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| (Image by Chris J. Fries, using a template from Presentation Magazine) |
I've been toying with the idea of creating a recurring theme post, and thought this might be a fun way to do it -- how about a (semi) regular Tuesday post, which features some original blog-exclusive writing? Like maybe a 200-word story?
Two-hundred words offers more room for expansion than the stories I've written for 50-Word Stories, but it is still much in the same vein -- it would be a snippet of a story in exactly two-hundred words (not 199, not 201). This would allow a little more creative possibilities, still be short enough to be able to put one together consistently, provide a little exercise for my writing muscles, generate original content for my blog, and yet not cut too deeply into my limited time for my other creative writing and my music. And at only two-hundred words, it would hopefully not demand too much time out of my busy blog visitors, either.
So I think it sounds like a fun thing to try.
But what to write about???
Hmmmm.... Well, how about using the news as inspiration? Maybe I can find something for each post in the recent news and give it a twist, or simply use it as inspiration for a fictionalized piece. I mean, it's worked for Law and Order for years, right?
So then this would be a Tuesday, Newsday, Two-Hundred-wordplay post.
Sounds like a plan!
Well, let me give it a try and offer the piece below, which is based closely on an article I found in the recent news. I call it "Crazy in Love", and I hope you enjoy it. To find the source of the story, you can visit the original news article via the link at the end.
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Crazy in Love
The wedding will be small and intimate -- an understated ceremony, performed with guarded restraint.
The young bride is ready to be committed, and
eager to be the star of the day. "This is what’s right for me," she says. "This is what I was
born for.”
The groom is older. A bit jaded. It's not his first wedding and
he's never been one for ceremony. He grumbles about the whole thing. "That's
trash," he says. "We're just playing that for public
consumption." But if his bride
wants it, he'll go along. It's not like there's any risk of him running off.
His intense emotions have kept him a prisoner.
Secretly, he doesn't really mind the attention. Having an audience
has always given him a certain gleam in the eye. Even the playful way he lays a finger against
his nose in the engagement picture captures his flair for the spotlight.
Unfortunately, there won't be a honeymoon. The bride would love to
get away with her new husband, but she knows that sometimes life puts up bars
against what she wants.
So the newlyweds will make do.
When you're crazy in love, you don't let anything stand in your
way.
==========
Thank you for reading!
I also hope that everyone of my US readers has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving this week!
Your story is much better than the real one. Charles Manson getting married?
ReplyDeleteI love your twist. Tuesdays may end up being one of my favorite days. ;)
ReplyDeleteUgh.
ReplyDeleteNot your story.
The real story.
If you ask me, she ought to be locked up with him.
It was very clever how you worked in things like "guarded restraint" and "bars." I love flash fiction and wrote a bunch of 300 word stories to 3 word prompts for competitions a few years ago. It's a challenge to tell an entire story with plot, conflict, action and a twist ending in 300 words. I daresay it would be far more challenging at 200.
ReplyDeleteVery clever! Judging by your word choice, I suspected the wedding was taking place in a prison as I was reading your story, but I did NOT anticipate the actual groom's name from the news story. Holy moly. That woman is outta her mind. She ought to be "committed."
ReplyDeleteNice job.
Happy Thanksgiving!
By the way, Chris -- My blog post today was dedicated to you. Or at least inspired by you.
ReplyDeleteAs well as "Fitting It All In" I certainly do have to "Recharge" too!
Great idea, and the news provides endless sources of inspiration. My paper carries a syndicated column called "New Of the Weird" which has proven to me that nothing I write could be as outlandish as some of the things that people really do. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Chris! This is fun! I'll stop by every Tuesday. I don't understand people who marry incarcerated criminals, I really don't, but Charles Manson??? Are you f***ing kidding me?! Augh...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, your story was awesome, very clever use of words!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
To all: Sorry for the delay in responding to your comments! It was a very busy Thanksgiving time. But I want you all to know that I read and greatly appreciate your thoughts and you taking the time to share them. Thank you!
ReplyDelete@Alex: Thanks! And yeah -- that was my basic reaction. With a few more question marks and exclamation points. ;)
@Crystal: Thank you very much! I really appreciate that, and I'll gladly do what I can to help make Tuesdays a good day. I might not be able to get it all the way to favorite, but I'll at least try and keep it in the top seven. ;)
@Dianne: You're right. And I'd agree, but I'm afraid she'd consider that a good thing. :)
@Lexa: Thank you. I was afraid I was getting a little too carried away. "'Star' of the day," "ready to be committed," "guarded," "kept him a prisoner," etc. It is a challenge to get all of that into 200 words -- which is why I don't try. I just try to get something that seems at least a little cohesive. If any of that other stuff somehow manages to sneak in, that's just a bonus, lol! :)
@Susan: Thanks, and I knew you'd be able to get a glint of where the story was going. :) I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, too!
@Dianne II: Thanks! I'm flattered, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to check it out earlier -- but I'll be over ASAP!
@Li: Thank you, and you're right -- truth really IS stranger than fiction. Or at least crazier. :) And I hope your Thanksgiving was great also!
@Gina: Thank you very much! And yeah -- she's either insane, craving media attention, or both. And a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!
Hey Chris.
ReplyDeleteFirst I thought... 200 words every week. It doesn't sound like much but it will get exhausting! It will be tiring and you'll run out of content.
Then you expanded on it. Then I read your piece. And I think it's brilliant. Not only are you practicing with new, impromptu ideas, you're giving life to otherwise fleeting inspirations. And that's the most important step in exercising one's creativity. And now I want to do it! One story every week! Some kind of structure to my blog!!! (which never works out for me)
But since it's your idea, I wouldn't do it without your permission. :)
@David: Thank you very much -- I'd love to tell you that I had that depth of thought about trying this, but truthfully, it was more at the level of a, "huh... maybe this might be a fun idea," kind of thing. . :)
ReplyDeleteAnd of course -- you can absolutely use it if you want!