Thursday, June 7, 2012

Write On Edge: To The Moon Challenge

The Red Writing Hood challenge this week truly speaks to a writer's soul.

"To The Moon"

Kennedy made the decision to take us to the moon. The Electric Light Orchestra sang about a Ticket To The Moon. An iconic French produced hand-painted silent film was titled Voyage To The Moon. The Honeymooners' Ralph threatened "-to the moon, Alice". The Irish folk/rock band Capercaille titled an album To The Moon. There's music, movies, quotes, books, blogs, and an endless supply of media utilizing the phrase "to the moon".

The point of the exercise, however, is to produce something for the author to believe in. We are to cast off our self-doubt and just write. No apologies. No "this isn't good enough". No defeatist attitudes. We are to look at our work through the fresh supportive eyes of our most faithful companions. And we are to include, somewhere within our 500 word allotment, the phrase "to the moon".

I explored a few options, dug in deep with a few characters, but I kept coming back to this. I eavesdrop everywhere I go. I listen to patterns in speech, the words used by the old and the young, the vulgar and the wise. Sometimes, an entire world can be gleaned from one conversation. I decided then that this is what I would give you.


So, I offer the following in response: A Conversation Overheard




A sneeze. “We can send a man to the moon, but we can’t seem to cure the common cold.”

“Doesn’t mean we failed as a species. We eradicated small pox. That was considerably more deadly than the common cold ever was.”

“Oh, that’s right; you’re one of those glass-half-full types. Well, not me. I can see things how they are.”

“That right? Well how are things Peanut?”

“I hate it when you call me Peanut.”

“You hate it when your peas touch your mashed potatoes, too.”

“Shh, she’s coming back.”

“So she is. Are you going to ask her this time?”

Silence. “Check, please.”

“Coward.”

28 comments:

  1. Ahh, very cleverly done! Of course now, I'm left to wonder what they were going to ask and if they followed through! :)

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    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoyed your stay. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  2. Love it! Your eavesdropping is paying off. What a wonderful moment to capture.

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    1. Thanks for the love! I was brought up that eavesdropping is rude, but I can't help it I'm thrilled you stopped by and shared your thoughts!

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  3. Ha! I love it! I do this with my husband...he hates using the phone, and we play chicken until I finally cave and do it.

    It's a wonderful bit of listening. I bet that the body language would be fun to write as well....so much potential with these two.

    As an aside, I love your introductions.

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    1. Thanks for the love!

      I do intros because I babble. It's cheating I suppose because I don't include it in the word limits, but I blame my Cherokee heritage. We can tell a story without telling a story about it. :)

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  4. Great conversation! I want to know if he ever asked her and what she said and if it changed his pessimist attitude or confirmed what he's always believed. Good stuff.

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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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  5. Perfect, fun conversation. I loved this for several reasons...I'm an admitted eavesdropper, my 19 year old 6'2" son is still called "peanut" by tons of friends ever since he was little. AND I want to know if he asked her, what and her reply.

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    1. Thanks! I'd start a support group - Eavesdroppers Anonymous - but really, what's the fun in that? Sometimes the best material comes from a casual line uttered in line at the grocery store or among a group of friends at the movie theater.

      6'2" I think Peanut fits. Especially as a term of endearment.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  6. I eavesdrop all the time--there's a lot of interesting stuff happening out there.

    So did he ask her?

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    1. Seriously, I've sat in restaurants with my mom, and we carry out our meal in silence, because we're too busy listening to the conversation taking place in the next booth. A lot of my inspiration for characters comes from eavesdropping. What's truly fun though is recognizing the trait in others, and exchanging that knowing smile in passing.

      I'd like to think he asked her, but I don't think his pessimism allowed for it.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  7. Nice snappy conversation. I enjoyed your "To the Moon" appraoch.

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

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  8. A couple of things...

    We could go to dinner together and just eat and listen; my husband gets irritated with me at times :)

    Your habit is paying off; this is a great example of the way people speak, even down to that last little bit. I like that they (obviously) know what he wanted to ask, but we don't know as readers.

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    1. Oh and the worst is eavesdropping on deaf people. I simply can't turn away from people signing. And I'm sooooo obvious about it.

      Thanks for the invite to dinner (Yes!) and stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  9. oh how I loved this from the beginning to the conversation. You and I are kindred spirits since I love to listen. Love to sit and just pay attention. I get so wrapped up sometimes I end up having a conversation with that other table. I'm not shy. ;)

    as always, your writing is so good.

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    1. I've been known to insert myself into a different table conversation. Sometimes I'm well received, sometimes I'm shunned, but I can't help myself.

      And absolutely kindred spirits!

      Thanks for the love and stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  10. Thank you for sharing great dinner conversation

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! I hope you enjoyed your stay!

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  11. Eavesdropping can be fun, until they tell a hillarious story and you can't help but laugh - then they know you were listening.

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    1. I get caught all the time like that. Then there's that uncomfortable silence afterwards...

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  12. Nice take on this prompt. I love how simple your piece is and yet tells a wonderful story.

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    1. Thanks! It didn't seem like it wanted anything else when I wrote it, and that intrigued me. I'm glad it worked. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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  13. My little guy is Peanut, too. And I'm torn, I want to read the body language from your fingers, because I love the way you write, but I also like to be able to lay my own interpretation over it.

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    1. Thanks for the love! As always, I'm overjoyed that you stopped by. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  14. Eavesdropping, what a delightful take on the prompt. I never thought of it, but as I read your piece I remembered hearing the phase "we can send a man to the moon, but we can't" so many times in various conversations. Great!

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    1. Thanks! I can't tell you how many times I've heard that phrase growing up, and not just from my own folks. No one seems to say it much anymore, but I think it's because we as a species are no longer impressed by manned space flight.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!

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