Browsing Archive: August, 2009
Posted by Ronda Levine on Monday, August 31, 2009,
In :
Fiction
Here's another writing exercise from the folks at Write Anything. The idea is to look at the picture given and write 500 words, then post it. 
I moved out here to give my daughter a better life. There are fireflies. They dance around her. There are mice that live in the grass. It will snow in the winter. I’ll start graduate school in a few
weeks. She laughs as the mouse moves
around in her hand. These are the
moments she’ll remember for the rest of her life. The limo ride to our...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Saturday, August 29, 2009,
In :
Fiction
Hello, it's Friday night, and I'm putting this up a little later than usual. This is inspired by this week's [Fiction] Friday exercise over at Write Anything. I enjoyed this exercise, so this is the possible start of a (much) longer work. Enjoy!
SECTOR
46
Saul sat on the edge of
the curb, his blackberry in front of him.
There was still so much to do.
The cells needed to be furnished.
The library needed to be scrubbed down.
The laundry facility was going to be equipped with lab equipmen... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Saturday, August 22, 2009,
In :
Academics
Sometimes professors (or bosses) request a précis on some book or journal article. When I first started graduate school, I wasn't sure how to write a précis. By the time I left, I found the short summary paper to be an incredibly helpful tool for studying for comps and preparing for seminar classes. Below you will find step-by-step instructions for writing a successful precis for class (or work). - The very first step in writing a précis is reading the reference material carefully. While re...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Friday, August 21, 2009,
In :
Fiction
It's that time of the week again - Fiction Friday! This week, I decided to try a different genre. It's going to be part 1 of another series. Enjoy! Indier Gray
Sasha ducked behind the trash bin and held her breath. Why was she holding her breath? She let it out. She heard Blake calling for the other players
moments later. Time went by. She heard a scream and a scuffle. It sounded close by. Was that – was that a man’s voice? Sasha cowered down. If the bin had been higher on... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Wednesday, August 19, 2009,
In :
Freelancing
This week, I am editing articles for Equanimity Magazine for the September official launch issue. I'm also finishing work on a dissertation that I've been editing. Finally, editing-wise, I've been editing chapters for a philosophy textbook. With regards to writing, I'm working on Bright Hub articles, chapter 10 of Night Song, and some other projects including poetry and short story writing. I'm also working on revamping a website for Stanimation Productions, including writing SEO content. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Friday, August 14, 2009,
In :
Fiction
Okay folks, here's my Fiction Friday exercise from the folks over at Write Anything. I struggled a bit with this one, but this is what I turned out:
Welcome Home
Julie and Cameron sat, side by side, and waited for the
bus. Their heads bopped almost in
synchronization to the individual beats on their iPods. Cameron tapped his fingers to the beat on his
knee. Julie held her backpack in her
arms, the ear buds for her music machine extended from a special pocket. The ground was slick from the...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Thursday, August 13, 2009,
In :
Poetry
Here is my poem I wrote inspired by the poetry prompt over at Poetic Asides. The theme was "Returning."
Coming Home
Brown corrugated cardboard makes a fortress in my living room
Painted porcelain packed perfectly wrapped in tissue and bubble wrap
Computer completely placed in its own over-sized box
Files upon files upon files of poems for you
For him
For life
For peace
And short stories
And philosophy papers
Stack silently in the confines of a small shipping parcel
The Beanie Bab... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Tuesday, August 11, 2009,
In :
Freelancing
It's going to be a busy week. My husband's brother and his family are in town from the East Coast. Saturday we went Cheryl Dumesnil's poetry reading from her book, In Praise of Falling. Her poetry is beautiful, her sons are darling, and I'm amazed at the words she collects and uses for image-painting. It was a great experience. This week I'm focusing on editing work and a few Bright Hub articles. I will be editing a dissertation, a book, and a textbook. I'm also hoping to receive more ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Monday, August 10, 2009,
In :
Fiction
Here is the 3rd part of the story, "Marguerite and Me."
I come down hard and my head slams into a step. Everything goes black and the action
stops. I feel a wave of stars come over
me.
The next thing I know, some guy in a dark blue jumpsuit is
standing over me shining a flashlight in my eyes. Someone put a towel underneath my head. It’s silent.
Margie sits over me. As the
curtains open, I realize I’m moving. The
next thing I’m able to focus upon is the medical gear. I try to t... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Monday, August 10, 2009,
In :
Creativity
Family can be a tricky thing. They're always there when you need them, and they're always making things interesting for you. In today's prompt, you will write a description of each member in your family. Writing Prompt Rules - Write for 15 minutes
- Don't stop writing
- Don't erase anything
- Don't cross anything out
As always, feel free to share in the comments section or by leaving a link to your own blog. Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Saturday, August 8, 2009,
In :
Fiction
This is the second part of "Marguerite and Me", inspired by Write Anything's [Fiction] Friday. "Marguerite and Me" Continued Though I want to run away, something keeps me glued there,
in front of her, with her breath baking hard at me. I’ve never really figured out why it is that
I stick around to see the next train wreck in these situations. We are almost at the front of the line. Margie smiles at me and plays with my suit
coat as if nothing happened a few moments ago.
I’m about to a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Friday, August 7, 2009,
In :
Fiction
So it's Friday again, and I'm participating once again in the [Fiction] Friday meme over at Write Anything.Here's what I came up with:
The woman is next to me.
Her hair is up, jet-black, slick.
I wonder how many hair product bottles she used to keep every strand
where she wants it. Maybe she’s a
control freak. I don’t know. Her red dress reveals half of her back. It’s a nice back. I can tell she’s spent a lot of time working
on it. She probably has a trainer.... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Friday, August 7, 2009,
In :
Academics
It's almost time to start back at school. Whether you are in high school, college, or graduate school, chances are that you will need at some point to write a research paper. Sometimes our jobs require us to do research. In this post, you will find the steps to successfully writing the research paper that will get you the grade you want. 1. Set up a time schedule. That's right, the first thing you should do when you are assigned a research project is set up a schedule to complete your rese... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Thursday, August 6, 2009,
In :
Poetry
In addition to the [fiction] Friday prompts over at Write Anything, I've decided to participate in the Poetic Asides Blog's Wednesday Poetry Prompts. This week's prompt asked participants to write a poem about something I've been through. Here it is, in rough draft form:
“Graduate School Comps”
The light cracks in through the window The book is in my lap
The cat is on his pillow
Taking his nightly nap
A pencil is my hand
And the computer screen glows
I try to keep my eyes op... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Wednesday, August 5, 2009,
In :
Fiction
For all of those who have been anxiously waiting to find out the answer to the question, "Why is Santa in Chicago on July 31?", here is the conclusion:
Santa
takes a deep breath and laughs, shaking his head. I feel like a moron. He says, “I’ll answer your question when you
answer mine. ‘What’s your story?’”
Dejected,
deflated, and discontent, I take a bite of my burger and move some chips around
in their basket. For whatever reason, I decide
to stay at the table when I reall... Continue reading ...
I've been reading Carolyn See's book, Making a Literary Life. I've gathered two new goals from it. 1) I will start writing at least 1,000 words a day and 2) I'm going to be writing what she calls "Charming Notes" - at least one a day five days a week. The second goal is the one I want to talk about here. I don't know why, but it never really dawned on me to write my favorite literary folk. Some might think that this goal constricts the writing process, but for me, I feel so liberated. Her... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Tuesday, August 4, 2009,
In :
Freelancing
This week I'm editing a dissertation, working on chapters of a book I'm co-authoring, and of course working on Bright Hub articles. I'm also finishing up a project about how to start up a fitness routine when it's been a while since you've worked out. Finally, I'm hoping to finish the Santa's Cheezeborger's story and Fact-Check "Landslide" and send it out. What are your goals for this week? Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Monday, August 3, 2009,
In :
Fiction
This is the next to last installment of the story. Enjoy!
“I want to
know who Maggie Cornando is, not some hot aired response. Give me the grit,” Santa bit into his burger.
“I’m um,
well, how the hell do you know my name?”
“I know
everyone’s name.”
“But how
do you know my name? I don’t even do Christmas.”
“It was
given to me.” I attempt to eat a chip
and feel as though I’m going to choke on the dry saltiness of it. I chug down some beer. “I can’t ex... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Monday, August 3, 2009,
In :
Creativity
You've heard of the phrase, "Slaying Dragons" before. Lots of people use it to refer to those people who go out and achieve in a highly competitive way showing courage. What "dragons" would you like to slay given the chance? Writing Prompt Rules - Write for 15 minutes
- Don't pick up your pencil
- Don't stop
- Don't cross anything out
Happy Writing! (Oh and feel free to post your results here or links to your results in the comments section!) Continue reading ...
I've been on a poetry kick and thus, have been reading some great poetry. Through recommendation, I've been working my way through Philip Schultz's Failure, Natasha Trethewey's Native Guard, and Robert Hass's Time and Materials. Philip Schultz won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for his poetry. He is an amazingly talented man. In this collection, my favorite poems so far are "It's Sunday Morning in Early November," "The Absent," and "The Truth." Natasha Trethewey (also a Pulitzer Prize winner for ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Ronda Levine on Saturday, August 1, 2009,
In :
Fiction
I had so much fun with the [Fiction] Friday prompt at Write Anything yesterday, that I thought I would continue it to find out what happens with our character and that "fat harbinger of joy." Enjoy!
We sit,
sipping our house beers, staring at each other.
I’m bad at knowing what to say when I don’t know someone as it is, but
some fat guy in a red velvet and fur suit with a beard that puts even Grizzly
Adams to shame? Forget it! Before I know it, my pilsner glass is empty
except for t... Continue reading ...
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