So this creative idea of mine, it was prompted by my wandering around the Internet, with little idea of why I was doing it, or what I was going to find.
I saw something, which prompted thoughts about writing some kind of short fiction, which them morphed into a bigger idea, the one I’m going to take further below. There may be a monetary prize, for something written and submitted, so keep reading!
The thing that was the main catalyst for this idea, was a website, http://fiftywordstories.com/ which led me to thinking about the possibility of doing something similar, possibly without a cash prize, but who knows it may happen, I’ll decide on that part later …
Anyway, what I’m deciding, (thinking as I type here), is that I will ask, in fact I am asking, for some kind of creative writing, using the image above, and a random number hmm, lets see, 28.
So further to that, I want a piece of creative writing that is twenty-eight words onlynot more or less, but exactly 28, not including the title. And don’t get clever with the title, by making it a long one, the title must be of 5 words or fewer. It can be poetry or prose.
Feel free to take that image any place, pick one thing and use your imagination, or write about all of it. Or anything in between those things. I will do the same, and post my own prompts, two of them, one poetry, one prose.
What I would like to receive, as a comment below, is your response, one only of either poetry or prose, in only 28 words, (title not included, but limited to 5 words of fewer).
The Chase!
Race day today,
best day of all!
Leash on, muzzle on
into car
on our way.
The track,
the others,
all muzzled,
into our boxes
wait,
and ………
GO!
I don’t know this aspect of Greyhounds, but I can imagine, and I have experience of Harness Racing with horses, as the daughter of a horse trainer when I was young.
Oh Jennifer, My Trainer
She haunts my dreams, remembering what could been, if only. Injury-related retirement earlier than wanted …
We both cried, but for different reasons – pets don’t race, or need testicles …
This little prose piece (flash fiction) is related in a fictionalised version of the life of the Greyhound in the photo, our Greyhound Lenny. I’ve imagined Lenny with a female trainer, rather his actual one, and obviously thought my way into his head (or tried to!), which could be nothing like the truth. And Lenny’s racing life wasn’t cut short by injury, the idea just suited my purpose
**********
So I’ve used the dog in the photograph as my writing prompt, but could easily have written about anything in there, the toys, the bed, the room. I could have written about what the dog was dreaming about, other things than I actually did, or I could have written about the various toys, one or all of them, the shark could be musing about the indignity of being used as a mere pillow for a dog, for instance!
The possibilities are only limited by your imagination! So think about it, and when you have your very best, send it in. I’m accepting only one piece either of poetry, or of prose, based on that image of Lenny lying down with his toys around (or under) him. On the 28th of this month, I will choose the best piece of poetry, and best of prose, and the winners of each will receive $28 Australian dollars.
I don’t want to see any pieces too similar to mine, in the content used – take it somewhere else entirely, surprise me!
Carolyn Cordon - Creative 