Thursday, February 9, 2012

Writing Exercises

I mention in my profile that I took a creative writing class when I was in high school. In the class we did a writing exercise where we had a minute or less to look at a photo. Then we had to write a story about the photo with the understanding that all photos had a story to tell. And indeed they do, they maybe different to each person but they all have a story to tell. Here's an example of what I mean, it called The Mists :


The old man walked through the fog as he went to his home, his feathered friend flying above him as an ever watchful guard. One movement or anything out of place, he would instantly alert the old man. They entered a clearing and his falcon started calling out to him.
“I know,” the man replied to his friend “I can feel it to. The fog has changed; I can feel the magic of the stones at work. We are getting close to them. The Mists have been summoned, the priestess is already here. Let’s not delay her any long friend. Go on ahead and tell her that I’ll be there shortly. I’m not as young as I once was.”
The bird flew on ahead of him soundlessly. The old man marveled at how the years had treated his old friend and how he had aged. His falcon hadn’t aged a day since he had befriended him. Here he was an old man and he couldn’t move as fast as he once was. How he longed to be like his friend, forever youthful but alas, the falcon was a magical one. Coming from that of Avalon, he wasn’t from the island; he had spent his youth there; training to become a powerful sorcerer the land has ever seen. Magic flowed through his veins but he wasn’t part of the magic that was of Avalon. Avalon’s magic was greater than that of what he learned; its magic was old and ageless. Coming from a time that was before time, an era where the gods of old once roamed this world when the human race cowered in caves and were afraid to come out when they were near.
He removed these thought from his head as he approached the Great Stone Circle. In the center a hooded figured awaited him. The priestess waited patiently for him as he came closer. He could see the falcon perched on her shoulder. As he drew closer, she removed her hood so that he could see her better. She smiled at him. Like his friend, she has never aged a day since he left the island long ago. She too was from the island.
“Time has been poor to you, old friend.” She said in a sad voice.
“Indeed it has, my lady.” The old man smiled “Time has been very kind to you. How have you been Viviane?”
“Very well, come we have much to talk about and very little time to do it.”
The old man joined her in the center and no sooner he had, he felt the Great Stone Circle’s power. He felt youthful once again. “You sense it as well, don’t you?”
“I do a power struggle in this land. A struggle between two different religions as well as two different powers.” The priestess said One if not both will destroy the land and Avalon will forever be lost in the mists of time. We must stop it before it’s too late.”
“Can we, my lady. Can we stop both?”
“Perhaps, before coming here, I looked into the crystal of time and saw a time of great peace. A peace lead by a young man. We must find him and protect him. He will unite the land and both religions.” Replied the priestess.
“Who is this man and where can we find him, my lady.”
“He hasn’t been born yet. It’s up to us to find his parentage and tell them of this boy’s future. We cannot allow our homes to be destroyed. Even now the Roman Empire is falling and they grow more and more brutal by the day. The Christian faith is destroying all the sacred places of the old religion, only the Great Stone Circle still stands. It will be only a matter of time before it destroys everything. Then there is Tobarth and Martho struggling to gain power. Tobarth is of the old religion while Martho is of the Christian. We must tell them about a son that will unite all the lands and faiths.”
“No, those two will only cause more trouble than good, my Lady.” The old man said “It will cause more bloodshed and we will surely be destroyed.”
“Then what do you propose, Merlin?”
“We call a meeting amongst them. Bring them here and create a proposal to them both; A marriage between both families. Tobarth has a daughter, Mortho a son. It may not be what you have seen in the crystal of time but it will be enough for us to watch for our savior.”
The Priestess studied this for a while. She had liked the idea. “A perfect idea, at least it will give us some hope my friend. Now what are we going to do about you? You are much too old to help carry out the task. You will surely die before the child is born.” She looked over her friend more and came up with the idea. “You have been a friend of Avalon for a long time. I believe that I can grant you the magic of Avalon. But there is a price to be paid for this magic.”


In the past, I have found this to be helpfull in minor writer's blocks and just for fun when you are bored. In fact, who knows, you may just end up writing a short story series or a book. The options are endless when it comes to this type of writing exercise.

Happy writing everyone.

No comments:

Post a Comment