Happy Mother's Day, Mom! A Saturday Centus

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This is the 53^rd week of Saturday Centus, and my 52^nd attempt as a contributor to this fun and challenging writing meme hosted by Jenny Matlock at her blog, off on my tangent.  Each week Jenny provides us Centusians with a prompt or photo to incorporate in a small story of no more than 100 words not including the prompt.

What makes this meme so fun for me is the challenge in trying to keep my story to that 100 word limit and not going over it.   It is invariably the unique word choices and phrasing that gets you there, plus a ton of editing (or baby-chopping as some refer to it.)   In the end it is the satisfaction of having met the challenge rather than what was written, which has compelled me to come back week after week for the last year. 

I think writing a short story with an unlimited number of words is a great pursuit and gives you the freedom to really express yourself as colorfully and descriptively as you want.  But where’s the fun in that?   Sure, you can write some amazing stories that way, but writing a story using a photo of a guy wearing a blue velvet bunny suit as a prompt and adding only 100 extra words is definitely more challenging! 

This week Jenny has given us a “normal” prompt to challenge our creative minds.   And since I am tardy anyway and submitting this on Sunday instead of Saturday, I thought I might as well take this opportunity to spread a little Mother’s Day love at the same time.  The prompt this week is “I’d like to teach the world to sing.”  Here is my 100-word contribution this week.  I have entitled it: 

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

On Mother’s Day I recall the wonderful things Mom blessed me with: good looks, boundless wit, and savoir faire.  Oh, and humility too.

“Follow your dreams” she’d always say.  That, and “wash your hands.” 

Some dreams should stay dreams, though.  For example, I’d like to teach the world to sing.  Alas, I shudder to think what Simon Cowell would say of my attempt at singing. 

“Oppressively torturous” comes to mind.

Though fame and fortune continues to elude me, I can still write stories that make people smile.  And that’s fine with me.

So today I say “thanks, Mom.” 

And yes, I washed my hands.

Happy Mother's Day!

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