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The Cheese Stands Alone
Published July 6, 2013 by rochellewisoffHow does one make a story stand alone? This is the question I’ve had to ask myself in writing a sequel to my first novel, PLEASE SAY KADDISH FOR ME.
While I’m intimate with my characters, having spent the better part of the last nine years developing their personalities and learning their responses to situations, they won’t be familiar to someone reading only the second novel, FROM SILT AND ASHES, unless I reintroduce them. At the same time it would be tedious, particularly for someone following the series, to regurgitate parts of the first novel. There’s my dilemma. How do I introduce Havah, Arel, Ulrich and Nikolai for the second go-around without boring repetition?
A few years back as I began the sequel, I thought about doing what another writer did with his sequel, which was to give a timeline in the beginning of the book chronicling what happened in his first novel. Now, however, I find the idea cheesy and unimaginative, among other uncomplimentary adjectives.
Of course I can’t tell Havah’s story of her life in America, without recalling some of her past in Eastern Europe from the first novel, which culminated with her near-death in the Kishinev pogrom in 1903. The same goes for her husband, Arel, and other key people in her life. So the task set before me is to retell parts of the first novel in a fresh way and to discover new stories and people along the way, then to move forward with a different plot.
My paternal grandmother, Miriam Reuben Wisoff
Food for thought:
Does the sequel tell a fresh new story?
If not, it is simply a fragment in space that has to be linked to the former to understand the present.
DOES IT STAND ALONE?
5 July 2013
Published July 3, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
-
- Like us on Facebook
- 😉 My story follows the photo and link tool. I enjoy comments and relish constructive criticism. 😀
- Shalom,
Rochelle
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Copyright – David Stewart
Special thanks to those who have contributed photos. I’m building up quite a library. And on that note, I have a request. Please when emailing your jpgs (some have sent more than four at once) put your name on it somehow. I’m not always the most organized nor do I have the best memory. So far I think all are named and accounted for. Thanks. Don’t stop sending them.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Word Count: 100
IN THE BALANCE
Cold metal ladder-rungs dug into Melinda’s bare feet. She shivered as icy wind tugged at her robe.
Like jetsam in a whirlpool, disjointed images swirled through her mind; anniversary flowers delivered in the morning followed by somber uniformed officers in the afternoon bearing unthinkable news. Her husband, Grant, dead—a sniper’s bullet.
No one left to live for; she stepped onto the roof and studied the rock-strewn ground below. Breath held, she inched toward the edge.
Suddenly, her unborn child kicked for the first time.
Melinda shrank back.
Grant’s voice whispered on the wind, “Take good care of our son.”
What Do You See?
Published July 1, 2013 by rochellewisoffIt’s been over a year since the beginning of my captivity by Friday Fictioneers. From the first I was hooked on the challenge of writing a complete story in one hundred words or less. Sometimes they came effortlessly. Other times I’d agonize for a day or so. And some photos presented bigger challenges than others.
As I recall the following photo posted by Friday Fictioneers originator, Madison Woods, put some people off. At first glance at this photo of grapevine ooze I also thought of sitting out that week. The thought passed after a minute or two.
Ultimately, this is the story I wrote:
WILD LIFE
Half naked Himba people in Nambia, a sweaty camera crew and millions of TV viewers witnessed our marriage vows.
I willingly followed Trevor up the Himalayas, drank sun-scorched canteen water instead of Cabernet and swatted mosquitos in the Amazon.
In Nepal he slipped on something and narrowly escaped being trampled by a choleric elephant.
“I’m done,” he whispered later. “Let’s go home.”
“You are my home.”
Back in the states, safe from cheetah attacks and hippo stampedes, Trevor’s mangled body lies on a cold steel table. The driver, texting on her cell phone, never saw him cross the street.
****
Do you see the glancing reference to the prompt? Hint: “In Nepal…”
Looks like something a person could slip in, doesn’t it? Perhaps one of the elephants left his load in the middle of the road. 😉
Another story that garnered a few questions (and a bit of controversy) was one of my favorites from the following photo.
FINAL DECLARATION
Like the anguished images that flashed across our television, Friday, November 22, 1963 will ever be etched into my memory in black and white.
Walter Cronkite wept on camera.
The nation mourned.
Dazed, Mom sorted Christmas ornaments at the kitchen table and mumbled empty phrases. Dad dropped to his knees, laid his head in her lap and sobbed.
“He was my hero!” I screamed.
My eleven-year-old world spun out and I kicked at the two faceless uniforms.
Their vacuous condolences pelted me like the bullets that killed my big brother in Vietnam.
_______________
I’ll never forgive Mr. Kennedy.
******
“How on earth did you arrive at that story?” asked one of my fellow FF’rs.
My process went something like this:
The kitchen in the picture is quite dated. Looked like 1960’s to me.
What happened during that era? Kennedy assassination. How did this affect my protagonist? That part took a fair amount of research which is something I love, almost as much as the writing itself.
If you look closely, there is a passing reference to the Christmas ornaments on the table. (Sorry, Kitty, didn’t find you particularly interesting. 😉 )
******
A prime example of stepping outside the box, inspired by the same photo, is from Doug MacIlroy. http://ironwoodwind.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/cathouse-kitchen/
Or this one, also from Doug. http://ironwoodwind.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/echoes-of-love/
******
Included in my intro to Friday Fictioneers is a quote from Henry David Thoreau. It’s my motto. I hope it will inspire others.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
29 June 2013
Published June 26, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
-
- Like us on Facebook
copyright – Indira (follow the link to her first FF story) by way of Scott Vanatter
- To post the prompt to your page simply right click on the picture and then left click “Save image as…” This will download it to your computer. Then paste it into your blog page. Please respect the copyright and use it only for Friday Fictioneers purposes. Any other usage requires permission from the photographer. Thank you.
EPILOGUE
“Hard to believe you’ve been gone these many years, Alvin.” I stare at my wedding photograph taken in 1953. Or was it 1958?
“You should see Emerson. Looks like you when we met. So handsome and sure of himself.
“He took me to the grocery today. I got lost in the cereal aisle. Doddering old bat.
“You’d laugh at your ‘Mrs. Intellectual’, Alvin. Can no longer understand the books I wrote.”
“Mom, you need your rest.” Emerson shuts off the light.
“Please kill me.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Mean what? Tell your father to come to bed. It’s getting late.”
21 June 2013
Published June 19, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
-
- Like us on Facebook
-
copyright -Managua Gunn
- To post the prompt to your page simply right click on the picture and then left click “Save image as…” This will download it to your computer. Then paste it into your blog page. Please respect the copyright and use it only for Friday Fictioneers purposes. Any other usage requires permission from the photographer. Thank you.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Word Count: 100
ROYAL CONCESSION
“Daddy, tell me a story.”
Ellen grabbed the remote, turned off the television and climbed onto Jeff’s lap.
“Not now, Doodle-bug.” He gave her a gentle nudge.
After countless life-or-death decisions and run-ins with EMT coworkers, he sought escape through mindless entertainment.
With four-year-old persistence, she settled against his chest. “Once upon a time, in a castle far away, lived a king and his bee-yoo-tee-ful little princess.”
“Then what happened?”
“They…” her voice faded into a yawn and her eyelids drooped.
Jeff’s taut muscles eased. He set down his beer, kissed her silken curls and whispered, “…lived happily ever after.”
14 June 2013
Published June 12, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
-
- Like us on Facebook
-
***************
My story will follow the prompt for those who might be distracted by reading a story before writing their own . I enjoy your comments. -
Copyright –John Nixon
- To post the prompt to your page simply right click on the picture and then left click “Save image as…” This will download it to your computer. Then paste it into your blog page. Please respect the copyright and use it only for Friday Fictioneers purposes. Any other usage requires permission from the photographer. Thank you.
-
-
Genre: Literary Fiction
Word Count: 99
CHILDHOOD’S END
“Tell me about your childhood.” Audrey tapped her pencil against her cheek and pierced me with her eyes.
I squirmed into a fetal position in my chair. “Bicycles, Barbies and circus clowns.”
“Why are you starving yourself to death?”
“I eat.” I counted the knots in the carpet.
“Popcorn and celery. 85 pounds and dropping. What have you buried?”
“Nothing. I remember my childhood in detail.”
“You invented it.”
To make her prying stop, I shut my eyes. In one heart-stopping moment, long dormant memories stirred and shattered my perfect life.
“The first one was my uncle,” I whispered.
The song’s intro is kind of long but it begged to be included.
6 June 2013
Published June 5, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
- Like us on Facebook
-
***************
My story will follow the prompt for those who might be distracted by reading a story before writing their own . I enjoy your comments. -
Copyright – EL Appleby
- To post the prompt to your page simply right click on the picture and then left click “Save image as…” This will download it to your computer. Then paste it into your blog page. Please respect the copyright and use it only for Friday Fictioneers purposes. Any other usage requires permission from the photographer. Thank you.
Genre: Memoir
Word Count: 98
FATHER’S DAY
Dad was my first hero. Nobody surpassed him when it came to making up silly stories and songs. His lap was my throne.
After cancer took Mom, he deteriorated into a frail, lonely old man who depended on our daily phone chats.
“You didn’t call.”
“The kids were nuts this morning.”
“Your line was busy.”
“Ruth called.”
“You don’t care.”
“I’ll be by this afternoon, Dad.”
Hours later, I found him lying on the sofa, mouth agape and eyes half-open. Stunned and filled with regret, I dialed 911.
Thirty years later, I still long to hear his voice.
Robert Edward Wisoff
1914-1984
31 May 2013
Published May 29, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
***************
My story will follow the prompt for those who might be distracted by reading a story before writing their own . I enjoy your comments. -
Copyright – Janet Webb
-
- To post the prompt to your page simply right click on the picture and then left click “Save image as…” This will download it to your computer. Then paste it into your blog page. Please respect the copyright and use it only for Friday Fictioneers purposes. Any other usage requires permission from the photographer. Thank you.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
When an Amish youth reaches the age of 16, he or she is given a time to explore life outside the polarized community that’s changed little since the 16th century. If the child returns all sins are forgiven and she will be baptized into the church and subsequently married.
90 % of Amish teenagers will choose their parents’ lifestyle. This time of sanctioned rebellion is known in Pennsylvania Dutch as…
RUMSPRINGA
Out for a walk in the night, lost in thought, I didn’t see him until we collided. I apologized repeatedly.
“No, it’s me. Without me glasses I’m fair blind.” He pointed at my bonnet. “Costume party?”
“Amish. I’m in New York to choose my future—my parent’s home or the modern world.”
“Do you like rock and roll?”
“What’s that?”
“You really don’t know, do you?”
“No.”
“What’ll you choose—1694 or 1964?”
“Not sure. I hate big crowds.”
“So do I.” He offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Miss…”
“Julia.”
“Fab name.”
“And you, sir?”
“John. John Lennon.”
24 May 2013
Published May 22, 2013 by rochellewisoffWELCOME TO FRIDAY FICTIONEERS.
As always, writers are encouraged to be as innovative as possible with the prompt and 100 word constraints.
Henry David Thoreau said it best.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
********
THE CHALLENGE:
Write a one hundred word story that has a beginning, middle and end. (No one will be ostracized for going over or under the word count.)
THE KEY:
Make every word count.
THE RULES:
- Copy your URL to the Linkz collection. You’ll find the tab following the photo prompt. It’s the little white box to the left with the blue froggy guy. Click on it and follow directions. This is the best way to get the most reads and comments.
- MAKE SURE YOUR LINK IS SPECIFIC TO YOUR FLASH FICTION. (Should you find that you’ve made an error you can delete by clicking the little red ‘x’ that should appear under your icon. Then re-enter your URL. (If there’s no red x email me at Runtshell@aol.com. I can delete the wrong link for you).
-
- Make note in your blog if you’d prefer not to have constructive criticism.
- REMINDER: This page is “FRIDAY FICTIONEERS CENTRAL” and is NOT the place to promote political or religious views. Also, you are responsible for the content of your story and policing comments on your blog. You have the right to delete any you consider offensive.
**Please exercise DISCRETION when commenting on a story! Be RESPECTFUL.**
Should someone have severe or hostile differences of opinion with another person it’s my hope that the involved parties would settle their disputes in private.
***************
My story will follow the prompt for those who might be distracted by reading a story before writing their own . I enjoy your comments. -
Copyright – Danny Bowman
To post the prompt to your page simply right click on the picture and then left click “Save image as…” This will download it to your computer. Then paste it into your blog page. Please respect the copyright and use it only for Friday Fictioneers purposes. Any other usage requires permission from the photographer. Thank you.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Word Count: 99
DIODE
“Sarah, we need to talk.” Brent leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded, watching her peel vegetables over the sink.
“Can’t it wait?” She didn’t look up. “I’ve got the headache from hell.”
His breath caught in his throat. “I might have a contract on my novel. And lately you and I—”
“You get my bulbs planted?”
“I quit my job.”
“The tub drain’s clogged again.”
Silently he turned and walked outside to his pickup which was loaded with everything he owned. Through the open window he could still hear her.
“And the yard…really, Brent, you just don’t listen.”
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 