Do you want to stretch your creative writing ability?
Here’s another fun challenge, this one offered by children’s author Susanna Leonard Hill.
Short and Sweets is a great way to get your mind thinking outside the box!
This week’s prompt, called “Saying It Without Saying It”, invites you to describe a childhood event or common childhood occurrence…such as a Birthday Party or a Camping Trip. The trick is not to use certain words that are often associated with that particular event or feeling.
If you’d like to take part, click on this link: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2013/01/monday-short-and-sweet-saying-it.html
Here is my entry:
We hold hands…the long windowless hallway seems to go on forever.
“You’re squeezing my fingers!” I try to loosen my grip. “Sorry.”
A cloud covers the faint sliver of the moon as we enter our room and feel our way to the beds. My sister dives into hers…blankets rustle as she covers her head.
At the edge of my bed, I hesitate. “Can I sleep with you?”
“Do you have to?” comes the muffled reply.
“Please!!!”
A sudden rush of air tells me she has flung back the covers. “Alright…but stay on the edge and don’t move around!”
Arms outstretched, I shuffle over to her bed and crawl in silently…warm…safe…waiting for morning to come.
Can you guess what I am describing? Hop over to Susanna’s Short and Sweet post…I’m sure you will know which of the 15 choices I picked.
I hope 2013 has started well for you…I feel like I am digging my way out of a mountain of emails and unread blogs after having been virtually (no pun intended) computer-less for almost two weeks. Visiting with my kids was a fantastic way to start the year…I’ll share some photos in another post.
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- Creating Your Own Settings in Creative Writing (tomlaing.wordpress.com)
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 
This is great, Vivian! I knew right away which one you picked! I love your choice of descriptive details. My favorite part, as I said on my blog, is the line where “A sudden rush of air tells me she has flung back the the covers” – it conveys both that your character needs the rush of air to tell her what’s going on and that her sister has capitulated 🙂
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I must thank you, Susanna…because this type of writing does not come naturally to me…and it is only writing prompts like yours that get me to think so creatively.:) Glad you enjoyed it!
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Fear of the Dark, eh? 🙂 I like it!
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Hahaha…yes, I was…and am still not a fan, especially with my somewhat impaired vision that doesn’t like darkened places.:)
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Wonderful response to the challenge, Vivian. I had fun with the prompt too . . . describing a picnic. 😀
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I appreciate your kind words, Nancy. I’ll be over later to read yours.:)
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Oh, I went to read it and realized I had read it already. It brought back so many wonderful memories of family picnics.:)
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