the horror is not being in
the thrall of a leannán sídhe
the horror is being not in
the thrall of a leannán sídhe
wraith wanderings,
stoney moors on the
crisp & hollow
horror story
To like, click comments or:
horror story
Stupid exposition…
Sometimes you have to know when to just give something a rest and a rethink.
I was merrily pounding on my keyboard a story for the flash fiction prompt I posted earlier, having quickly developed an idea earlier in the day — when I came to a sudden impasse.
Two things went wrong.
My imperfect memory of the geography of Seattle was partly to blame. The light rail system did not exist when I lived there and my planned story relied on several elements that were just not the reality of the situation on the ground. When I grew suspicious I checked out a few details and caught that flaw.
That was a hurdle I probably could have overcome. Just change assumptions to fit the real world geography and modify a few words here and there. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.
(more…)tagged:
filed under:
To like, click comments or:
Stupid exposition…
casting runes — 10feb25
mannaz we slip
sphere to sphere
time after time
touch to touch
while the wheel
keeps turning
i no longer can even
guess at the why...A poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is mannaz, a rune that translates to “man” in the sense of “humankind”. The rune is associated with family and the social order, and in trusting the intuitive process or seeing clearly — both from within and from without. Mannaz influences relationships of all kinds, including those of a romantic nature, and encourages compassion, for oneself as well as for others.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 10feb25
Flash fiction prompt — 10feb26
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash I am sharing flash fiction prompts generated by AI for my own use unless I don’t think they are worth pursuing. Readers are welcome to try their hand at writing based on the prompts generated for this exercise.
Notes about modifications made to the AI instructions or this post template are at the end of this post if you are curious about such things.
Feel free to skip these posts if you feel you are not the target audience. If you choose not to participate, there is no need to let us know about your preferences and opinions about these prompts, or the use of artificial intelligence to generate writing prompts.
Today’s prompt:
Genre: Speculative fiction
Subgenre: Biopunk / Post-Apocalyptic
Target Length: < 2,000 words
Key Elements:
- A genetically modified plant that blooms only in moonlight.
- A rusted key that opens nothing in the protagonist’s possession.
- The sound of running water where there should be none.
- A faded photograph of a skyline that no longer exists.
tagged:
filed under:
To like, click comments or:
Flash fiction prompt — 10feb26
Kasumi-no-Kuni — flash fiction
This piece is based on the flash fiction prompt posted earlier and follows my personal guidelines as described in this post.
Subgenre: Silkpunk / Ghost-Tech
Rin looked out over the Land of Mists from the tower she kept her watch from, a tower built entirely of unmarked rice paper and bamboo where she slept when she needed rest, and where she ate when she was given offerings by visitors coming to pay their respect to the memories of the ancestors — those memories captured in the paper of the lands proper. True to the name, the mists and clouds flowed through the city with only a single living resident, that being Rin. The white fog snaked through the streets inked with the stories of ancestors, often obscuring the memories unless someone were to stand before them.
(more…)tagged:
filed under:
To like, click comments or:
Kasumi-no-Kuni — flash fiction
casting runes — 09feb25
dagaz poling across
the lake of mists
following the scent
of apple blossoms
in seeking an
island's far shoreA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is dagaz, which has been translated as “daybreak”, that transitional moment between night and day. By extension, it might also be interpreted as “twilight” and is representative of liminality, transformation, the space between worlds, and suggests walking in both the material world and otherworld.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 09feb25
Flash fiction prompt — 09feb26
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash I thought I’d start sharing those flash fiction prompts generated by AI that I find compelling enough to consider attempting to write about for my own purposes in case any of the folks dropping by here are tempted to try their hand at the prompt as well.
It would be fun to see how others approach these prompts and contrast/compare the output.
Feel free to skip these posts if you feel you are not the target audience; if you choose not to participate, there is no need to let us know about your preferences and opinions about these prompts or the use of artificial intelligence to generate writing prompts.
Today’s prompt:
Subgenre: Silkpunk / Ghost-Tech
Plot Elements to Include:
- The Object: An ornate silk kite that flies without wind, pulling its handler toward “emotional ley lines.”
- The Setting: A floating city constructed entirely of paper and bamboo, held aloft by the collective memories of its inhabitants.
- The Conflict: A “Memory-Scribe” discovers a blank spot in the city’s archives—a day in history that has been physically cut out of the paper foundation.
Target Length: < 2,000 words
(more…)tagged:
filed under:
To like, click comments or:
Flash fiction prompt — 09feb26
casting runes — 08feb26
jera back to the begin
& been mistaken in
taking flint for fire
wraps & rags
wound 'round wrists & arms
time again to strike steel
for sparksA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is jera. Jera is translated as “year”, and has also been translated as “harvest”. This rune is representative of cycles, the “wheel of the year”, the union of opposites (implied by the summer half of the year ending, winter half of the year beginning), balance, as well as cause/effect relationships.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
To like, click comments or:
casting runes — 08feb26
