Thursday, April 19, 2012

Write On Edge & Story Dam Combined Challenges

I've decided to consolidate the responses for this week's challenges.

From Red Writing Hood we are challenged in 500 words or less, to write about a makeover of your choice (hair, clothes, makeup, facial hair for the menfolk), fictional or memoir/creative non-fiction. Let’s think about how physical appearance changes can affect the inner landscape.

From Story Dam we have 750 words for the following: 

Dam Burst Prompt:
For this week you can write fiction or non-fiction. Write about a time that you, or your character, had to do something you really didn’t want to do and the truth that came from the doing of it.
Wet Feet Prompt:
Start the sentence with, I remember the time I had to… and keep writing. If you get stuck start the next sentence again with, I remember the time I had to…

In the following fictional piece, I opted to go with a small window of time between the makeover and doing the thing we don't want to do, and the 500 word limit to meet both site requirements.

I offer the following in response: Fairytale Ended

 
Mild soap removed the evening from her face. Foamy lathers stained with mascara and rouge disappeared down the hole of the wash basin. The mask was off.

Numb, Tracy looked in the mirror and Truth looked back. The fairytale was over. Her skin was marred with splotchy-pinks from the recent scrub. Pores were small, but visible under the vanity lights. The perfectly groomed eyebrows perched above her blue eyes failed to find a purpose on the crest of her naked face. Why be extraordinary when the rest of the image was so glaringly normal?

She exhaled and reached for a nondescript plastic bottle, splashing its contests cautiously on a cotton pad. The cold liquid leeched through to her fingers as its antiseptic odor caused her nose to twitch.  She dabbed the pad at her face and felt the familiar sting of witch-hazel attacking her sensitive pores, stripping away the last, broken layer of skin. Another look in the mirror told her she was getting closer to her core person. After a rosewater treatment, she left the midnight princess at the sink and walked away as the little cinder girl.

Her cellphone pinged as she crossed the darkened threshold of her room. She hesitated, eager for bed, debating over her answer. With a flick of her thumbs, the keyboard slid out from the touch screen.

You still awake? The yellow conversation bubble was from her friend Amy.

No, she replied. She ignored the text pings after that and hung her wedding dress in the closet with a sense of finality. As she climbed in bed, she heard a soft rap at her bedroom door before it opened.

“Trace?” her brother asked. “Mad at me?”

“No, Josh, I’m not mad at you.” She made room on her bed for him to sit. Propping her shoulders against the headboard, she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her brother was her best friend. She idolized him when they were children. He protected her fiercely. How could she be mad at him for that? “I’m glad you punched him, or I’d’ve killed him.”

The light from the hallway highlighted his smirk to its fullest advantage. “If I didn’t think I’d spend the night in jail, I’d’ve killed him too. He’s lucky I didn’t want witnesses.” He rubbed his fist and asked softly, "You gonna be okay?"

"No." Her cellphone pinged again, and she groaned. “My bridesmaids won’t leave me alone. What’s the chatter on Facebook? I’ve been afraid to look.”

“Oh, there’s several threats posted on his wall.” He gave a short laugh. “That bastard will get what’s coming to him for sure.”

“Eventually I’ll have to face caterers and return gifts. Somehow try to pay Dad back.” she said. “Right now, I just feel so numb.”

He stood to leave. “Don’t worry about anything. Tomorrow we’ll take your dress to the shooting range and use it for target practice.”

She laughed for the first time that night. “Awesome. Love you, Josh.”

“Ditto.”

44 comments:

  1. I was a little confused in the middle there as to what was going on--was she Cinderella? But then you mentioned a wedding dress. I went back and reread a couple of times, and now I think I have it. (I haven't had my coffee yet!)

    Are you going to continue this story? I like the idea of 'what happens after the fairy tale ends?' aspect of this piece, and I would love to read more.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Sorry about the confusing middle. I should probably have had coffee myself when I wrote this last night. :)

      We may yet see more of Tracy and Josh. I never abandon any of my characters.

      Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  2. I thought this was a interesting response to the prompts. The opening description of her face washing was excellent.

    I like the reference to Cinderella. It was subtle, but appropriate.

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    1. Thanks! I figure every girl feels a bit like Cinderella the day of her wedding. It generally takes a sucker-punch to get the girl to feel like the pumpkin.

      Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  3. I like your take on the prompt. Well done!

    I really like how you're able to take a scene and make it so descriptive! It's something that I really need to get better at.

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    1. Thanks, but don't sell yourself short. Your voice might be different, but it's strong and I always enjoy visiting your blog!

      Thanks for stopping by and leaving feedback!

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  4. The opening paragraph and the wise ass remark about shooting the dress were strong. I loved them.

    There's a lot of nuance here. You are the queen of the subtle lines and emotions. well done.

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    1. Thanks! I figured, what spells both stress-release and revenge but a couple of rounds of well-placed ammunition. I'm glad to know it worked!

      It's good to be the queen when I have an audience like you!

      As always, I appreciate your feedback and I'm thrilled you stopped by!

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  5. Oh, cinderella's prince turns out to not be much of one! Great piece, very tight and well written.

    I love the use of the dress for target practice...and send pictures to the asshole of it littered with holes :)

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    1. Wouldn't that be a kick in the head? The "Hey Jackass this is what you did to my heart" association would be unmistakable!

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  6. I think this is a great piece. I love the unexpected twist that it was her wedding night, not just an important date. And the brother's somewhat over-protective reactions were wonderful.

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    1. Thanks! It's a bit of a reflection on my own relationship with my brother. I still worship the ground he walks on after 37 years. And he's punched punks for me too.

      As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  7. Oh, this is well-done! Very well done. When I read "wedding dress," I thought, WHAAAA? I will say that I had this pegged as a true fairy-tale (i.e. old-time) until the cell phone, which threw me and caused me to go back and reread from the beginning to reset my mental image. :) That may have been my assumptions going in and not your problem at all, but I thought I would mention it.

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    1. Oh thanks!

      My intent was to hint at the fairytale wedding she thought she was getting in order to contrast with the numbness of discovery of her groom's true colors. You're not the only one who had to re-read, so it's more than likely the way I set up the scene. Perhaps if I titled it something different? Instead of "Fairytale Ended" maybe "Left at the Altar" or "Wedding Amiss" or something else along those lines?

      Anyway, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! I hope you enjoyed your visit!

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  8. I liked this..I loved how she took us through her evening routine as if nothing were wrong, just a woman taking off her face like all of at the end of the day...but wow, the punch of "princess" and "cinder girl" and the wedding dress pushed to the back of her closet...it was so well done and vivid. A wedding day gone bad, but she is supported and loved...still The princess! :)

    Loved it.

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    1. Thanks for the feedback! I'm thrilled this scene played out the way it did in my head. So glad you stopped by and shared your thoughts!

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  9. I found this fantastic from start to finish...the details of the face-washing were lyrical and spot-on and oh-so-captivating.

    An interesting symbol....it's good, and cleansing, but oh does it sting!

    The relationship with the brother is very good....I like how true it reads. I am sucked into this story for sure.

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    1. Thanks! I'm thrilled you enjoyed this. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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  10. The description of her facewashing is just lovely. I like the idea of her moving back towards her core person. I had a bit of trouble piecing things together until further into the piece. It might have helped me to have the wedding dress closer to the beginning, maybe even a mention of an empty ring finger.

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    1. Thanks!

      Great suggestion about the ring finger. I hadn't thought of that.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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    2. Lovely writing. I agree with Angela. I felt these were two separate pieces that could easily stand on their own. After "...walked away as the little cinder girl" I was almost a little jarred to find there was more. It's such a powerful closing sentence, almost too powerful when there is more coming. But I loved the piece and I'll come back to read more of your work.

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    3. Thank you for your feedback. I agree with the both of you, I could have made the transition smoother. I appreciate your feedback and absolutely will love to see you come back! You are welcome anytime!

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  11. Nice to meet you!

    I loved this line: "she left the midnight princess at the sink and walked away as the little cinder girl."

    The shock that it was her wedding night worked for me, but I think the moment that was revealed almost gets lost in the surrounding text. A little more interaction with the dress might solve that. Perhaps she touches the ribbon once more before sliding it to the far back with a sense of finality.

    The relationship with the brother felt real to me, good job conveying that dynamic. I look forward to finding out what happened to end her fairy tale!

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    1. Yea new friends!

      Great suggestion for the ribbon. That would make a lovely image.

      Thanks for stopping by and giving feedback!

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  12. I really liked this! The placement of the reveal that it was her wedding dress worked for me, but I do like the idea above about having her interact with it a bit more.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know what worked for you. I love feedback and I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts!

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  13. This is just excellent. The description of the character washing her face ("Foamy lathers stained with mascara and rouge disappeared down the hole of the wash basin. The mask was off") was so vivid. I also loved the authenticity of the dialogue between brother and sister, as well as the idea of using the wedding dress for target practice. Looking forward to reading more of this story! So well-done. Cheers, Anne

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to know that this worked. We may yet see more of Tracy and her brother Josh, since I don't think their story is done yet.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  14. The sting of astringent stripping away illusion is a powerful image. The twist is cruel - and a fantastic example of upping the stakes. Like the others, I really love the snapshot of her relationship with her brother.

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    1. Thanks! The siblings were fun to write. As always thanks for stopping by and leaving fedback. I'm glad you enjoyed your stay!

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  15. I really enjoyed the comparison to Cinderella and the detailed face-washing routine, both drew me into yur story. I also liked how you were able to successfully combine prompts. Interesting twist on a fairy tale.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. It means the world to me!

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  16. You pulled me into the story, and the twist was professional. Well done!

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    1. Thanks stopping by! I'm glad you enjoyed the read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and letting me know what worked!

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  17. Definitely a fairytale ended, it makes me ask for more and to wonder and yet it built so softly and was so beautifully understated. :)

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    1. Thanks! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the read. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  18. Your images are awesome. I love the face washing scene. And then the support of her brother.

    Target practice! Perfect

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  19. Poor girl. I feel sorry for her. Good thing she had a knight in her brother to back her up.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed your visit. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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  20. So, I have two favorite lines. The first? "Numb, Tracy looked in the mirror and Truth looked back."

    The second? “Don’t worry about anything. Tomorrow we’ll take your dress to the shooting range and use it for target practice.”

    Obviously, this poor girl just had her world ripped to shreds. But by injecting humor into this piece, there is hope that a happy ending could still occur.

    Great job!

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    1. Thanks! I'm thrilled to know what worked for you. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  21. Hi, just read your write... it is amazing how you have written this piece. Simply breathtaking. Bravo!

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    1. Thanks!I'm thrilled to know that this worked for you and you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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