Writing Prompt: The Fair

This writing prompt is all about fun.  Did you have a chance to visit a local fair this summer?  Take a few moments, and write a poem or story about the one you last attended.  Take in the sounds, the smells, the sights, and the tasty treats you splurged on, and write about it.  Were the exhibits, weird, beautiful, annoying, educational?  Who went with you, were they good company, or should you have gone with someone else? Did you go on any rides?

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On Sunday we visited the New York State Fair.  We haven’t been to a fair for years, and I’ve been itching to go and have some cotton candy.   Hubby and I went with our children, a couple of close friends and their children.  I’d go to the fair with them all again, their such great company.

We had a gorgeous hot, hot day outdoors.  Strolling from exhibit to exhibt it was uncomfortably warm, so all of us occasionally sought a shaded spot, and drank plenty of water.  Luckily the kids and I wore sandles, while the rest were complaining about the heat of socks and shoes on their feet.  I’m just thankful that we didn’t have a storm.

Like most to all fairs, there was live music entertainment, rides, a wide assortment of delicious smelling foods, an announcer promoting the different shows and exhibits, and rich variety of exhibits.  Every exhibit was educational, some I’ve seen before, others a new learning experience.  I had no idea that blacksmiths made more than just horse shoes.  The two blacksmiths made some metal leaf keychains, very detailed.   A gentleman resembling santa clause in overalls, had a display of old tools used for cutting wood.  He showed us a tape measure that didn’t have numbers, instead there were foot prints matching each number of feet on the roll.  Then showed us a trick of finding a persons age using a tape measure, learn something new every day.

The exhibit I found most interesting was the sand sculpting, very skilled artist.  He had quite an array of sea life, myth and reality mixed.  I was so impressed with the detailed eyes.  Eyes are the best part of drawing and painting, in my opinion.  My least favorite exhibits go to the odiferous animals on display, I’m not a big fan of caged creatures nor livestock (some were cute, yes).  I have a dog and cat, I do like animals.  I just get headaches from smelling them, especially on a very humid hot day.  Wierdest exhibit goes to the butter sculpture, the cow jumped over the moon theme.  It was amazing art, but why butter?  My favorite goes to the loom, basket, and broom weavers. I love the loom most, it is monsterous in size, but a whole lot simpler than my PFAFF 7570; I tried to trade, it didn’t work out.

Writing Prompt: Museums

Museums are buildings or places where works of art, scientific specimens, or other objects of permanent value are kept and displayed.  Write about the museum you last visited.  What was the name, founding history, what did the museum display, what did you see and learn, were you with family or friends, would you visit the same museum again?  Or you could switch up and write about a museum you would found, and what you would display.  (Remember: writing prompts are exercises that should take you 15 minutes or less to write, break free from the chains of editing…. it is only for a warm up.  However, some exercises are so thought provoking that they can lead us to write a more extensive article, or story.)

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Making blown glass

Yesterday, my family along with a close friend visted The Corning Museum of Glass, which is located in Corning, New York.  The museum was founded in 1950, opened to the public in 1951, exhibiting 2,000 pieces of glass and glass related resourses (ie. books and documents).  Since then, they have contined to expand.  An interesting historical event for museums took place in June 1972, when the Chemung River overflowed dumping 5 feet of water into the museum.  One can only imagine the labor involved with cleaning up the mud and water damage, the objects and extensive book collection sustained.

The museum currently has over 45,000 pieces in their collection, ranging from 1450 BC to the early 1900s.  Along with the precious glass artifacts on display, and the library, they have live demonstrations of how blown glass is made.  It was impressive to see a blob of molten glass turn into a beautiful piece of art, with a series of firing, shaping, blowing, and cutting, all in only 15 minutes.  The last process, takes 10 hours of slow cooling in a kiln before it is complete.  We spent more than 5 hours looking over the exquite multi-cultural exhibits, and if it weren’t for our restless children we would have spent a couple more.  I would definately visit the Corning Museum of Glass again, and when I go I’ll take the guided tour and spend more time watching the events.

Writing Prompt: Youth Sports

Do you have children in sports?  Take about 15 minutes, to warm up your mental muscles, and write about the most memorable moment(s). 

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My six year old son played soccer this summer, for the first time.  There were four teams in the league.  They had only two practices and four games, short season.  It was so much fun to watch the children learning the game, and by the end game the kids were better at maneuvering the ball.  In the beginning it was a matter of confusion, about what goal they needed to get the ball into, they had no clue which direction they were going.  Their intent was on kicking the ball away from the other colored shirts, never mind which direction they were headed.  What a hoot!  

Ari was quick to learn how to change the balls direction, kick the ball out of the crowd a long distance, and the last game he scored three goals to win the game.  He had even put the last ball in the goal after being injured.  Because he tripped right over the top of the ball, and landed flat on his back so hard that it knocked the wind out of him.  His back and neck were very sore from the impact, but he quickly shook it off and got back in the game.  I was so impressed with him for being strong, and doing what it took to finish the game in spite of how sore he was.  Proud day as a mom!

Writing Prompt: Life Changing Experience

Life is full of changes, but sometimes those changes actually cause a chain reaction to the unknown elements of our world.  Today I use my own prompt idea… How has a life changing experience changed your perception about the world?

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In 1999 my husband, oldest son, and I moved from California’s San Francisco Bay Area, to the sticks of Upstate New York.  My grandmother was terminally ill, and had been placed in a nursing home, which was the sole reason for moving.  I wanted to spend as much time, as possible, with her.  The career I had in California, as an Escrow Officer, was not available in New York (Lawyers do it all here).  However, my love for the elderly led me on the path of starting a nursing career.  Beginning as a nurses aide, I worked the grave yard shift at the county hospital. 

It was long past midnight, and I was sitting down at the hall table where I did my charting.  Down the hall a full transparent apparition of a female in a hospital gown went from the end room on the right, and shuffled across the hall into the shower room.   I was frozen with fear; but my curiosity was stronger.  I went down the hall to check and make sure everyone was in bed (they were), and that the shower room was empty (it was).  I wanted some answers, but didn’t want to sound like a loon.  Mustering up my nerve, I asked if the hospital was haunted.  The staff lit up with excitement, as they were all too eager to share what others had experienced.  Feeling relief that I wasn’t hallucinating, encouraged me to talk about what I had just witnessed less than half an hour prior.  They confirmed my experience, as others had also seen the woman going into the shower room wearing only a hospital gown.

I had always been a skeptic, growing up watching Scooby Doo where there was no such thing as ghosts.  I started to educate myself about the paranormal, finding out that the apparition I saw is known as a phenomenon called a residual haunting.  These spirits are like a tape recording, unaware of anyone or anything around them.  An unintelligent form that does not communicate or interact with the living, they are just an imprint that keeps doing the same thing over and over again. 

This life changing experience spawned what was once a writing hobby of non-fiction, into full works of fiction steeped in paranormal phenomenon.  There is more to life than what we are led to believe by the general public.

Writing Prompt: Symbolic Poem

Prompt from Creative Writing prompts

Come up with a poem using an object that describes you. List down the things that support this main image.  Build your poem based on the strongest reasons, for comparing yourself to the object.

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Wind Chime
Zoe Force

Designed unique

by a maker

Calm in the absence

 of pressure

Casual dancing and chanting

in the paltry breeze

Refracting sunlight

that is blinding with ease

Rusting slow

through years of rain and snow

Anxious alloy resounds in sinewy storms 

enduring despite that which forms