Sharon's INSPIRATIONAL Short stories of Faith and Romance can be found HERE or visit her
Facebook Page, which also has the links in the comments.)

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Rose colored glasses

Here's the exercise:
“WAG #8: Rose Colored Glasses” Go out and choose an unfamiliar object (in other words,
one you have no history with) that strikes you as ugly, repulsive, annoying, etc…
some ideas might be: a wad of squashed gum on the pavement, a dead squirrel on the
side of the road, an ugly sign, a loud construction site, a tacky sculpture in a
charity shop… and write about it in such as way as to make it appealing to your reader.
Really sell it! Use whatever words you want and cheat as much as you want, but do
your best!

Totally unplugged, my writers’ block a thing of the past, I was up most of the night typing my blues away. And with the help of some pretty strong black coffee and a whole lot of quiet—I added three chapters to my suspense thriller. But suddenly, the caffeine kick fizzled out, leaving me dead tired and dragging. I could barely hold my head up. So with the dawning of a new day, I turned down the sheets and rolled into bed. Ah…that pillow felt like heaven. The window was open, bringing in the brisk morning air and the delicate scent of green grass and lavender. And with the birds sweetly chirping, I dozed off into a world of total bliss…
No sooner had I closed my eyes when the roar of bulldozers blasted from outdoors, followed by a massive boom that shook the earth. Then the grinding started, producing a vibrating shriek.

My temples throbbed. Reality filtered through my brain. The neighbors mentioned something about having their diseased oak tree chopped down this morning. Moaning, I pulled the comforter over my head, shrouding out the world. But the hissing of saws grew louder and louder, slicing through my last nerve. Then the bellowing began, robust male voices rising over the extricating of gnarled branches.
“Timmmmmm berrrrrr!”
Crash. Bang. Grind.
In the distance, a dog began yapping. Then the screeching of brakes across the street, a heavy slam of the door. Within seconds, the growling of a power mower on the neighbor’s terrace from across the street. The sound of my own blood thundered in my ears. “Noooo!” I wailed. Tuesday. The elderly woman across the street had her lawn manicured every Tuesday morning.
And so it continue—the hiss of the saw, the massive bang of tree limbs plummeting to the ground, the bellowing of male voices, the zinging growl of the power motor. And in between, the yip yip yip of the dog.
How could I sleep. Too tired to get up, I listened, hypnotized by the steady sounds assaulting my eardrums. The mingled noises reminded me of a motley crew of amateur musicians. And if I used my writers’ mind, my creative muse that got me into this predicament in the first place…maybe…just maybe…

I was sun bathing on a Caribbean island in the tropics, the smell of coconut oil invading my senses, hot sun baking on my skin, a chilled margarita in my hand. Beneath the undulating palm trees, a calypso band played reggae music. The steady beat of the bongo drum, the blast of the horn, the vibrating zing of the brass cymbals banging together. They sounded so peaceful, so surreal…like paradise.
And before I knew it, I was dreaming I was in the islands, relaxing in the sun with my rose-colored sun glasses, toes buried in the coppery gold sand, sipping on a tropical beverage. And in the distance, the calypso band played on and on and on…

Would you like to join the writers adventure group? Visit Nixy’s blog for details:
http://www.nixyvalentine.com/index.php/2009/02/writing-adventure-group/

5 comments:

Julie Robinson said...

Hi Sharon,
I feel your pain! No sooner did I lie down today than the phone rang. I hung up; the dog started barking--inside the house; and then I remembered I had to make a phone call, which I ended up waiting for a return call that never came. I finally took a nap from about 3:15 to 4 this afternoon. Now I have a headache. At least you had a productive night, which is more than I can say for myself.

Anyways, I really came over to thank you, thank you, thank you! I got your note and gift certificate in the mail today. I will get to ordering it in just a bit.

I checked out Nixy's site. I don't Twitter or really do Facebook, so I'll have to see about joining. It's definitely motivational though. Also I'm just realizing that most of your posts are on Tuesday, so I'll try to remember to stop by and visit.

Julie

Sharon Donovan said...

Hi Julie! Thanks for stopping by. Isn't it terrible when we want to sleep and can't? And it always seems to have the domino effect. You are quite welcome for the gc. I hope your rosebush is the envy of your neighborhood! LOL Oh, I hope you join Nixy's group. We'd love to have you.
Sharon

Anonymous said...

I like how you used fantasy to make the horrible seem appealing! Hey, whatever it takes!

Well written!

Gunnar Helliesen said...

Oooohhhh, you managed to get an actual pair of rose colored glasses in there! Very nice, I really enjoyed it. More!

Sharon Donovan said...

Thanks for the comments, Nixy and Gunnar! Much appreciated.
Warm regards, Sharon