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

Day 113. What’s Next?

Seems like only yesterday that I started the whole alphabet thing, but it’s already over.  Twenty-six letters.  Twenty-six days.  Twenty-six blog posts.  And it’s done.  Went from A to Z.  Just like that!  Poof!

Who knew, when I first started to learn my A, B, C’s at my mother’s knee, all those years ago (never mind, how many), I’d end up going right back, at this tender age, to where I started.  To “A”.  I hope it’s been as much fun for you, as it has been for me.

Back then it led to learning how to read.  This time I did it as a lark.  It seemed like an interesting idea.  Gave me a ‘brief’ to work with.  A playground I had to play in.  And for any of you who follow me regularly, you know that when it comes to writing, there’s nothing I like better than the freedom of a tight brief.

So for a little over three weeks I knew every morning, when I got up, what I’d be writing about.  The next letter.  You’d be amazed to know what a relief that was.  To me that meant I didn’t have to come up with an ‘idea’.  Of course, I still did, because there were hundreds and hundreds of objects, names, feelings, emotions, places,

Day 87. Preliminary Sketches

I’ve decided to have a little fun.  On top of the fun I’m already having, of course.  Starting with the letter ‘A’, every day I will pick a subject that starts with the next letter of the alphabet; and that’s what I’ll write about.  Until I run out of letters.  After ‘Z’, in other words (as if you hadn’t already figured that out).  Anyway.  When I reach that point I’ll be challenged to come up with another idea.  In the meantime, let’s see how it works out.  Let’s get started …

Do you have any idea what an ‘abbozzo’ is?  I didn’t.  At least not until I decided to use the alphabet as inspiration, and looked up interesting words that start with the letter ‘A’.  Well you heard it here first, folks.  An abbozzo is a preliminary sketch.  A rough drawing, or model.  What a writer would consider a ‘draft’.

I may not have known what they are called, but it turns out I’m familiar with them.  I’ve seen many, many exhibits, where the artist’s working drawings are included.

In a lot of cases, I actually prefer them, to the finished pieces.  I like their roughness.  The fact that  they’re incomplete, almost primitive.  Raw.  Imperfect.  When I look at them, I feel like I’m really getting a glimpse into the artist’s mind.  And emotions.  It’s more intimate, somehow.

Like we’re sharing a secret.  It’s like I’m being brought in at the very beginning of something, just for a peek.  I’m getting to see something that’s been transferred directly from the imagination, to the sketch pad, with no refinement.  No thinking.  No over thinking.  No reality, yet.

It’s still in an experimental phase.  An exploration.  I love that the details are missing.  Details are not always necessary, at least as far as I’m concerned.  Take this sketch of Picasso’s, of a woman, for