Category Archives: language
the spoken and written word…and all the linguistic nuances in between
figment friday – slippery when wet
one down, two more months of figment friday to go. i’m still diligently churning out bits of fiction each morning. i only skipped one daily theme this week. today’s share is actually not too far from nonfiction.
PROMPT: Write an active scene entirely in dialogue. No quotation marks; no he said-she said; no description of action—just the words the characters say. Don’t explicitly tell us what the activity is, but through your characters’ dialogue, make it clear what they’re doing.
where did he go?
the bedroom, i think.
i told you not to leave the door open.
it was hot in there!
why did he bolt, anyway?
you know he tries to escape every time. check the closet.
nope. maybe under the bed?
aha! there you are! c’mon, boy. Buddy, come! come here…
that’s not gonna work. we’ll have to force him out.
okay, you get on that side and push him my way.
i can’t fit under there! i need something to drive him toward you.
get your hairdryer. he hates that thing.
oh, yeah! . . . …is it working?
here he comes! got yo– *$#%!
how did he get past you?
he’s all soapy! he slipped right through my hands!
did he head for the living room?! hurry, before he gets the couch all wet.
no, he went into the kitchen. maybe we can corner him by the sink.
you take the right side and i’ll take the left. go slowly.
oh! so close! he’s too quick. how does he change directions that fast?
aauugh! now he thinks it’s a game! grab a treat to get his attention.
good idea. heeeey, boy! want a cookie? look what i’ve got for you!
well, at least he’s standing still, now. use another one to lure him back into the bathroom.
i can’t believe he fell for it! we should’ve tried that in the first place.
why do we even bother giving him a bath? he’s just gonna go outside and dig again!
you want him tracking all that mud in the house?
(sigh) no, of course not. just close the door next time, okay?
fine. hand me a towel, will you?
figment friday – three deliveries
it’s figment friday again. this exercise in daily creative writing has truly been challenging. (and sharing it even more daunting.) but i’m determined to keep my promise. here is one of my responses from this week:
PROMPT: The song “ The Three Bells” tells the story of Little Jimmy Brown (read the lyrics here). In each of the song’s three verses, a milestone in Jimmy’s life—his birth, wedding, death—is marked by the sounding of church bells (hence the song’s title). Choose a similar symbol that recurs three times in a character’s life and tell that character’s life story in three parts—could be chapters, stanzas, verses, paragraphs.
she ranks “snail” mail
in a higher category than e-mail
so when the letter appeared in the mailbox
she eagerly opened the envelope.
the invitation to spend the summer abroad changed her perspective forever.
she loves “just because” gifts
more than birthdays or Christmas
so when the package appeared on the porch
she happily opened the box.
the portrait of her far-reaching impact transformed her ambitions forever.
she prefers “expected” guests
over unannounced visitors
so when the taxi appeared in the driveway
she anxiously opened the door.
the hand-delivered job offer altered her legacy forever.
figment friday – baggage
this week’s daily themes have been focused on varying approaches toward developing a novel-in-progress. that has been interesting practice for me, because i’ve never actually crafted a fully-realized fictional piece, aside from the short stories i wrote as a kid. since novel development doesn’t really result in blog-sized essays, this week’s figment friday post is my response to a writing prompt from the first week in january–before i decided to share.
PROMPT: You’re on an airplane, mid-flight, when one of the overhead bins suddenly opens. Three bags fall out, spilling their contents up and down the aisle. Describe the three bags and what was in each. Through your descriptions, show us who their owners are and what those people are like. **Added challenge: Turn those bags into characters. Try using personification and other forms of figurative language to make the baggage itself have, well, baggage.
the occasional shudder of turbulence suddenly becomes a stomach-lurching dip in altitude that incites a collective gasp from the passengers. before i can fully recover, the overhead compartment across the aisle flies open, pouring it’s cargo into the cabin.
the strap of an oversized purple and orange tote snags on the latch of the overhead bin, and the tired bag hangs upside down from the hook, emptying it’s contents with a sigh onto the lap of the lady in the aisle seat. relieved to be free of the heavy load, the well-worn satchel dances an aerial jig with the bounce of the airplane.
while the startled young woman tries to decide whether to cover her head or catch the items raining down on her, the briefcase that was nestled behind the colorful carryall slides forward, launches across the aisle, and slams angrily into the headrest of the seat in front of me. the seat’s occupant, clearly oblivious to the concussion he narrowly averted, whips around to deliver a glare that says he holds me responsible for the rattling annoyance.
i immediately throw my hands up in a display of innocence, but before he can even acknowledge my gesture, an overstuffed backpack tumbles out of the open bin and catches him right across the nose. he curses and stares down at the paunchy pack, which has settled on top of what must be his own briefcase, judging by the speed with which he unbuckles so he can reach it.
but as the suit-clad man snatches the surly case up by the handle, it’s evident that the closure was damaged on it’s impact with either the seat or the floor. wounded from it’s attempted assault, the ornery attaché falls open and releases a steady stream of papers…no, pamphlets…no, comic books! “graphic novels,” i hear him mutter as he hastily gathers the fluttering pages.
meanwhile, the boy in the window seat is clamoring over the woman with a lap full of her belongings to get to his bulging knapsack. he upsets the pile of paraphernalia she had been assembling, and the magazines, lipsticks, candy, pens, half-crocheted scarf, ball of yarn, and red cloche hat spill into the aisle and roll toward first class. a flight attendant positions herself in front of the curtain in a wide-legged crouch, ready to play goalie and block any coach possessions from breaking through.
the boy crawls under a surprised passenger’s feet to retrieve his bag, and trips the businessman chasing down a runaway comic caught in the stream of an air vent over his head. both right themselves, and while the red-faced man retreats to his seat, the boy tries to refasten the canvas belt that had been cinched around the pudgy backpack.
the numerous zippers were already straining to contain the excess of stuff, so with the belt loosened, the sack exhales gratefully and lets the hoodie in the middle pocket hang out a little. the boy shoves it back in, but this only widens the gap at the top, ejecting an mp3player and tangle of headphones. the poor guy clamps his hand over the opening too late to prevent a heavy book from forcing the zipper wide open. the bright yellow volume lies on the floor just long enough for me to read “Baking for Dummies” before it disappears under his t-shirt.
the uncompliant backpack continues to refuse the property of its exasperated owner, so he finally scoops up all his things in a bulky bear hug. he awkwardly climbs back into his window seat just as an attendant announces “the captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign…”
figment friday
in an effort to write more in 2012, i’ve signed up for figment‘s daily themes. i’ve been diligently churning out quick burst of words based on the varied writing prompts, and plan to continue the daily exercise for the three months that the themes will be offered.
i’m challenging myself to share at least five of my pieces on the figment site, and i’d like to post at least twice as many here. so from now until march 30, each week i will choose one of my responses to the daily prompts to publish here on ~okieOLIO~ for “figment friday.”
starting today.
PROMPT: Using third person, write about a moment when a character who usually feels (and perhaps is) painfully awkward temporarily feels singularly beautiful, handsome, sexy, and at ease.
her feet literally drag the ground as she hauls her lanky frame through the front door. the scrape of her heels on the hardwood floors makes her cringe a little, but the weariness from fighting her slouchy posture all day wins out.
as she passes the living room, she shrugs off the tailored blazer, but her bracelet gets lodged so thoroughly in the sleeve that she is forced to violently shake her arm until the entire jacket is dangling inside out from one wrist. she frees herself with a jerk, not caring for the welfare of the obstinate piece of jewelry, and both accessories fall to the floor. with a sigh she kicks off her shoes and allows them to join the pile.
she shuffles by the kitchen, not the slightest bit interested in dinner. her stomach is still churning from the humiliation of the incident at the office that day. if only she could maintain control over her ungainly limbs while in public!
safely inside her familiar bedroom, she instinctively reaches toward the docked iPod, and in seconds is rewarded with soothing notes filling the room. stumbling out of her restrictive garments, the tension in her body begins to release in response to the music.
the almost imperceptible sway of her shoulders slowly spreads to the rest of her. the sharp elbows and knees that usually define her stiff gait are suddenly graceful and elegant in the imagination of the girl overcome by movement. her twirling and bounding throughout the room builds with the song, and soon she is breathless and flushed.
impulsively she grabs the silky scarf from top of her dresser and flings it over her head with enthusiasm. a few heedless giggles escape as it floats down, and she snatches it from the air before it flutters out of reach. draping the delicate cloth around her curveless waist, she executes a clumsy sashay across the floor, swinging her hips flirtatiously to the rhythm of the song. she can feel herself blushing as if the eyes of a dozen admiring men were on her.
as the music fades, she falls gleefully onto the down comforter with a contented grin–one that has not shown itself since the previous night’s dance.
new year, new biz!
welcome, 2010! another new decade is fresh and clean in front of us. although i believe any time is perfect for starting a project, it’s kinda fun to begin the year with a new endeavor: a few months ago i mentioned that i was working on the creation of an official business of my own. i’m happy to announce that i am officially launching Communicate Clearly Language Instruction!
i’ve been freelancing as an English instructor, editor, and writer for several years now, and have recently felt the urge to increase my focus on these side jobs. with the help of an informative website, spiffy new business cards, and a bit of advertising and word-of-mouth, i hope to generate more opportunities to work in the linguistic field i so adore.
this will allow me to professionally offer language training, as well as writing and editing services, on a contractual basis as my schedule allows. i have a few other teachers interested in working for me so i’m developing a vision for expansion already. i’m super excited and invite all of you to click on through and visit the brand new Communicate Clearly web site! feel free to pass the URL along to anyone you think might be interested.
