A wink with talons. In sunlight, it sparkles—then claws into your flesh.
13-word micro fiction written for Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt: “Wink”
“Wink” – Sammi Cox’s Weekend Writing Prompt #344
Category: Writing Exercises
Sensory Sentences Exercise #1
Using Sensory Words to Create Vivid Scenes
(1.
Silver wax oozed from the crevice of the door, clammed shut thanks to my flamethrower.
(2.
It was my mistake to guide the children to the roaring music hall, where bellows hoisted violin strums on their backs and where the madness drowned out the screams of the 2nd graders.
(3.
Alix trained hard, for months, chucking rocks to build biceps, dismantling Legos to construct meteorite wrists, til he was finally bulked and poised with a pencil to launch the final bullet to his Chemistry exam, the impact starting a fire that smelled old and musky, but the completion of his mission placed a buttery taste on his tongue.
(4.
The grilled cheese sizzled on the pan, murmuring secrets only the flies could hear. Its greased surface threw white back at the light bulbs; oil droplets popped up, fell down, slid like ice atop the pan and beside the sandwich. The bread was tan, black along the sides, and carried a charring-hot taste—not because it was cooking but because red pepper seeds were peppered throughout the melty orange cheese. It carried the smell of a quesadilla.
(5.
His phone twinkled from the hill’s bottom, guiding me like the north star to safety from this freezing forest.
Word Choice Exercise #2
Here’s an attempt at an exercise I found in Henneke Duistermaat’s article, Word Choice: How to Play With Words (and Find Your Voice). You can find more exercises and tips on her website, enchantingmarketing.com.
Five Character Variations of: “I’m a … and I’m on a mission to …”
(1.
Hi good evening I’m Phil with Nurture our Nature would you be interested in signing to— *thunk*
(2.
Madame Iris sees all, through maw of her crystal ball. Come, stranger, I’ve been expecting you for some time now. Answer destiny… answer the spirit’s call!
(3.
You call that a sit-up? C’mon! You’re here to crush some iron witha hammer! If you’re gonna pick tulips I’ll throw you in the dirt myself!
(4.
James scratched his back with his left hand while holding the notepad in his right. He’d barely written a word of what the witness, who was still ranting, had said. What was Janice doing right now? Did she put the kids to sleep? Darn, sleep. James forgot to buy that eye mask at Rite Aid. With his left hand he wrote in his notepad, buy eye mask from Rite Aid.
(5.
Hello all. Thank you for stopping by tonight, to sooth your stresses and to gently revitalize your spirits. Yes, I thank you, but more important is that you thank yourselves. As we come down to child’s pose, let out one, long breath, and thank yourself until your breath is complete.
Word Choice Exercise #1
Here’s an attempt at an exercise I found in Henneke Duistermaat’s article, Word Choice: How to Play With Words (and Find Your Voice). You can find more exercises and tips on her website, enchantingmarketing.com.
Five Character Variations of: “I’m a … and I’m on a mission to …”
(1.
I’m a carpenter, yes, I just spotted mold by your electrical outlet, hm? I’m on a mission to do my job but with such a mess how can I do my job for you?
(2.
Hiya! I cashier here at Monae’s Boutique, so lovely of you to stop in! Is this for an anniversary or a first date? I can see the butterflies in your eyes—smile!—I’ve got just the flowers to make her day.
(3.
Yeah. I work at Monae’s, you lost? Well sorry, I don’t get paid to give directions, my job’s to sell flowers. The other employers trashed my resume.
(4.
I-I’m… Hi, I’m Caden. My mommy dropped me off for furst day school. I’m fourth grade…
(5.
Portia Clementine, junior reporter for the Onyx Observer, here to stomp the gas so your story will be free and be heard by millions of Americans and so your life will be saved.
Construction Variations #1: To ___ Is To ___
Five Examples of the Preset Pattern’s Variations
(1.
Ah, young pupil. To fail is to improve. No artist gets it right on the first try.
(2.
To feel the frigid winds whilst dangling upside-down by bungee cord’s half-inch thread is to feel every victory and mishap, every warm tear and cold kiss, every memory rush in and out of consciousness within seconds.
(3.
Eh, whaddya gonna do? “To love is to lose” or somethin’, amiright?
(4.
To slip in my pronunciation of that single syllable for two seconds in that thirty-minute speech is basically to pee my pants in a $400 dollar blazer.
(5.
To run outside but get stung by bees anyway is to be 10, free, and alive…! Now I let the bees sting me and don’t protest.
The Fiction Writer 