October: 1/5 Day Monthly Writing Challenge

Stagnant. This is the word I use to describe my writing life. Part of my motivation for creating this blog was to give me an outlet to post creative writing. Ever since I was old enough to read and write I have loved getting lost in stories. I have kept a journal since I was eleven years old (granted, my thoughts were not incredibly complex), and I have been writing stories since I was in kindergarten.

I remember my first story was about a mother cow and her baby cow - tied to a tree stump. I couldn't spell the word farm and it was scribbled hastily on printer paper. This writing transitioned into notebooks upon notebooks filled with made-up stories. Not only did I love reading about new worlds but oh how I loved creating them.

I found this writing challenge (a day late and a dollar short, per usual) on the Iowa Council for Teachers of English (better known as the ICTE). This is a writing challenge created by Sarah J. Donovan on the website Ethical ELA: Choice and Voice Literacy.

Inspiration:

As the leaves fall from the trees in vibrant yellows, radiant reds, and brilliant oranges, October is a month worth celebrating with words. Let's peruse our camera rolls or snap a picture of something beautiful this month. Using the photo of your choice, let's write an Ekphrastic poem by responding to the image in verse.

Process:

• With the "Rule of Thirds" photography technique in mind, either crop an existing image or, if inspired, snap one of your own that celebrates the month.

• You may choose to apply filters, if you choose, or stay true by using no filter.

• Once you have settled on an image, respond to it in verse.

• When sharing, please include the image or link that inspired you.

In between

moments

in the world

in between

hot and cold

summer and winter

night and day

day and night

twilight

dusk

autumn

luke warm

moments of indecision

and half-stories

whispers from the wind

leaves crinkling through the streets

and crunching under feet

moments where the world is changing

and we are changing

in between who we are

and want to be

hard and soft

cruel and kind

funny and smart

but unlike the inevitable seasons

we have choice