FRIDAY FICTION CONCRIT SUBGROUP
If you want to be part of this group click the link above and follow the rules set forth by Jennifer Pendergast, the leader of this subgroup. No one is under obligation to participate nor is it necessary to dig something up to criticize for the sake of critique. Please keep it polite and friendly.
The next photo is the PHOTO PROMPT. I appreciate the diverse offerings from fictioneers. Please be courteous and give credit to whom credit is due.
PHOTO PROMPT © Luther Siler
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 98
FLIGHT OF FANCY
10 February 1830
Dearest Lucy,
When I think about your advocacy of this wild man who sails from one continent to another in pursuit of his ambition I am filled with love.
The English engravers are tirelessly rendering my dream into reality. I marvel at nature when dawn presents her in richest, purest array and hope my humble paintings shall be my legacy for our two sons.
I could not do better than to travel and finish my collection of the ‘Birds of America.’
Across the ocean, ma chérie Mrs. Audubon, your devotion sustains me.
Affectionately yours,
John
.
.
Lucy Audubon
John James Audubon
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
A lovely letter from a man who appreciates all his been blessed with.
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Dear Chioma,
From all I’ve read, Lucy (Minnie) Audubon was a devoted and supportive wife. He seems to have been keenly aware of that.
Thank you for stopping by. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Another informative ‘chunk of history’ tale. I particularly appreciate the picture of the defender of wildlife, with a shotgun in his hands. 😯
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Dear Archon,
Different times. 😉 Thank you for coming by to read and comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes, and while many modern people think ‘he only drew them’, he didn’t do it while they obediently posed in trees for him. He needed inert examples of males, females, adolescents, summer plumage, winter. Back then, they were so plentiful, “that their numbers darkened the skies”, and so the Dodo died. Perhaps I should not have noted and commented upon the negative side.
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I wasn’t going to mention that, Archon. But yes, he killed them first and then posed them with wires. I only hope he didn’t do that with his human models. 😉
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Very interesting story. I followed the link and later found another one which truly shows the range of his talent. https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america?sort_by=title Another gem of information, Rochelle. Well done.
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Dear Sandra,
You know, I almost used that link instead of the Wikipedia one. He was amazingly talented and had many more facets thank I knew before.
Thank you. Your comments mean a lot.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love those engravings. He makes the birds come alive.
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Dear JHardy,
He did some amazing work, didn’t he? Thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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An excellent dip back in time to visit a very talented artist and learn about his incredibly supportive wife. Well done Rochelle.
Sorry not to have been here for a while, i do hope you are keeping well
Dee
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Dear Dee,
I’m happy to see you here. I’ve missed you. I’m glad you enjoyed my little bit of history and took the time to say so.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Well-written story and photos to accompany it, Rochelle. Thanks for the link that supplied so much information. I’ve learned some more history reading this. What an interesting and dynamic man he was. He seemed tireless in his work and accomplishments, and left a rich heritage. Thank you for all this information. — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
I remember learning a little bit about him in grade school. I even wrote a story about him in 5th or 6th grade. But there are so many things about him I never knew. I love research.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Your usual elegant piece of writing.
I have to apologise, I got so diverted by M. Audubon’s adventures that I forgot to come back and comment.
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Dear C.E.,
I found Audubon terribly fascinating as I followed the research trail. So I suppose I’ll forgive you for being distracted.
I’m very happy you came back to leave such a nice comment.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for telling us about him. He’s one of those characters~like Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale~whose names are familiar but no one knows exactly why
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Dear Larry,
I remember being fascinated with him as a child as I was an aspiring artist even then. You’re right. People are familiar with the name Audubon Society but have no clue where it came from. Fascinating and talented man, much more to him than a book of engravings.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great story of an adventurist artist who wasn’t afraid to wander in pursuit of his passion in art.
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He was a very early role model of mind. 🙂 Thanks, dear.
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Rochelle, what a glorious first sentence! There were so many adventurous people in Audubon’s time.
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Dear Alicia,
Your comment is a sweet sight for rather tired eyes this morning. Glorious? That makes me smile.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I want to join this but I’m a bit confused by the instructions
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What’s confusing you?
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It’s mentioning something about putting a C before my name? But it seems to be referring to responding to other stories. I don’t see how I can write my own in response to the pictures. And when will I see the pictures? I’m new to wordpress.
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Let me see if I can simplify. 1. Copy and paste the photo prompt into your blog post. (last photo, in this case, the one with the big yellow bird)
2. Write a 100 word story that you feel connects with the photo.
3. Come back to my page and click the blue frog icon…lower left of the photo prompt and then click on the “Add Your Link” icon at the lower left of the link page
4. Follow directions…copy and paste your story URL..(line at the top of the page, ie. https://story.wordpress.com in the first box and go from there.
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Don’t worry about the C. That is something else…kind of a little group within a group. Again…the only picture you need to worry about is the one that is captioned PHOTO PROMPT
Left click on the picture. You should be given the option of saving the image
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I’m can’t comment how the style of writing is compared to the time in history this is set in, but I trust you’ve done your research. It is a bit wordy, particularly the second paragraph, but I think you’ve pulled it off well. 🙂
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Dear MissKZebra,
Letter writers of that era tended to be more prolific than we are in our society of texters. 😉 Some of the phrases I used are direct quotes, but I’m not saying which ones.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Truly, you are a gifted and far-ranging writer of historical and imaginative fiction, Rochelle!
I loved the tone of this letter!
Beautiful!
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Dear Vijaya,
Your comments always make me want to keep writing and then write some more.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Greetings, Rochelle!
Love letters seem to be something of a lost art. Thanks for reminding us of the beautiful moments once captured only by pen and paper (no text, no email, no Hallmark). Marvelous story, too!
Cheers, TMWR
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Dear TMWR,
Not only are we losing the art of writing letters, soon the art of cursive writing will a thing of the past. I shudder at this. How will anyone be able to read historical documents written in script?
Thank you for your glowing comments. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great piece of history once again brought forth by you! It’s funny, I’m reading “The Signature of All Things” by Elizabeth Gilbert in which there is a character who is the “Audubon” of flowers…
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Dear Dale,
It’s funny how things come around, isn’t it? I’m glad you liked my bit of history. Thanks for taking time from your incredibly busy life to say so.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Behind every successful man there is a woman- your well written story demonstrates that succintly. Nice bit of history.
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Dear Ansumani,
In my opinion, Lucy Audubon didn’t get enough credit. 😉 Thank you for your sweet comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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100 words give evidence of a wealth of historical research. Well done, Rochelle!
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Dear Liz,
Your comment makes me smile. For me the research is as much fun as the writing.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh that woman behind… I recently saw a documentary of James Cook and his wife… and how she lived as a widow for many many years afterwards… and just before she burnt all the letters he had sent her.. fascinating if you can read them like that.
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Dear Björn,
I wonder how many great men could attribute their success to a woman? Lucy Audubon also outlived her husband. I don’t know about letters but, as a widow in financial straits she sold her his plates to smelters.
Thank you for coming by to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Poor Lucy, sitting at home all day (unless you know something different). And John was obviously a great bird lover – witness the gun.
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Dear Patrick,
Let’s just say that John had his ways of getting those birds to pose. 😉 As for Lucy, she opened a private school. I don’t think she just sat at home. Someone had to support the family after all.
Thanks for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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it must seem barbaric what he did for art’s sake, but highly acceptable in his lifetime.
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Dear Plaridel,
Different times I suppose. After all there were no cell phones to snap the moments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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C- I love the tone of voice in this story, you’ve captured it so well. It took me two or three reads of the first line to realise he was speaking about himself in the third person. Perhaps the confusion is only mine, but you could insert ‘me’ before ‘this wild man’ to make it clearer.
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Dear Claire,
I’m glad you liked the tone of the story and sorry to have confused. At any rate, thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah letter writing! I still write letters to several of my far-reaching friends and to family. A lost art I am afraid. I still ask for stationery for Christmas and remain very sad that the Crane (wonderful stationery stores) closed their shops. An ode to the Audubons here! Excellent!
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Dear Lillian,
You are part of a rare and dying breed I’m afraid. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Delightful writing! Off to view his art at one of my favorite sites: http://panteek.com/AudubonBirdsAmerica/index.htm
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Dear Chris,
Thank you commenting on my story and for the delightful link. Beautiful works of art.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I once got lost on the Audubon estate with my son. It was quite a memorable and beautiful day.
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Sounds nice, Joe. Thank you for stopping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It is a beautiful place to walk as long as you stay on the right path 😉
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Great way of tackling that picture!
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Thank you, Hillary. Sometimes I wonder what possesses me to choose certain photos. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely piece of history, and I love the letter format. It’s amusing that such a great naturalist is holding a huge gun in the picture 🙂
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Dear Ali,
I suspect that ‘naturalist’ in those days wasn’t synonymous with ‘vegetarian.’ Also Audubon used rather grisly (by our standards) means of posing those birds.
Thank you and Shalom,
Rochelle
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The letter format was a lovely way to capture history. His illustrations are priceless regardless of his methods. We kill animals all the time with much less purpose.
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Dear Tracey,
I love the letter form, too, but try not to wear it out. I’m pleased this worked for you. And Audubon’s methods…different times. It wasn’t as if he could snap a photo with his iPhone.
Thank you and Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the letter format! It reminds us that history – when it occurred – was just people writing letters of their day to each other. I miss hand written letters! Lovely piece Rochelle.
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Dear Solo,
One of the documentaries I watched about him brought out the fact that he kept extensive journals and wrote long letters to his wife. Letter writing is a dying art and I’ll admit to preferring email myself.
Thank you and Shalom,
Rochelle
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So lovely, wish I had such a letter from my husband. I’ve written to him, but he’s never written to me. What a lovely remembrance, and as always a history lesson! Thank you.
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Dear Yolanda Renee,
When my husband and I were dating and lived hours apart. I would write letters to him (no email back then) and hardly every heard back from him.
Thank you for your lovely comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
This is a week for the birds.
Though I confess I thought audubon was either a chewy candy, a high speed highway in Germany, or a nightclub from the 70’s.
Nice piece written in a grand old style.
Randy
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Dear Randy,
It has definitely been a week for the birds. So lets all sing like the birdies sing, “tweet, tweet, tweet…” Oh, I’m dating myself…that was before Twitter. 😉
Thank you for stopping to read and comment.
Chag Chanukah Samayach,
Rochelle
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Aw, so sweet. This appeals to my inner Romance writer.
His birds were prettier, though. I love his books just for the artistry.
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Dear Alice,
I’m pleased my letter stuck a romantic chord.
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Beautiful letter about yet another man and woman I have never heard of. These flashes are so informative. For a bird painter I was intrigued by the photo of him with the gun. I wonder if he shot them to have them sit still for him to paint.
Cheers Irene
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Dear Irene,
I’m always happy to share tidbits of obscured history.
Actually, Audubon did kill the birds first and then pose them with wires. Perhaps if he’d had an iPhone there would’ve been less carnage. 😉
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dearest Charlotte Marie Whipple,
I must to confess to chuckling when I read the letter from Mr. Audubon in relation to the photo. We all know he liked the subjects of his artwork to be dead, thus making them easier to pose. He’s certainly got a challenge on his hands with the filthy fowl in the photo. Will he pose him in front of a Charlie’s Chicken restaurant? I can’t wait to see which museum they hand this one in.
Yours truly
Fred
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Dear Fred,
I would like to see the painting that might have come out of posing that big bird. I guess a dead bird in the hand was worth two flapping ones, that wouldn’t sit for a portrait, in the bush. 😉 Is Charlies Chicken restaurant in partnership with Charlie’s Boneless Chicken Ranch?
Shalom,
Charlotte Marie Whipple
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What a lovely little letter. It’s always interesting learning a bit about the people who created the artwork we grow up seeing.
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Dear Emilie,
I love the letter form but try not to use it too often.
I’m glad you liked it and took the time to say so. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hi, Rochelle, Just an FYI I won’t be doing FF this week or next because I am doing Writing 101: A Poem a Day! for 2 wks. Bit off more than I can chew. 🙂
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John James Audubon is such a romantic, Rochelle. Beautifully written and such a creative take on the prompt! You always do such a fab job with the historical angle. I have four ideas now. I just need to write one!! I’m way late this week. Hopefully, I’l have my story up soon.
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Dear Amy, Better late than never. 😉
It’s no secret that I love history. I was happy to be able to suss out the romantic side to Audubon. Glad you liked. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you for the lovely letter and history lesson! Reminds me of Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, The Signature of All Things.
Lily
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Dear Lily,
I’m glad you liked my historical letter and took the time to say so. I’ll have to look for The Signature of All Things. Sounds interesting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The letter form works beautifully to give a glimpse into the private world of a great artist. Well told.
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Dear Margaret,
Thank you for your lovely words. They warm on a cold day.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Too bad you were not a high school history teacher. Your students would have been blessed. I love coming here for my weekly lesson.
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What a wonderful thing to say, Dawn. If the truth be told, I was a lousy history student. Except for 7th grade when my teacher made history jump off the page. Thank you for such a magnificent compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle for telling us something new every time with your excellent stories. Enjoyed. Now off to see Sandra’s link..
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Dear indira,
You help make my mini voyages worth writing. Glad you enjoyed.
Thank you and shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂
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You never disappoint Rochelle! I wondered what you’d do with this one, and your letter is compelling and lovely! I just bought my 2016 Audubon calendar, and can’t wait to enjoy a year of wonderful birds! Nice job!
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Dear Dawn,
Audubon’s work was a gift that continues to give generations later. Thank you for your kind words re my story. I love the letter form but try not to overuse it. I think a book of flash-fiction type letters might be fun though.
Thank you again.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Enjoyed the rooster photo prompt! When will the next one pop up??
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Every Wednesday at 02:30 CST
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Another educational FF Rochelle – a sweet tale that lead to 10 minutes of me clicking through pretty bird pictures 🙂
Nice.
KT
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Dear KT,
I love where my story took you. 😀 Audubon is worth looking into. He was a lot more interesting than I thought.
Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Fascinating dive into history. I love these side stories about these people, they are not the movers and shakers, they didn’t win wars but simply contributed to the growth of human knowledge.
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Dear Subroto,
I love finding stories the lives of people who didn’t quite make the front page of history. I’m glad you do to. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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