Writing Challenge #1
 

Here's how it'll work:

Every Sunday night/early Monday morning (AZ time) I'll post a challenge for the week. For that week, feel free to stew over the idea or topic, and post your creation as it comes. If the particular challenge for the week is out of your normal comfortable writing zone, I challenge you to try something new and take a stab at it - it's all about growing and exploring new parts of your imagination. I'll try to vary it up a little bit so that there's a little bit of something different every week. ** IF YOU HAVE IDEAS, PM ME!!* *



To kick us off, In honor of the wonderous thing called winter that many people live in, I'm using this picture as inspiration for your creative writing juices:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...bx2s-39671.jpg

Use any form of written expression ( short story, poem, free verse, anything ) to describe what this picture brings to mind.

This is the first time I've attempted to write something like this that wasn't an assignment in school.... And its the first time I've shared what I've written with anyone else.... But, the words seemed to come, so here it is....

Please, be gentle. *grins*


The cold, wan, gray light of another winter morning filtered weakly through the gauze curtains hanging limply across the bedroom window. The mound of covers piled haphazardly on the bed stirred slightly, then heaved mightily to reveal the bed’s occupant. A pale hand emerged from the covers to brush tousled black locks back, revealing pixie-like features and eyes the color of spring grass framed with sooty lashes still heavy with sleep. She turned her head to glance at the clock and sighed, sitting up and pushing back the covers.

She sat for a moment before she swung her legs from the bed, bare feet groping for the ratty plush slippers peeking from under the bedskirt. Slipping her feet into them, she stood, hesitating in obvious indecision before turning to step to the window. A frown creased her forehead as she lifted the gauze sheer with one slim finger, pulling it away from the frost-edged panes to reveal the icy, snowy landscape outside.

Her finger trembled as she spied the chair, still sitting in the front yard, now covered with snow and ice and she dropped the curtain and stepped back. Her trembling spread to the rest of her body and she wrapped her flannel clad arms around her body, hugging herself in silent, desperate need. Memories flooded her mind and a tear welled up in one eye and she stepped backward, stumbling a bit until the backs of her legs met the bed. Succumbing to the grief flooding over her, she retreated back into the warm depths of the bed, pulling the covers over her head. Tomorrow, she promised herself before she slipped back into oblivion. Tomorrow it would be gone. Tomorrow she could face the world without him. Tomorrow.

The cold reality of being furnature...

Today the seams are seamingly tight,
and I am covered in cloth so bright.
My arms are soft, and my legs are strong,
now my family won't be long.

My price tag on, the people stare,
"Oh look at that! Over there!"
The money is paid, the box is closed,
in the living room I am soon posed.

"Put it here! Put it there!", they say to the men.
I find my home, sitting in the den.
They sit and they squirm, to find their spot,
then up comes Rover, HE'S ABOUT TO SQUAT!

The man runs over to save the day.
God, that stupid dog is gay.
Now we watch NCIS,
my family and I now get to rest.

Over the years, I break right in,
now fitting perfectly with my kin,
until one day, when they bring home
a brand new chair, leaving me to roam.

So now I sit on a snowy street,
when life before seemed so neat.
Is this the end for this good seat?
Is this the end for this good seat?

Bryndian_Dhai, reminds me of early Steinbeck. Very descriptive, in a good way. I felt I was there with the girl. Excelent!

*blushes* Thank you so much. I love to write, but I've only recently really been able to find the words I need to express what I need to say.

I love the poem. The Rover line made me laugh out loud. *grins*

Bryndian_Dhai and Willravel - you guys have gotten us off to a GREAT start! Wow! I'm glad we're doing this again!

*me goes off to work on her own*

Thanks, Bryndian. I was kinda going funny/simple to compliment your serious/thoughtful post. This is a great idea. Shoot, I might just post again. Good idea, amonkie.

Version 2


Loved once the chair now
Is fought over no more. It's
burden now melting


Mr Mephisto

Mr. Mephisto - great start! I love all the new people, keep it up guys!

Excelent, Mr_Mephisto. You should keep writing haiku (haiku is the plural for haiku, right?).

great idea amonkie. It's a good pic to draw from to. give me a cuople of days

<ICER> goes and sharpens his keyboard

ok well i have finished mine and i was too excited to sleep so i decided to post it now instead of in the morning.

The Chair

A lone chair sits on the curb of a busy street,
'Oh, why didnt they take me?'
It thinks in its chair think as the last of the trader fold disappear.

The first of the snow flakes start to fall,
'Why am i not loved? i was a good honest, comfortable chair, always loyal.'
The chair starts to shiver a chair shiver as more snow starts to fall.

As the last of the sun disappears into a moonless night, the chair sees a shadow,
"I'M SAVED, I'M SAVED!!!'
The chair thinks as it tries to get itself into its most comfortable frame of mind.

The snow continues to fall as the owner of the shadow, which the chair now knows to be small than expected, stops infront of the chair,
'I hope this is a 2 legged thing instead of a 4 legged thing.'
The chair thinks as this thing starts to walk around it.

The owner of the shadow starts tearing at the chairs fragile fabric, tearing more with every tug,
"oh how it hurts, the pain, the humanity.'
The chair thinks as it wakes up from its chair dream.

The chair looks around and sees its house and its thing and realises that it was just a bad chair dream,
all the while resolving itself to be the best, most comfortable chair ever.


MARVIN DRAKE 2005

i agree (although i dont know steinbeck) i felt like i could see what was happening. even more so in the second half of the last paragraph. very nice.

yes same with me. i like that it was simple and easy to read.



as for haiku, i have never written one but i do like it Mr Mephisto. cheers

Once accepted with such enthusiasm
Loved and giving comfort to all who rested here
Fought over by children
Taken over by the most tired
For years, a fixture in an abode filled with love and activity
But like the fabric covering the bones, the comfort fades
The bones creak
Now the only thing seeking comfort is cold, wet, devoid of senses
Sometimes, life ends for the unliving too

Wow. Touching post, ngdawg.

This post is making me want to get a seat
from driving all up and down my street.
Parhaps one can be given a home,
and clean it up. "Go get the foam!"

Fantastic writing, high_way. If you haven't read Steinbeck, you probably should. His works and writings are really good. He liked to describe things like turtles and wood. I can't stop rhyming. Please help me. :eek:

Wow, thanks y'all... I felt really good about that piece when I finished it, I'm glad to see that it turned out as readable in your eyes as it did in mine. Oddly enough, I'm not a huge fan of Steinbeck, in spite of the fact that I usually do like authors like him, who are descriptive and detailed.

The poetry posted has been wonderful.... That's something I have <i>never</i> been able to write. You all have amazing talent, and I'm really glad I posted here. *grins* Now I'm jonesing for the next one. (And hoping my muse will strike again on this one. heheh)

-------------------------------

Cool thread amonkie and good work contributers. I'm going to think about this one overnight and see what I can do tomorrow.

Till then...

Ngdawg, thinktank, and High_way: Wow! I love how everyone is coming up with so many different ideas. Dawg, I especially love your "Sometimes, live ends for the unliving too" :)

For those of you a little scared by the quickness of some people's muses, don't forget you do have a whole week to work on this. If you've already shared something and feel like writing a second, go for it!

cold and alone
it weeps
begging for someones warm ass to plop down

it needs a warm home
a pet to curl up on its lap and sleep

trashed
it weeps for a home

This is amazing....there is alot of excellent stuff in here. I Gotta give credit to the imagination, and literary skills of every one of you.

This is my vacation photo. This is where I sat. I took this photo when the weather was much nicer. It was springtime, I think. The trees were in full blossom and the sky was the deep indigo that you typically only see when you’re flying five miles in the sky. When I took this photo, the chair was blue. There was a woman sitting in it and she was telling me of the days during the war when she would wait at the train station for her beloved to return. She told us of the arrival of the Army chaplain and the telegram and how he comforted her and told her that her beloved hadn’t suffered. She was pointing across the street to where the soda shop used to be. It was where he promised to return to her a man. Even after the telegram, she would still wait at the train station. She said she waited there every day for 17 years, until they tore it down after the train quit passing through. I remember the wrinkles under her eyes tightening and moving independently of her words when she spoke. Her eyes glistened and I thought they were tears, but it turns out they were burning from the wind that day. I remember now. It was springtime, it was blue, and her eyes were stinging from the wind. It was my vacation.

I don’t think I have any other photos of my vacation. I sat in this chair after speaking to the woman. She got up and walked away. It was the walk of a woman in pain. She walked across the street and looked into the window of the building that used to be the soda shop. It was a vintage clothing boutique now. I followed behind her and looked into the window. There was a small collection of World War II-era clothing. I went back to the chair to take this photo. Then I sat down.

It was nicer that day. It was springtime, I think.

I don’t know how the snow got there.

My apartments on the third floor she said, as I listened to her soft sweet voice beckon me to come. I just met you, I said, and as quickly as I had said it, I wished I hadn’t, thinking she might change her mind. Yes, she said, but we have been on the phone all night and now it's daylight. It seems to me I have know you for a long time, and I listened, and told myself I believed the same.
I thought about what she said, and decided it was time. How will I know where your house is? Well, I live on a one way street,, and my apartment is next to a church, she finally said. I drive a 1989 light blue Hyundai exel, she said. It’s been parked since last week when the freeze came. I wish she would just give me the address, but I knew this area well, and downtown was pretty small. There were only two churches, and I knew both of them. Suddenly it hit me....The sculpture.....
I have a red box sitting on my patio, she said, breaking me away from my thoughts, bringing me back. Are you coming? I thought for a moment, then Said, I’ll be right there. I’ll call when I park out front. Ok, she softly said, I’ll be ready for you.......

Ok, here I go:

He'll never find another like me. Whatever happened to loyalty anyways, the days when a man and his trusty chair grew old together? Who else has been there for him the way I have? I've been plopped down on after long days at work, treated savagely during drunken football celebrations and used for silly activities that I won't even describe with strange women because I'm a modest chair. What did that get me? A Monday morning date with the guys who wear orange vests and gloves while throwing unwanted old girls like me into the back of their stinky truck. I'm not sure where they will take me, but if I were a betting chair, which I'm not, my money says its not furniture heaven.

So here I am, out on the street like yesterdays garbage, which, sadly, is what I've become. Through the living room window I can see Jim and his new chair together by the fire, it makes me want to puke my stuffing out. I can't help but to think back on the days when being with me put a smile on Jim's lazy face. Now I'm being eyeballed by winos and and strange men driving by in vans like a two dollar ho. I hope they realize I'm not that kind of chair! I don't spread my footrest for just any man. What has that asshole Jim done to me? The injustice of it all!

Good times people, keep 'em coming. I look forward to next week!

-Dost

Beaten fabric of a discarded past
Used, half broken by love long forgotten
Hidden crumbs dropped in these folds
Cradling backsides of the downtrodden
No one seems to remember the warmth in these stitches
Cold winter droppings soak this old friend

Always in your field of vision
A safe haven on a rainy day
But life sneaks up past
turning your eyes away
Seasons later you stumble
And find your seat already taken

I used to think life couldn't get any worse than having people sitting on you all day. At least it was warm when my sole occupation was none other than that. So this is what it's like to feel unwanted? I used to be his favorite chair. Sure take a picture. Just what I needed. For this moment live on forever enslaved behind the glossy finish of Fuji film.

It's been a few days now. The snow has almost completely melted. Maybe they'll reconsider. They have a study why couldn't they have just put me in there? Hey who are those guys? They look like college students.

"Hey check that shit out man!"
"Oh bad ass!"
"You think they'll mind if we take it?"
"Put it in back of the truck."

(they drive off)

Asta!!

JP, J.R.V.A., Dostoevsky, tecoyah, amonkie, kwise...

all very great pieces, thanks.

but i have to give an extra slap on the back to J.R.V.A. for not using the chair persay, but the back ground.

cheers all of you.

Looks like I'll have to sit this one out. AS-level exam resits and coursework for English, geography and French apparently are supposed to be my priority.

Plus I don't think I could match the kind of quality I've seen already

Here is my friend
My burden bearer
My constant
My always

Is it neglect
or abuse that adorns you?

Drowning now
In your long, white
angelic robes

You are free
to find a new friend
a new home
a new beginning.

Aw, you know you want to! :D And stop comparing yourself to everybody else - your work is just as unique and appreciated!

Wow, what a great, active thread. I've really enjoyed reading all of your work as well as contributing my own. If you can think of any other TFP'ers who may like to get involved with this thread, pm them. I never would have known this was happening if I hadn't wandered into the forum.

-Dost

Bleak and somewhat opaque to my own oblivious nature
I ponder the point of a studdering progression
Making false starts into this foray we call living
Holding onto existence like some prized possession
What destination awaits this husk
Does the dread I feel at eyes opening to day mean weakness
Or a sense of understanding my own regression
Stealing such joy as a false reality can hold
Pretending I love your laugh to create a desired impression
Watching a bright future become dusk
Making small talk, smaller with lies
Taking the time, but avoiding your eyes
Accept in my mind what emotion denies
Playing along as my love for you dies

Knowing its over…..yet part of me tries
The other part cries

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I honestly have no Idea why that freakin' chair made me so sad

I don't know either, but I'm about ready to grab a tissue now, Tecoyah.

tecoyah,

I don't know if it's refreshing or disheartening to realize that there are others who feel the same way.

Good words. The last 6 lines the most powerful.

the centerline of the image is indicated
by the left edge of the white column

an aqua car snow covered its reflection
smeared along the street what time of day is this

to the right of the center line
a white square its reflection melted over a chair

the green of the chair the color of the street

in my mind, i push the arms of the chair together expecting the back to twist toward me

the frozen throne is
a warcraft expansion pack
or this ill-kept chair

Thanx man. Be honest I didn't really try..no thought just started typing :| I wrote about the chair because thats what the picture is. A picture of a chair covered in snow. It's the main focus of the pic :thumbsup: Hmm never tried anything like that before. And then I went and half-assed it to boot...Oh well.

Asta!!