Cynthia A. Morgan's Blog, page 47

Crossing – 5 Steps to Writing Epic #50-WordStories

Sliding into the past by tumbling through the present reality utilizing a crossing created in the future, we skidded into yesterday in a chaotic whirlwind.

Those we met stared at us like we were unholy demons from the under realms.

Their greeting went as anticipated.

Now we needed to escape!

What is a 50-Word Story?

A 50-word story is exactly what it sounds like; a piece of fiction written in precisely 50 words. No more, no less. As with any other form of fiction, a 50-word story has a beginning and an end. It can also have a plot and character development, and a theme, meaning, or purpose. Many 50-word stories are built around a twist or climactic moments.

It’s not necessarily easy to do, but writing a 50-word story is an interesting exercise for any writer to try, focusing on succinctness and clarity of writing. With just 50 words, there isn’t room for fluff.

How to be Brief Choose a prompt image and subject. When writing something as compact as microfiction or a 50-word story, it’s often easier to gather your thoughts through the use of an image that sparks your imagination. Consider your story . Consider the image and/or subject and allow your imagination to run free. What’s the first thought that comes to your mind when you look at the image? Where does it take you? What question(s) does it ask? Who’s involved? Write your story. When you’ve thought it through, start writing. Don’t get in the way of your story and don’t overthink your words, phrasing, grammar, or anything mechanical; just allow yourself to write. Once the story is drafted, you’ll have time to work on all those details. Refine and Polish. Now’s the time to put on your editor’s cap. Does the story have a storyline and at least one character? Does it have interest and impact on the reader? Does it prompt an emotional response of any kind? Now is the time to refine phrasing, reduce wordiness, and polish your prose to perfection.Be sure your story is 50 words exactly . A 50-word story doesn’t have 57 words or 49 or 85. It has 50. Period.Just Walk Away

I suppose I should have said 6 steps, but 5 is such a nice clean number. Step 6 is really more like a suggestion, but one I suggest very strongly.

Put the story down and walk away.

Give it an hour, or two, or even a full day. Try not to keep writing in your head. The idea is to put it out of your mind. Why? So you can read it from a fresh perspective and see if it works or if it leaves you with more questions than answers.

Better yet, try it out on a few unsuspecting readers. Coworkers or family, work well or social media if possible. You’ll know right away if you can proceed to publishing or if it’s back to the drawing board.

Why Write Microfiction?

Why not?

Writing exercises not only help make you a better writer, they boost your confidence and spark your imagination, teach you the mechanics of thought-clarification and succinct writing, and can expand your readership.

Give it a try. I know you can do it!

~Morgan~

 

Beautiful original artwork by- Alissa Drake — ArtStation

All That Is -The Mathematical Probability That We Aren’t Alone

The image above may look like the night sky filled with stars, but in fact each spot of light you see is an entire galaxy.

Pause for a moment and really drink that in. Each source of light you see is a galaxy, filled with stars, planets, moons, comets, asteroids, nebulae, quazars, pulsars, black holes, dark matter, and, possibly, some form of life.

How Many Stars Are Out There?

The Milky Way has about 100 billion stars. Using the Milky Way as our model, we can multiply the number of stars in a typical galaxy (100 billion) by the number of galaxies in the universe (2 trillion).

There are approximately 200 billion trillion stars in the universe. Or, to put it another way, 200 sextillion.

That’s 200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000! — Brian Jackson, Associate Professor of Astronomy, Boise State University

I don’t know about you, but that number staggers me. It’s more than my mind can fathom. 200 sextillion stars, each one a possibility.

Is There a Mathematical Probability of Life?

“There are four hundred billion stars out there, just in our galaxy alone. If only one out of a million of those had planets, and just of out of a million of those had life, and just one out of a million of those had intelligent life; there would be literally millions of civilizations out there.” — Contact (1997)

Whether you believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life or not, all those numbers can’t help but make you wonder. At least, it makes me wonder. I’m a ‘glass is half-full’ person, I suppose. I tend to believe in the possibility, simply because we have no proof either way. I’d rather believe in the beautiful possibility than limit my perceptions to the cold, stark black and white.

Keeping an open mind about possibilities also means I ask a lot of questions, to which there are rarely black and white answers. Questions like, why should I believe Humanity is alone in the universe?

Wondering While Wandering

Humans are, by their very nature, curious creatures. The unknown is alluring, after all. If it wasn’t, we might still be living in caves, grunting and pointing rather than doing all the remarkable (and sometimes not so remarkable) things we now are able to do, because someone along the way was curious.

We don’t have all the answers, and probably never will, but there are ample questions to consider. Such as, should consciousness and spirituality only apply to humanity? Why should it not apply to all creation, whether flesh or stone, bark or gelatinous, alien or earthly?

Why shouldn’t life have sprung up elsewhere in the vastness of the cosmos? Aren’t the building-blocks of life present everywhere? And who’s to say life has to be what we consider life? Must it be flesh and blood of some sort, or could it be something else entirely. Energy perhaps. Gaseous. Infintesimal or gargantuine.

Perhaps, like the aspen grove in Utah that consists of over 47,000 individual trees yet is one organism, life elsewhere in the universe might be similarly designed.

Conspiracy Theories Aside

Media of all sorts have led us to believe aliens mutilate animals, abduct people to experiment on them, and are plotting to take over the planet, but what if they’re not? What if all the horror stories are just that? What if ET really is like ET? Or, for that matter, like us?

Curious. Explorers. Fragile.

“There are more things of Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” — Shakespeare

We live in a time where little is unknown, yet, all that is known is little in comparison to that which is unknown.

Being then lead by faith and truth and virtue, we seek and question, knowing that we can only ever touch the most infinitesimal surface of All that Is.

~Morgan~

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Photo by Guillermo Ferla

He Sleeps – #Poetry of #Love and #Passion

He Sleeps

In Stillness, Like a Dream Breathing;

Captivating my Every Sense with Beauty,

like the Stars of Night,

He Sleeps;

Angel motionless Upon a pillow,

So Enchanting, I dare not close my eyes

Lest I miss one Single Moment while

He Sleeps.

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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Photography found on Pinterest.  Credit Gratefully Acknowledged to the Original Photographer and Model.

~Thank You ~

Present Pauses – #LovePoem

Sweet and Splendid is the Vision of You, Love.
My heart knows no other,
But Truth will Speak in mortal tones
And Lapse in silence upon the Morrow.

When if, Perchance, Hope strays from me,
Twill ne’re again come to my eye,
That One as Beautiful as Thee,
Should fill my heart with Smiles.

Chance is but a Token Treasure,
Love is Faithful, Patiently,
When my heart Beats, but for You,
Present Pauses for Eternity.

~Morgan~

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Beautiful photograph found on Pinterest.

Moonlight – #Love #Poetry

Moonlight is Dancing
At the edge of my Sight.
Drifting like shadows Cast into the fray;
Tempting me to close my eyes,
Weaving Magic Unparalleled by day.

Starlight is Drifting
Through my Waking Fancy.
Casting their Light Upon the morn;
Entreating me to Gaze up wonderingly
To the Place where Souls are Born.

Twilight is Transcending,
Like Whispers to my Inner Peace.
Chanting like primal Melody, Singing;
Eluding to Murmurs yet to come,
And All the shivers they are Bringing.

~Morgan~

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Beautiful image found at: http://www.plusmood.com

Hope Spilling – #LovePoetry

Rapture Pours from Heaven,
Imbuing my Every Thought,
Guiding my Every Notion,
To Love You with Every Beat of my Heart,
Every Breath, Every Glance,
Every Sigh, Every Dream,
Every Longing,
Each day Drawing Our Hearts Together,
Each hour Builds the Yearning,
Each moment Blessings Counting,
Each second Delicious Expectancy,
Hope Spilling in Endless fashion,
Waiting,
For Blessed and Perfect Timing.

~Morgan~
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Photography found at: http://www.kristinoliver.com

All That Is- #Poetry of #Spirituality

All that is Beautiful rushes in synchronicity to You;
All that is Wondrous, encircles You as Divinity;
All that is Marvelous Kneels before You in Awe;
All that is Splendid Reveals Your Grace and Glory.

Magnify my Love, That I should Ever Seek You;
Touch my Heart with Blessing I may Share;
Spill over from my Heart with Words Unending,
That All my Love should Ever Praise You.

~Morgan~

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This Beautiful Image was Found on Pinterest.com. Although I do not know who the original artist is, I give credit here for their breathtaking work.

Storm- #Poetry of the #NaturalWorld

Torrent of Wind,
Writhing;
Shock of Thunder,
Vibrating;
Sprawl of Lightening,
Stretching;
Rush of Water,
Pounding;
Hyperbole of Snow,
Crashing;
Ribbon of Light,
Promising.

~Morgan~

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Incredible Image found at: http://www.travel.nationalgeographic.com

Influence- #poetry of #passion and #nature

Supple.

Sweet.

Young and untouched.

Verdant

Delicious and green.

Bending to my will.

Soft and Tender.

Swaying under the influence

Of the wind.

~Morgan~

 

 

Fragmentation and Observation – A #WritingExercise to #Recharge Your #Creativity

 

When my mind gets stuck in the day-to-day grind, my writing invariably suffers. My creative juices seem to drain away until I find myself channel surfing for a distraction from my own stagnation. Consequently, I get absolutely nothing accomplished.

The Zen Zone

When I was growing up I spent a lot of time in wilderness areas, whether camping, hiking, playing as a child, or, as I got older, meditating. When I began the latter, I discovered my own ‘Zen Zone’; a sense of complete relaxation when surrounded by the splendors of earth and nature where I could refresh, reconnect, and recharge.

Many times, my meditations would be undirected and were little more than quiet moments where I allowed the evening carols of birds, the symphony of the evening breeze, and the serenade of sunlight or moonlight to strip away the chaos and stress of the day or week. I would close my eyes and center my attention on the simplest thing. Lay in the grass to watch ants scurry or bees buzz and let everything else fall away.

These moments of quietness not only refreshed me spiritually, but also refueled my creativity. They became an easily accessible retreat where I refocused on what I found important and reinitialized the magic of imagination and creativity.

The Mini-Retreat

The concept of recharging our creative batteries isn’t new. Just like sleeping when we’re tired or eating when we’re hungry, giving ourselves what we need to maintain creative health is equally important, particularly if you’re a writer! Giving yourself a mini-retreat where you can do this can easily become part of your writing routine and it takes very little preparation.

First, find a quiet place. It doesn’t necessarily have to be outdoors, but should be somewhere you can see, hear, touch, smell and possible taste your surroundings.

Next, utilizing all of your senses, inspect, observe and sift through every nuance of your surroundings within five or ten square feet of where you are sitting. If you can’t get outdoors, you can use your imagination instead. Find a beautiful picture and place yourself in it.

In a journal or notebook, write down each of your five senses. Then, explore every facet of the things around you, writing down whatever comes to mind about your surroundings. Don’t limit yourself to making sense or trying to organize right now. Just breathe and write.

An Example

Lying back upon the grass in my quiet little yard under the glimmering glow of a nearly full moon.

(Listen) : hearing most prominently the whirring sound of many a/c units running. Once I put that aside however, I heard the gentle whisper of the breeze telling me secrets from far away and the occasional chirp of a bird (which always makes my imagination stir. Why do they sing at night? Are they having a bad dream? Did some creature steal into the nursery to snatch a fledgling? Or are they, too, simply enjoying the shimmering show of the moon?) I heard the distant rumble of a train and, as ever, the garish noise of traffic from the city not far enough away.

(See): Opening my eyes, I saw first the spectacle of the moon, dancing amid a rolling tide of puffy white clouds sailing effortlessly across the sky. I saw the shadows of trees across the way and the rustling of their leafy tresses as the night breezes ran their fingers through their hair. I noticed a nearby rabbit, no doubt awaiting another slice of apple as I am in a habit of giving them apples in the evening; and of course, I saw the stars: those delicate sparkles of ethereal light that ever fill me with lyrical musing (but that is another post!)

(Smell): I drew a deep breath and smelled the warm humidity that hung on the air like heavy fog mixed with a hint of asphalt from the nearby road. Not terribly pleasant, but not repulsive. Clean, hot night air. Nothing more.

(Taste): Since I was not eating or drinking, I tasted nothing. Not a wasted sense, though, as I certainly could have been sipping sweet lemonade.

(Touch): Reaching down I ran my fingers through the July grass that is rapidly drying up and turning into something much more straw-like than it once had been. I tousled the heads of a few clovers, now resting from the scurrying-hurrying bees that plunder their sweetness all the day long; and I reached outward to caress the sky, feeling the warm blush of the air against my palms and slipping through my fingers as I sighed deeply and smiled, meditating upon the simple yet profound Blessing of five extraordinary senses.

Five by Five

Refresh. Reconnect. Recharge. Refocus. Reinitialize.
through using
Sight. Sound. Taste. Smell. Touch.

I do hope you will try this wonderful exercise. It can help create a plethora of potential scenes for any number of creative projects, stir the inspiration of your thoughts, or, at the very least, kindle the wonder of your spirit in the beauty of the world around us.

 

 

~Morgan~

Photo by Drew Dizzy Graham on Unsplash