week 15 winners

Here's @femme_mal's answers to my judgey questions.

1. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given?

Having worked most of my life in corporate sector, most advice I received was focused on business document creation. One of the best pointers ever offered was about resumes, but I find it has helped me in other writing: use action words. On a resume, one should tell a prospective employer that they've "verbed" something, or are "verbing." Stripping the description down to an action verb reduces editing in the end while conveying a sense of action and urgency.

2. The first and last books you fell in love with?

Whew...first book? I can't really remember with certainty, but I think it was Dr. Suess' Green Eggs and Ham. An extremely close second was P. D. Eastman's Go Dog, Go -- mostly because of the dog party in the tree at the end. Who doesn't love a party? I remember reading these during what should have been nap time when I was four years old.

The last book I fell in love with was David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. It's really several books of different genres in one spanning centuries, randomly cut together. Mitchell's ability to depict extremely diverse characters' points of view as well as his talent at employing old, current, and entirely new dialects make this a singular read.

3. What's happening outside the nearest window?

The light is fading as the sun sets; geese call as they fly overhead toward the river in the distance, while spring peeper tree frogs trill softly near the pond. My Adirondack chair on the deck grows cold.

4. There's a rubber stamp mark on your hand. What does it say?

ADMIT ONE

FREE DRINKS

5. Suppose you could travel to any place in time and history. When and where are you going?

I would be found in one of three places and times: 

1812 -- Northern France, near the Belgian border, three years before the battle at Waterloo--the War of 1812 begins, Napoleon invades Russia, the Grimm Brothers publish their Children's and Household Tales;

1645 -- Near La Rochelle, France, just before the same antecedent departs to work with the Jesuits in New France--please tell me why, Grandpere!;

1647 -- New France, when my oldest antecedent arrives with his new bride in what is now Quebec, Canada--how does Grandmere see the new world?

And here's what she had to say about this week's entries:

A very nice selection of submissions were posted making wide use of the two photo prompts and the implicit them, joy.

Here’s a brief overview of the entries submitted:

@moonlit__girl — Appreciate the quiet tension here in this coming of age piece.

@AnnaLund2011 — This is so sweet and feels so familiar; I can feel the sand between my toes.

@sandyquill — Sharply-sweet depiction of future promise—very nice.

@TiramiSue84 — All good things come to an end, and these lives were good, their joining depicted succinctly. Good stuff.

Sherbert20111 (on FF) — Been there, done that emotional dumping with a side of egg rolls. Evocative.

@sparrownotes24 — More than a promise, some payload delivered early here. Excellent.

Pinkcookie (on FF) — Hunger-inducing bittersweet goodness.

@sri_ffn — Rippling with turmoil; if only this old boat truly was Joy.

@twilightmomofto — Very nice use of the photo prompt and implied theme, joy.

@CrackedFic — Tidy, a teasing murder mystery wrapped up in under 200 words.

@bkhchica — Every man is an island, a lonely island—even with a boat called joy. The pain radiates off this one.

@bigblueboat — Too funny, I can see my teen son doing exactly this with his buddy. Nice.

@Deebelle1 — Ironic use of Joy Garden as a contemplation of joy’s opposition. Intense.

@Alesoflyy — Thoughtful, funny, sweet; the dialog is believable in its concision.

@shellisthimbles — Loved this, shell. I can taste the tea and feel the anticipation of another date.

I loved what all the contributors did with the prompts. Some used one, some used both, and some focused on the implicit theme, joy. A very nice diversity in techniques and messages emerged.

While I enjoyed all of the submissions, I particularly liked @Alesoflyy’s piece the most for its use of the photo prompt, the implicit theme, and the delightful, credible dialog.

Week 15 winner is @Alesoflyy — congratulations!

...

CONGRATULATIONS @Alesoflyy

Thank you to @femme_mal for judging and to everyone who participated.

See you all next week.