I think everyone should travel to a foreign country where people don’t speak your language. If nothing else, it gives you a lot of empathy when working with people who are learning your language, but it can be a great learning experience as well. However, it is undeniably a stressful situation with lots of opportunities…
Tag: Writing
My House Doesn’t Trust Me
This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt of April 6, 2026: Write a story about a character breaking into their own house. My House Doesn’t Trust Me I was five steps down my front path on the way to the car when I realized I’d forgotten my keys inside the now-locked…
Muse on Monday – April 6, 2026
Different writing prompts bring different questions to mind, as a writer. For instance, if the story is about a murder, the overarching question is who did it and maybe how. For this prompt, the main question to answer is why. Story Prompt: April 6, 2026 Write a story about a character breaking into their own…
The First Night
This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt of March 23, 2026: Write a story about going to sleep. The First Night The lights die with a mechanical clunk and darkness suffocates me like a woolen shroud. I try not to move on my bunk. Every breath seems to make the metal…
Muse on Monday – March 23, 2026
If you’ve ever lain in bed trying to get to sleep, you know the battle that this can be. It’s also a vicious cycle of not being asleep, then being frustrated you’re not asleep, which wakes you up more. On the other hand, there are times when you are fighting not to fall asleep (such…
Muse on Monday – March 16, 2026
Human interaction makes up a huge part of the conflict in stories. After all, as humans, we are the most interesting subject for our stories. This conflict could come from having different values, misunderstandings from language and culture, competition for resources or lots of other reasons. It’s hard enough to negotiate with someone in good…
Beyond Reality
Beyond Reality “So, tell us about your . . . model,” Mrs. Watson said. The class’s attention was riveted on Kurt’s solar system model. It had 14 planets. The tenth one was a bagel. “First, the sun is a giant lightning bug,” Kurt said, “so it blinks on and off. The first planet—Klaxon—is all metal….
Muse on Monday – March 9, 2026
I don’t know anyone who loves traffic, unless it’s your job to study traffic patterns. However, there are a lot of chances for conflict when you have hundreds of people driving vehicles in close proximity, each with their own emotions, personal situations and levels of distraction. That’s not including all the things that could happen…
The Off-White Showdown
This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt of March 2, 2026: Write a story about giving someone bad news. The Off-White Showdown I am truly terrified of this woman. She’s glowering down at me from the fitting platform, her eyes crackling like lightning on the prairies of Saskatchewan where I grew…
Muse on Monday – March 2, 2026
Have you ever had to give someone bad news? Even worse, maybe you had to give it to a whole group at once. I had to do that recently, and it wasn’t fun. There is a whole range of emotions people go through when getting bad news, from shock to anger, to grief, depending on…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 