Love of Writing discussion

Choose one of the writing prompts below:

*Write about a time when doing something for another person gave you a good feeling. How would you describe that feeling—was it pride? Happiness? Fulfillment?

*Write about a time when you felt giddy, joyous, or celebratory. What made you feel so light and carefree that day?

*Write about a time when you were angry—and what you did with that energy. Did you dwell on it? Express it to someone? What was the outcome?

*Write about a time when you were afraid to try something new. Write how you managed to do it anyway, and you later became so good that you received praise.

Word count: 500 - 1,500

There will be no judging. The purpose of this writing challenge is to inspire the writing process and to be enjoyed by others.

Here are some flash fiction writing guidelines:
1. Use strong imagery. Make every single word count. Help your readers visualize as much as possible.
2. Stick to one moment. Focus on one particular moment in time. Don’t try to cram in more than one scene into a piece of flash fiction.
3. Work with just one or two characters. Don’t spread your story too thin.
4. Try first-person point of view. This will create an instant connection to the reader and allow you to express more in fewer words.
5. Surprise your reader. Make sure to end your story on a different emotional note than the one you started on. Creating surprise is what flash fiction is all about; take the reader on a journey, no matter how short.

Challenge Guidelines

Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Crime, Comedy, Romance, or a mixture (BASICALLY, anything but erotica)

Purpose -
The main purpose of this contest is to sharpen plot and character skills, collect your own short stories, receive good feedback, make a good connection with other writers, and take a short break from your current novel to get a fresh view when you return to it.

Rules and Directions -
* Type in English - no erotica, no profanity.

* Writers are responsible for their own copyright. Authors keep all rights. PRIVACY POLICY IS ENFORCED. COPYRIGHTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS BELONG TO INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. THIS CONTEST DOES NOT GRANT ANY PERSON THE RIGHT OR LICENSE TO COPY OR USE OTHER STORIES. EACH STORY IS PROTECTED BY THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.

From Terror to Triumph
By Glenda Reynolds
976 words

On October 10, 2018 my husband and I stood at our patio door while our hands braced the glass as we watched a Category 5 hurricane bend the trees in our direction, pummeling the glass with pine cones and other debris. We had heard that Hurricane Michael was a Category 3 the last time we received a tropical news update. We didn’t feel it was necessary to put up the plywood over our patio door glass. However, the hurricane quickly gained strength before reaching the Florida Panhandle. We had to press our palms against the glass to keep it from blowing inward. The hurricane-force wind was so powerful that the frame of the patio door was causing the ceiling to crack with the back-and-forth motion.

As we stood there to help support the glass, I kept repeating the short prayer, “Shalom, peace be still.” I was placing the situation in God’s hands.

Water was literally pouring into the house through the air ventilation ducts as well as the chandelier over the dining room table, close to where we stood for a few hours. The worst place of water coming in was a few feet from the front door in the short hallway. We placed a tall garbage can there to collect the water.
We had a square fountain with angels on top that got blown over; the hurricane winds blew the bottom of it away. There were beautiful oak and pine trees on the property across the road from our backyard. These eventually were blown over onto our property, bringing down the power lines and landing on our fence, shrubs, and palm tree. After a time, the winds died down a bit. I took my smartphone and videotaped all the roof shingles lying on the ground outside the front door. Bare plywood was exposed on a 2-story house roof across the street. There was a slight calmness, but then the trees on the horizon beyond my neighborhood started to bend eastward. We were coming out of the eye of the hurricane. The wind started to roar. I would periodically look at the radar map to track the path of the hurricane. We lost cell towers, but I was still able to use my phone.

When we were out of hurricane winds, I ventured outside with my smartphone to record the destruction. The forest just beyond my neighborhood street looked like a tree graveyard, broken and depressing. Many roofs were missing shingles. One of my Washingtonian palms was lying in the street, yanked up from the roots. Both my front and back pine trees were snapped in two. It looked like a small pond of water in the street.

The National Guard responded quickly with needed supplies. My area was without water and power for one week. The Guard set up on a school property and handed out water and emergency food supplies. The box said, “MRE Meals Ready to Eat”. A person only added a little water to the food, and it “cooked”.

I got an unexpected visit from my oldest brother, Sammy. He brought us a gasoline generator and food. He was a blessing. Little did we know that he would die from throat cancer within three years of that visit. It tore my heart apart.

Our next unexpected visit came from a schoolmate named Todd from my Christian school class of 1979. Todd drove from Georgia to the Florida Panhandle with his gas-powered chainsaw. I had started my new job and was not at home when he arrived. After introducing himself to my husband, Todd started the task of cutting the Washingtonian palm that was blocking the street and other things that needed trimming. He stacked his trimmings for the city to pick up. After a couple of days, he came back just to visit with me. God sent me another angel to help out. We were shocked, however, to hear on social media that Todd died on July 12, 2024. Maybe he and his family made it a point not to discuss an illness he had. Everyone was proud to know him since he dedicated his life to helping others, such as the rebuilding of classrooms at my Christian high school. He mentored his daughters to perform Christian music. He was a father to the fatherless. Although my brother Sammy led a very wild life compared to Todd’s life, God knows the bigger picture. I was blessed to have both of these people in my life.

I had previously applied for a new job before the hurricane event. I never intended to work in the healthcare industry, but I disliked my previous job so much that it motivated me to make the change. A memory will stay with me for a very long time of when I was driving home from work through the hurricane-damaged area. A rainbow appeared over the bedraggled trees as if God was giving me a message, “Don’t lose hope. I’ve got this.”

Little did I know that God was leading me to my present job. I get routine calls for people enrolled or will be enrolling in Medicare. Other calls are not routine, but are “escalated”. The caller may be seeing a psychiatrist and is out of much-needed medications. I try to give people as much resolution as possible. Most importantly, I tell certain people to keep hope in their hearts, to trust God, and that they can get through it.

My current supervisor has the responsibility to listen to our calls and do reports about them while giving guidance and critiquing the customer service employees. She constantly gives me praise for how I handle my calls and the information that I share with my callers. I can’t take all the credit. I pray every day for wisdom, knowledge, and favor. God is with me every day.