  Action/Adventure
This week: It's the Holiday Season Edited by: Legerdemain  
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It's the Holiday Season
It's the Christmas season, and for me it means a lot of hectic running around and listening to a lot of Christmas songs I really don't like. Really, it was bad enough that I dug under the seat of my truck and pulled out all my 90's CDs and poked one into my player. Uhm...then I threw it out, it had a lot of skips. To add to the fun, I had to fly to Florida for a family emergency and ended up spending a couple weeks there. So now it's a little crazy in my household, trying to catch up and get some decorations on my tree before the cats are totally convinced the tree was put up merely for their pleasure to sleep under.
I take a notebook with me when I travel, I jot down places or things I've photographed, because by the time I get around to editing, I'm convinced someone took photos with my camera, I don't even remember taking some! It also comes in handy when emotions are high, like flight delays. You know, the kind of 90 minute flight delay you find out about after the plane has pushed away from the gate and you're trapped in your tiny seat like a kipper in a can with a bunch of cranky people, crying babies and coughing lepers.
Angry words! Happy words! Furtive descriptions of that dude across the aisle. There's plenty to write down when you're stuck like a sausage. I wrote down the scene that unfolded when I was buying deli meat at the grocery, earlier in the week. There was an obviously homeless/poor/unwashed person asking at the counter if he could possible have a sandwich or...something. The girl didn't know what to do so she asked her supervisor, who was serving me. She said "make him a sandwich". Then told another girl to go get $6 from her wallet in the back and give it to the man to pay for the sandwich.
I'm not the type to make fusses. I don't know if the person who is not doing a good job serving my food is having a bad day. Maybe she was up all night with a child. Maybe she just found out she has cancer. So I try to be kind when I can. But I thought the store manager should know that sometimes a small act of kindness can mean a lot. So I went to the service desk and asked for the manager. Of course this puts the service desk people on high alert, thinking something is wrong. I told them, nothing bad, just need to speak to the manager. And when the manager came up, I took her aside and told her what I saw, and told her it was nice to see such a kindness. Everyone leaves feeling good.
So next time you're on an adventure, be sure to appreciate the kindnesses, and not just complain about the problems.
Happy holidays, and Write On!
This month's question: Do you find inspiration in the people around you?
How do you use that in your writing?
Answer below  Editors love feedback! 
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Excerpt: The world was on fire as I stared into the autumnal sunset over Hillsborough Bay. Numb but for the sting of my palms and pride after my stumble and fall onto beach sand, nearly losing my artificial leg. That tumble on Antelope Island in June kept replaying until the sunset disappeared and I was staring at scraped palms and gritty sausages and Alice with a golden tail glimpsed through the circus crowd. Syd was there, tried to help me brush it off: “She didn’t see. Doubt she’d care. Alice seen me take a few tumbles on these rickety stumps I call legs.” Bobby had been there, too, slathered in petroleum to protect his scales, and he’d laughed, taking the opportunity to cut in and share his lunch with Alice.
I’d stood there, jealous and ashamed.
Excerpt: I had looked forward to retirement as an end to the drudgery, and yet I dreaded the absence of it. In the end, I never made it to that landmark day. Instead, I was laid off two years shy of it. My manager had looked at me with feigned sympathy as he delivered the verdict. I was slow and my ideas were antiquated; I was holding up progress. The young buck had leaned back in his chair with a smug smile under hooded eyes, the patents of my designs adorning the wall behind him.
"Enjoy your retirement, Tommy," he said. "You deserve it. You've given us a great twenty-five years."
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Excerpt: The light from an overcast sky filtered through the living room window, making the piano shine as if it were new. Maybe it was new. My parents didn't know why the last family didn't want it. They asked if we would take it and so there it stood, intimidating and elegant, judging as me unworthy to play.
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Excerpt: " Best be hurrying along now" Said Pressed Rat a bit agitated. "Won't be wanting the Provost catching up with us."
" Sooner we're off planet the better" snorted Warthog.
They scurried down back alleys and side street on the way to the docks. Always keeping an eye out for Provost officers. The last thing they wanted was to be caught with the sack they carried. They needed to get it off planet. The sooner the better. They rounded the corner leading to the docks and sighed when they saw their ship the S/V Brave Ulysses. An FTL prism propelled lite trader.There was no one guarding it so they might make their escape unscathed. They got to the ship and hoisted the three-legged sack aboard.
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Excerpt: Long ago, in the kingdom of Panthera, a king and queen were expecting a child. Although this birth wasn't as anticipated as most, for twenty years before the royal wizard was banished for a plan to kill the king. As he left, he cursed the family saying that the firstborn prince would be born with a lion's mane and tail. Each queen lived in fear that her first born would be a son. But as fate would have it, the first born was always a princess.
Until the reign of Queen Thalia and King Daymond.
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Excerpt: Each Christmas Eve he waited patiently for Santa, as any good dog would do. He was excited at the wonderful gifts that Santa would bring. There would be presents for the family and presents for him. On Christmas morn, they would all take turns inspecting their baubles. He couldn't wait to see what surprises Santa would bring.
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Excerpt: Yvarra harrumphed with mock displeasure at his jibe. She liked looking in the mirror. After all, she saw in there a face considered beautiful in any age, and by any of the fascinating societies and cultures Adonais told her about. His words affirmed what numerous other men and women, young and old alike, had expressed. Many had presented ardent admiration, extravagant displays of courtship, and offers of betrothal, of course. However, none of them interested her as much as this man, if he could be considered merely so.
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This month's question: Do you find inspiration in the people around you?
How do you use that in your writing?
Answer below Editors love feedback!
Last month's question: Were you ever surprised while researching a topic?
Quick-Quill  replied: Sometimes I spend more time researching a subject then writing. I love the research process.
John Yossarian  sent: No one in our family had ever heard of Dominic the Christmas donkey until we were driving to Disney World a few years ago and heard it on the radio outside Orlando. When you live in the Midwest, you just don't hear Dominic the Christmas Donkey. Now it's a Christmas favorite in our household.
Monty  commented: I enjoyed your News Letter very much. I was laughing with the imagery of the write.
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Action/Adventure: December 20, 2017 Issue [#8669]
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