The Notice

  By

November 2, 2017, Carrot Ranch prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story of a chair on a porch. Why is it there, and what might it mean? Think about using it as a prop or the main thrust of your story. Respond by November 7, 2017, to be included in the compilation (published November 8). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!

The Carrot Ranch weekly challenges are the perfect vehicle for me to try out mini-scenes for my book. I promised sneaks peeks into The Meadow Fairy, book 2 in The Heart Stone Chronicles and here is a 99-word tidbit. This is an introduction to my villain, Zane Holloway.

Zane leaned back in his chair. He popped a handful of sunflower seeds into one side of his mouth while spitting out the shells with the other. Zane had much to mull over, and the porch offered no judgments.

The government warning said using Neonicotinoids in the seed treatments for the wheat crop was the reason the bees were dying. It was nonsense, and it rankled against his understanding of how insecticides worked.

He was a farmer, and the Feds didn’t know how to grow wheat. He ripped up the notice and let the scraps blow in the wind.

© 2017 Colleen M. Chesebro

Onward and Upward – NaNoWritMO!

Follow Me on Social Media...
close

Hello! 👋 Welcome to Word Craft Poetry.
It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to receive notifications of the #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenges, examples of syllabic poetry, news about my poetry books, and more content in your inbox every day.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

About Colleen Chesebro: WordCraftPoetry

Colleen M. Chesebro is a Michigan Poet who loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of syllabic poetry. A published author, Colleen is also an editor of “Word Weaving, a Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, also found on wordcraftpoetry.com. Colleen’s mission is to bring the craft of writing syllabic poetry to anyone who thinks they can’t be a poet. Recently, she created the Double Ennead, a 99-syllable poetry form for the Carrot Ranch literary community at carrotranch.com. Colleen’s poetry has appeared in various anthologies and journals including “Hedgerow-a journal of small poems,” and “Poetry Treasures1 & 2” a collection of poetry from the poet/author guests of Robbie Cheadle on the “Treasuring Poetry” blog series on “Writing to be Read." Colleen published “Word Craft: Prose & Poetry, The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry,” which illustrates how to write various syllabic poetry forms used in her Tanka Tuesday challenges; and a collection of poetry, flash fiction, and short stories called, “Fairies, Myths & Magic: A Summer Celebration,” dedicated to the Summer Solstice. She contributed a short story called “The Changeling,” in the “Ghostly Rites Anthology 2020,” published by Plaisted Publishing House. Find Colleen at Word Craft: Prose & Poetry at wordcraftpoetry.com.
Tagged  , , , , , , , .
Bookmark the permalink.

22 Comments

  1. Ritu
    3 Nov 2017 at 12:47 am

    I love it! Colleen!!!

    Reply
  3. Erika Kind
    3 Nov 2017 at 2:04 pm

    Good take, Colleen!

    Reply
  5. macjam47
    6 Nov 2017 at 4:09 am

    Nice! You said a lot in 99 words. Looking forward to reading your book.

    Reply
  6. Charli Mills
    8 Nov 2017 at 9:26 pm

    Whoa! Great villain! The action you set up and how it relates to the notice, his profession and his ideas is well crafted in 99 words. The sunflower seeds is a great choice for a farmer, too. Sharp writing, Colleen!

    Reply

  7. Pingback: Of Porches & Chairs « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

  8. robbiesinspiration
    9 Nov 2017 at 9:02 pm

    A great piece with a very important message.

    Reply

Leave a Reply