Writing

I haven’t done any writing lately. I don’t know why. Maybe a combination of real-life stuff and the lack of daylight; maybe thinking about cold and snow too much or maybe something else, I don’t know. I’ve had this before only not for so long and a couple of things that helped me out at those times were freewriting and responding to writing prompts. I haven’t done any freewriting recently, but I’ve been trying to respond to some prompts and while it hasn’t helped yet, I know it takes time and I feel a little different so that’s good. Right now it’s sort of like being stuck in the snow and I’ve got the car rocking back and forth, but the wheels are still spinning and I don’t have enough momentum to get out.

So I got this prompt from Tracy Fabre this week and I absolutely loved it and I’m hoping you do, too. Even if you don’t like the prompt, click on the link to read the headlines – I thought they were hilarious!

What I think might be fun is for anyone who fancies a particular headline and wants to write to the prompt to speed off home to their blog and post their mini-story and then come back here and post the link to your blog in the comments so myself and other people (myself and other people, is that right? me and other people? other people and me? other people and I?) everyone can see it and follow it and we can all see a bunch of stories. WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, LiveJournal, it doesn’t matter where you blog, just write it, post it and share it. If you don’t want to play, that’s cool.

Now here’s the prompt:

There is a list of great bad headlines here. http://littlecalamity.tripod.com/Text/Newspaper.html

Among them are the classics: Eye Drops off Shelf, Include your Children When Baking Cookies, Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge, Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim, Stolen Painting Found by Tree, Woman Improving After Fatal Crash.

What I’d like you to do is choose one of the headlines on that page, or one of the above, and write up to 100 words which would make that headline ACCURATE.

Your story may be serious or lighthearted or as silly as you like so long as it is 100 or fewer words.

And here’s my story . . .

Miners Refuse to Work After Death

“Bill?”

“Thank you, Carolyn. In an odd twist, the 17 miners who died in the Ramsey mine collapse have refused to work after death. Live at the scene of the collapse is reporter Chris Billington and photojournalist Susie Peyton.”

“… once a geologist and I can make your bedrock, Susie!”

“Chris! You’re on!”

“Oh! I’m at the site of the Ramsey mine collapse where miners lost their lives last week. However, what makes this story so unusual is that none of the deceased have agreed to work which is in violation of law. Reporting live, Chris Billington, Zombie News Network.”