1. What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given?
Read a lot. Read fiction, read nonfiction, read screenplays. Read everything. Write a lot. I know exactly how difficult it can be to carve out time to work on a story, especially when you’re butting heads with the characters and the rest of your life. I’ve also been advised to experiment how you write. Push yourself to try new perspectives, new voices, and/or new genres. Change it up once in a while and you might just be pleased with what comes about.
2. The first and last books you fell in love with?
Hmm, I think the first book would be Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I read it when I was eight and I haven’t stopped reading since. The last book… this is tough. I read for school (English major alert) and one of my classes continually rocked me to my core with the syllabus. I would say Anne Marie McDonald’s Fall on Your Knees (trigger warnings: sexual assault, racism, religious fanaticism and homophobia) or Dionne Brand’s book of poetry Land to Light On. Both are Canadian authors and brilliant wordsmiths. Their works are beautiful and evocative.
3. What are you listening to right now?
Nine Inch Nails’ new song “Come Back Haunted.” It’s also a mix of Kishi Bashi, Lindsey Stirling and The Winter Brave. All very different; all very good.
4. There's a rubber stamp mark on your hand. What does it say?
“Allons-y!” Oh, Ten, how I adore you so. Sometimes, though… sometimes, I just need the reminder to actually go. I need that boost.
5. Suppose you could travel to any place in time and history. When and where are you going?
A T.A.R.D.I.S. question! I’m usually on a soapbox about something or another, so I would have to say early 20th century, New York City. Hello, Emma Goldman and Margaret Sanger! I think both women are important and intelligent parts of the women’s movement. I’d also like to be in 1950s-early 1960s San Francisco. I’ve always wondered how Free Love (of which Goldman was a staunch advocate) would look like in practice, without condemnation and refusal.
I love music. I’m shamelessly plugged-in, always. If I’m not, I’m thinking of a song, a chorus, a lyric, a bridge. I was amazed and impressed with the variety in genre and subject matter in the entries. Well done, everyone.
First Place: @boomboom_jones -> I feel hope and heartbreak. Both are twined together in your entry, in harmony. I feel as if they’re an old couple, with years together of comfort and love. But her language... it’s colloquial and modern. I’m fascinated with her; with her modernisms, steadfastness and love. Her devotion has me impressed. I melted when he called her an angel, even as it squeezed my heart. And then: “Every minute is brand new.” And I in awe of her strength. I just about melted and cried (together; because I did tear up) with the mention of the dusty pictures. You managed to convey so many emotions and reactions in 200 words. Congratulations.
Second Place: @annalund2011 -> The rhythm in this piece is lovely. The words are syncopated and disjointed, but they flow with ease. Your narrator feels music in her soul, and it exudes from her character; and that, in turn, is felt by the reader. My favourite line: “So, no, don’t Follow me. Walk beside me, my friend.” I love your use of the song and the picture; it’s a lovely combination. Your words, too are a kind of magic. This was a pleasure to read.
Third Place: @SerendipitousMC -> Your entry hit me right in the feels. The description of the grandfather was brief, but evocative. You showed what type of a man he was. His life went everywhere, was everything, but his heart remained the same: music. And as he played music as he passed... that was the most convincing part of your story. In that sentence, I understood the man’s devotion to music. The relationship between grandfather and grandchild was palpable. It was beautiful to read. An amazing job.
Honourable Mentions!
@BedeliaJane -> I want to know everything about the ominous “Call.” I was breathless with anticipation, until: “I can’t let him be hurt. Not by anyone but me, I guess.” And then I sort of broke. It conveyed the entire relationship. Well done.
@sri_ffn -> love the idea of a letter... it’s both intimate and one-sided. And the way you included the prompt! Quite unique and lovely.
@megant_timms -> The movement in this piece: from the music, to the moments, everything matches perfectly. Heartbreaking and beautiful.
And something sweet for everyone. I will attempt brevity (but I make no promises).
@shellisthimbles: Music is the heartbeat, Shell. Music is everything, and I love how you represented that. Beautiful.
@deebelle1: The connections between heartbeats is lovely and swoony. I expect many heavenly moments to come from this couple.
@QuinnSkylark: Erotic and sensual. The rhythm had me swaying in my seat.
Sherbert20111: So interesting! It’s the other side of “new” lives. Or is he an old life, reborn? This was an exceptional take on the prompts. Well done!
TiramiSue84: This is a beautiful glimpse into a reunion. Your narrator’s emotions bleed into the reader, and then we begin to feel as she does.
@Twilightladies1: I felt so bad for the characters. The most compelling moment: when the person in the hospital bed wondered about the other’s pain.
@everydaybella89: Oh, this poor person. At least the speaker is a compassionate, understanding person. I feel for him or her and the missing part, the untouched part the narrator is incapable of having.
@bebeginja: This was beautiful. You personified music, and you used it to draw out a character. The harmony in this couple... lovely.
ShadesofPurple4: I’m fascinated by how the narrator is tied to the heart and its music, and its ability to speak the truth of their relationship.
@LouiseClark75: What a sensual dance! I love how you paired Edward and Bella.
@bkhchica: I love how the couple met. He seems like a father completed devoted to his wife and daughter... I wonder what the song sounds like.
@Pinkcookie: Poor Bella. To be left in the lurch like that is so unfortunate. At least there’s Dr. Cullen, to lead in healing her emotional problems.
@hummingbirdFF & @bigblueboat: This is a beautiful family moment. The woman’s reverence for her son and music, and her husband’s love for their child is breathtaking.
@Aleeab4u: HOLY! This was sooo different. Edward during his “rebellious” years is always a thing of curiosity. You created a detailed image of gore and sorrow in so few words; well done.
@magtwi78: Have you heard Florence and the Machine’s “All This and Heaven Too?” I thought of that song when I read this.Your characters’ hearts are speaking all in a language of their own.
@tanglingshad0ws: I was so sad; you portrayed the slow moving split well. And then the last line was a punch to the gut. Wow.
@Mariahajile: Those final moments are always the saddest. You wrote of every emotion that can go through a person so well, and it evoked a similar reaction from me.
@GeekChic12: Sometimes love isn’t enough. Sometimes, it can’t carry the entire relationship. I broke, just a little bit, for these characters.
@Alesoflyy: Their feelings are palpable. I can only hope he’s able to be with her, the one his heart clearly wishes for.
@CallMePagliacci: What an interesting glimpse into the narrator’s life. The most compelling lines: “They just loved me too much. Or maybe not me, but what I made them feel. They places my songs took them.
...
Congratulations @boomboom_jones!
Thank you to @ordinary_vamp for judging, and to everyone for participating.
See you all next week.
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