Welcome to week fifty-eight of Saturday Centus. And welcome to a link to a very cool continuous giveaway on a friends blog. To go comment for a chance to win TEN DIFFERENT PRIZES, just click here!
Moving along now.
Good morning! One of our Centusians volunteered a prompt AND a challenge this week.
Which is very cool.
Miss Nonna Beach (click here to visit her blog!) wrote several prompts for me to choose from ...
AND...
She suggested I be a bit more generous with the word count this week...so...
The prompt I picked is: The wall was built long ago.
You can use these six words PLUS up to an addition 200 hundred words to write your story this week. Yes, you heard me. 200 words! Practically a novel!
Any genre, any style of writing so long as it is PG!
Please display link button or just a hyper-link back to Saturday Centus. Be careful to link your SC URL to the Linky and not just link to your main blog.
Please e-mail me directly with ???'s or ask your question in a comment and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.
Feel free to link up anytime between now and next Saturday!
Posts
17 comments:
Suggestion...on these prompts that start with either a definite or indefinite article..."A", "The", etc., that you leave it off. I have often found myself trying to conform my writing to these articles. They may seem insignificant, yet often become very defining. Not trying to be nit picky, just expressing an often realized point of frustration...and I do not want to change the prompt
I agree with Jeff here. But part of the challenge is also being able to conform and still write something that is yours.
Best wishes,
Anna
Anna...in part I agree with you, but is "...wall built long ago" that is the important part of the prompt, or that it is "The wall..." ? I have on occasion noticed that with some entries, often my own, that this article does not flow with the writing. As for myself, I am most often prompted by the core of the prompt. I am rarely prompted by whether or not it is "A something", or "The something..."
Yes, Jeff. I do agree with you there. Small words like "a" or "the" can and often do make a difference in meaning and even the sound and flow of your story. Using a prompt that is not too specific about the article gives us more freedom of choice. The best prompts are the ones that allow the greatest variety and diversity of meaning.
Not being bound by a definite or an indefinite article allows greater freedom and more variation among the participants. It has happened to me that I have chosen a more conventional solution because the words just did not fit, grammatically.
It's good that you question the rules, Jeff! These exercises are meant to help us get started writing and also to edit what we write; which is essentially forcing us to make choices.
Best wishes,
Anna
Hi Jenny !
Thanks for the shout out and Linky Love...you're awesome ! I have been excited all week and now, my wordy self, often confined to "edit prison" is free to take flight with this 200 word challenge.
BTW, I don't think Jeff and Anna will have any trouble coming up with 200 words if the comments above are any indication... Me neither, come to think of it...isn't that part of the fun/torture of these wonderful writing exercises ?
I'm off to write a very verbose story and I'm doin' the happy dance too !
Hugs,
Nonna
Wow - We surely are generous this week! I like it! I'm always having to cut out my most colorful words to make it fit. Can't wait to get started.
"A" and "J" - It's a blog, not a thesis or a novel. I say this with gentle, loving intentions.
Thanks, Jenny, for the challenge!
Dear "Noexcuses",
Yes, I know. This is supposed to be FUN!
One thing is certain, Jeff and I really like SC, otherwise we would not make such a big thing about the rules. We don't mean to be nit picky, but I am afraid that it is in our nature!
Another thing that is certain is that we really do like Jenny Matlock very much and all of the sweet people who participate in these writing exercises. Bless you all!
Hugs,
Anna
To my 'blog' friend Noexcuses...as for this article business...I have had this thought about it for some time, and wanted to express my opinion. Blog, thesis or novel aside, Miss Jenny suggests that I am free to leave her a question in the comment section. Normally I would not avail myself of this opportunity, choosing to work as best I can within the confines of the rules. I do seek, however, to be as freed as possible in creative exploration, while staying true to the heart of the prompt. If a certain definite or indefinite article is central to the heart of a prompt, then so be it...if not, then may I forever be freed!! Peace and happy writing ;-)
Nonna, I suspect you know by now that my dilemma lies not in coming up with sufficient numbers of words, but staying within the prescribed boundaries. This week I am not sure that I even used all 200. I have to admit however that having the luxury of 200 freed me up a bit. Wow! I feel free! Peace to you my friend...
To Jeff,Anna and noexcuses,
You are all wonderful, thoughtful and kind and it is a true pleasure to meet weekly with this meme. I see all your points clearly. I am so glad you have been freed from the confines of 100 words this week. I love the fact that you all found a silver lining in this challenge and are willing to take it on. I cannot wait to read all the submissions !!!
Have a great weekend
Hugs, Nonna
Dear Nonna,
Now that I am done, I can say that I love your prompt! I am happy that I have written my text. I don't usually have much time to write, and when I do, as today, I am constantly being interrupted. So this text is no masterpiece, just something that I enjoyed working with/playing with because it alludes to a book that I enjoyed reading.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Anna
The(Garden)Wall-Anna's SC wk 58
200 words. oh my gosh, I'm so excited
I'm with Jeff!
I wouldn't want to do 200 every week, but this was fun.
=)
Jenny, I linked my SC. Thank you for again a wonderful challenge. I loved it just as much as when it was only 25 words. I also want to thank you for all the wonderful and uplifting comments you left for my posts. I appreciate your taking the time to read them. I hope I can return the favor too in the future. I am going through a life changing moment right now, but I tell you what, I will at least try to check on your SC every weekend. Again, thank you for this opportunity to share my work.
200 extra words... whew.... I won't be using all those. I won't even get to 200 but I hope it's enjoyed:-)
Knock, knock.... am I still allowed in? Sorry I've been away so long, but life has been a bit rough lately. I've missed you all, and hopefully my muse hasn't totally abandoned me. Thank you Nonna for the extra words! Kat
Jenny etc al ...1)am still being refused to leave comments to 98 percent of you. Everyone has such an entertaining way with words and am frustrated being "anomyous". 2) Was thrilled to see 200. Then the rewrites to carve it down. I'm finding you challenges the spark to keep me writing. Thank you.
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