Category Archives: The Red Dress Writing Club

One Night

Posted on by

If you want to read more of Becca & Jake’s story check it out here.

It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf when Jake walked out of the pub. He knew that he had to much to drink already but he was having the time of his life with his college buddies. The night was still young and they moved on to the next place just down the street, this one was more lively then the last and was sure to be entertaining.

The smoke filled room was packed with crowds of young people all drinking large mugs of beer. Laughter could be heard over the voices.. mens and womens mingled together in a melody that was enticing and could brighten any bad mood in moments.

Jake and his friends easily moved towards the bar and ordered their drinks as they scoped out the room.

Brian laughed as he nudged Jake. “What about that one?” He said gesturing to a tall, dark haired girl sitting at the end of the bar with a couple of other girls.

Jake nodded, “Yea, she’s not bad.”

Brian almost snorted beer out of his nose. “Not Bad! Hell… if you don’t go talk to her I will!”

Jake looked at his friend with a raised eye brow. “I’m sure that Jess would love that,” he said referring to Brian’s fiance. He took another drink of his beer and with liquid courage coursing through his veins Jake made his way over to the beautiful brunette across the bar.

Mandi took another drink of her beer as he approached and then greeted him with a smile.

“Hi,” Jake said returning her smile. “I’m Jake.”

“Mandi,” she replied holding her hand out to him.

Jake took her hand in his gently, it was so soft, delicate, and beautifully feminine, and gave it a small shake. “You’re American?” He said noticing her voice and accent when she spoke to him.

“Yes, as are you,” she replied. “I’m here studying for a year before returning to Yale.”

Jake looked impressed. “Nice, what are you studying?” He asked before taking another drink of his beer.

Jake spent the rest of night talking with Mandi and before he knew it he had invited her back to his hotel. They fell into each others arms as soon as they were in the door knowing that it was the alcohol that was allowing them to act on their urges.

———

The light was streaming through the windows so brightly that Jake had to roll over to keep the light from causing his head from pounding more. As he moved he felt the warm, soft flesh of a person next to him causing his eyes to open quickly.

Fear ran through his body faster than anything ever had as he tried to remember the night before.

She rolled over towards him and opened her eyes slowly. Their eyes met with the same startled look.

Mandi sat up quickly pulling the sheets up to cover her naked body. “What the hell happened last night?”

“I.. I’m not sure,” Jake replied.

Write On Edge: Red-Writing-Hood

This week’s prompt was a challenge for this opening line; “It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf…”

Well… How did I do? I’m trying to fill in some of the holes in the storyline and this piece ties directly to this one.

Give me the bacon!

Posted on by

BLT 

Plump tomatoes, salty bacon, crisp lettuce, soft bread, this week we want you to be inspired by the BLT. Write a piece of either fiction or creative non-fiction based on this photo.

Bacon. This is bacon like nothing that you could ever find in a store. Nothing.

It’s thickly sliced, deeply smoked and they make an attempt to cut it into slices but there are often big chunks the size of your thumb.

Every year when my family gathers for its regular family reunion my sister and I make a trip to the smoke house. This place has a smell that is so strong that you can smell it before you even get out of your car…. so strong that it feels like it burns your sinuses.

But the bacon is worth it. Yes, it’s even worth the powerful smell of fish too.

Fish, wild fowl, turkey, beef, and pork are some of the things that you will find in the case as you walk in the front door. All freshly made there every day, following the same recipe day after day that brings in people from all over the area and often selling out before closing time.

There is only one place that you can get this special bacon, and if you’re my sister you can only get it once a year (because that’s how often she comes home). When she’s here she buys the bacon in bulk and has it shipped back to her house in New Jersey. I on the other hand only buy around 4 pounds because making the trip isn’t much for me.

The bacon is wonderful fried in a pan or baked in the oven. As part of a BLT (with avocado of course), a side to your breakfast, or in your favorite recipe. Be warned though… your house will have a smoke smell to it for days after cooking it!

If you’re ever in Michigan, the thumb region to be exact, make a side trip to Sebewaing and head to Jar’s for some of the best bacon that you have ever had in your entire life. It is worth it…. trust me.

Write On Edge: Red-Writing-Hood

My Grandma

Posted on by

Her family came over from Scotland and settled in the thumb region of Michigan and lived there for more years that I can remember.

She lived a life that was long and full and she loved every minute of it.

Parents, siblings, husband, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were all part of her life on a daily basis. Year in and year out she was surrounded by family.

Full of life, love, and the joy of travel. It wasn’t uncommon for her to take off on a whim without letting anyone know…. then again she would also check herself into the hospital if she didn’t feel well without telling anyone too.

My memories of her are dear to me and I hold them close to my heart, pulling them out like pictures and flipping through them from time to time. Remembering the times we spent together are special to me…. but few. Fewer than I would hope for, but more than others I suppose.

There were things she missed that I had always hoped she would see, but her heart was tired. It was her time.

She is loved and missed dearly by all.

My grandma

Daughter. Wife. Sister. Mother. Grandmother. Great Grandmother.

She watches us and all we do.

She smiles with us and cries with us.

She loved and was loved in return.

She is at peace now.

 

Write On Edge: Red-Writing-Hood

Write on Edge Feature!

Posted on by

I think that I’ve posted more this week than I have in months! But today is a special day because I am the featured writer on Write on Edge where I’m sharing one of the posts I wrote in response to a Red Writing Hood prompt.

Write on Edge quickly became one of my favorite sites not only because of the great prompts, but also because of the supportive community that has grown with the site. It’s a place where I can go to learn & grow as a writer, a place where I can find useful feedback, where I can always find support, as well as find some incredible stories to read.

I love reading and have always enjoyed writing even though it hasn’t been my strong suit. Write on Edge allows me to write without worry or concern and with their continued support I will keep writing and growing.

So to all of you at Write on Edge I say thank you! Thank you for all that you do. Without you I wouldn’t be where I am in my writing and most of all I would have never taken the chance to take part in NaNoWriMo this year.

They’re coming

Posted on by

For this week’s Red Writing Hood prompt, we’re inviting you to truly scare us.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Compose a post in the form of a text–160 characters.

Your text must elicit or express fear.

Though this initially looks like more of a fiction prompt, we challenge our non-fiction writers to take a stab at it as well. (Stab! Scary!)

Around 1am October 21, 2011

Text from an unknown number

Help me. The voices… Make them stop. Help. They’re here now. Scratching….clawing…at the window. Please. They can see me. They’ll kill me. They see you now. They’ll kill you too.

 

 

 

The One

Posted on by

Let’s have fun this week. We want you to write a personal ad for your character, like one you would find on a dating site. The ad should tell us about your character, but should not be a laundry list – and no cliches about walks on the beach.

Make it interesting, unexpected. Is there something your character is trying to hide that you can tell by reading between the lines? Would we know which character it was (if you have a recurring one) by reading the ad? Will something be revealed?

That tall, thin, flirty blond you see ever day? That’s not me. Actually… that’s so far from me that it isn’t funny.

I’m the one walking down the sidewalk, the one you pass by without a second glance. I’m the one you see sitting at the table, tea in hand and a book in front of me while I take notes in another next to me.

I’m the one that buys the organic produce, chai tea, and Diet Coke at the grocery store.

I’m the one that sits in the movie theater alone enjoying the movie and my buttered popcorn.

Lifelong student, book reader, wine lover, and slightly introverted.

I’m the one you’ll find sipping a glass of wine at a local restaurant while eating dinner with my closest friends.

You’ll find me sitting in the book store or library all day perusing the rows upon rows of books.

Or maybe window shopping the whimsical stores along the street of a small town.

How will you know me? How will you know that I’m the right one?

You’ll know because I’m the tall one with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes.  On occasion you’ll see me in glasses… but only when I read.

Always in heels.

Always dressed well.

Never full of my self.

Not high maintenance.

Honest.

I’m the one.

Come find me.

A pair for every mood

Posted on by

Jeans. They can evoke so much emotion in us: the hot jeans we wear on a date, the skinny jeans we can finally fit into, mom jeans we vow never to wear, the comfy jeans we’ll never throw out.

The assignment this week is to write a piece – fiction or creative non-fiction – in which jeans play a prominent role. You can even write an ode if you’re so inclined.

I own a lot of jeans… probably more than I really need. Dark ones. Light one. Straight leg. Skinny jeans. Flare. The list goes on and on really and I love them all.

But the thing is that each pair is just different enough that they each fit a different day and a different mood.

My new favorites are the super dark wash jeans with the straight legs from the Gap. The hug my curves gently and paired with heels they make my legs look long & lean. They’re a great pair of jeans for dressing up for work or an evening out on the town.We’ll call them the sexy jeans.

Closeup of a copper rivet on blue jeans.

Image via Wikipedia

I have the frumpy jeans. The fat jeans. The comfortable jeans. I think that we all have them, don’t we? These are the jeans that I wear on the weekends when I’m not going anywhere other than maybe a quick trip to the grocery store. They’re not the most attractive jeans and they don’t make me or anyone look good in them. But I love them. I can curl up on the couch in them comfortably and read a book. I can throw on a sweatshirt and tennis shoes and go outside and play with the kids without worrying if I’m going to ruin them.

Trouser jeans are another favorite. They have such a classic, dressed up look & feel to them but still lend a casual tone when paired with a simple shirt & flats.

My old stand-by’s are the casual every day jeans that aren’t to low and aren’t to high and just slightly flare. Dressed up with heels and a silky shirt they’re ready for dinner with the husband. Worn more casually with a cute t shirt, scarf, and flats I’m ready to head out for a day of shopping with my kids or friends.

With fall coming I’ve been pulling out all of my jeans, heels, boots, and sweaters. I’m excited to start pairing up new outfits and shopping for new pieces to add to my collection!

Now, there is a type of jean that I never wear. Ever. Mom jeans. They’re terrible on anyone…. no matter who you are you simply can’t make these jeans look good. I should tell you that my middle daughter likes them…. she’s odd… but she has her own unique fashion sense and seeks them out at resale shops & Goodwill. She pairs them with the most hideous sweaters she can find too… I usually don’t take her out in public with me when she dresses like that. I draw enough attention to myself with the loud toddler!

It’s interesting how certain pieces of clothing can evoke certain feelings and moods and even more so specific pieces when paired in different combinations. Whether it’s sexy, comfortable, intelligent, bad ass, or confidence jeans are the one article of clothing that can be worn just about anywhere.

What are your favorite pair of jeans?

Escape

Posted on by

It is a time of transition: summer to fall, kids back to school, no more wearing white..

For this week’s prompt, write about a season of change for your character or you. It can be literal or metaphorical.

This is another installment of my Memoir story. I really should give this guy a name soon!

I’d love to hear your concrit on this and what you think I can do to make it better. I like writing this story and while it’s easy to hear the southern accent of him in my head it’s hard to get it written…. especially for someone who isn’t from the south!

Let’s see.. it musta been around 1902 when I fell in with the wrong group, but at the time they welcomed me as one of their own and didn’t think twice about me being from the south and all.

My goal of gettin’ lost in the crowd didn’t last to long with them boys. Nope… not at all. What did happen was a lot of attention and none of the good kind. The law was always gettin’ after us for one thing or another.

You see we were a bunch of low life’s who had no family other then each other and no real home to call our own. So ya see we did a bit stealing here and there to make ends meet. Nothing all that bad.

It wasn’t till one day that Joey came up with this grand scheme. He was planning for us to rob a bank! At first we was all scared… not one of us wanted to do it but Joey… he’s a sweet talker and soon enough we calmed down and were seeing things his way. After that all I could think about was that money and all the things I was gonna do with it.

I was gonna buy me one of them fancy suits and have me a fine dinner at one of them hotels downtown. Yup, that was the plan.

Joey was the smartest one of the group… or so I thought at the time. What he really was was conniving, manipulative and subtle. He could talk a bee out of his honey! But I was still young and wanted to believe he was right so I went along with it.

That night it was raining so hard you couldn’t see nothin’ but it wasn’t stopping us. We wanted that money and outta the city before we got caught, ain’t one of us that wanted to go to jail. The stories we heard… well, I can’t be repeating them.

We knew all the in’s and outs of the bank and how many guards was there so we was careful and watched for the flicker of the flashlights as we made our way inside.

I was getting nervous….real scared like. It was like all of a sudden things were gettin’ real clear to me, this wasn’t the life I wanted and it sure as hell what I ran away for. So I walked over to Joey and told him straight that I was out and man he got angry fast. I’d never seen someone turn that fast… not even my daddy. I told him the way it was and that I wasn’t gonna risk it anymore.

Joey grabbed me by the collar, he was a big guy, and pulled me hard against him so we was face to face. I wasn’t lettin’ on that I was scared because that woulda’ made him happy.

He just stared me in the eye as he shoved me against the building hard. I crumpled to the ground and was just barely able to get outta his way before he grabbed me again. The other guys was getting loud and Joey yelled at ’em to shut up or we’d get caught… course they stopped since they didn’t want to get beat up either.

While he was yelling at the others I made my escape. I ran and ran for I don’t know how long, but I finally made it back to where we was staying and was there long enough to grab my stuff and a few other things and then take off.

I was lucky enough to hop a train headed north. I was gonna get a job and do things proper.

 

Pictures

Posted on by

This week’s prompt is based on the picture below. It’s one that when I saw it I wasn’t going to take part because it didn’t fit the story lines that I had already started. But I decided to push myself since it wasn’t a very good reason to not write.

I don’t want to say I struggled with what I wrote but it’s more that I feel like something is missing and I don’t know what it is. So please read and give me your feedback. Good, bad, or otherwise!

 

cameraShe had to get out from behind the camera, she knew that but it was more difficult that one would think.

Her life was her cameras, film, and her dark room. They brought her comfort like nothing else in the world could. With her camera she was part of everything that she took a picture of without having to actually interact with people.

Introvert. That was one way to put it. Shy, reserved, or wallflower were a few more but whatever you called it what it came down to was that she wasn’t comfortable with people.

She’d always been this way, for as long as she could remember. Playing the park as a little girl she’d always find the swing that was furthest from all the other kids or go sit under a tree and read a book.

It wasn’t until her parents bought her a camera for her 14th birthday that she started to get out more. Still alone and still not mingling too much with others, but they were happy that it was a start.

Pictures became her life. She took her camera everywhere and took pictures of virtually everything and everyone. Most people didn’t realize that they were her subjects as she captured their smiles, their laughter, their games, families, and picnics in the park.

She captured the little things in life that she was missing out on and lived through her photos.

She’d sort through her best pictures, lay them out on the table, and just look at them. Why couldn’t she be the girl in the picture having a picnic with her boyfriend? Why couldn’t she be the young mother pushing the carriage through the park? Why couldn’t she be the one eating lunch with friends and laughing?

She surrounded herself with pictures, instead of people, wanting to be part of it all. She wanted to step outside herself and be a different person.

She wanted to change. But how?

For now she had her cameras and the world was her canvas. The world through pictures was her only friend.

*****************************
Pictures – The Rewrite

Based on some great feedback and the fact that this post just bothered me I decided to rewrite it but put it with the original so you could compare the two.

Looking down at the glossy photo as her tears started to slowly dissolve the image she became more angry. Why! The paper crumpled easily in her hands as the edges of the thick paper poked her palm as she crushed it. Pictures were supposed to evoke feelings from remembering a beautiful moment in life… not pain from the paper.

She had to get out from behind the camera, she knew that but it was more difficult than anyone imagined.

This was her life and she’d always been this way, for as long as she could remember.

Pictures became her life. With her camera slung over her shoulder or around her neck it everywhere with her and she took pictures of virtually everything and everyone. People didn’t realize that they were her subjects as she captured their smiles, their laughter, their games, families, and picnics in the park.

With every click of the shutter she captured the little things in life that she was missing out on and lived through her photos.

She sorted through her best pictures; laid them out on the table, and just looked at them. Why couldn’t she be the girl in the picture having a picnic with her boyfriend? Why couldn’t she be the young mother pushing the carriage through the park? Why couldn’t she be the one eating lunch with friends and laughing?

Playing in the park as a little girl she’d always find the swing that was furthest from all the other kids wishing that she wasn’t so afraid to talk to the other kids. Fear kept her from living life.

She surrounded herself with pictures, instead of people, wanting to be part of it all. She wanted to step outside herself and be a different person.

Change. Change is really what she wanted in her life. But how?

But for now she had her cameras and the world was her canvas. The world through pictures was her only friend.

Amazed

Posted on by

Your assignment this week is based on rhythm, which you can use to help entertain and engage your readers.

Let’s make it more literal.

Write about a time that rhythm, or a lack thereof, played a role in your life. And don’t use the word “rhythm.”

Maybe it’s a time that you danced to a special song. Maybe it’s a period of your life during which the days were marked by a distinct pattern. Or maybe it’s a time that you couldn’t catch your breath because life just kept coming at your randomly.

It’s up to you

It was May 2007 on a sunny Saturday afternoon when we said I do. I walked down the aisle with my dress swishing back and forth with each step I took. Slow and steady to the sound of classical music drifting through the sanctuary.

Smiles on our faces as we looked at one another. Swish, step, swish, step until we were arm in arm.

Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take

Words were spoken to one another.

Verses were read by the pastor.

Vows were made in front of our family and friends.

Rings were exchanged. A special ring…. one my grandmother wore.

Baby, when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away

A kiss and a smile between us.

Applause and smile from family.

I’ve never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts, I can see your dreams

Our lives changed and all for the better.

More smiles, hugs, and kisses but from everyone.

Two families merged into one.

I don’t know how you do what you do
I’m so in love with you
It just keeps getting better

Pictures! Lots and lots of pictures.

The poses, the smiles, the click of the camera over and over.

Finally, the perfect pictures were taken.

I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever

We breathed a sigh of relief as we stepped away from the crowd.

A brief moment alone.

Every little thing that you do
Baby, I’m amazed by you

Again my dress swished back and forth as I walked down the hallway to the office.

Documents signed as the pen moved across the paper again and again.

It was official.

The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark

A final moment before we left the building.

Your hair all around me
Baby, you surround me
You touch every place in my heart

More smiles and laughter.

Balloons floating in the air as we released them together.

Oh, it feels like the first time every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes

The camera clicking as it captured the moment in time.

I don’t know how you do what you do
I’m so in love with you
It just keeps getting better

Finally, a moment alone. In the car.

We reflect on day thus far…

Moment by moment with hands entwined.

I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever

Lined up.

Two by two.

Waiting for our cue to enter.

Every little thing that you do
Baby, I’m amazed by you

Glasses clink.

A kiss.

People cheer.

Every little thing that you do
I’m so in love with you
It just keeps getting better

It’s our song. The one we chose or was chosen for us by fate.

The song he played for me time and again.

I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever

Together as husband and wife we floated across the floor.

My dress swishing back and forth again with each dance step.

Every little thing that you do
Oh, every little thing that you do
Baby, I’m amazed by you

Life as a family begins.

Wedding Pic... on the bridge