Recently, I set myself the task to write a story about the accompanying photo in fifty words. Turns out, the story ended at forty-nine words (the title “Look” is included in the word count.) It is intriguing to give yourself a word limit for a piece, then stick with it. During the process, all becomes distilled; thoughts and words.
Look
November. Northern Plains of Montana. Winter’s stalk, damascus-sharp, and dismal edged penetrates the air. The scent, a raw mainline of dead leaves. I take a picture of skeleton trees, the gilt glow of grasses and sage against the amber light of the day’s demise. Later, I see her.
I am interested to know if you see her. A quick response in the comment section is welcome.
OMG i do see her! I had to zoom in though 😉
Lovely 🙂
Thank you, Isabelle! Good job finding her. The photo turned out darker on the website than I thought, making it harder to see what is there.
Ughh… I don’t see her. Not bright off the bat. Your words are intriguing and will give me something to ponder. Do I see her with my eyes looking at the photograph or do I see her in my mind’s eye. Or do I see her at all whatever that her is that I’m suppose to see.
I’m impressed with your skill to put so much into 49 words.
Keep going!
You will see her with your eyes. Thank you for your comment!
She is as curious about you as you are of her! At first I saw the cows, then looked closer. A wonderful bit of word-smithing!
Thank you! Yes, she is curious. Good job keeping your eyes peeled!
Yes! There she is, on the far right. A white tail doe?
Your story is exquisite. I adore how sensuate, brief prose can exentuate the moment and draw the reader right into the experience.
Yes, you’ve found her! Thank you for your thoughts on the words. Brief is fun and quite exploratory. It also makes you dig for better words!
I do see her. 🙂
Thank you for commenting, Angela! She is like a talisman on the land, the way she appears.
There is something on the R, a bird, a deer? I can not make it out.
Great idea to set a word count. It came out strong.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ingeborg. I appreciate your comments deeply. Yes, on the right is a doe.