Day: August 21, 2021

Weekend Writing Prompt — Pre-Loved

Fandango14 Comments

About a week and a half ago, we traded in our old car for a brand new electric vehicle. I was curious what the dealership would be asking for it, so I went to their website today and saw that they were asking two-thirds more than what they gave us in trade. But what struck me was that they advertised it not as a used car but as a pre-loved car.

(Exactly 71 words)

I’d never heard the term “pre-loved” before today. It’s primarily a marketing or advertising term that means previously owned; secondhand. And then, lo and behold, today Sammi Cox used that term for her Weekend Writing Prompt. Eerie coincidence or what?

SoCS — An Ode

Fandango12 Comments

I rode my bike to your abode
So quickly that by the time I got here
I thought my heart would explode.

I suppose that doesn’t bode well
For a man my age.
I try to be a model
For others to emulate,
But in today’s world,
With all of the traffic on the road,
A bicycle is the best
Mode of transportation.
Am I right or what?

But of course you know that.
After all, you broke the code
For how to survive
In modern society.
As you taught me,
We’re all just nodes
In the network of the living

This little bit of nonsense was written for Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, where we are to find a one- or two-syllable word that rhymes with “ode,” or use the word “ode.”

The Editor’s Feedback

Fandango14 Comments

You asked for my comments on your first draft. Well, you know me, Charles, I can be brutally honest, but then again, isn’t that what you pay me to be? So here goes, Charles.

I think your protagonist is too impetuous, while your heroine is overly gregarious, and your secondary characters are shallow. The plot is lean on drama, the conflicts feel contrived, and your dialogue is stilted. There are few surprises, no twists or turns. Bottom line, Charles, there is nothing novel about your novel and, quite frankly, I was bored to tears.

That said, as your editor, I took the liberty of jotting down a few notes — well, 27 single-spaced pages worth of notes — that I think you might find useful when you start work on your second draft. Should you decide, that is, to even bother.

I know that, after reading this, you hate me and will probably want to fire me. But I don’t want to be a burden on you, so please consider this to be my letter of resignation.

One last thing, Charles. Don’t quit your day job.

Written for these daily prompts: The Daily Spur (comment), Your Daily Word Prompt (impetuous), Word of the Day Challenge (gregarious), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (lean), My Vivid Blog (novel), and Ragtag Daily Prompt (resignation).

FOWC with Fandango — Exacerbate

Fandango18 Comments

FOWCWelcome to August 21, 2021 and to Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC). I will be posting each day’s word just after midnight Pacific Time (U.S.).

Today’s word is “exacerbate.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Once you are done, tag your post with #FOWC and create a pingback to this post if you are on WordPress. Please check to confirm that your pingback is there. If not, please manually add your link in the comments.

And be sure to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this prompt. You will marvel at their creativity.