Mondays Finish The Story – The Dream of Longevity!

December 1, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 26 Comments

Prompt sentence that accompanies the photograph: “In the compound on the hill, lives a man with a dream.”

My entry:

In the compound on the hill, lives a man with a dream. An ordinary man, if exceedingly wealthy. His dream is to live forever, and at the age of 95 and in good health, many believe he’s found some clue to immortality.

But he hasn’t. What he has done is take very good care of himself, shoring up the weak parts of body and mind with the aid of very expensive doctors and other professionals. His quandary is his acute awareness of his mortality and the statistical averages regarding the longevity for humans. He knows he’s running out of time for figuring it out and then one day sitting on his private veranda, sick and tired of being alone while gazing at the expansive and expensive land around him, he knew.

It wasn’t so much about living long as it was about living a full life. He donated most of his many millions to worthy charities and causes, and lived a modest but happy rest of his life (which turned out to be a fair amount of time) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (oh no wait that’s this writer’s dream, well anyway I hope it comes true, re: millionaires giving their money and hearts to the needy! Definitely a wishful dream on my part!)

Thanks for stopping by and reading, I hope you enjoyed.

For more information about Mondays Finish The Story (flash fiction) Writers Challenge, where the writer uses both a photo and an opening sentence for the prompt: click HERE. Barb will guide you through the process, be sure and read some of the other entries while you’re there.

Happy beginning of the week, I hope your week is a great one for you,

~ Penny

Sunday Photo Fiction – The Mysterious Map!

November 2, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 20 Comments

This week’s Sunday Photo Fiction (photo prompt) challenge. More information and details below!

photograph © Alastair Forbes

Rushing waters have a melodious sound. Often, depending on the intensity, you begin to hear it at a distance. There is a soothing naturalness about it. Of course, as preoccupied as I was I didn’t waste any creative thinking regarding the sound of the water; I was just glad I could hear it.

Nearing the end of my quest. Finally. The last clue on the confusing map my friend, now deceased, had scrawled with her remaining strength before she died.

There should be a large odd shaped rock near the cascading water. There it was. Brushing aside wet shrubs and tall grass, I made my way to the rock. What would I find? What had been so important she left me a map to find it. A treasure map? A clue to her killer? I myself had no clues as to what any of this was about. But I was determined to find out.

As I neared the misshapen rock I could see a bit of an overhang towards the backside. It was necessary to get on my knees and scramble behind. The dirt was softer here, as if recently moved. I began digging with my hands, hoping what I was searching for wouldn’t be hidden too deeply. My fingers hit something solid. I brushed the remaining surface dirt from a small container and pulled it out of the ground. Holding the metal box in one hand I carefully removed the lid and stared in total disbelief at the contents. No one was going to believe this. It was …

(Oops too many words for flash fiction, I’d better stop writing now!) If you think you know, leave me a comment telling me what she found in the metal box! Something truly mysterious and exciting of course!

All of you who would like to take part in this writer’s challenge, just check in here at Sunday Photo Fiction Sir Alastair, the Intrepid, will be your guide. To read the other entries, click on the little blue link box, while there.

Hope you enjoyed,

~ Penny

Sunday Photo Fiction – The Proof is in the Pudding!

October 14, 2014October 14, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 15 Comments

Photograph by Alastair Forbes ©

“Just one more shot, from another angle!” The man in charge yelled to the photographer who nervously moved to another section of the building being razed. He knew he’d been lucky to get this photo shoot. He could use the funds, but more important, it meant he had a reason to be here.

It was going to happen today. He could feel it in his bones. Bones, ha! That was a joke wasn’t it? After all these years too. He was sure his secret would’ve stayed safe, that the building would have survived. At least longer than he did. But here he was today shooting pictures while the building was torn apart.

He’d been so young, barely an adult, when he opened his restaurant on the corner of the building. In fact, the whole thing had been a bit of a joke, not long after it opened. It’d been late at night, the restaurant was closed and he and his friends were all high on something or other. He didn’t remember who had found the dead body of the drunk in the alley. What he did remember was that they all thought what a hoot it would be to use the body in a soup.

The next day he didn’t show up at his restaurant until the middle of the day to find that the “soup” had been a huge success and everyone wanted more. He could’t tell his help where the meat had come from, but that night after everyone was gone he took the remaining bones to the cellar, removed some of the bricks lining the basement walls, put the bones inside and wedged the bricks back in place.

He then went looking for another dead body in the alleyways of London. When he couldn’t find any drunks, who’d conveniently died there, he assisted in that as well. His restaurant became a huge success for quite awhile, and then one day he realized there was just no room left anywhere in the basement for the bones and he was weary of the whole charade anyway.

He closed his restaurant and became a photographer. “So here I am”, he thought to himself. “Right on hand to take a picture when they discover the …”

“Hey,” he heard a man yelling from the site of the building. “You guys aren’t gonna believe what I just found. Get that photographer over here. This is incredible!”

As the photographer headed towards the voice he had one final thought. “So my last photo shoot will be proof. And the proof was always in the pudding … the blood pudding!”

Yes, yes I know this is waaaaay too long, but being the spooky freaky month of Halloween I just felt compelled to let my story write itself and it doesn’t count words! So this isn’t a flash fiction but just a short story! Still I hope you enjoyed it.

For more fun stories and to take part in one yourself (as the writer) check in with the best host ever, Alistair, at Sunday Photo Fiction. He’ll fill you in on all the details!

Have a great day and better tomorrow!

~ Penny

Transport of Choice – My Imagination

October 7, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 12 Comments

This piece also published in “The Haven of Haibun” today.

Transport of Choice

It is said that to travel is to learn, to grow inside through experience. While admitting to the truth in this, it does appear my travels have lead me far afield from where I’d originally meant to go. Funny that.

The various turns in the road, chosen by my own volition, seemed the right ones to take at the time, in retrospect I’m doubtful of this. Therefore, there have been those lessons learned in my travels which have been painful. This having been said, I will now say that my favorite mode of transportation is and always has been – my mind.

Fueled by the wonderful power of imagination, I have traveled to any place and every place wished for – to visit. Imagination, my vehicle of choice and while some may laugh at this mode of transport, I find this particular vehicle ready to depart at a moments notice to the far reaches of my desires, and I … I am most content with this.

imagination

*“to infinity and beyond”

yes, he has it right

Just simply had to throw in one of Disney’s beloved characters in my haiku. I adore *Buzz Lightyear and his wonderful outlook on life, cartoon character though he may be. I hope you enjoyed my Haibun.

It is a pleasure to see Haibun Thinking Writing Challenge up and active once again. Welcome back. The challenge this week is “Film Week”. Write Haibun style using the following quote or a photo as a prompt. As you can see, I chose the quote:

“You came here in that thing?
You’re braver than I thought.”
~ Carrie Fisher (Star Wars)

I encourage everyone who enjoys writing to enter this challenge. Just click on the Haibun Thinking up above. To read other entries click on the blue “links in collection!”

Have a wonderful day, filled with joy and love,

~ Penny

Friday Fictioneers – The Walkway to Nowhere!

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 / Penny L Howe / 41 Comments

Photograph: Copyright Adam Ickes ©

The Walkway to Nowhere!

The raised passageway was built from wood locally grown and hewed. The builder had provided the wood at no cost. Locals were surprised by his generosity! There was talk!

“Henry, have you been on the walkway recently?” She asked, handing him his morning cup of beverage.

“Nope.” He replied. “Haven’t been there since I finished building it. Why?”

“Well, I know you were against it’s construction and now there are reports of visiting folks going missing there.”

Henry the Sorcerer, appeared to contemplate her news while drinking in a deep satisfying gulp of his special wetlands brew.

“Hmmm” He said contentedly!

It’s been awhile since I’ve spent time with the Friday Fictioneers. The writers there, whose stories (of approximately 100 words) always make for a good read , are lead by the gracious and talented hostess Rochelle. For more information on how you can become a Friday Fictioneer or just spend some time reading other author’s creative musings, click here!

Have a great day,

Penny

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Mirror Image

November 10, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 35 Comments

Such an interesting turn of phrase “mirror image” as compared to … oneself. More incongruous than the image appears (visually speaking), we (humans) always tend to “see” more than what is really visible to the naked eye.

Still, the person on the outside looking at the same person (on the inside of a mirror) has the distinct advantage of being seen in a two dimensional platform – which is, of course, never the actuality of life.

Wading deeply through the stream of reality, I could look down at life’s liquidness and see my own mirror image reflected in the fluidity of all life as it swirls around me. Ebbing waves of ‘this or that’ moment of experience exhibiting – all that I appear to be.

But I rarely do – look. I selfishly do not stop the train of thought, (my personal perception of life experiences) and indeed my ability to continue on with an absorption, immersion and captivation of life which I find quintessential to my own well being and improvement.

In summation, a true mirror image of self might be viewed as a matrix where each new bit and piece and layer of the “who I am” rearranges and renews – at will, (my ‘true image’ being of constant change) – as it should, because with each subsequent change I become more of who I truly am.

life’s true potential

mirrored in streaming nature

from dream to reality

Penny L Howe, 2013

. . . .

For more details to this weeks Ligo Haibun (writing) Challenge click here!

Thanks for stopping by, sending love, prayers, much hope and courage to those in the Philippines for their many loses. Please support them in any way that you are able to!

Penny

Ligo Haibun Challenge – Honorable Mentions and more!

October 3, 2013October 3, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 14 Comments

It is a very positive time for The Ligo Haibun’s troupe of writers. We have both Honorable and Special mentions for many, presented by the lovely Nightlake in her newest post, click here to learn all about them.

All entries this past month were well written, making it hard to chose. Adding a few of those that were also a pleasure to read: Bjorn, Aesop’s Clerk, Ese, Patricia, Celestine, Jules, Jody, Oberon, Joe and two new entrants Bastet and Brenda.

To all of you who participated, thank you, so very well done. And a warm hello to those who have returned, as well as our new writers.

Recently, I had an interesting and brief conversation, via Twitter (140- character limit) with another blogger about the distinction between haibun and haiku. When you’re explaining something with 140 or less total characters, you have to be very specific with the words you write, lol. Well I was (very specific), and She got it! So the short-short version of a haibun (twitter version):

The haibun has two parts. 1) Prose, a paragraph or two and 2) An accompanying haiku. prose + haiku (Japanese style poem) = haibun!

Full rules for entering this haibun writing challenge here. To read more about the judges and the Ligo Haibun Experience, and to add your name to the mailing list click here!

The prompt for this week’s Ligo Haibun Challenge are the words:

“Fascination” or “Torture“

Chose only one as the inspiration for your haibun! Good Luck.

I encourage you to enter. Publish your written piece on your blog for others to read and enjoy. To officially enter the challenge, link your URL Address to the blue link box below.

A special thanks to Aquileana, for our excellent “twitter conversation” about haibun and haiku the other day – it was great fun. Check out her wonderful blog out here!

Have a great day,

~ Penny

Ligo Haibun Challenge ~ For all writers!

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 24 Comments

The Challenge:

Fall (Autumn) is a busy time of the year for many, along with changing seasons, it is also the return of school in many countries. Each day that passes finds us presented with a potentially wide range of emotions for us to handle – the ‘ups and downs’ that may beset us.

With this in mind, the hosts (Nightlake, Ye Pirate and myself) of the Ligo Haibun Challenge have selected the following two words for you to explore and think on while writing your haibun this week, chose either one:

“paradise” or “apathy”

Enjoy your creativity this week!

I have chosen Paradise. Yesterday I wrote a serious story about Paradise as it relates to love. Today I write a whimsical haibun on the same subject!

My offering:

Paradise

Falling in love. This, the exact expression describing those sky rocketing emotions first felt when finding love with another.

The sensation like falling, in a way. Akin to leaping out of an airplane, free falling before the parachute opens, knowing not what the next moment might bring, loving the adrenaline rush racing through your body.

I’ve fallen in love. And it is paradise. Or the best feeling I can come up with when thinking of paradise. It would be nice however if there were a parachute. Just like jumping out of an airplane, there is gravity to contend with and it does pull one down. Sometimes pulling one right out of paradise into hell.

paradise exists

but only for a time

no parachute

Thank you. Now it’s your turn.

Write a haibun this Week. The Ligo Haibun Challenge is open to all writers, you are encouraged to enter.

To read about the Haibun style of writing and the rules to this challenge, click here. This is a weekly challenge so be sure to enter before the closing date and time. Click on the link collection to view time remaining, add your link and to access and read other entries for this week.

There were several writers who didn’t have an opportunity to submit their entries for recent challenges, They are listed below!

#Ligo Haibun – Inspired by Persia | Sarah Ann Hall

#Ligo Haibun – My Pet Penguins – hmv (Heath Martin Vogel),

#Ligo Haibun – Quote from Romi – horty ( Maria H. Rexach-Rivera, MD aka Dr. Rex)

Have an excellent rest of your day and weekend ahead! Thank you for stopping by,

~ Penny

Ligo Haibun Challenge – A Quote by any other name or actress …

August 15, 2013August 18, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 12 Comments

Welcome to this weeks Ligo Haibun Challenge. Please consider entering if you – love writing, want to improve your writing skills and enjoy a challenge!

The Haibun is composed of two parts: written prose and haiku:

Write one or more paragraphs (a few hundred words or less) of an inspired thought or idea from one of the “prompt quotes” (below).

Insert one or more short “free verse” poetry (haiku) at the close of your prose or between the paragraphs. (see sample of a haiku below). The haiku represents a summation or an additional expression (so to speak) related to the written portion of your haibun.

SAMPLE HAIKU:

haibun of being

my template of expression

essence of haiku

This week chose one of the follow two quotes as your prompt:

“A kiss is a lovely trick by nature to stop speech when words become” superfluous.” – Ingrid Bergman

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe

Write and publish your haibun on your blog site, then click on the link box below (and follow the simple directions) to enter. For more details and information click on the heading HAIBUN CHALLENGE at the top of this page! To view a few haibun samples click here Ligo Haibun Challenges

Be sure and stop by and visit the two other hosts of the Ligo Haibun Challenge : Nightlake and Ye Pirate!

Congratulations to all who entered last week! You written words are well fashioned works of haibun artistry! Good luck to all who enter the competition this week. Monthly honorable mentions will be given so … keep writing, I’m loving it!

~ Penny

For All Writers Out There …Rethink the haibun and haiku!

July 20, 2013July 22, 2013 / Penny L Howe / 46 Comments

A writer’s gift – yours!

Chances are if you are a blogger, you express yourself very well. Your hands have the gift of being able to put thoughts and expressions, ideas and vision into written words (and photographs and illustrations, art, videos, music, etc) But most all of you can write!

For all you non haibun writers, I believe that perhaps if it were worded differently you might be interested in giving it a try! So I’d like you to consider writing a short piece with only the following thoughts in your mind.

Your writing style: Write the way you normally write, especially if you write in a journal. If you don’t write in a journal. Then write the thoughts you’re thinking of in the moment. What comes to mind. You’ll find your words may flow (like thoughts) just write. Worry about editing afterwards. As your words flow you’ll see they have a rhythm (not rhyming like a poem, more open like free verse), they may even be terse and to the point. Have your written piece be just a few paragraphs or so.

Let it be a thought, an experience, or a feeling that comes to mind after you view a “prompt”. It can be a fictional story, or not, just as long as it is the “telling” or presenting of a thing! (much like in many schools “when growing up” you’d share in front of the class something you did for the summer kind of “telling”!)

After you’ve written your piece. Read it out loud to yourself.

And then go back and tighten it up. See if there are any words you can change or remove to make it more focused, specific and full of the flavor of you (that which you want to convey, express). Take just a little time here for this.

When you finish your written piece; add a short 3-line, ‘free verse’ poem, total about 14 to seventeen syllables. Have the middle line slightly longer than the others.

SAMPLE OF POEM (haiku) STYLE:

rich in expression

the haibun of our thoughts

words, a writer’s food

~

Your poem should contain your feelings on the subject you’ve just written about. Perhaps a summation or a realization (the essence of understanding, the point).

Got it? Here are your prompts! Pick one of the following two photographs.

Exploratorium Museum, photo by Penny L Howe, 2013

Now, WRITE! then I’d like you to publish your written piece on your blog and enter the piece you’ve just written, in the blue box below, follow the instructions (easy ones). I look forward to reading your words!

I think you might just surprise yourself how well you will do. Most importantly have fun.

Honourable Mentions for last week’s Ligo Haibun Challenge will be posted soon! Once again there were many excellent entries! Thank you for sharing your creativity with us and others this past week!

~ Penny