9:06 a.m. — Atlanta
listening to Billy Joel and It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Hi, all. Yes, I am a trifle late. We haven’t seen the sun in days and that does something to the will. I think I’m growing fangs, too.
For this year, I plan to thread narrative prompts and ‘found’ prompts [those belonging to other people, with all due credit, of course] with mine. I’m working on stretching mine as far as possible. Our prompt, today, is based on a Georgia Heard idea.
calendar
birch coaster
Wander through your house, or office. Look around you. You are looking for an ordinary object from your everyday life, inside or out, something you are fond of, love, feel passionate about, or get a kick from, despite its everyday-ness. You might start with two or three possibles, as we sometimes don’t know what will, or will not, work.
comb/brush holder
Choose the object because it pleases you, moves you, or because you find beauty. What you choose should have a wonder about it for you, or a story, or a memory. And if it doesn’t, but you want to write about it, make it up!
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As with anything we write, once you have notes, or a draft, consider whether you want to tell about the object in first, or third person. Some stories are better told in the third. As for form, consider the object and the forms you know and pick what goes together best. Short forms might be fun with this [then, you can write several].
Consider taking a photograph of the object to accompany the poem. Writers, post your
squid whisk
links in comments; readers, come back in a few days and read what is here.
That’s it. WHAT!? you say. Never this short. I wanted to show you I could! I shall see you Thursday to give a ‘brief’ synopsis of how the blog’s Thursdays and Fridays work; Friday for the roundup; and next Tuesday for another exercise.
Happy writing, everyone.
barbara_y
15/01/2013 at 10:20 am
Not only permission to pull out the Canon, encouragement. My house is chock-a-block with adorable trash. Maybe there’s something with a new story for me.
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 10:26 am
Hey! I had to stop taking photos of all my ‘toys’ when I realised they weren’t everyday objects, as such. Hm. Maybe I’ll do another prompt focused on all our ‘adorable trash’. I sit surrounded by it and am enchanted.
barbara_y
15/01/2013 at 12:23 pm
Okay. Ordinary, easily ignored adorable things then.
markwindham
15/01/2013 at 11:10 am
amen on the Atlanta weather, bleh. Now there is a prompt idea: look out the window on a day like today pull a cheery poem out of it…maybe if I saw someone slip and fall…no, no, that would be wrong.
bleh
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 11:18 am
No kidding, bleh. It would be different if the temperatures were brisk. My mother has the opposite: 25 degrees! Blue sky and sunshine. I offered to trade a bit.
barbara_y
15/01/2013 at 12:25 pm
My weather kvetch is: If everything is going to be covered with ice, why bother if the sun isn’t going to come out and let it sparkle. Matte gray. bletch.
Misky
15/01/2013 at 12:39 pm
Okay. He’s everyday because I say good morning to him every day. http://miskmask.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/my-aunt-suzy-and-my-beagle/
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 12:43 pm
I like your reasoning. If anyone else is stuck, now there is another everyday use.
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 12:39 pm
Exactly… in response to the weather comments.
Carol Carlisle
15/01/2013 at 2:06 pm
This is just for you just What the Doctor Ordered. A little Lime in the Coconut song and poem. http://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/lime-in-the-coconut-song/
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 4:03 pm
I can’t wait, carol. I’ll pop over in a sec.
Emma at LLM Calling
15/01/2013 at 2:34 pm
I only found you today and I’ve already bent the rules, I hope I don’t get thrown out for insubordination.
http://llmcalling.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/joined-together.html
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 4:04 pm
Welcome, Emma. All insubordination highly approved of. If you are a rule-breaker, you have found just the place.
julespaige
15/01/2013 at 3:49 pm
While I haven’t quite figured out photo-play yet…and this only semi-links with the topic of ordinary things, via the word ‘inspiration’ itself and the joy I get from writing everyday…, I think it is a at least a partial fit (written before reading the prompt…)
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2013/01/united-we-stand.html
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 4:05 pm
Of course, Jules. Margo laughs.
markwindham
15/01/2013 at 3:56 pm
Unfortunately, this kind of fits the ‘bleh’ theme…..
http://wp.me/p1ZKiY-2JM
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 4:06 pm
I always do say, write it out. Not that I’ve noticed any great change in the weather, Mark! I’m coming over.
Hannah Gosselin
16/01/2013 at 12:44 am
Your squid wisk!? Wicked cute!!
Smiles…late night smiles. I watched my weekly program, “Parenthood,” love that…and wanted to post for you on a….drum roll…Tuesday!!
Speaking of programs…this isn’t one but this documentary that I watched on Netflix is amazing!! Craigslist Joe!! I loved it!
Okay, here’s my poem…I’ll be quiet now…I’m scaring all the mice with all my excessive exclamation points!
http://wordrustling.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/it-looks-like-rain/
margo roby
16/01/2013 at 7:26 am
I knew you would like that, Hannah!
Yay! I think I have posted on the same day as a prompt, once!
Craigslist Joe added to list. Thank you. I love a good documentary.
Grin. You would have had trouble in my classroom with those points!!!
I find that in online speech, they are needed as a pointer to tone.
Hannah Gosselin
16/01/2013 at 1:07 pm
You know me!! You’ll love this one, Margo and yes…phrases online can be so lackluster if one doesn’t exclaim them. Like, “that’s a great poem, ” has a whole different tone than, “THAT IS A GREAT POEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Bwahahaha!! Sorry, just having fun! My desk faces a window now! So good.
rosross
16/01/2013 at 2:24 am
This was a great prompt. A reminder to look closely, to appreciate.
http://roslynrosssmallstones.blogspot.com/2013/01/bowl.html
margo roby
16/01/2013 at 7:27 am
Thanks, Ros. I loved wandering through my flat, looking at things from this perspective.
vivinfrance
16/01/2013 at 6:29 am
My piano is my most precious possession and I’m giving it to my daughter and grandson. It should have gone by now,. but the carriers let us down, and it is scheduled to leave on 28th Jan. Here is the poem I wrote when departure was imminent: http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/missing-you/
I will do another one, if I can find the right object!
margo roby
16/01/2013 at 7:30 am
Ah, ViV. It will be like cutting off part of yourself. I do love that an everyday object can be precious. I hadn’t thought of something large like a piece of furniture, but of course. Our son, now has our piano. I miss knowing it’s sitting in our house.
vivinfrance
17/01/2013 at 3:07 am
Here are a couple more everyday things for you: http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/the-wonder-of-everyday-things/
barbara_y
17/01/2013 at 9:45 am
Well. This isn’t much of a poem, but I think it carries the point
http://roughwords.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/ordinary-objects/
margo roby
17/01/2013 at 9:51 am
Uh huh. I should have such visions.
purplepeninportland
18/01/2013 at 2:29 pm
A favorite of mine is posted.
http://purplepeninportland.wordpress.com/
purplepeninportland
18/01/2013 at 11:04 pm
Margo, I keep clicking on that squid whisk. It even sounds fun.
margo roby
19/01/2013 at 9:29 am
Sara, I know! I adore him. Found him in Covent Gardens, London!