**

“I personally think you’re nuts.”  He glanced away from her considerable bosom as he spoke.

“Coming from you, Jerry, I consider that high praise.”  She flicked her ash into his Blackberry and stood up.  “My new attorney will be in touch.”

“Tell him to    [Continue reading]]]> I had this ready last Friday, but got waylaid by real life until now….

**

“I personally think you’re nuts.”  He glanced away from her considerable bosom as he spoke.

“Coming from you, Jerry, I consider that high praise.”  She flicked her ash into his Blackberry and stood up.  “My new attorney will be in touch.”

“Tell him to take his time.”

He felt lighter, cleaner once she’d left the office.  Definitely a good day so far.  He’d wanted to give the new iPhone a whirl anyway.

She snorted. “He’ll be the one who pays.”

“Shirley, I’m not sure I want to represent you in this matter. There    [Continue reading]]]>
“I don’t care if he is in the hospital. Serves him right. Thinks he can just ignore me — and when he’s working on my dime, too – ”

She snorted. “He’ll be the one who pays.”

“Shirley, I’m not sure I want to represent you in this matter. There isn’t a reasonable person this side of the Mississippi would favor you over Jake on this.”

She glared at him across the desk and the air grew still, cold. “Well then. We’ll just have to find some unreasonable people, won’t we?”

Conf’rence call — cancelled. Plan B: Pack lunch, grab suit, GO. Low tide, warm waves. Bliss.

So where am I with my Creativity Workshop goals, my One Story Per Week plan? I’ve already admitted that I didn’t write a single word during my vacation. My bad. But I do have a couple of semi-stories in the hopper from my ‘Breaking the rules/breaking the law’ segment — again, more    [Continue reading]]]>

So where am I with my Creativity Workshop goals, my One Story Per Week plan? I’ve already admitted that I didn’t write a single word during my vacation. My bad. But I do have a couple of semi-stories in the hopper from my ‘Breaking the rules/breaking the law’ segment — again, more than I’d have if I weren’t slogging along in the needs-extra-help-and-time section of the workshop. So I figure I’m ahead of the game, at least my game, and I’m okay with my limited output.

And now, here I am in Segment Three: ‘Taking the mythic journey through the heart of darkness, er, suburbia.’ I’m plowing right ahead with a couple of tales of suburbia, the slice of American life with which I am most familiar — though I try my darnedest not to fit in here. Today’s Friday Flash may or may not find its way into one of my stories. I have lots of ideas for stories here, and many of them are interconnected. We’ll see what happens.

I do want to learn something about Joseph Campbell and his take on the mythic journey to see if that can enrich this series of stories — and my writing in general. Since I think Bill Moyers is the best journalist in the US, I want to watch the PBS series of interviews between Moyers and Campbell, and thought I’d start those before beginning this series of stories. But we’ve had major thunderstorms here for the past couple of days which has impacted internet/cable/phone service and I’ve not been able to download much of anything that requires speed.

So I’m plowing forward without Campbell, and I’ll let him catch up with me sometime in the future. And if any of you has any recommendations for books/videos/whatever that you’ve found useful about Campbell’s work, by all means let me know.

FINALLY, I’d like to give the talented, energetic, dynamic, gifted, inspirational (I know, too many adjectives — but she deserves every one, and more) Merrilee Faber kudos and gratitude supreme for cooking up the Creativity Workshop in the first place! Whether you are involved in the CW or not, take some time to go to her site and read some of her posts and hints, and the guest writers she’s invited to post during the workshop. Lots of inspirational food for thought there.

Thanks, Merrilee — and everyone who’s shared their thoughts and writing through the Workshop!

“Ma’am?” The bushes were healthy, lush, and while he wasn’t a flower man himself, he was sure someone had lavished a great deal of care on them, and recently, too.

She smiled and    [Continue reading]]]> “I want those to go, too.” She pointed to the row of rosebushes, yellow and red blossoms bobbing in the breeze.

“Ma’am?” The bushes were healthy, lush, and while he wasn’t a flower man himself, he was sure someone had lavished a great deal of care on them, and recently, too.

She smiled and a cold wind blew across his face.

“I said, I want those to go.”

“Whatever.”

He shrugged and started up the chainsaw. Couldn’t figure out some people no way, no how.