Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
This week, Doug is directing us to employ a fairly common convention in prompt-writing exercises, the classic ‘Finish the sentence’
Totally fun bloghop. Way clever, talented writers. And…and! they let us participate! Click here to head over to ‘Min Min Prompt‘ (tell ’em the Doctrine sent ya)
(With nothing but utmost respect, we might suggest that our host should have been warned how extremely enticing this particular form of prompt is to those of us genetically-predisposed to the Stream-of-Consciousness approach to writing. That howling? Had I not spent the previous week, laid-low by a winter cold, I would’ve thought to send a note to ceayr by way of warning re: our effort this week, ’cause you know, rhetorical license.)
“The world thought it had seen everything until…”
You read the bold-font, italicized prompt and smile. You feel what you believe are hints of stimulation, adolescent fingers lost in a forest of foreign clothing, as the possibilities abound. However, it is early and so, are not concerned with the mundane details of plot and narrative. The way ahead is non-defined, your position preliminary; no commitments have been demanded, nor promises made. Your smile grows, as buttons and hooks conspire to end an age.
‘It’s been a while…’ without thinking, as it has ‘been a while’, you realize two things: you’ve accepted Second Person POV status and you’ve added your own ellipsis’d sentence fragment.
And, in a fleeting return to the rational, realize while first-draft writing is refreshing, you’ve already used 123 of your 250 word allowance.
Your head swells up and your face falls as you realize the only way out is through the door marked: META- 2nd POV notwithstanding.
The metaphorical heat of the beginning, meant to be pruriently (if not adolescently) suggestive becomes the red-glow of self-consciousness as you approach the word-limit threshold. Above the abyss is a sign, red-shades of blue pencil letters: ‘Experimental fiction is a label championed by the undisciplined to defy the skillful’.
Watching the shreds of hope for a Hail Mary story-hook Coriolis down the drain, (in the wrong direction), you type:
“... they were tricked into reading this.”
About clarkscottroger
Hugely entertaining, sir, no warning necessary.
This time.
Your punchline made me smile.
Very clever (for a colonial).
(wway sloow week on responfiying*) Hey thanks!
hey we colonials have a saying, mostly in reference to indigenous or otherwise enslaved cultures, ‘You can’t spell ‘colonial’ without the CO in co-opted
* not a ‘real’ verb
I thoroughly enjoyed that, Clark.
One of the neatest and smartest versions of ‘I don’t know what to write’ that I’ve read.
Had to look up Coriolus. Thanks for that/
thanks, j
(makes me think of childhood mother-admonitions, “If you put half the effort that you put into avoiding the work, you’d be done by now’)
lol
Coriolis (adolescent + male + toilet kinda catnip-knowledge)
The most entertaining version of ‘the dog ate my homework’ I have ever read. Graded a Hail Mary Pass. :-)
Thanks, Doug
slow this week with everything I don’t recall colds taking as long to go away as they used to do… but then there’s a lot of that in the past, non?
No trick, all treat.
:}