Nowoman’s Land Her arthritic fingers ached as she laid kindling in the fireplace, checking for moisture. The surrounding bomb-blasted houses provided plenty of wood, but most was wet, which made smoke. Smoke spotted from her chimney would mean certain death. She was boiling water when she heard a crash. She crouched, peering out. Below, three…
Muse on Monday – February 13, 2023
Story Prompt: February 13, 2023 Write a story based on the picture below: This is a picture I made with my niece. It has kind of a creepy feeling, but that doesn’t mean you need to write a creepy story if you don’t want to. A lot of the fun of fiction is subverting expectations….
Dawn Run
Dawn Run Just run. My feet pound on the path, invisible in the pre-dawn darkness. Monotonous rhythm drowning out the anxiety and images: bank balance, angry texts, landlord letters. Don’t run. Running burns calories, which means more food, which takes money. Every step is costing you. Just stop. Just run. I stop a minute. Heart…
Circling Back
Circling Back The project was simple: a group picture where each artist painted one square of a picture. I gave John the middle since he was our virtuoso. The outside came together quickly. I started emailing. Tactfully. Hi John, just wanted follow up about the bridge picture . . . John, just circling back about…
Muse on Monday – February 6, 2023
People like to share messages—to share a bit of themselves with the world. This is common online, but it’s also common in the real world in subtler ways, such as bumper stickers, T-shirts, baseball hats or stickers on their books or laptop. Right now I am at a coffee shop wearing a shirt that says…
Muse on Monday – January 30, 2023
Hello Musers, and welcome to another Monday! Setting is an important part of storytelling since where and when a story takes place will have a big impact on the story. There is something wrong if a story that takes place in India in the 1800s and on Mars in the 2400s are exactly the same….
The Hieroglyphics Teacher
The Hieroglyphics Teacher There was a teacher named Ben who worked in an archipelago. He had his own boat and would putter from island to island, teaching hieroglyphics at the local schools. He taught at a different school every day of the week. This was just his day job, however. His real dream was to…
Muse on Monday – January 23, 2023
This week’s muse prompt is a story scenario. You finish the story. Story Prompt: January 23, 2023 A girl goes out in the woods with watercolors and a sketchpad. When she tries to come back, she finds that she has lost the way. If you want to share your story, you can either email me…
Bedtime Story
Bedtime Story The little princess lifted the book into her lap and turned over the heavy cover, moving the pages until she came to her bookmark. She was freshly bathed, with teeth brushed and flannel pajamas on. Her family gathered behind her, holding up the light so she could see and resting heads on arms…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 