Tag Archives: Challenge

Twittering Tales #14 – 24 January 2017

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About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt photo, and your mission is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less.

If you accept the challenge, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.

I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing us a new prompt.  Have Fun!

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Here is the roundup of last week’s creative twittering tales based on this photo:
people-apple-iphone-writing

Michael at Morpethroad started us off with a dare! I must admit, I took the bait!

Anything else?
Butter?
Check!
Flour?
Check!
Beakthwistle powder?
One kilo?
Yes.
Mangle towjamer?
Left handed?
Yes.
All set?
Wanna watch?
Yes please.
Good.   
(140 characters)

Mick from Mick’s Blog jumped in with an entire collection of tales in the form of Haiku and Tanka poems.

Twittering Tales
……………
tanka tales twitters
fiction but one is so true
no to badger culls
………….

TALE ONE
sat across the table
eyes piercing my broken heart
pen at the ready
where did you hide the body
interrogation had begun
(Characters 115)

TALE TWO
two cells an ipad
technology apparent
note pad pen in hand
o the days of writing words
old school reporter transcribes
(Characters 114)

TALE THREE
animosity
bad feelings were electric
unsympathetic
organised badger culling
no not if I have my way
(Characters 122)

TALE FOUR
man and his girlfriend
marriage plans on the table
notes necessary
then promises forgotten
both left failing to agree
(Characters 113)

Kathryn from anotherfoodieblogger penned this tale…;)

A pen? A paper calendar diary? That’s what iPads are for! I’m sorry baby, this just isn’t going to work out for us, I do everything online.
(139 Characters)

A friend of Michael, Pensitivity101 (name please…did I see Di somewhere?) joined us this week with a Race to the finish in her very succinct Twitter Tale. Good one. Thanks for joining us.

Ready…………
Get set………..
GO!
Pen’n’pad versus ipad.
(60 characters)

Willow at Willowdot21 gave us a tale of intrigue through the eyes of a mad barista! 🙂

Always an espresso and a glass of water. Two phones, a tablet and a notebook. What were they doing? It was driving Tom the barista mad!
(139 Characters)

Our friend The Bag Lady, says she got carried away and just kept writing. I don’t have space for the entire story but do pay her blog a visit and read her fabulous bit of flash fiction based on the prompt photo. The Cocktail Party.

Sonali at Howling with the Wolf took us to the classroom or more precisely cramming with a friend with her tale…

“No mobiles or tablets! Let’s have a look at your French Grammar!”

There was no stricter teacher than a best friend one day before the exam.

(138 characters)

Gayl at her blog GaylWright gave us three different tales to think about. Two stories and a Haiku. My my, you all are really getting into twittering! 🙂

First story:

“Why do YOU always get to write and have the espresso?”
“Hush, let me think. Drink your water.”
“That’s it, I’m leaving!”

“Wait! I’m sorry.”

(137 characters)
Second story:
“Another work day.
We talk, make our lists.
Where’s the fun?”
“Just checking off one more thing.
Our new assignment is exciting!
You’ll love it!”

(140 characters)

Haiku:
Drinks untouched again
Minds dwell on recent events
Can’t write fast enough

Do you remember
Last time we were together
There were three of us

(140 characters including title)

And Irena at Books and Hot Tea gave us some good advice…get it in writing (Im paraphrasing of course):

“Are you really writing down what I’ve just said?!”
“Of course! If I forget it I’ll never be able to use it in my novel.”

(120 characters)

A really nice collection of twitter tales everyone! There were so many fun twists. Almost forgot…this is my try at the prompt:

Acting paranoid he whispered, “No one believes me. But I swear I saw ’em, plain as day!” 

“Just start from the beginning,” she assured him.

(138 characters)
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I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. Without further ado, let me present this week’s photo prompt. From Pexels (another royalty free photo site). I actually had this one picked out before I found the one we used for last week. I can’t wait to see the stories you all come up with!

Twittering Tales #14 – 24 January 2017
sheepalaPexels.jpg

Abduction

I woke up in a field, the sun blocked by two beady eyes, hot green breath on my face. The last thing I remember? An eerie light in my room.
(139 Characters)

Oh I can’t resist! I love this photo. Here’s another!

So consumed in passion were they, that they didn’t notice the herd of sheep who seemed very interested in the mating ritual of humans.
(134 Characters)

kat – 24 January 2017

Your Turn…Go! 🙂


Second Look

looks are deceiving
or so they say, but trusting
takes a second look

kat 19 January 2017

A haiku for Haiku Horizons weekly challenge based on the prompt word, “Look”.


Twittering Tale #13 – 17 January 2017

1476833681824

About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt photo, and your mission is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less.

If you accept the challenge, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale. A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.

I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing us a new prompt.  Have Fun!
_________________________________________________________________
Here is the roundup based on last week’s photo from pixabay.com:

img_6992

From LadyLee Manila a poetic tale about life:

a bridge of time so to speak
challenges we try to manage
from the bridge we see the world
seen sunrises and sunsets
days and nights no regrets
(138 Characters)

Michael of morpethroad, a bit of mischief…

They met a man upon the bridge on their way to market.
The dog growled, the girls screamed.
The man giggled. Then they threw him in the drink.
(140 Characters)

Kathryn of anotherfoodieblogger gave us a solemn tale that I’m sure many can relate to…

The family stopped at the top of the bridge, admiring the golden sunset of his favorite lake.
“Is it time?”
“It is time. Scatter the ashes.”

From Willow a triumphant tale of victory…

We’d watch the sunset from the bridge, celebrating that we have survived another week. All of us, even the dog had beaten the big C!
(136 Characters)

From Sonali at howling with the wolf, a reminder that none of us a alone…

Nobody knew about the inspiration – his three friend and dog infallible support team.
The painting, however, sold for 4 million.
(127 Characters)

Newcomer, Mick at MicksBlog, really got into the challenge with not one but three poetic tweets…

Silhouettes, eclipsing light.
Moon darkening the sun.
Partners traversing wooden bridge
Can they see silhouettes.
Yes, shouting back at me.
(138 Characters)
~~~~~~~~
The joy of silhouettes,
Setting sun many thanks.
Your plight is nearly done.
Moon to has power to create
Much silhouetting fun.
(123 Characters)
~~~~~~
Tanka
Silhouettes
black silhouettes
a humped wooden bridge as well
a dog with master
three people suddenly freeze
silhouettes in fear of hound
(121 Characters)

Lorraine’s frilly Freudian slip made me LOL with its odd twist at the end!

“Nice Doggie,” the girls said. Little did they know that the full moon was rising and this was a were-poodle: a house-size version of a were-wolf.
(135 Characters)

Joy at PoetryJoy proves that “every picture tells a story” by presenting us with three tweets (a story and 2 poems) based on the photo:

First the story…
He saw them framed by sun’s dying rays, knew it might come to this. He’d already lost wife and child; now they wanted his canine friend.
(137 characters)

Poem One…
A dying sun’s rays bathes inky figures
The river ripples with golden glints
Time and tide wait for no man
His canine friend beckons
But he wants to run
(140 characters)

Poem Two…
All is solemn, still, a place
now steeped in silhouettes
Bathed in liquid gold, they wait
His dog moves forward eagerly
But he pauses, hesitates
(140 characters)

Our new friend Gayl Wright, who heard about the challenge from Joy, joined us this week with a mystery…

An evening walk
A gorgeous sunset
Blinded by the fiery ball
They were mesmerized
In that very instant she vanished
Where did she go?
Would she ever return?
(149 Characters)

Louise at The Storyteller’s Abode zoomed in on the person in the boat hidden under the bridge for her tale. Good eye Louise!

“None of them knew I was there, under the bridge, but I heard everything.”
“And…?”
“Yes. I’ll testify. He did it. He killed them all.”
(134 Characters)

From Pat at blackcatalley, we get a glimpse at the beyond through the eyes of a couple of lost “tourists”…

“The Golden Gate’s view is disappointing,” she said.
The man replied, “This is Rainbow Bridge.”
“We’re …?”
“Yup.” And his dog happily barked.
(140 Characters)

Irena from booksandhottea shares a common story that anyone with a beautiful, big dog can relate to…(me included)

Three smiling faces welcomed Tom. He felt lucky to have such good friends, unaware it was his dog Barkley they were really happy to see.
(138 Characters)

and finally my tale
Agent Smith knew the Association would eventually find him.

“Go home to your families while you can,” he sighed, “nothing can save us now.”
(139 Characters)

I loved the diversity of this round up of tales and your eagle eye attention to the details of the photograph. As Joy mentioned on her blog, “every picture tells a story”…quite a few stories in fact.

Of course I am delighted to welcome new members to our creative flock of tweeters! I hope you’ll come back and take a stab at the photo below. If I missed your twittering tale, please let me know so I can be sure to add you to the roundup and post a link to your blog.

The prompt photo below is from pexels.com. So…what’s going on in this photo? Tell us all the juicy details…in 140 characters or less, of course! 😉

Have a great week. See you back on Tuesday! 🙂

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Twittering Tale #13 – 17 January 2017

people-apple-iphone-writing

Acting paranoid he whispered, “No one believes me. But I swear I saw ’em, plain as day!”

“Just start from the beginning,” she assured him.

(138 characters)

kat ~ 17 January 2017


Crambo – Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku – 13 January 2017

crambo.png

Happy Friday! Today’s Word of the Day on Dictionary.com is “Crambo”. It’s an odd little word that originated in 17th century France from the word “crambe” which means “cabbage”. The resulting “crambo” though, has little to do with cruciferous vegetables in its application. The French word “crambe” was originally blended with the Latin term  crambē repetīta which means “cabbage served up again” implying something distasteful that is repeated.

Following this illogical trail, Crambo then, is defined as an “inferior rhyme” (I think the inferior part of its definition comes from a global distaste for re-stewed cabbage)  and it is also the name of a popular game that is thought to have originated with Aristotle. I also found a reference that linked the word crambo with the Greek rhyming game of krambē, but when I tried to learn more about it, I was only able to find Greek references to krambē (the actual cabbage variety), thought to be a great cure for a hangover.(wonder if that is true…might have to try it sometime…) But, I digress. 🙂

Back to modern times…or at least 17th century forward. In the game of crambo teams compete with each other to find a word that rhymes with a word or line presented by the opposing player or team. The game ends when no more rhymes can be found, thus exhausting all rhyme references for a given word or phrase.

So, what does this have to do with cabbage? The game is tied to the vegetable reference, Wikipedia says,  in that the players start with a rhyme and then “restew” it. There are other variations of the game developed in the 19th century where actual rhyming words are not used, but rather descriptions of the word. A game called Dumb Crambo is a “charades” version where players act out the word, challenging their opponents to guess the rhyming word.

As if this all isn’t crazy weird enough, considering the word’s etymology, I also discovered that there is a popular industrial tool called The Crambo touted as “one of the best machines for shredding all types of wood and green cuttings”. This has nothing to do with rhyming of course but I like to think it brings us back full circle to the origin of the word…the lowly, much maligned, smelly, gas-inducing cabbage.  While I am not a fan of crambē repetīta I do like a side of shredded cabbage, (aka “slaw”) every now and again with my bbq or fish and chips.

I suppose I best get on with the task of the day…a haiku. What a word! What a word!

Exhausting all rhyme
Crambo renders final words
completely rhymeless

kat ~ 13 January 2017


An Introverted Soirée

photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash

Though she hated dinner parties and hosting guests, hated people in general, for that matter, Florrie had a brilliant idea.

She set the table with her most luxurious china, silverware, crystal and cloth linens, snickering with glee as she added the final touch; a host of prickly, obnoxious, highly pollinated compositae forming an island across the middle of the table and protruding from several vases.

When her dinner guests arrived and took their assigned seats around the table, each one was eventually forced to excuse themselves, stricken with sneezing and coughing fits, until there was no one left but Florrie, who was quite pleased with her brilliant self for having pulled off her favorite type of affair, a party for one!

kat ~ 12 January 2017

A Three Line Tale for Sonya’s weekly challenge. Having bad seasonal allergies, I took one look at the”floral” arrangements and knew I would never make it through a dinner at this table!!! 😊