Saturday, July 11, 2009: “It was as if ...”

It was as if a giant hand had swept all the houses off their foundations and scattered their contents across the city. I'm not sure how old I was when the tornado struck Blackwell, Oklahoma. I know I was in grade school. I remember huddling in our storm cellar as the tornado passed.

The tornado didn't touch down on my side of town. It touched down around Aunt Ida's house. Aunt Ida was my grandmother's sister. Grandpa took us to see the destruction and visit Aunt Ida. I remember the house next door was completely destroyed; the only thing left of that house was the foundation.

Aunt Ida and her husband rebuilt. The foundation of the house next door remained empty and weed covered. I don't know why the family never rebuilt, I don't think Aunt Ida ever said.

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The pain of writing

Sometimes writing can be a pain. I am talking about physical pain and not the pain of bloggers block, writers' block or rewriting. Normally, I feel more body aches and pains in winter when the cold penetrates my joints; however, on this beautiful summer morning I am noticing aches and pains that were not there yesterday.

I have knee pain all year round. I wake up with it everyday. The pain in my knee goes away for a little while during the day. This morning my neck and shoulders ache, which could be the results of the way I slept last night.

This morning the pain seems to be waiting on the edge of consciousness for me to let down my guard. I am having a psoriasis flare-up, so that could be part of the problem; if it is then I just have to deal with the psoriasis and not worry about anything else.

I don't like taking medication for pain. At the moment, I don't have anything in the house except prescription pain pills. I'm not going to use them during the day because I don't like the affect and the pain is not that bad.

I have to make an appointment with my doctor, so I will discuss the issue with her. I doubt that I get any answers except suggesting tests or x-rays. Perhaps the pain is just a part of the aging process and something I am going to have to deal with the rest of my life. Well, I am not going to let it stop me from writing or doing anything else I enjoy. I will just deal with it.

Talk about Junk Mail

Talk about junk mail, I have a full set of dentures and I keep getting offers in my e-mail box about tooth whitening products. When I had my natural teeth, I didn't buy that type of thing. I always figured if it isn't in the toothpaste then I it was unnecessary.

The one good thing about junk e-mail is that trees aren't killed to send it. Junk e-mail you can just delete without having to take a pair of scissors or use a shredder on the envelope. I do have a mail shredder, but I don't have an outlet in the entrance hall where I need the shredder.

My snail mail arrives through a slot in my door, so it lands on the floor. In order to shred the junk mail I have to carry it into another room and plug the shredder into an outlet. It's easier to keep a pair of scissors and a trashcan in the entrance hall, then I don't have junk mail in other rooms. Of course, with the amount of junk mail we receive that trashcan requires emptying every day except Sunday.

A Writer’s Frequently Asked Questions

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for Thursday, July 2, 2009 was “These were the frequently asked questions.”

Who,
What,
When,
Where,
Why,
and How
these are a writer's FAQs.

A writer always asks:
Who is involved in this situation?
What is the situation?
When in time and space does the situation occur?
Where does the situation occur?
Why are the characters involved in this situation?
How is the situation resolved?

Write about a voice

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for Saturday, July 4, 2009 was “Write about a voice.”

I remember the picture of a dog listening for his master's voice. The picture was on a plastic record. The picture of the dog was on all the records my grandparent played on their record player-radio combination (I think it was called a Victrola).

Grandma like records singers, but Grandpa liked both instrumentals and vocals. Grandma had a pleasant singing voice, while Grandpa had a strong singing voice. The only time I ever heard my Grandparents sing was in church.

My Mother has a pleasant voice. My mother chants and her voice echoes through the house. Mom's voice reminds me of Grandma voice. I enjoy hearing Mom chant because it is a spiritual sound.

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Write about the inevitable

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for Friday, July 3, 2009 was “Write about the inevitable.”

I've always wondered about the inevitable. People talk about something being inevitable, but often what is referred to as "the inevitable" doesn't occur. I recently found out how to tell if something really is inevitable.

I've procrastinated about upgrading to Internet Explorer 8 for a few months. Yesterday, July 6, 2009, I upgraded my browser to Explorer 8. I upgraded because my system is set to download automatic updates. I'm glad my system is set that way because if it wasn't I would still be putting off upgrading to Explorer 8. It was inevitable that I upgrade to Explorer 8.

"The Inevitable", therefore, is something that happens even if you put the decision off. In fact, that sounds like a good title and plot for a short story or piece of flash fiction.

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So it has come to this

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for Monday, July 6, 2009 was “So it has come to this.”

So it has come to this, hanging my cloths outside to dry. When the dryer's heating element went out I had a choice. I could get a new. I could get a used dryer. I could wash my cloths at home and then take them to the laundromat to dry. I could buy a hexagon outdoor dryer and 50 lbs. of quick drying cement. I picked the last option.

Now I wash my cloths in an automatic washing machine and hang them on the line to dry. My grandmother washed her cloths in a washing machine with a wringer and hung them on a cloths line to dry. I remember watching her wring the cloths between cycles and then helped her hang them on the line.

I could use a washing machine with a wringer. In fact, my grandmother let me use her washing machine a few times. I remember she always worried that I would get my fingers caught in the wringer. Eventually, my grandfather bought her an automatic washer; however, she never had an automatic dryer. Grandma always hung her cloths outside to dry.

So now it has come to this, I have come full circle. I am washing my cloths and drying them, the way Grandma Newland did after Grandpa bought her the automatic washing machine.

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Writing about a good time

Daily Writing Practice Prompt for Tuesday, July 7, 2009 is “It was his idea of a good time.”

I could take several approaches with this prompt; most of them acquired by experience. The one thing I have learned in the past 62 years is that everyone has a different idea of a "good time". I have also found that an individual's concept of a "good time" changes as the person matures.

It was his idea of a good time, sitting in a motor boat with a fishing pole in the water waiting for a fish to strike the worm dangling on the hook.

It was his idea of a good time. Sitting on a bar stool holding a cold bottle of beer and listening to country music playing on the jukebox.

Two completely different approaches to the same prompt. Two complete different stories or slice of life essays. The genre depends on whether I want to write a personal essay or a short story. Alternatively, I could write a poem using either approach.

Since I do not intend to write a slice of life or a personal essay. I have to decide between a short story or a poem. No matter which I decide to write, I am going to have to add more description and action.

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