Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Hello, everyone. I hope you’re having a wonderful Wednesday. I’m inviting you to play a little game, to limber up your minds. Oh yes, it’s about writing. Just do it. You’ll see the results in a moment.
Ready? Let’s play.

Get a piece of scrap paper (or computer notepad, or whatever). I’m asking you to list six things. Be random! Jot down the first thing that pops into your head.
Ready? Here goes.
- A living being (or at least one that has some sort of life in your imagination)
- A habit
- Something unexpected or accidental
- An emotion and what you do when you have that emotion
- Another living being and something they are doing
- An action (something you do or something you see happening) that makes you smile
Why did we do this? Because, those six things are going to make a story. Oh yes they are, and the stranger the better! This is pure silliness. Take your things and fill them into the following blanks.
You can post your “story” in the comments if you’re brave enough.
What? Your responses aren’t even complete sentences, but you can add a little more so that it makes sense.
What do you mean, that’s not fair? Okay, okay… here’s my crazy fill-in-the-blanks story.
Once upon a time there was a pig named Squee.
Every day, Squee drank morning coffee and watched the news.
One day, the kitchen sink blew up, spewing water everywhere.
Because of that, Squee squealed in panic and ran outside.
And because of that, a door-to-door salesman who was standing next door… was dragged inside by hysterical Squee.
… No one knew what to do about all the water…
Until finally, a bird taking a bath… decided the fountaining sink was better than a puddle and made use of all the water.
Designed & Ready Book Covers — and a Thursday Door
I know, I know — it’s Wednesday not Thursday. But I don’t really participate in the Thursday Doors blog event, because I’m too unfocused, and over capacity to do it right.

However, I finally found the finishing touch for a door themed Designed and Ready Book Cover that I started last year. I put “someone” at the door. So, in honor of Dan Antion’s weekly Thursday Doors challenge, I’m sharing it, not participating. Click this link to see the portfolio for my book covers service.
Thanks for spending a whimsical moment with me. Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump. Hugs on the wing!
Dead of Winter — The Journeys

Emlyn, the Deae Matres, and company would love to make your acquaintance.
This June issue is a little longer than some. It’s a nice size to curl up for an afternoon, or just read one of the eleven chapters one at a time, during your reading break or at bedtime.
Universal Purchase Links
Journey 6, The Fluting Fell
Kindle: relinks.me/B096CPJNSX
Paperback: relinks.me/B096CPJNSX
Journey 5, Llyn Pistyll Falls
Kindle: relinks.me/B09431TD6G
Paperback: relinks.me/B0942KC471
Journey 4, The Old Road
Kindle: relinks.me/B092G5LB7R
Paperback: relinks.me/B092M51Y88
Journey 3, the Fever Field
Kindle: elinks.me/B08XTNZ9M8
Paperback: relinks.me/B08XXY3JXF
Journey 2, Penllyn
Kindle: relinks.me/B08VMNSF97
Paperback: relinks.me/B08VLMR2KD
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dead-of-winter-journey-2-penllyn
Journey 1, Forlorn Peak
Kindle: relinks.me/B08RBBVRGX
Paperback: relinks.me/B08R7RH4F5
.
.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 and 2021 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.
…
I enjoyed the little exercise, i cam up with bear, smoking, car accident, happy-smile, and a whale swimming Who knows why? I love the door, by the way!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! I love the randomness of this exercise. Stringing the responses makes for great mental flexibility. Thanks for coming out to play!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My brain isn’t at the level to fill in the blanks yet. I’m more of an afternoon person after I’ve had my Diet Coke. Loved your story about Squee!
LikeLike
Thanks for dropping by, Teri. Here’s to caffeine. Cheers and hugs!
LikeLike
Wow! What a fascinating lesson, Teagan! Please, gimme more time, i am very shameful in this. Have a beautiful Thursday! Hugs
P.S.: Your cover creation is so fantastic!!! You should offer lessons in graphic design. Really!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Michael. Thanks for reading and commenting. It’s a great exercise in mental and writing flexibility. I imagine it would be much, much more difficult to translate though. I’m always saying how I admire people who speak more than one language.
Have a wonderful rest of the week. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks kindly for reblogging too, Michael. I still don’t have access, but that’s okay, no worries. I appreciate your support. Cheers!
LikeLike
An absolute fascinating exercise and so original. You have the best ideas. And I do love your new “Ghost Woman at the Door”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning, Ms. Frances. Random and whimsy work so well together.
Random + Whimsy = Fun.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLike
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Ralph.
Every day, Ralph would eat grapes with his lunch.
One day, it started to rain.
Because of that, the sun didn’t shine for days.
And because of that, the grapes at the store were not ripe.
Until finally, there were plenty of blueberries.
Well, at least I did the assignment. Hahahaha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀 And you did it so well, John. LOL, at least you have grapes and blueberries in your head — better than having a squealing pig in your head. Thanks for coming out to play. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Was fun, Teagan. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Teagan, your story was so beautiful and I loved the cover of your book. The Ghost is looking so beautiful and lovely. I have tried writing too. It goes like this: Once upon a time there was this young owner Keith who stayed near the beach. Everyday he would take his golden retriever, Coco who loved skating in the wide blue Ocean. The moment Keith said, “Coco come we are going to the beach today”. Coco would be excited and immediately run with the skates in his mouth. One day to the surprise of his friends they saw Coco coming all alone going to the beach and skating in the ocean and doing his amazing stunts. Because of that everyone was happy to see their favourite Coco all in his exuberance and happiness riding the tides on his skates. And because of that Coco became a Hero in the small town and made his young owner Keith proud of him. Until finally the elders of the town gathered together and celebrated Coco’s stunning feats with lots of medals and he was so excited to receive his favourite bone too. The folk were happy to have such an exemplified dog in their town.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi, Kamal. This is such a terrific example of how beautifully randomness and whimsy can come together! I love it. Thank you for coming out to play. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLike
Yes Teagan I completely agree with you and with your beautiful post wrote on the spot a nice story and even I found I could do that in the spur of the moment. Thanks for your encouragement and motivation. I feel I will make it into a small short story. Hugs and love to you too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay! That’s music to my ears. 🙂 ❤
LikeLike
😊😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
I too am writing few short stories but have to publish them which with grace of God and his blessing will happen soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s excellent news, Kamal. Remember to send me a link when they are ready so I can share them with everyone here. Hugs.
LikeLike
Yes for sure will do that Teagan. Thanks a lot for your kindness 😊😊😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! That was fun, Teagan. It’s a great way to think about a scene too, which is kind of what happened to me when I answered the questions. I love your pig story… way more fun than what I came up with! Thanks for the little exercise and the fun! Hugs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for playing along, Diana. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The door cover is lovely and would make a great book cover for all sorts of genres.
The game…well my answers are disjointed so there’s not a good story. It’s a fun exercise though. Something I definitely wouldn’t have thought to do on my own that’s for sure!
1) A bird
2) twirling a lock of hair
3) a trip comes up
4)Happy- makes me smile
5)A woman picking wildflowers by a stream
6) The woman places a flower in her hair and lifts her face to the sun, then I lift my face to the sun and smile and think, “this moment is perfect”!
I hope your week is going well! Hugs!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Deborah, thanks for playing! Ah, but it’s the randomness that makes it so fun. It’s a little exercise in flexible thinking and spontaneity.
Once upon a time there was a bird. Every day he mischievously twirled a lock of her master’s hair. One day a trip came up. Because of that, they were happy. Because of that a woman picked flowers (etc.) as a going away gift. Finally, The woman places a flower in her hair and lifts her face to the sun, then I lift my face to the sun and smile and think, “this moment is perfect”!
Thanks about the book cover. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Once upon a time there was a giraffe named Shorty. He had an unusually short neck for a giraffe. Every day Shorty would try in vain to reach the tender leaves on top of his favorite tree, but he could never reach them. He had to settle for the leaves on the ground which weren’t very tasty. One day, Shorty just sat down and cried and cried. His best friends, the birds, tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. Because of that, the birds got together to come up with a plan to help Shorty. And because of that, the birds worked non-stop gathering fallen branches and anything else they could find and started building ‘something’. Until finally they had constructed a crude but functional platform of sorts that Shorty could stand on and reach the best leaves on the tippy-top of that tree! After Shorty finished each meal, he and the birds would sing to their hearts content. Ummmm, unfortunately Shorty was always off key!!
And now we know why “author” will never appear after my name! It was fun though.
Ginger
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yay! Ginger you really took it to the limit. You made a wonderful story from this little exercise. I would definitely put “author” by your name. Thanks for coming out to play. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLike
That is very kind of you for sure, but my time already is terribly tight! I wish you and the rest a lot of fun. Of course, I will keep this post may play later. 😉🤗💖🥰💖😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for taking time to visit, Magician. Take good care of yourself. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m always looking for your great works, but sometimes invisible! 😉😎 Hugs on the wing 🤗❤💖😘🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great idea! I’ve just come back from a class with a terrible headache, but I’ll have a go at some point (and it might work again with one of my students, thinking about it). I love the cover! Enjoy the rest of the week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry about your headache, Olga. I hope it’s gone by now.
The form (image) was not my idea. But I made it into a game by adding the questions/list.
Just the fill-in-the-blank form actually does sound like something you could use for your students.
Relax and take good care of you. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLike
Once upon a time there was a beggar named Charlie. Every day, Charlie begged outside a liquor store. He only wanted enough money to buy some food and a bottle to get him through the night. He would tell people exactly how much money he still needed. One day a man gave him the money he needed and two extra dollars. Because of that, Charlie bought his bottle, a Slim Jim and a lottery ticket and because of that, he won the lottery jackpot. He started walking around the city every day handing large sums of money to the beggars on the street until finally, his money was gone. He took up his old spot and went back to the work of gathering enough money to get by.
This was fun, Teagan. I love your door themed book cover! I hope you have an easy slide from here into the weekend.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What an extraordinary character you created from this whimsical exercise, Dan. While I’m not surprised, I am impressed. Thanks for taking a moment to come out and play. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for nudging my brain into gear before 7:00, Teagan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re right, I did have a strange story!! (but not any weirder than yours! haha)
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. Like Tim, my random list was a combination of truth and fiction. Thanks for coming out to play, GP. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Once upon a time there was a purple dragonfly. Every day he drank coffee. One day, slabs of raw meat fell from the sky. Because of that, he screamed and curled up in a tight little ball of anxiety. And because of that, a ladybug danced in the sunshine, until finally the children played in the sprinkler.
That was fun! It’s silly and doesn’t make much sense unless the ladybug and children were afraid of the dragonfly, and the children threw steaks off the roof to get rid of him. Yeah, that works, let’s go with that.:-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha! Priscilla, the randomness is what makes it wonderful. In a surreal world, details don’t have to fit into perfect joints of puzzle pieces. And often the real world feels surreal. I’m glad you took time to come out and play. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The door cover is lovely. And the story was fun. Happy Wednesday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for visiting, Staci. Hugs!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, Teagan, this is a splendid cover. I see that Stevie is using one of you wonderful covers for her new book. I loved that cover with the lips but I don’t think I’ll ever write a story that suits it. I was so delighted seeing it find such a good home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Robbie. That one ended up having several symbolic elements that Stevie thought were a fit with her story. I didn’t know she had published though. I’ll try and find a link so I can help her promote it. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you visiting. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Teagan She hasn’t published it yet. She quoted from the story but it is still a WIP.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Robbie. I eventually found her post. I’m very happy she likes the cover. It sounds like a great story. Hugs.
LikeLike
Once upon a time there was a sweet dog named Annie. Everyday she read some blogs. One day the washing machine started to leak. Because of that she was stressed and started eating dark chocolate. And because of that, the hummingbirds circled the feeders in the tree. Until finally, I was planting flowers in my garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What marvelous whimsy that became! Isn’t it fun to let randomness loose once in a while? Thanks so much for coming out to play. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fun and interesting quick write.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Game Time over at Teagan’s place 👍😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Ape, thanks so much for using your tree-house to invite everyone. Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome, Teagan 🦍🤗❤️❤️🤗🦍
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. Aardvark
2. I saw a Nun with a bad habit. Does that count?
3. We got 4 drops of rain.
4. Filling the cursing jar. Mostly while driving.
5. Spunk scratching on the floor after he sprayed on the mirror.
6. The kittens “popcorn” jumping when they play.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Horsefeathers, Tim. It sounds like you’re having a rough week. I hope it gets better soon. Real or fiction, those are cool responses. Hugs on the wing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A combination of real life and fiction as seems to be the way of life these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person