Dreams

Today we have a guest post from Thurman of Random Abstractions Blog. He has a fun and interesting challenge for AWOP readers.

Dreams

Last night I dreamt I was somehow back in school, sitting for an exam in a composition class. I've had numerous dreams over the years like this, stemming I think from the fact that I never finished college. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life at the time, so I majored in having a good time. Only later did I discover that the job market for that specialization is small, limited to the young and unattached, and the retirement plan pretty much sucks.

When this particular dream began I was at work, doing the job I've done for the better part of the last twenty years - marking underground utilities - but somehow I ended up inside a large classroom full of rowdy, undisciplined college students.

Oddly enough, my wife, who I didn't meet until many years after my own college experience, was sitting a few desks behind me, also waiting for the examination to begin. I recall at one point being extremely frustrated by the fact that so many of the other students there weren't serious about the class. Most of them were clustered around the windows and in corners, talking loudly about anything but the subject at hand.

I also remember speaking to a very uppity woman who may have been the instructor. I recall hearing her make a derogatory generalization about the literacy of the entire class, to which I responded in my usual smart ass way, pushing her buttons and getting myself into trouble - some things never change.

The prompt was then posted: sheriff closed

The sheriff closed in on my position, panting heavily from the long foot pursuit. He was a portly, balding fellow in his late forties who looked like he'd spent the better part of his life occupying a stool at the local coffee bar every morning, swilling java and consuming baked goods until time for lunch. His face was the color of a ripe tomato and he was sweating so profusely that he looked like he'd been running through a torrential rain instead of a cool, dry autumn morning.

When I woke up I began picking out two or three word phrases at random and trying to make up interesting context to put them into, and after a few minutes of this I had an idea: Why not ask my blog readers to submit short prompts for me to work up short compositions of a few hundred words every week or two? It might result in fiction, non-fiction, or simply my twisted opinion. It would be an interesting exercise that would not only help me to improve my writing skills but I might also be able to produce some entertaining content for this space.

So dear readers, where ever you might be out there in the world, throw me an idea. It could be a single world or a short phrase. The only promise I'll make is that I will consider each one and if I use the one you send me, I'll email you when I post the resultant composition. If you want to participate, there is an email link in my profile. Please put the words 'writing prompt' in the subject line, and be patient.

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Peace Y'all