What we do to them is up to us, poem, story, shopping list, ignore ... the grand idea is to make us write.
Go to Elephant's Child's place to find the prompts, read some good stories, and be inspired to write your own.
This is a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true, therefore: Please, remember to go back, read other peoples' stories there or follow their links back. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction.
And today's prompts are:
Beechmast (I had to look this one up - I did not know the English word, but obviously the thing 😉)
Investigating
Muffler
Sensible
Penetrate
Fox
And/or
Ferrule (although I knew the word, I did not find a place for it in the story)
Miserable
Odd
Soaking
Bedstead
Contrary
Susan is at home in Elsinore in the Autumn. Real life story.
Wading through the beechmast Susan enjoyed the crunching sound. She spied an unusually plump beecnut and bent to retrieve it. She peeled the triangular shining shells off the interior nut and popped it into her mouth,. The bitter-sweet, tangy taste of the nut filled her mouth. It was enjoyable, but she knew better than to eat a lot of them. She had done so the previous year, as a result getting a grandfather tummy-ache and felt miserable for days after. This year she would be more sensible. She re-wound her muffler, as the wind penetrated to her skin. She loved these windy, crisp autumn days in the woods.
A squirrel ran up the tree, startling her. She heard footsteps form afar and froze behind her bush. Her eyes went to and fro, investigating the source of the sound. The footsteps were odd, soft, padding. She almost laughed with relief; it was not a human being, but a fox! Somewhere Susan had read that soaking the beechmast would leech the bitter taste, making them more stomach and palate friendly. She wanted to try and gathered a small bagful of the triangular nuts.
After the bike home she threw her outer clothing on the bedstead and went into the kitchen. She peeled all the nuts at the small, cosy table and put them in a bowl. After a rinse, she poured almost boiling water over them and left them to soak. Contrary to her normal haphazard ways Susan did not forget to strain and soak the nuts two more time and the result was delicious, less bitterness and more taste. But she still got a stomach-ache.
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What's harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?
For me the title of the book is an easy find, it always shows up while I'm writing. For some books it was even been the first thing I ever knew about it.
Writing blurbs on the other hand ... entice the reader, but do not reveal too much, and without sounding totally inane or like a plagiarism of someone else. That's hard!
I love your snippet using Margaret and her friend's words. How I would love to walk in those woods.
SvarSletI struggle with titles. Really struggle but have not yet had to write a blurb.
Thank you. Woods in my part of the world are mostly beech, the spooky parts are coniferous - spruce, I think. I only have made blurbs for bnooks not my own,I found this hard work. I suspect it will be just as hard with my (hopefully) own books. Titles on the other hand just come to me.
SletA fox :-)
SvarSletI never got stomach-ache from nuts. Lucky me.
Yes, lucky you. Did you ever eat beechnuts?
SletNo, but I remember my Mum showed me some in the woods. you can eat them...i dtdn´t know.
SletThat's a nice snippet of Susan's story, i hope it's not true that you got tummy aches from too many beech nuts as a girl.
SvarSletWriting a blurb must be difficult, you have to gain interest without making your story line too obvious.
Oh, yes it's true. All of Susan's story, not happening at the Unicorn Farm, is true, in as far as that's how I remember what happened. And blurring names and places.
SletExactly my quandary writing blurbs ;)
Poor Susan still getting a stomach ache, perhaps the nuts need to be roasted to be fully edible. Very nice story :)
SvarSletPoor Susan (me) is intolerant to some of the sugars found predominantly in beechnuts, but eating as many as she did the first year, will give anyone a stomachache. They are hard to digest.
SletGood read, as mostly, Charlotte [may I say so?].
SvarSletFor titles or headlines to attract readers goes the same as for blurbs and 'eye-catching' photos: Some are good, some are lousy, some prove a professional, some a dilettante.
Yes you may call me Charlotte.
SletAnd you're so right.
Susan seemed to have enjoyed herself even with a stomach ache. So I'm guessing she didn't share the nuts with anyone?
SvarSletI didn't have to write blurbs much but it's hard to write a blurb for your story without giving it all away. If you read a lot of blurs, some of them do sound about the same. I think for certain books with about the same story, it seems the same.
Titles are pretty easy for me as well but they don't usually come first. I find I like making up long fun titles. Short is good but they don't say much.
Have a lovely day.
Very much so, or they all say: A story worthy of Harry Potter, or LotR or Hercule Poirot ... you get the drift.
SletNo Susan ate all the nuts herself while reading and drinking half a litre of milk ;)