Crafting Poetry One Syllable at a Time
Posted on February 10, 2019 by Colleen M. Chesebro
The Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Prompt for February 7, 2019, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a sign. It can be a posted sign, a universal sign, a wonder. Go where the prompt leads. Respond by February 12, 2019.
I’ve been writing like a mad woman for months on my newest creation – The Sisters of the Fey – Genesis. I thought a sneak peek might be in order… This is the actual beginning of the book, plus or minus a few words. Are you intrigued?
It began with a dream so real that I woke up on the hard floor beside my bed. My first thought was that the ancestors were trying to tell me something. They often spoke with signs, like the day I found a feather on the ground where no birds tarried or how the wind caressed my face a certain way.
Sometimes, they spoke by invoking a change in the weather, such as when the clouds blocked out the sun leaving a coldness behind. Then, the ancestors spoke to me through the shadows. And, when the ancestors spoke, I listened.
Category: Authors Supporting AuthorsTags: Baba Danica, Carrot Ranch Literary Community, Carrotranch.com, Crow, flash fiction, The Dream, The Sisters of the Fey, The Sisters of the Fey - Genesis
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“A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone’s knowledge of himself and the world around him.”
—Dylan Thomas
Click: What is a Rhyme Scheme?
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Colleen M. Chesebro is an American Poet who loves crafting paranormal fantasy and magical realism, cross-genre flash fiction, syllabic poetry, and creative nonfiction. Colleen sponsors a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called Tanka Tuesday, on wordcraftpoetry.com where participants learn how to write traditional and current forms of haiku, senryu, haiga, tanka, gogyohka, tanka prose, renga, solo-renga, haibun, cinquain, Etheree, nonet, and shadorma poetry. Colleen's syllabic poetry has appeared in the Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal, and in “Hedgerow, a journal of small poems.” She’s won numerous awards from participating in the Carrot Ranch Rodeo, a yearly flash fiction contest sponsored by carrotranch.com. In 2020, she won first place in the Carrot Ranch Folk Tale or Fable category, with her story called “Why Wolf Howls at the Moon.” Colleen is a Sister of the Fey, where she pursues a pagan path through her writing. When she is not writing, she is reading. She also loves gardening and crocheting old-fashioned doilies into works of art.
Beautiful! Thank you for the energy you put into following the signs! ❤
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Thanks, Sis. There are so many now… I’m learning. ❤
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Intriguing, sis x
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Oh, gosh I hope so… Of course the story is fantasy filled with lots of magic and mystery. ❤
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😍
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Yup, I’m loving it and need to know more! ❤ xx
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LOL! I’m getting there. I do like the way it’s coming together. Thanks, Sis. ❤️❤️❤️🥰
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Can’t wait to read it! ❤
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😍🥰
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Lovely and mystical, Colleen. What a great glimpse into a larger story.
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Fingers crossed. I’ve decided to write in first person. It’s been a fun enterprise taking on a new persona. Onward I go! ❤️
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I like first person – reading and writing. Have fun with it!
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It’s much more intimate. For whatever reason, it seems to flow. ❤️
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Intimate because it forces a really tight pov. 🙂 A writer has no choice by to experience the world through the character. It’s powerful. ❤
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I can’t wait to share this story with you. I want to spit it into two parts. Genesis, and the Awakening (not sure on that name, yet) LOL! Thanks for your support. I was hesitant and fought it a long time. Isn’t that silly? When the faery muse speaks, I must listen. 😀 ❤
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Yes! Trust the faery muse! I can’t wait to read, Colleen.
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Thank you so much, Diana. ❤
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It’s a great beginning. Loved it.
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Thank you! I was worried… I had no comments 😂💜
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You’re writing in my favorite style of first person. I look forward to the rest of the story. 🙂
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Now that made my day, EC. I struggled with manuscript until I started writing in the more intimate first person. Suddenly it flowed. There’s lots of magic in this story. I know you will love it. 😍❤️
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This is a great teasing, Colleen. I can hardly wait to hear what you heard. ❤
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Thanks, Miriam. I was hoping for that response. ❤️
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Definitely intriguing. Looking forward to reading more! ❤️
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Oh, thank you. I was testing the waters. LOL! ❤️
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Well, my toe says it’s HOT! lol ❤
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You’re the best, Dorinda. ❤
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I speak the truth, my friend 🙂 ❤
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Thank you so much!! ❤
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You’re welcome! ❤
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Intrigued? Yes! Love the build-up to that final line.
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Thanks, Charli. I worried about the opening lines, but the flash actually helped me limit my words to maximize the meaning. ❤️
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That’s what poetic and word count constraints let us practice. I love the magic of constraints on our writing. 😉
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It definitely makes our words more powerful!!
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I love it, sis, it draws you in from the start, and I love how you posted the pic of you too. ❤
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LOL! I’ve been worried about the beginning and if it entice enough. Soon, I’ll have a first draft. ❤️
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So excited, sis. ❤
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Great job, Colleen!
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Thanks, Staci. The first few words are so important and how they draw readers in. ❤️
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Yours drew me in. 🙂
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Whew! I’m so happy to hear that. I think it will end up being a powerful story. Fingers crossed. Thanks for your support. ❤
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That excerpt got me curious as to why she woke up pn the floor:)
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Ohhh… good, and thank you. That was the reaction I hoped for. ❤
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Ooh love the beginning Colleen. It really draws you in. 🙂
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Yea!! I worried about the beginning, but when you see it all together, it makes sense. Thanks Marje. ❤
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Oooh! Keep it coming! Excited for this project.
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Thank you. It’s going well. As long as I can write daily, I’m in there. 😀
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