100 Words

There is a website called 100 Words (http://www.100words.com/) where people post pieces of writing that are exactly 100 words long every day. The idea is to do it for an entire month without missing a day or being a single word over or under the limit. As they freely admit, the rules are arbitrary but they have a purpose. Word limits are a great help to developing writers because the either force you to be concise (definitely the case here) or force you to elaborate without becoming boring. Deadlines are intensely important too, if you want to publish. You can write anything you want, but if on 100 Words you fail to add a post every day for a month or do not make your entries exactly 100 words you get disqualified. If you succeed, your posts are published on the site. I have signed up, but since this is my first month nothing is visible yet. I must say that I am enjoying the site very much. We are not allowed to write ahead, but I find myself writing 100 word stories anyway just to challenge myself. It gets the creative juices flowing. Here, for your perusal, are the entries I have posted so far:

June 1 - My first try:

"She trembled with anticipation. Her throat was dry and rough. She swallowed her and ran her fingers across her bare arms. The skin was cool to the touch and overrun with goose bumps. She sank down onto the hard mattress and felt it pushing against her back, keeping her from falling into oblivion. It was such a strange feeling, as if she were on another plane. Her heart raced and her bloodstream screamed with adrenaline. She was so nervous. What was he going to do to her? What had he already done? The surgery was about to begin. He grinned. "

June 2 - This one is less creepy:

"There was faint music playing somewhere nearby. He felt the melody sifting through his brain and settling there, somewhere in the middle, nestled between his reason and his passion. It was delicate and soft, and so unobtrusive. Gently his breath rose to his vocal cords, and they began to vibrate to the tune of the song. His spine slowly joined the music and swayed him back and forth. He felt the muscles in his arms take up the dance as well. The lovely sound soon persuaded his feet to join the rest of his body in time. He felt happy. "

June 3 - I had writers block for this one. Try to read the first little bit and then skip to the end.

"Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Eating. Eating. Eating. Nestle. Sleep. Eat. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Eating. Eating. Eating. Nestle. Sleep. Eat. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Eating. Eating. Eating. Nestle. Sleep. Eat. Spinning spinning spinning round, round round round round. Spinning round, eat, nestle, sleep, eat. Think? No. Lucky hamster. "

June 4 - They say to write what you know, and I know what getting your back tattooed feels like.

"The vibrations echoed through her torso and rippled down her limbs. The pain was localized and expected. She could deal. She felt the machine touch, cut, and pull away. The cool spray of water was a relief. Her back was inflamed with colour. The ink smeared across her skin, obscuring the artwork now housed in her body. She wanted to see. She was one of thousands bearing the mark of a needle beneath her skin. The ritual was ancient, the practice of paying for it was trendy, and the need to be marked was primal. She had joined the ranks. "

June 5 - Writing what I know again. This was inspired by my dog:

"The little black blur tore across the living room once more, her white paws like a streak beneath her. Destruction followed wherever she went, and to find her one had only to follow its path. She was speed personified, agility incarnated, and ingenuousness embodied, and so impossible to catch or contain. Her willfulness knew now bounds. She was filled with the joy of life and free from all discipline, no matter how her adoptive family tried. She was lucky, as well, to have found loving and tolerant people upon whom she inflicted her behaviour. She was Adelaide, the Demon Dog."

June 6 - Whether you think this one is happy or sad says something about your personality.

"All she had to do was get on the bus. Her bags were loaded in the luggage compartments, her ticket was in her hand, and she had said goodbye. She had held him close and kissed him, knowing that it would be the last time. They had tried to salvage their relationship. After so many years, what else could they do? It was true, however, that the passion had died and only familiarity remained. Such familiarity. She looked hard at the steps of the bus. Then she watched as it pulled away, with her bags still in the compartments below. "

June 7 - This one is kind of tongue in cheek, and inspired by both my internet addiction and the webcomic xkcd, which is where I got the last line.

"Deep in cyberspace, the only sound reaching her ears was the clacking of her fingers on the keys. She heard no music, no television, and no voices calling her name. The room darkened as the sun went down and still she stared intently at the screen. The pale blue glow illuminated her stiff features, creating a statuesque image of a girl obsessed. She did not move from her post all through the night, defending her position from virtual warriors and staunchly standing her ground. The advance of her enemies could not be permitted. Nobody can be wrong on the internet. "

http://www.xkcd.com/386/

June 8 - I was reading a forum and a girl was complaining about reactions to her non-traditional wedding, and I was thinking about her as I wrote this:

"Once upon a time, there was an average looking girl who worked in an office downtown. When she was 28 years old, she had a conversation with her significant other and they decided that the time was right to get married. He offered to buy her an engagement ring. This girl, being a practical girl, said no to the diamond to save money. Her scandalously ringless hand prompted many an acquaintance to sneer and mock her, and so she calmly drew back her afflicted hand, formed a fist with her unencumbered fingers, and threw a punch. The satisfaction was incalculable. "


There will be more to come!