Yellow Jubilation

I stumbled upon this beauty on a walk. I believe it might be a Trout Lily aka "Dogtooth Violet." I do so love spring's sudden exclamation marks!

10-1 Countdown Story

Poor blog! I've been so busy with my student teaching semester that I fear I have neglected you. So today I'd like to share one of my favorite creative writing exercises that I learned in a fiction class: the 10-1 countdown story. The rules are simple: You write a story in ten sentences. But here's the catch. The first sentence must be ten words long. The next sentence has nine, then eight . . . Get the picture? Your last sentence is just one word. Here is my hastily inked example: Every dragon gets tired of pillaging kingdoms and collecting princesses. But it's not easy to retire as a monster. Peasants hold grudges when you eat their sheep. Every knight is after your life's work. Forget counting rubies and stacking coins. Cozy dens are for rabbits. So unleash your beast. Sharpen your claws. File fangs. Roar!