The Inspiration Circle – Feb ’17

The Quote

You fail only if you stop writing.

– Ray Bradbury

Writing and Reading Wrap-Up – Feb 2017

I had no plans for this month since my previous one didn’t go too well, so I went back to my old as-you-like-it way of doing things. February was a roller-coaster of a month for me. I’m currently on a low – the annoying trinity of cold, cough and fever have descended on me. This week has been far from productive, and I’m in a reading slump currently. Let’s see how the others went.

Vocab Wednesdays #45

Let’s Talk Animation

If you didn’t already know, I’m a huge fan of animated movies. Since yesterday, I’ve been binge-watching some Disney movies and done little else. I only paused now to talk about how awesome they are in this blog post and then I’ll go right back to it. Cause for concern? Probably. But animated movies are like a sugar-high without any of the side effects, and I can’t resist indulging.

Fictional Fridays #22

The Misfortunes of Mr. Ferrars (Part Two)

Dwayne poured out what he sternly told himself would be the last cup for the day. The sun had set outside and shadows had crept across the room as he had not bothered to light any candles. Only the golden and pink streaks of fading light in the sky provided a little illumination. He barely noticed the lack of light. He sat staring at the drab walls of the dingy establishment that he had been forced to call home for the last two weeks. An open trunk lay yawning in a corner. He didn’t have any money to pay the next day’s rent, so he knew he had to move out, but hadn’t the heart to pack when he had returned “home”.

He emptied the glass down his gullet and set it down forcefully on the small table, sighing. The bottle was still half full, but he felt no inclination to even pull it toward himself again. He wanted to do nothing and be nothing. He knew he would have, that fateful night two weeks ago, if not for Lessie. He truly would be nothing if not for her. He knew he should be grateful that she’d stayed with him even after his business was closed down, but he only felt anger for not being the one accompanying her to the party. His blood boiled at the thought of her being asked for a dance by a handsome stranger, someone with the money and influence that he’d lost. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, his hands curled into fists at his side. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

Vocab Wednesdays #44

Resistance

Resistance keeps us alive. Resistance causes us to fail. We feel it when we stretch our fingers in front of the fire. We also feel it when we think of something unpleasant we would rather not do. Yet, funnily enough, both the necessary and the unnecessary resistance have the same word to describe it.

Science gives one definition of it. We can calculate it – even that on our own skin. It is a tangible and real thing, quantified by a unit named after a German man who devoted his life to learning all about it. We know it and we need it sometimes, but at other times it is a nuisance. Resistance is useful when we try to move, but also causes losses in a conducting wire. Like nature, it is both good and evil.

Fictional Fridays #21

The Misfortunes of Mr. Ferrars (Part One)

Dwayne Ferrars looked down at the gold coins in his hands and counted five carefully as he dropped them in his money bag.

“That is the last of your savings, Mr. Ferrars,” said the man behind the counter. His polite smile from earlier was gone. Sensing the dismissal as the man busied himself with paperwork, Dwayne got up and walked away, his money bag giving a pitiful jingle as he moved.

He looked back at the bank after he’d walked a few paces onto the street. Its almost-white walls smiled at him mockingly in the sun. He knew he’d never have a reason to come back there again and the realisation produced a tingling at the back of his eyes. He blinked once and continued on his way, his head consumed with bitter thoughts.

Vocab Wednesdays #43

Control

What’s the first image that flashes across your mind when you hear the word control? A puppet with strings attached? A person yelling at others, trying to get them to conform? A leader of a country smiling benignly down at his countrymen, his smile hiding the secrets of power? A button on a keyboard? A panel with funny little buttons and a red one you’re never supposed to push? A soft voice in a darkened room, convincing a young recruit of lies warped as truth? It could be all of them, or none at all, for it could be just an illusion.