This meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Computer issues led her to bow out for a while. The meme was too much fun to let go, and now Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast.
Essentially the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the prompts.
Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
The prompts will be here this month but are provided by Margaret Adamson, and her friend Sue Fulcher. They will also include photographs taken by Margaret's friend Danny McCaughan.
Here are this week's prompts.
- Solicitude
- Rampant
- Toes
- Form
- Knocking
- Pin cushion
And / or
- Reel
- Grappled
- Perfume
- Courtroom
- Squad
- General
Huge thanks to Margaret and her friends. Words for Wednesday will be here next month too, but I will be providing them.
The scent of her perfume that lingered as she passed made him reel. He grappled with his senses because he felt an overwhelming desire to leave his post and follow the beautiful woman who left the fragrance trail that was so teasing and tempting to him.
ReplyDeleteHe let his imagination run wild for a second and Imagined himself facing a court martial. He would have to admit in the courtroom that he was guilty of following his lusty desires, but it was not his fault. He merely the victim of Cupid's firing squad.
And just as quickly the moment passed and he was back inspecting the post's gate. A quick look at the check list and a salute from the guards on duty left him free to follow the woman. He walked quickly to catch up with her and heard her say "About time!". He realized long ago the only thing that outranked a General on a base was the General's wife.
Anne in the kitchen: You were off the mark early this week. Love your tale, and supect that the General is in trouble. And of course his wife outranks him.
DeleteHa! I'd really like to see where this one goes!
DeleteXO
WWW
That's quite a good twist!
DeleteWell done, Anne. :)
DeleteLoved this one!
DeleteHi Anne - great take and yes a story here ...
DeleteHa ha...wise man!
DeleteThat opening can take you somewhere interesting for sure.
DeleteBehind every good man there is a (better) woman!
DeleteCRIME RAMPANT IN LOCAL AREA!
ReplyDeleteJUDGES TOO LENIENT!
Janelle's social worker said 'Headlines like that will make trouble for you'. You have form. They know you at the courtroom, they know you at the police station, and they know where you live. You have kept them on their toes for too many years. It is easy for them to simply reel you in and announce 'Case solved'. If they do, the whole squad looks good.
I have grappled long and hard about how to approach this. I know you would rather that I treated you with solicitude and simply agreed that you are being victimised. In general I would agree but in the current political climate I wouldn't be doing my job if I did.
You are simply going to have to stay on the straight and narrow. You are knocking on the door of a prison sentence if you step so much as a foot out of line. I don't want to hear that you have been seen anywhere near the shops. If you are, and so much as a pin-cushion or a bottle of cheap perfume goes missing YOU WILL BE BLAMED.
Do you hear me? This is your last chance.
Well done there, I love how you captured all the words without making them that obvious!
DeleteXO
WWW
I forgot I was reading the words, as they blended so well into the story. Well done.
DeleteThank you both. I struggled with this one and rewrote it several times.
DeleteExcellent! It's not easy staying straight when everyone is so ready to believe you can't.
DeleteTerrific, EC...well-written/composed. :)
DeleteEC - I could swear I heard the judge/magistrate speaking those words. You must have used the prompts but it read so smoothly I didn't 'notice' them
DeleteHi EC - well done ... could see this being played out in real life ... and the words this week aren't easy ...
DeleteWow..a bad actor all around. This guys got a 'rep'.
DeleteOkay, I put the perfume back. Heh.
DeleteGood job! Loved it.
Like everyone else has already said, you did a great job incorporating the words into this piece without making it obvious that you were using a prescribed set of words. Great job! And very realistic, too.
DeleteI hope s/he treads carefully from now on. Too many people watching!
Deletethere are many Janelle's among us, unmitigated persons with little hope of ever becoming model citizens.Time wasters, blood suckers. impossible to reform. so sad.
DeleteThis was a brilliant use of the words! They flowed with the tale so well that I had to go back and re-read it several times just to pick them out. Excellent!
DeleteNice selection...I shall apply myself.
ReplyDeleteonly slightly confused: I am looking forward to reading the results of your application.
DeleteWell that took a while but here it is at last....
DeleteIn the solitude of the deep woods Mary sank her toes into the lush moss growing rampant on the banks of the little stream that gurgled its way toward Dovesay Town. It passed the courthouse that held the room where she had grappled with her ex for custody of their five children. It had taken the form of a battle royal, each one attempting to knock the other off their game. His squad of lawyers accused her of being generally incompetent and as prickly as a pincushion in nature. When her ex stood up to speak his mind on the subject of her ability to raise the children he was so inebriated he reeled to the witness stand. Mary smiled and inhaled the perfume of the spruce trees around her. Her mind was at ease now. That judge was no fool.
only slightly confused: This is excellent - and thank goodness for astute judges.
DeleteIt happens - then doesn't go to plan. Mary certainly ended up the happier of the two.
DeleteIt happens - then doesn't go to plan. Mary certainly ended up the happier of the two.
DeleteI'm sure he didn't mean to, but that inebriated fella did his ex a huge favor. Well done!
DeleteWell, I'm glad there's some justice in the world!
DeleteWonderful!
DeleteIf I was to go with a set of prompts, it would be the second set :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed these first two, thank you, and I'm sure there will be lots more.
All the best Jan
Lowcarb team member ~Jan: Where would you go with the second set? Hint, hint.
DeleteHere's mine, a continuation of the Erla, Merlin and Trilby story.
ReplyDeleteWisewebwoman
XO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: I loved it. I am super impressed with those of you who can continue a story, and this one of yours is intriguing.
DeleteAfter a thirty minute commute, she arrived at her apartment, locked the door behind her and too tired to even eat a bite, she poured herself a glass of red wine to calm her nerves and collapsed in her favorite lounge chair.
ReplyDeleteAll she wanted now was some quiet solitude but the drama of the day played in her head like a bad movie. She had had enough of this chaotic work place. Dissatisfaction and miscommunication were rampant and no one appreciated her extra efforts to fix everyone mistakes and to keep keep the company from going bankrupt.
She was tired of having her toes stepped on by her boss and tomorrow was her last day. There, she had made a decision and no one would make her change her mind, not even her narcissistic boss.
She had filled her last form, and she could visualize herself knocking at his door to hand in her resignation.
Satisfied with her decision, she put on some relaxing music and pulled a needle from her pincushion and resumed working on her cross stitch that had been put aside for far too long.
Everything would be alright. Nothing was worth working in such a toxic environment. By Julia Bourque
Hugs, Julia
Julia: Thank you so much for joining us. Sadly, I am only familiar with those workplaces, as so many of us are. I loved your use of the prompts.
DeleteWell done! My story was similar.
DeleteI might join her in a glass of red!
DeleteGood story...great use of the words. :)
Courtroom work must be quite stressful- I wonder how long people do actually stick with their employment there.
DeleteHi Julia - this is so true to life ... I hope she can get through to that peace ahead, without being inveigled back in for more work. Excellent take ...
DeleteThanks everyone. I had to force my imagination on this story.
DeleteYup....been in that place...know the feeling. Good job.
DeleteGood for her! Toxic workplaces are not good for the soul.
DeleteNice use of the prompts! And such realism since so few people experience dream jobs with no conflicts.
DeleteWhiskey Dan reeled with the verdict of guilty as he was led from the courtroom. "Hell, Pete and me's old friends. We grappled a bit, and a gun went off." Old General Theo, retired, shook his head. "You're a fool, Dan."
ReplyDeleteWhiskey Dan slumped as the perfume of black power drifted through the air. A squad of drunk miners waited for him to get tied to a post. "Let's git 'er over, men." General bellowed. And they did.
Susan Kane: Ouch. Short (and far from sweet). I have missed your take on the prompts.
DeleteOh, that's quick frontier justice.
DeleteI'm so glad I didn't live in those days.
DeleteHi Susan - well that certainly packed a punch ... loved it - and could really see it ... congratulations on that ... and messymimi is so right ...
DeleteA right to the point story.
DeleteHard times for old Dan.
DeleteOh dear - hard, tough justice - no snowflakes here!
DeleteI could see, hear and possibly smell Whisky Dan!
DeleteSolicitude
ReplyDeleteRampant
Toes
Form
Knocking
Pin cushion
Recovery is a solo journey. The sort of knocking on a friend’s door for a chat and a bit of a boost can only take one so far. Besides, most of my friends are busy with their own struggles, so have little bandwidth to take on my stuff as well. I have one dear friend who is usually always available. I am touched by her solicitude and very grateful for her friendship. Without her I think I would feel very lonely. The pain started in my toes and has edged a bit onto the padding of the ball of my foot. I began acupuncture back in early April and that has managed to help make me feel calmer, but I sometimes still blow a gasket over the slightest things. I feel a bit like a human pin cushion, but that doesn’t really bother me much. The soothing music and soft lighting really work a treat. I spend a lot of my day bent forward rubbing my toes. It’s not great form. I have to be aware to stretch in sort of the opposite way of a pill bug curled up lest my posture be affected. I need to keep calm. So-called news programs vie for the most eyeballs by rampant displays of belligerence. He who barks the loudest wins? I can’t abide by the stress and have turned them all off for the most part.
Bea: Knowing that this is a true story makes it even more poignant. Like you, I have had to step away from the news. And wonder if I will ever return.
DeletePain can make life so miserable, i hope you find relief.
DeleteNo news here, except the headlines in the paper just so i know the basics. It's more than enough.
Bea...you've expressed yourself...your feelings...very well...
DeleteI believe many of us are stepping away from the news these days...
xx
DeleteWell done Bea ... life can be a challenge from all fronts - take care ...
DeleteThe news is a stressful agent for me. I find that friends are too busy to visit also and so am I.
DeletePretty hard to avoid stress these days. May your pain subside.
DeleteNews is hardly new these days and I think many of us are thoroughly fed up with politics and politicians, who seem to be at the root of most of our problems.
DeleteOne of the articles I read about self help and personal detoxing was to turn off the news for at least a week. I guess it is like an elimination diet to identify if the news is a personal stressor.
DeleteIt's been fun using the May words from Margaret Adamson and Sue Fulton, and i'm looking forward to June. Here's this week's contribution.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: As always I really enjoyed your contribution.
DeleteThis was so good and so true to worklife these days. Grin and bare it as they say.
DeleteAfter spending most of the morning out, and then on the phone, finally here is my attempt at this week's words....
ReplyDelete"In GENERAL, Maggie kept her emotions under control, but that morning they were running RAMPANT.
As she GRAPPLED to REEL them in – to get them under control in one FORM or the other - her knees began KNOCKING as her TOES edged closer and closer to the entrance to the COURTROOM.
The SQUAD of reporters gathered outside the building had been refused entry.
The caring SOLICITUDE shown by her family and friends failed to settle her nerves; ease her worries.
Maggie was fearful of what may lie ahead. Her inner being’s relationship to the thoughts flooding her mind felt like a PINCUSHION with a thousand pins stuck in it.
The atmosphere in the room...the smell permeating the air...reminded her of rancid, cheap PERFUME."
Lee: The tension in this story is beautifully executed. I do hope that she is worrying unnecessarily.
DeleteAnd....come on Lee - you can't build up to the last sentence and just leave it there.
DeleteWhat happened next ???
Hi Lee - lots of intrigue here ... and now we need answers! Cleverly written ...
DeleteStuffed if I know, Cathy...and Hilary! lol
DeleteVery well done, Lee.
DeleteOooh...I can feel her stress. Well done.
DeleteI would like to know more! What happened next?
DeleteQuite a diverse list this week, I'll have to polish off the thinking cap and see what comes by Friday.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I found them challenging and am looking forward to reading what you come up with.
DeleteI'll have mine up in the morning EC. Been out all day - in the cold brrr!
ReplyDeleteCathy: I look forward to reading it tomorrow. It has been chilly here too.
DeleteLiked your story EC, read others too - you all do such a great job..
ReplyDeleteMargaret-whiteangel: It really is a fun meme. I hope we can tempt you to join us.
DeleteAlways such intriguing stories from just a few words. Great fun.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: I am always blown away by the talent on display.
DeleteThe squad had been despatched to establish the source of the stench … it could have been a perfume, but the General didn’t think so.
ReplyDeleteNoses were splayed, men snorted … the troop followed the smell – it led to the courtroom … they pushed and shoved their way in …
… the snorting got worse, coughing started … then the head of the squad reeled over backwards so all the followers tumbled just like dominoes …
Good game for an ill snuffly kid ...
oooh ... just noticed I missed rampant ... perhaps the kid could have rampant germs, rather than just being ill and snuffly!
DeleteRampant germs...makes me want to run away!
DeleteKids are germy little devils aren't they?
DeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: This was fun. And kids ARE rampant germ carriers - I took that as a given.
DeleteThis would only happen in the Eastern land of Odourstan, formally known as the land of wells bells and smells.
Deletethe idea of a rampant germ carrier is a little disconcerting, but familiar. I gave birth to 3 of those critters!
Delete"Solicitude"
ReplyDeleteA word I'd never heard before. Totally wondered if it was a typo. How can I call myself a writer???
😊
Sandie ... I had the same problem ... so these words out of context just grab us and make us wonder ... that's why I used the other set - then forgot one! But rampant germs seems to work ... I'm glad it's not the snuffly season here!!
DeleteI misread solicitude for solitude. Oh well, after all , I'm definitely not a writer but it was fun anyway. I really love my solitude and I guess it took that's what came to mind.
DeleteSandi: Solicitude isn't a word in common use these days. And writers (like the rest of us) aren't perfect.
DeleteSOLICITUDE.Anxiety or Care, concerned. maybe; self pity.
DeleteI've nothing today, but it's always fun to stop by for these.
ReplyDeleteRawknrobyn: Thank you for stopping by. I hope your world is treating you kindly.
DeleteStory is up over at my blog...http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/2019/05/may-29.html
ReplyDeletepeppylady (Dora): Thank you for joining us. I would like to have a wraith visit. I think.
DeleteI'm back ... finally ... grappling with the truth
ReplyDeleteCindi Summerlin: And as always you have created an excellent and enthralling tale.
DeleteIn general, the day started off as any. Perhaps she sprayed on a bit too much cheap perfume but she knew it would wear off as she was quickly rushed across the parking lot that led to courtroom.
ReplyDeleteA squad of reporters were roped off at doors. No cameras inside as the jurors grappled with their decision. As the judge read their choice, those in attendance reeled. "Death." She felt nothing. She was ready to die for what she'd done.
Elsie
Well done, Elsie!
DeleteBravo! Elsie, you did a great job weaving the words together. :)
Delete~Jess
Elsie Amata: Lovely to see you in the blogosphere again. And I really like your take on the prompts.
DeleteThese look pretty good, and I see a few I'll be using. Perhaps this will be a good time to talk about toes.(lol) Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteRO: Toes? Baby toes are enchanting and those of adults are not.
DeleteHugs.
Thank you dear, dear S!
ReplyDeleteCloudia: Margaret and her friends deserve the thanks here. I hope life is treating you well oh sister across the seas.
DeleteNow I have read all your wonderful, fun, depressing, enchanting and uplifting stories. My omputer is sulking, and I have no time to cater to it. That's why I won't comment on every single story. Just know that I enjoyed every single one of them. Thakns to EC for bringeing us the prompts, Maraget and friends for supplying them and to all of you for using them. I feel privileget to be allowed to join in th fun.
ReplyDeleteI even sat down to write a mostly boring chapter in Susans life.
Uglemor: I am sorry that your computer is giving you grief, and loved Susan's story. As always.
DeleteRampant solitude toes the line knocking, leaping through time, affecting form at the drop of a pin cushion.
ReplyDeleteSpacer Guy: Who would you have choreograph this dance through time...
DeleteMy back feels like a pin cushion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Blue
Blue Grumpster: I suspect that is a severe understatement about your pain.
DeleteI have Published Words for this week on my Blog,
ReplyDeleteVest: Back with a bang.
DeleteOh what the heck, here goes:
ReplyDeleteHow it made me reel, as I grappled with my rifle - I just knew I shouldn't have worn my new opium perfume while out on exercise! It made me very light-headed and I ended up almost shooting a fellow soldier.
Well, I soon found myself in the courtroom on a serious charge. My entire squad had to give evidence and the General was NOT at all amused!! 😉😉
Ygraine: Having come across people who marinated themselves in Opium of course it made you reel. Love your story and glad that you only 'almost' shot a fellow soldier.
Delete