9 comments

General

Write a story about someone who has just finished writing their first story or book.

It was the end of autumn in 2017 and the weatherman was  predicting snow flurries.  It was not at all uncommon, where I live,  to have cold and even light snow for Halloween so it wasn’t unusual but nevertheless it always creates excitement for me and people like me who get excited easily.  I can hardly wait to have enough snow to make a snow angel and send my Molly a photo, I try to do this every year.

By now the outside work is done and we haven’t quite adjusted yet to long hours every day to fill as we please.  I enjoy a couple of hobbies to keep my hands busy and love to read so it is no hardship for me really.

I had been reading in the nest this day, where I go to get comfortable,  away from the blaring TV news and where I have my own recliner and a TV,  should I ever decide to watch it.  About mid afternoon, I felt the urge to make bubbles, the term I had taught my young sons to say in public  instead of,  I’ve got to pee, so I went to visit the bathroom.

I know this will sound bizarre but, as I sat there I was thinking about how much I love the change of seasons and along with this train of thought,  how much I liked the snow.  I wondered if snow flakes knew where they were going or did they always wonder where they might end up!   I wondered how it might feel to fall and fall and fall.   And so, I hurried back to the nest very excited with the idea that would become  my first ever story!  (Please remember as you read the story, you would not know anything I have told you thus far).

~~~~~

The Time Is Near

Here where I live,  excitement was running high,  each and everyone I knew had so many questions,  so many ideas and opinions about the coming time.  They all agreed it was near but that was all they knew for sure.

Who really knew?  No one, it seems.  I had been told to just be ready,  the time would come and you would have to go, no matter what.  It has happened this way over and over since all the times in anyone’s memory.  The problem is there are no old ones to ask, old ones who might offer council or mentoring.  It seemed that when the time came,  “everyone” would go!

They seemed to drift along on uncertainty,  no solid foundation,  no defined shape,  just whispy thoughts and almost transparent filaments and ever moving ideas.  One must just wait until all things were just right.   Some thought it would come in the dark time and be very dramatic,  others thought you may begin in one area and end up somewhere else swept along by the wind.

I thought and thought about what I should hope for.  Well there were stories but all made up from someone’s imagination.   Things like you may arrive and find yourself gone in an instant or being changed into something totally different. Or you may get bundled up into a ball and rolled up and be part of something big and funny!  So many stories but what was really true?   What was even possible?  I must wait and hope,  dreaming for it to be something nice,  really nice.

I knew the time was very very close,  this place was filling up fast with so many just like me, I was wondering if there was a limit to how much the filaments could hold.  I got more and more excited as there were more and more here now.  As I looked around,  I noticed something strange, they were all the same but each a bit different,  none of them were identical,  each had a different personality.  Each had a slightly different look.  They were so  beautiful,  at least I thought so.

And then it began,  the whispy ever changing place where we lived seemed unable to hold us all and some just disappeared,  it seemed downward always downward as though falling off the edge and as I watched I knew my turn was c-o-m-i-n-g.....


I fell and fell, down and down, not hard but more like drifting but always down.  At last things began to appear that seemed solid and real.  I had no idea what they were but I was super happy to see that so many others like me were already here, ahead of me.  In my wildest dreams I never imagined there could be so many.

Closer and closer,  just as I thought I knew where I would end up,  a movement took me off again but always down.  Now getting very close, I felt, I knew my time was near, very near.  The force that moved me lessened and I literally floated softly until I joined the others.   All together we made a beautiful blanket and the moonlight made us sparkle!  Like jewels,  diamonds, a blanket of diamonds under the moon.  We were breathtaking!

Suddenly something big and solid was rushing towards us,  the something was also very excited and then it let out a big yell.....SNOW,  LOOK IT’S SNOW!    I was so very happy!  Now I knew what I was,  I knew where I was going, I had joined many others and we were in fact beautiful, and I had a name,  I was Snow.

~~~~~

And that is the true telling of how my first story arrived in my mind and then to my notebook.  It was a delightful thing to imagine what a snow flake might think or feel.  How a snowflake lived on a cloud until the cloud could hold no more snow flakes and then then fell gently to earth.  

It was then that I wished I was an artist as I could see in my mind the lovely illustrations,  clouds and snow and a blanket of snow like diamonds under the moon.

June 13, 2020 00:14

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9 comments

Ken Coomes
21:27 Jun 24, 2020

I liked the story, the imagination, and the beauty of the thoughts. I would suggest launching right into the story, rather than starting with the introduction you gave. Let us wonder - is the writer talking about babies? animals? snowflakes? (I doubt many would see that coming at the beginning of the actual story) But I would suggest adding a shorter version of that personal introduction at the end, adding it to the short post-story bit you included. It helps us get to know you, the artist. Just my opinions, mind you. And while I may be a fl...

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P. Jean
21:48 Jun 24, 2020

My son’s reply was ..you had me hooked but I thought you were doing something sci-fi....I wrote it this way as the prompt wanted the experience of writing a first story. Obviously the beginning would be unnecessary other wise...prob too simplistic except for a children’s book. Thank you for. Your TIME, most importantly and then your expertise, but the time to tell me your thoughts is invaluable!

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Ken Coomes
17:07 Jun 25, 2020

Glad you appreciated my time and thoughts. And I appreciate yours. Any suggestions you have for any of mine are welcome.

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Elle Clark
09:08 Jun 20, 2020

What a beautiful premise and such a sweet voice.

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P. Jean
09:34 Jun 20, 2020

Very simplistic but it gave me much pleasure to write it. Thank you for your time to post a generous comment!

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Elle Clark
11:09 Jun 20, 2020

Stories don’t have to have twists and turns to be valuable - I think the simplicity of this is part of what makes it lovely!

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P. Jean
12:20 Jun 20, 2020

Thank you again!

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Evelyn ⭐️
20:26 Jun 15, 2020

Lovely story! Perfect title!

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P. Jean
21:36 Jun 15, 2020

Thank you...I appreciate your time and expertise!

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