Wednesday Writing — Year 24 Exercise

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Lexica

Welcome, 2024, and welcome to all of you.  It’s a new year, but I’m trying hard to get back to my old posting schedule and consistently do two posts a week.  Doing that was helping me.

From very early in my blogging life, I’ve done writing-related posts.  This is my first one for this year.  After a good deal of thought, I decided to give you a very small writing exercise or challenge.  (Of course, if the words start flowing for you, then make yours a long as you want.)

Write at least a paragraph that has to do with a year 24.  For example 1724, 2024, 2324 — you get the idea. Take your pick, past, present, or future, anywhere, any-when.  Then write whatever you want.  It’s just something to get the writerly mojo flowing.

Fang image collage by Teagan

For my part, I decided to take a little help from one of my characters, Tatu (Fang) Pinkerton from The Armadillo Files.  (Meet Fang here)  He’s the most experienced time traveler I know.  

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Pardon the noise.  The ear-splitting claxon means TROLLEY is arriving — precisely, that’s the artificial intelligence, Time Rate Oscillation Lithium Link Enabler Yttrion (TROLLEY) who handles the time travel for Fang.  Best cover your eyes.  Those lights are awfully bright.

(Sashays into room, wearing a silk robe.)

“Teagan, honestly, I thought you didn’t love me anymore.  It’s been so long since you paid any attention to me.  Not since Dilly Faraday and I closed that case about the Calutron Girls.”

“For heaven’s sake, Fang.  Are you wearing a silk bathrobe?  It’s altogether different from most of your outfits.  No, wait.  It’s more than just a robe.  It looks… Chinese.  Is it a Hanfu?”

(Fang twirls, causing the robe to billow.)

CGI by Teagan via Imagine

“Careful there, Fang.  I see you still have those hot pink fishnets… and I don’t care to see above that.”

(“She can be such a prude,” Fang murmurs to the audience.)

“Very good, Teagan.  Don’t you just love it?  I have one for you too.  I brought stuff for you to bind your feet, if you want to be fashionable.  They were starting to do that during the Song Dynasty…”

“Fang, hang on.  What are you yammering about?  And no I don’t want to be fashionable if it involves binding my feet.”

“Oh, Teagan, didn’t you get the message?  Dilly is busy working on science stuff, but Prime has a case for us.  So, I need you to fill in for her.  Here, try out this gorgeous Hanfu.  They’re deliciously comfortable.”

“Wait a minute, Fang.  You expect me to go to China?”

“Oh yes, yes!  And even better, it’s China in the year 1024.  That’s when the world’s first paper-printed money was made — 1024, in Sichuan province of Song dynasty China.  Teagan, we have a counterfeiting case!  Now, sit down and I’ll bind your feet for you. We need to blend in after all.”

“Fang, let go of my foot!  I’m not going to China or anywhere else.  And I am NOT having me feet bound.  Now simmer down.  I’ll call Henry Apesly and bring him out of retirement to do this case with you.”

Vector Stock free image, courtesy of Chris Graham
Vector Stock free image, courtesy of Chris Graham

“Nuh-huh!  No way.  Nope.  You know Henry bullied me.”

“Don’t sulk, Fang.  We both know that Henry changed his ways.  You parted as friends.  Now you just sashay back into TROLLEY.  She’ll take you to pick up Henry.  But good luck getting him to wear a Hanfu.  Enjoy 1024!”

The end.

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Here’s to a happy year of writing, reading, and creating, everyone.   Hugs!

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Of course, here’s the obligatory shameless self-promotion: 
The Armadillo Files.

Armadillo Files anime style cover by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
By Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

Universal Purchase Links:

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0B8XX4ZSL

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0B8XDF1GF

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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 © 2024 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.

 

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56 thoughts on “Wednesday Writing — Year 24 Exercise”

  3. Pingback: Swept Away — JusJoJan – No Facilities

  7. *slightly amused* Why, Teagan, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want your feet bound. The experience is said to be most sensual by aficionados of the East. After all, you get to feel as if your toesies are protected and warm, and what could be more delightful than that?

    Come visit my blog, and leave some comments, if you like

    http://www.catxman.wordpress.com

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    1. Ha! After a couple of decades of having my toes stuffed into pretty but pinchy high heels, I know that would not work for me. I came to my senses and decided shoes could be cute without being painful… if I looked hard enough to find them. That was weirdly validated in a department store by a foot-fetisher who was overly interested in my arches. I threatened to stomp on his hand and he fled. o_O
      Welcome to the Teagan Zone, Greg. It’s a whimsical, non-religious, non-political place. Thanks for the link to your blog — great discussions there. Wishing you success with your book. Happy New Year — and hugs.

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    1. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Robbie — and that Fang has a friend in you. He only came by for this exercise though. Actually, in working (very slowly) on my non-fiction book of 1920s settings, I found the kind of things I wanted to use were extremely difficult to find for a couple of cities in China that I chose (and gave up). I think that might prove true in general. So I have no ambition of writing anything set there.
      I hope your year is off to a terrific start. It seems you are working harder and at more places than ever. Take good care of you. Big hugs.

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  9. That was a funny write, Teagan. Thank you!
    I’m so happy I read your serials so that I know the characters and got all the fun and whimsy I’m sure you mean to deliver.
    If I think of something… I’ll send it in an email reply to your chess email tomorrow. (I hjust found it)
    Something is brewing!
    24 Hugs!

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    1. I’m happy you enjoyed it, Resa — thanks.
      Ha, it’s funny that you should say that. Years ago, when I still hoped to write a third Atonement book for the original heroine (Ralda Lawton), I was going to call it “Atonement Brewing.”
      New Year hugs winging back to you.

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    1. Dave, I’m not sure why my brain landed on 1024, but when I looked up what happened, that was the most “writable” item I found. I’m glad you liked TROLLEY. I wanted something similar to TARDIS. That was harder than expected. I spent a lot of time and brain cells figuring out an acronym that would spell TROLLEY. Happy New Year — and hugs.

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  23. Thanks for sharing this lovely writing exercise. 💙💙💙
    Now, however, I don’t have much time to write something in depth because the gardener has arrived to prune the hedge and the plants: our first appointment of 2024

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