Day 356. Twenty-Six …

Well, did I ever just have a blast!  Wasn’t sure I could do it, but you know me, I have to try.  And once I’ve decided to try, I can’t quit.  That’s how I’ve made it this far, with this blog.  Once I was committed there was just no way I wouldn’t see it through.  I have way too much pride.

So once I became intrigued with yesterday’s WordPress Daily Prompt, I was hooked.  “Create a short story, piece of memoir, or epic poem that is 26 sentences long, in which the first sentence begins with “A” and each sentence thereafter begins with the next letter of the alphabet.”  

In the end, after banging my head against the wall for a few hours, I decided to go with something simple.  I wouldn’t call it great literature, by any means, but I did get the job done.  And I had a great time with it.  I recommend you give it a try, yourself.  It’s a terrific exercise, if nothing else.

Here it is:

A story made up of twenty-six sentences, each beginning with the next letter of the alphabet is no easy task.  But as you know from reading my blog, I love challenges.  Clearly, though, this time I was out of my depth.

Damned if I even knew where to start.  “Elementary, my dear Watson”, said the little voice in my head.  “For heaven sake, you know you have to start with the letter “A” and then go on, letter by letter!”  “God have mercy” was all I could think as I racked my brain for an idea for a story.

“Hmmmm … what about this … or that …. or that … or … ?!”

It could be about my cats, or my career, or my fear of heights or travel or romance or reading or movies or it could be pure fiction, or even a poem, couldn’t it?  “Just start getting something down on paper”, my writing muse suggested.  “Kindly mind your own business”, I suggested back, rather snarkily.

“Listen, bitch, I’m just trying to help you”, she quickly retorted.  “Maybe you have a point”, I conceded, trying to make amends for my rude behaviour, without actually having to apologize.  “No worries”, she responded, smiling sweetly.

“Okay, ladies, enough already, we’ve got a lot of work to do here, so stop wasting precious time”, my subconscious interjected, with that haughty undertone in her voice I detest.  “Pretentious so-and-so”, I muttered, not so quietly, under my breath, knowing full well she was right.  Questioning my sanity for ever becoming involved in this little project, I huffed off to my office and turned on my computer, determined to sit there until I had something, even if it took all night.

“Relax, relax, relax”, I said over and over and over again, almost like a meditation, knowing it’s the only way I can ever come up with ideas.  Slowly I took a deep breath, letting it out just as slowly, again, and again, and again, breathing in and exhaling, breathing in and exhaling.

The next thing I knew, I was jumping to my feet with excitement and, as you can no doubt imagine, relief.  Until that moment I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, and you know how difficult it is for me to admit defeat.

Victory within my sights, the sentences started to flow, one after another, each one beginning with the correct letter of the alphabet.  “WOW”, was all I could think, thanking the Universe for making it so easy, so quickly.

“Xmas is definitely coming early this year”, I thought, as I got closer and closer to the end.  “You are now just one letter away from posting this baby”, I shouted, into the air.

“Zeal is what you need to pull off something like this”, I thought as I typed in my final sentence, “which is another of life’s more valuable lessons, learned!”