"Total Recall"

Here's a little snippet I wrote in response to the prompt "total recall" from Reena D's website, Creative Views in the group Writing Everyday . I sometimes write on that site. I have my own page there too.



I had total recall of the events. They were so clear in my mind. What wasn't clear was what had led us to this point. He looked at me, his head turning slowly to take in my face and said, "I don't love you anymore. There's someone else. I want a divorce." I went immediately numb to my toes. I lost all ability to move or speak. I just stood there in stunned silence. My mouth went so dry that my tongue stuck to the roof. Finally, I managed one word, "how?". He didn't answer. He had given all the explanation he planned to give. My husband of twenty three years just handed me the divorce papers he had already had drawn up. I couldn't see the words on the paper; they were all a wet blur. "I'll just leave these with you and pick them up tomorrow. I think you'll find it's a fair allocation of our joint assets," he said cooly as he moved toward the door. I began to shake. Then it hit me. "Someone else'! He had been cheating on me! I spoke very quietly then, "adultery is still a crime in this state. You will hear from my lawyer." He blanched. The final settlement was indeed a fair allocation of joint assets given all of the circumstances once all was said and done, though nothing could give back what had been taken from me. All those years of trust, smashed in an instant. I felt as though someone had driven a tank straight through my gut. To this day, I feel sick and tainted by his infidelity. Will I ever trust again?

Seven Ways to Beat Writer's Block

1. Find a challenge group - many social networks like Gather have them and write to the prompt. It works!

2. Find a writing group in your home town and join it. Preferably the one you choose will share their writing every week so you will be motivated to have something to share yourself.

3. Think of a word or phrase, anything, and challenge yourself. Write a story or a poem or even an article around that word or phrase. Don't think about what you will write when choosing the word - just look around you and pick.

4. Read the headlines and/or the current news. Write about something that raises your blood pressure. It can be a blog, an article or even a fiction story.

5. Enter a contest. This one will really get you going if you're up for it, especially a contest such as the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) or Script Frenzy where you have a fixed length of time to complete your work.

6. Look at a piece of art or a painting and imagine the story being told by it. You could write a story, a poem or even a whole manuscript!

7. Go through your old work and write a sequel, even if that work is a poem you can follow up on the story it was telling or the emotions it was describing.

Now - to take my own advice!