Wednesday, 29 November 2023

Words for Wednesday 29/11/2023

 




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, and mixing and matching is encouraged.

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.

Huge thanks to  Sean Jeating for providing the prompts last month. The prompts will be here again this month and are provided by  Alex J. Cavanaugh
  • Cobwebs
  • Tiger
  • Japan
  • Black
  • Cobblestones
  • Hurt

 

AND/OR

 

  • Atlantis
  • Pyromania
  • Guacamole
  • Energetic
  • Slither
  • Slice

Charlotte (MotherOwl)  has given us Mint Green as the colour of the month.  If you can also incorporate it into your stories she (and I) will be grateful.

Have fun.

In related news.  This year is rapidly drawing to a close and I am seeking people who are happy to provide the prompts (either here or on your own blog) next year.  If you are able to do so, please let me know in the comments, stating which month suits and whether you will post here or on your own blog.  I hope to be able to post next year's schedule some time next month.  Some kind souls have put up their hands, but I need more. 

THANK YOU to those who have already volunteered.  I would still like some more, and hope to put up a list early next month.

  

 


67 comments:

  1. Several months ago, on my way to the Mall, I stumbled and fell on the COBLESTONES of the pavement. I greatly HURT my right shoulder. I tried to get up, but the pain was so stabbing that I saw BLACK before my eyes. A passerby helped me get on my feet.
    I stayed at home for some two weeks, applying ice, eating GUACAMOLE (which had a MINT GREEN color due to its avocado basis), playing online games - no no SLITHER, looking up and following the COBWEBS spread by the spiders, listening to the news about three people being accused of PYROMANIA, about another expedition to find out the location of the lost city of ATLANTIS, and about the TIGER that had escaped from a Zoo in JAPAN.
    After two weeks, I felt ENERGETIC enough to pay a visit to the doctor. Luckily, he found nothing broken and prescribed PT only.
    Leaving his office, I entered a nearby bakery and congratulated myself with a SLICE of my favorite Napolitan cake.
    .

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    1. Hi DUTA - clever story weaving all the words together into this need for a slice of favourite Neapolitan cake - delicious flavours! Cheers Hilary

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    2. DUTA; This is indeed clever - and fun way to use Alex's difficult prompts. I am so glad that nothing was broken and am sure that the cake was delicious.

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    3. A good story, and I do hope it was a story.

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    4. I have stared at many ceilings in my time, tracking cracks, looking at spiders, you express the boredom really well.
      XO
      WWW

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  2. Hi EC - I hope you've got me down for letting you have a month of prompts at some stage next year ... I'll fit in with you and everyone else.

    2nd set:
    The flame was energetic, which made the guacamole slither around – so the idea of slicing the mint-green coloured avocado cake definitely wasn't on the cards.

    However the group were happily singing the song “Atlantis” as they celebrated eliminating the pyromaniac.

    Thanks - I might get back to the first set later in the week - cheers to you and Alex for these words. Good to be here - Hilary

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    1. Hilary Melton-Butcher: I am about to contemplate making an avocado cake for a vegan friend. I wonder whether it will be mint green - and hope it is good. I do indeed have you down for a month and will get in touch later. Thanks for joining us again and for the promise of prompts to come.

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    2. Avocado cake sounds interesting. I've had a vegan pie with a chocolate filling based on avocado.

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    3. Slithering guacamole - I'm not eating that!

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    4. I've never heard of guacamole cake, though I do love guacamole. I learn a lot here on W4W.
      And yes, the prompts were terrific.
      XO
      WWW

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    5. Oh, I was just about to say the exact same as Alex J. Cavanaugh! I won't, now. Well written.

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  3. Okay, I'm in the middle of a lot and a story will brew as I work. Be back later.

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    1. messymimi: You are always v busy, and I look forward to your story.

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  4. I was in Japan being chased by a tiger that got loose from the zoo when I ran into huge cobwebs that made me slip on the cobblestones and jam my big toe which turned black.

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    1. Mike: Did the tiger catch you? I expect he did.

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    2. Hi Mike - did the Tiger get stuck in another part of the cobweb - and so wasn't able to catch you ... great fun to read - cheers Hilary

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    3. I hope someone distracted the tiger when you slipped.

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    4. Sounds like a narrow escape but ouch on the toe.
      XO
      WWW

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    5. Ouch, hope you did no get eaten ;)

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  5. I was going to slice the guacamole when it decided to slither out of my hand as I was distracted by the explosion of the Atlantis on TV which excited the energetic pyromania in me.

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    1. Mike: I am again smiling. A pyromaniac who is prepared to take on exploding a city buried under the sea is dedicated....

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    2. Taking into account EC's comment - then an explosive mess ensued ... but if you're a pyromaniac - you'd know - wouldn't you ... cheers Hilary

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    3. You weave short stories which leave much scope for the imagination.

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    4. Sue - The Atlantis space shuttle.

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    5. So much slithering guacamole today!

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    6. slithering guacamole is quite the image!
      XO
      WWW

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    7. Again I echo Alex, and wonder how guacamole can even slither ;)

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  6. Pondering Alex’s prompts this month has produced many different ECs.
    There is the EC whose mind dissolved into a mint green sludge with the texture of yesterday’s guacamole as ideas slithered away from her at speed. Another EC thought that she would be more likely to find the lost city of Atlantis in her backyard that she would be to create a coherent tale. A third EC cursed Alex’s black heart and decided that his habit of choosing prompts which burned her last remaining synapses to a crisp was brought about by his well hidden pyromania. Walking bare foot over cobblestones couldn’t possibly hurt any more than the energetic brain work they prompts required. Somehow EC succeeded (after a fashion) each week, blew away the cobwebs and managed to slice and dice a story from the prompts, sometimes stalking her prey like a tiger and at other times wrestling them into ungainly submission like a sumo wrestler from Japan.
    Today however it is the sadomasochistic EC who is front and centre. She expresses her heartfelt thanks to Alex and hopes that he can be persuaded to provide the prompts for a month next year. What say you Alex? Will you agree to challenge us again?

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    1. Nicely done! I agree, it's not been easy, but it would be worth another month next year to keep our brain cells challenged.

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    2. Awesome! I'm impressed by the way you manage to create a coherent story out of even the most diabolical set of prompts. :-)

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    3. Gladly! But promise I do not have a black heart.

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    4. Remarkably well done EC for a brain crying for mercy on those prompts! I enjoyed your meandering tale!
      XO
      WWW

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    5. Hehe, very well written indeed. Anbd I see you caught Alex of the (not) black heart in your nets. Gz!

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    6. LOL that was a clever way to seek future participation. Kudos all around to those who make and reply to the prompts. They are fun to read.

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    7. This was so awesome. I loved it:) And good on Alex for signing up for another year.

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  7. Congratulations EC - in taking us to many new places that you at times need to go to ... eclectic and creative ideas abound from here ... synapses should be impulsively together building thoughts for your friends to mentally devour ... loved it - thank you - Hilary

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  8. That's funny, EC. Well done. You wouldn't want me to provide prompts. Every word would start with F.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Janie Junebug: The things I am muttering at the moment have made the air around me blue. Very blue.

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  9. All great stories above me here. I'm going to have to work a bit to find my story in those words.

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  10. Love the stories...here is mine.

    I came back from JAPAN after working there looking after a TIGER in a Zoo who needed all my attention. I was ever so thrilled to be able to walk on COBBLESTONES once again in my street in Ireland. My house was dark being night time it looked all BLACK, so many COBWEBS at the front door I could hardly find the doorknob, luckily I had a torch.
    Turning the key in the lock I was so hoping that I didn’t HURT any spiders who lived in there.

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    1. Margaret D: Another great story - and I love your nature loving protagonist.

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    2. Hi Margaret - fun working of the words into a story-line - thank you - Hilary

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    3. Well done Margaret what an interesting job she had!
      XO
      WWW

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    4. Yes, don't hurt the spiders. Well written.

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    5. I wouldn't want to harm the spiders, either. I hope she finds home welcoming and nurturing after her adventure.

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  11. You are quite humorous, EC. Best of luck!

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  12. The continuing story of Edward and Dahlia, Episode 8. All words and colour used.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Part 8

    Diary of Dahlia

    November 9th

    I’m working on my new piece: the broken down black ruin of the lighthouse overlooking the nearby ocean, a victim of some random pyromania. I imagine its name to be Atlantis. I’m thinking of a hidden tiger crouched on cobblestones beneath the surface.
    I admit to being less energetic due to the ongoing attentions of Edward, who has started to show up unannounced with flowers, a print of one of his paintings of the birds of Japan and the ingredients for tacos including some lovely guacamole. Before I knew it, he had slithered into the kitchen and started to cook.
    Another night he brought over slices of pizza he had picked up and a bag of green mint candies.
    My brain is chock full of cobwebs from all this attention and it’s affecting my concentration on my new work.
    He’s courtly in demeanor, as yet he hasn’t even hugged or tried to kiss me.
    I’m really at a loss, I don’t wish to hurt him and my concern is that I still don’t know where he lives. He’s evasive when asked. I am puzzled and a little suspicious.
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    Now I'm going ahead and reading all of yours!
    XO
    WWW

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    1. Wisewebwoman: I really, really like this continuing tale but I am beginning to think that Dahlia would be better off without Edward in her life. I too would be puzzled and suspicious.

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    2. If he has things to hide, he needs to go.

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  13. I'm not sure if there are COBBLESTONES in JAPAN, but definitely there are no TIGERS prowling about. If you wanted to clear away the COBWEBS by some quick tiger spotting, I'd recommend the Sundarbans instead. There you'd see some of those majestic BLACK and gold striped cats if you're lucky. But don't get too close - those fangs and claws can seriously HURT!

    If you're feeling a bit more ENERGETIC, you could go hunting for ATLANTIS instead. Though no one would need cobblestones in the depths of the ocean, would they? And however would someone with PYROMANIA survive there even for a day? Unless some undersea volcano blew its top but even then I suppose it would be more GUACAMOLE coloured turbulence - tsunamis of steam and hot air - rather than any proper flames. No fire, no cobblestones, and certainly no tigers. Only sea snakes SLITHERING about. Whichever way you SLICE it, your best bet is the Sundarbans. Not Japan, nor Atlantis.

    Alex sets complicated prompts! :)

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    1. Nilanjana Bose: Alex does indeed set challenging prompts - which is a good thing.
      I like your tale and have been jealous for years of my partners experience in the Sunderbans National Park. Very jealous.

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    2. The Sundarbans sound exciting. If I win the lottery that's where I'll go!

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    3. You took his difficult prompts and made it look easy.

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  14. Now I've finished my story of the Ghost-chasing dogs here: WfW. I hope to return to the story of Susan and her world with the December words. I do not find Alex' words more or less challenging than the words of other participants. They are just too modern, to grown-up to really fit me and Susan.

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    1. Charlotte (MotherOwl): I have read and thoroughly enjoyed your story of the ghost chasers. I did find Alex's prompts challenging, but it is good for me to stretch my brain.

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  15. The black panther pawed at the cobwebs hanging from his ear as he roamed the majestic emerald and mint green forests of Japan, avoiding cobblestones and humans that would only bring him hurt.

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    1. Sandra Cox: What a wise and no doubt beautiful beast. Thank you for joining us again.

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  16. thecontemplativecat here. I don't know how my wrist will do with this.

    It was hard enough to live a life of pyromania, but Jack finally changed his hobby. After his last stint in prison, he enrolled in classes to become a reptile caretaker. “A reptile keeper is a professional who takes care of reptiles in a zoo. They are responsible for feeding, cleaning, and maintaining the health of the reptiles.”

    Jack liked the black tiger snake, despite its danger. It was more dangerous than many other venomous species. The Atlantis tiger snake scared the hell out of him, causing him to run screaming.

    His favorite snake of all was the Emerald Tree snake. It slithered silently through the branches, its guacamole scales lime green in the light. It took an energetic prey to escape.

    Jack was not stupid, although that was debatable. He lost a sizeable slice of skin taken by a baby Japanese rat snake, but it healed after surgery.

    It was discussed that Jack might do better in a petting zoo, which was filled with fluffy mammals.

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    1. Susan Kane: I am so glad to see a story from you again - and hope that your wrist and your hand hasn't suffered too much.
      Snakes? I can only appreciate them from a considerable distance.

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  17. I'm late again. I don't think I'll ever be on time for this but I really do like the prompts. Here's the link:
    Fiction: Living with ghosts

    - I don't know why I can't sign into blogger on a lot of blogs.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. issa: I am glad you could sign in here. I change browsers when I can't sign in - which seems to work. I have read and enjoyed your continuing story - though I wonder whether Seventeen is now a ghost herself.

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