At first, I thought it was the cat, but it was…

Really one day I would love to write an entire book, maybe a book series. I’m always writing ideas down and starting up stories, working on characters, plot lines, and details, details, details. It’s normally how I spend my long drives every day to and from work. I feel like writing is a dying art with the invention of short handed text messaging and TV.  I truly think the best thing you could ever teach anyone is an appreciation for books and reading.

While I may be a bit brain-drained from all these academic papers I’ve been writing, I am craving down time and some creative writing. Creative = F.U.N! If you don’t use your creative bone every once and awhile you’re going to find it harder to think outside of the box.  I thought I would start another section to my blog, just creative writing start ups. Pulling a one liner to start a story  (also known as “story beginners”) and see where it takes you. Great thing about creative writing is that there are no rules!! Hooray!!!

Let’s try one out!

Starting Sentence (Story Beginner):  At first, I thought it was the cat, but it was…

At first,I thought it was the cat, but it was silly of me to think that. I technically don’t own a cat. My neighbor owns at least a dozen cats- each one she loves dearly. They also seem like my place more than hers. And when the weather is nice, sometimes I like them too. The swoosh sound was coming from outside my door. It sounded as if someone was moving my newspaper, that I knew  was placed there promptly at 6am everyday. I thought it might be one of the cats, taking off with it, but then again, the cats have never been interested in my newspapers.

But there it was again: a swoosh, a pause, a swoosh and then nothing. I’m not a nosy neighbor, but I do pay attention to what people on Floor 3 (my floor) are doing and sometimes if I run into Nina from 215, I know whats going on Floor 2. Oh, and I guess Harold in 145, knows almost everything on Floor 1. But I do NOT get into people’s business. Sure I give them advice, even if they don’t ask for it, but I just assume that’s what a good neighbor does.

I peeked through door hole and I could see the paper on the floor, corner rising slightly and then resting, rising again slightly and then resting. Someone had clearly left the window open at the end of the hallway again, I said knowingly to myself. Mr. Meyers, the landlord, will be hearing about this, I thought as I slide back the first bolt on the first lock, twisted the knob on the second and, lifted the chain on the third to open my door. I stuck my head out expectantly, looking at the window. To my surprise it was closed! I could still hear the swooshing sound, but it was coming from further down my empty gray and dark green hallway.

While I wasn’t fit to be seen this early in the morning, I ventured out in my favorite yellow, flower print dressing gown, my thick well worn white slippers shuffled as I moved down the hallway. I held my hair, making sure the pink puffed curlers didn’t fall out, which would surely ruin my day.  I followed the swoosh and pause sound around the corner towards the elevator. As I turned the corner I saw the large white fluffy cat sitting with its back to me next to the elevator. It’s little white paw playing with something. Probably another dead bug or something bigger, I cringed inwardly.  The door to the elevator open and closed with the same swoosh sound and then it paused, opened up again and swooshed closed. Mr. Meyers would also be hearing about this, I made a mental note.

“Pssst, Mr. Mittens, Pssst…” I hissed to the plump cat sternly, hoping to shoo him away. He turned, stared at me with a very board expression and went back to his game. These darn cats I swore under my breath. I marched up to Mr. Mittens planning to give him a piece of my mind, but then I saw what Mr. Mittens had and stopped abruptly. It was a shoelace. My eyes followed the shoelace to the deep brown oxford shoe, resting with bare bone white foot inside, still attached to a naked blue, purplish leg that had long ago been separated from the rest of its body and no longer bled.  I watched as the doors to the elevator would open and close half way to the leg, pause and open again and attempt to close. I stared at the scene for a few more moments and then I knew exactly what I needed to do!

I walked quickly back to my apartment, closed the door and replaced the locks with a practiced ease. Walking to the kitchen, I pulled out an empty form, from the third draw on the right labeled: “Formal Complaints for Meadow Lake Apartment Complex.”  I took this form (only to be used in the most serious of matters) to my large brown desk and began to write furiously – Mr. Meyers was definitely going to hear about all of this!

END

And if you liked this–you should do your own! Try this website for some ideas: http://www.creative-writing-now.com!!