A to Z: Short Beginnings W

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your W word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

V story (I liked this one so much that I actually finished it, but I'm only posting the opening here. Thanks for the inspiration to warm up for next month, where I attempt to write a short story every day.)

An afternoon of daydreaming amongst the wildflowers seemed the perfect way to forget about Kevin Valentine. The violets were blooming, both purple and white, which were her favorite, but each time her fingers plunged into the mass of heart-shaped leaves, she was reminded of the pain lodged deep in her chest.

She crumpled the delicate stems and threw the flowers to the ground. He thought he could sweet talk her into giving him what he wanted and then toss her aside? That villainous bastard had no idea who he was crossing.

Vanessa raised her face to the sky, gathering the summons to the winds. She rested a single finger on the vein on her neck, timing her words with the beat of her heart she felt there. Once the spell had been cast, she shed her clothes and gave a valedictory wave to the school uniform. The rumbled pile of cloth mocked her and the life she'd so desperately wanted to have, the one she'd begged her father for.

Already she could feel his begrudging gift of a human guise falling away, the soft, brown skin of her hands returning to their usual rough, grey-brown flecked with moss. Leaves sprouted in her long hair as it whipped around her face in the rising wind. Her cousins at the edge of the field swayed, murmuring of her return. Soon her father would hear and he would toss his victory in her face.

A to Z: Short Beginnings V

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your V word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

U story (wow, those were some challenging words!)

Uriah stood in the corner, feeling like an uninvited guest at his own party. The ubiquitous ukelele music Alex insisted upon wherever she went. The princess of the university had deemed his party worthy of her presence, but since the moment she'd arrived, everyone had all but forgotten he existed. His music has come to an abrupt halt as Alex had swapped out her ipod for his. His friends had turned their attention to her, showering her with unctuous conversation as if they were all so honored to be near her.

Minutes dragged into an hour and still not one person acknowledged his existence. He'd turned invisible, the friendly but ugly kid in the shadows.

Having had enough, he went to the door and grabbed his umbrella. They could have the stupid party and his roommates could clean up after Alex and her worshipers. He took one last look at the girls dancing in the living room, their faces flushed from their undulating and alcohol. They guys danced with them, drinks spilling on to couch, the carpet and each other. No one seemed to care that he was leaving. No one seemed to even notice him standing in the doorway.

Uriah slipped out of the apartment and into the hallway. He'd taken all of two steps before a loud crash sounded behind him. He dashed back into the apartment, hoping they'd not broken the couch or the table his parents had bought for him. Instead, a crowd stood still in the middle of the living room. The music sounded hollow in the room devoid of conversation. And then the first girl shrieked and the rest began to ululate.

He couldn't make out their words through all the sobbing. The guys drifted back, eyes wide, white-knuckled grasps on their red party cups.

Alex lay on the floor, face pale, blood trickling from her nose, mouth and ears. She started blankly at the ceiling, her ample chest still.

A to Z: Short Beginnings U

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your U word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

Sorry, life happened at the end of the week and I fell a little behind. S Story has been posted on T day.

T Story:

Tony urged his horse to fly over the grass. He had to make it back to the others before the tornado made touched the ground. The dark clouds loomed in the distance, the black funnel cloud reaching to the treetops. Trunks bent wildly, the leaves torn from the branches and whipping him in the face. The wind roared like the enraged tiger that was his totem.

He clung to the horse, keeping his mouth shut against the debris pelting him. When the teepees came into sight he let out a whoop of triumph. He'd have time to save them all.

Tony rushed into the teepee he shared with his mother and sisters only to run into the scowling form of his uncle. The towering man held a tomahawk raised in his hand.

His voice thundered. "What have you done?"

A to Z: Short Beginnings T

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your T word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

S Story:

They're going to be sorry, Sam thought as he slunk into the shadows across the street from the three girls. Their skimpy shirts and tiny skirts only served to make them sumptuous to the grown men slowly driving by. Any one of them could be a sinister scoundrel, out to leave a girl with a slit throat rather than some STD.

He caught the cloying scent of perfume as the breeze picked up. Those girls needed saving whether they knew it or not and he had just the thing. He reached into the chilled depths of the backpack he'd hidden beside a dumpster and removed three containers.

The round plastic tubs looked like yogurt. They even had a little red strawberry on the front. The girls wouldn't look close anyway. He could already picture their tongues running suggestively over the spoons as he slipped them into the containers. Sam straightened his t-shirt, bearing the same strawberry logo and plastered a silly smile on his face. Plain and goofy, girls never gave him a second thought.

Sam ventured back out into the light and crossed the street. "Would you three like a free sample?"

A to Z: Short Beginnings S

2016 THEME: Short Stories - at least the beginnings thereof.

YOUR PART: Throw out names, themes, random words or situations using the letter of the day and I'll pick some of them to include in the opening paragraphs of a short story.
WHY: I'm most inspired when there's a challenge involved. Usually that means an opening line or a theme. This month: your words.

My creative blender awaits your S word suggestions in the comments section. Stop by tomorrow's post to read the story you inspired.

Looking for more great blogs? Check out the massive list of A to Z Challenge participants.

Thank you for all the word suggestions yesterday! It was hard to pick which ones to use with so many to choose from, but I tried to use at least one from everyone.

Many of you have asked where the rest of the stories are or what I'll be doing with these starts. The answer is: May. May is my usual short story focus month, where I either write/start a short story each day or try to finish one. Some days I just work on one. The point is to focus on them instead of novels, which is where my attention lies most of the rest of the year. Due to life being what it was last year, I have all of last year's A to Z short beginnings to play with this May as well. I will certainly not be lacking for material to work with. While I don't often post the finished short stories during May, because my intention is to submit and sell them eventually, I do try to post my progress each day so I hope you'll keep dropping by once April comes to a close. 

R Story:

Rod shooed the dog away so he could carry the gear inside without the flea-ridden ankle bitter sneaking into the bar. From the looks of it, the thing probably had rabies.

"Where is the damned roadie with my guitar?" Ruby's distinctively nasal voice cut through the heavy stage doors as if they were mere cardboard.

Her sound might make her a radio star, but for him and the rest of the crew, all it did was rattle their nerves.

"I'm coming, Ruby."

He glanced around, making sure the furry rascal wasn't lurking under the trailer. All he needed was for the dog to get in and set off Ruby's allergies. She'd be on an instant rampage. She was bad enough to deal with when she was in a good mood.

Not seeing the dog, he grabbed her mic case in one hand the guitar in the other. Rod fought his way through the door with both hands full and slipped into the artificial dim light of the bar. A couple patrons had already set up at the tables in the front, beer bottles sweating in their hands. Ruby sat in a chair on the center of the stage, sipping her rum and coke, like she was royalty.

"Hurry up." She glared at him. "Get it out. Let's go. I don't have all night."

"Right. Sorry," he said, but under his breath he muttered obscenities. Thankfully, the ruthless witch couldn't read lips.

The other band members when about setting up their own gear and gave her plenty of space. They'd all had their brief moment of romance with her over the past year they'd been on the road together, and every one of them had the emotional scars to show for it.

Rod carefully unpacked her guitar and set it in the stand beside her chair, making sure not to touch her. After he'd set up her mic and run the cables, he slipped back out to the trailer to check his own case buried under the backdrops they wouldn't be using in this small venue.

He flipped the latches up and opened the top. Inside rested a neat coil of rope. Tonight after the gig was over and the band completed their last ritual round of shots, Ruby was going to regret her lack of respect.