Story a Day May 06

The dragon stretched away morning stiffness. Just as her mother taught her, she inspected her cavern with eye and nose before setting a scale outside. Of course, there was no one there and not a single coin out of place, and good old fashioned vigilance would keep it that way.

She inhaled cool air as she stepped into the sunshine. Before she consciously recognized the scent of humans she was on guard - claws out, wings open, looking all around. On second breath she realized the scent was neither close nor recent. Seeing and hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she followed the olfactory trail. Down the slope from her cave she found a table, and on the table several sheets of paper, folded together and weighted with a pearl coronet. While small to her, they would have been large sheets for human hands. The dragon examined it all closely, taking her time despite her curiosity. Not many knew that dragons could read. The pages intrigued her. Vigilance satisfied, she moved the coronet, opened the sheaf, and took in the contents.

Miles away, a young queen, the first woman to rule in her own right, told her advisers that she had written and delivered the letter. Their protests were cut short by a great rumbling sound, like ceaseless thunder. The one she liked the least cried out, "See! Your foolishness has angered the beast when we are not ready to attack her!" The queen closed her eyes as the color drained from her face. She inhaled slowly, letting a smile touch the corners of her mouth. After the first shock of sound, the roaring resolved into laughter. A huge, booming laugh from far away.

She let the advisers argue, not showing how carefully she listened to what was said by whom. The laughter faded as a sound of huge wings began. Everyone fell silent as the wings came closer. Several advisers fled, some fainted, and others froze in place, pale and quivering. The new queen walked calmly into the courtyard. The dragon dropped low, then hovered. The dragon nodded to the queen, saying, "Yes, my lady. Call on me at any time; I'm sure we can work things out, woman to woman." With a rush of wings, the dragon flew off. After a moment of silence, everyone in and around the castle cheered their brave queen.

Story a Day May 05

@StoryADayMay #AmWriting #CeD2014 Got in the cryo unit for the LOLs. Woke up 100 years later with a Dear John letter. #FML #CryoFail

— Aspiring Insect Hope (@hopeevey) May 6, 2014

This is my response to today's prompt in the Story a Day Challenge :) I'm quite proud of myself.

Review: The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I came to this work expecting it to be a clever yet annoying apologetic for Mr. Lewis' vision of Christianity. While it is an apologia, it's remarkably fun listening. Mr. Lewis puts into Screwtape's letters some things he probably couldn't have gotten away with in a different format. I'm not sure, but it certainly seems like there were some very direct personal jabs in "Screwtape's" letters. Much to my surprise, there is a whole lot of really juicy insights into human psychology and the human condition here. Even when I disagree with his conclusions (most of the time) I have to admire his insights.

I also have to admire his rhetorical skills. For all that I disagree with him, I wouldn't want to debate him. The man is damn good at constructing a logical argument.

If I were a younger person, and had been raised in Mr. Lewis' variety of Christianity, I probably would have loved this work. I imagine a lot of liberal Christians take great comfort in Mr. Lewis's implicit contention that loveing Christianity is objectively true. I can see why this work has stayed so popular for so long.

Weirdly enough, this felt less directly didactic than his Narnia books. Then again, I read the Narnia series expecting a fantasy adventure story. If I had expected it to be apologetics in fantasy form I might have felt less beaten by the metaphor hammer.

I am very likely to re-read this one. While "simply" a series of letters, what Screwtapes includes and excludes from his letters shapes a story with a lot of depth and complexity. Aside from that, this is worth examining for the quality and depth of the rhetorical/argumentation skills displayed. I think I can learn alot about constructing persuasive arguments from this work.



View all my reviews

April poem-a-day 26

Painful, desperate 

Til, at last bursting open

A door painted shut

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/2014-april-pad-challenge-day-26

April Poem-a-Day 25

Friday's prompt: a "last straw" poem.

The Last Straw
The broom went bald over
the years. She tucked
the final straw into
her hat, smashed a
window with the handle, and
used it as a
walking stick on her way to
find her destiny.

April Poem-a-Day 24

Tell It to the Reflection
If you cannot
love yourself,
At least say
loving words
to the one
looking back
from the mirror

Inspired by yesterday's Writer's Digest prompt.

Gratitude 20140421

~putting my hair in a pretty up-do today

~driving Kiddo to school
~No-Nonsense size 9 - 12 trouser socks
~using my bluetooth headset w/my iPod Touch
~discount Easter candy
~finding a couple air plants at a really good price
~playing Magic: The Gathering with the Kiddo
~Choice Of games!!!