Pappy

Pappy always thought it was a dream when he woke up to the sound of machines. The clock ticking, zooms from outside, a hum from the walls and floors. He'd been through nine decades, crossed over the centennial line. When Papp was a boy he worked on a farm. They had cows, chicks, soy beans, and horses. Waking up to the regular noise of this day was something he never wanted to get used to. Why should he? Often as a young fella he'd ride a horse off into the distant fields of the high plain valley and camp. Then, he woke up to silence. Now there are no more horses, no cows, chicks, soy beans, or silence.





What if this was on the jacket of a real book? Would you want to read it? This was a five, maybe ten, minute writing exercise with a small group of people and Deb Vanasse last night. Our assignment was to write this "jacket flap," set as we were publishing a book in 2017, and have a cliff hanger.

It is surprising what happens when we are under constraints to write. As I began to write this, I felt like it was a stretch and didn't really like the idea of moving towards a "Sci Fi" or "1984" style story. (Even though 1984 might be my favorite book. I didn't want to copy.) But, I thought, "I have to finish this. Just go with it" and it turned out okay for a five-minute exercise.

I don't expect to be a profound writer or published more than I do for myself on this blog, but I do strive to learn more and test the waters of different writing. You should too! This exercise helped to reinforce that I just need to write and not be worried about cerebral affairs, but nurture the humble, discovery side of myself.

Just go with it.