Distraction
This week's 100 word challenge at Velvet Verbosity is on the topic of distraction (don't allow yourself to be distracted by the list of last week's entries, scroll down to the bottom). Well, I got so distracted that I wrote two entries, so I'll post both of them here for your amusement. One is a story, the other is, well...
Distraction
Eyes on the controls before him, Thurman struggled to concentrate on the reaction he was expected to monitor and control. Distraction is your enemy. They’d drilled that into him during training. Distraction kills. Making the continual necessary corrections was nearly impossible even with the reminder. One of the visiting bigwigs had brought an assistant, a tall, lushly built redhead in a dress that concealed little more than it had to. One glimpse left him hopelessly aware of her presence. She leaned over his shoulder, curious. Thurman had just time to think distraction kills as the fireball incinerated the control room.
Distraction
It is best to avoid distraction while writing, lest some catchy jingle such as Nothing But Gingerbread Left disrupt the flow of your thoughts. If you are distracted, the result may be a very good cat, with whole phrases or sentences nonsensical or out of place. If you do find yourself with nothing but gingerbread left, you may be forced to discard whole paragraphs you’ve written. It can be difficult to pet a purring cat in your lap while typing, or reconstruct your ideas later. A distracted writer is a catnip carrot. Only those who can concentrate should eat gingerbread.
A note for the curious: Nothing But Gingerbread Left is the title of a story by Henry Kuttner. In keeping with the theme, it seemed only fitting and appropriate to work this in as a tribute of sorts, although I didn't think of the story until I'd started to write the basic idea. The link leads to an article which tells more about the story, for those who don't know it and don't understand why it is so appropriate to reference. Finally, a Google search to find the article also revealed that Henry Kuttner may have adapted his jingle from a traditional marching cadence.
Eyes on the controls before him, Thurman struggled to concentrate on the reaction he was expected to monitor and control. Distraction is your enemy. They’d drilled that into him during training. Distraction kills. Making the continual necessary corrections was nearly impossible even with the reminder. One of the visiting bigwigs had brought an assistant, a tall, lushly built redhead in a dress that concealed little more than it had to. One glimpse left him hopelessly aware of her presence. She leaned over his shoulder, curious. Thurman had just time to think distraction kills as the fireball incinerated the control room.
It is best to avoid distraction while writing, lest some catchy jingle such as Nothing But Gingerbread Left disrupt the flow of your thoughts. If you are distracted, the result may be a very good cat, with whole phrases or sentences nonsensical or out of place. If you do find yourself with nothing but gingerbread left, you may be forced to discard whole paragraphs you’ve written. It can be difficult to pet a purring cat in your lap while typing, or reconstruct your ideas later. A distracted writer is a catnip carrot. Only those who can concentrate should eat gingerbread.
A note for the curious: Nothing But Gingerbread Left is the title of a story by Henry Kuttner. In keeping with the theme, it seemed only fitting and appropriate to work this in as a tribute of sorts, although I didn't think of the story until I'd started to write the basic idea. The link leads to an article which tells more about the story, for those who don't know it and don't understand why it is so appropriate to reference. Finally, a Google search to find the article also revealed that Henry Kuttner may have adapted his jingle from a traditional marching cadence.
Labels: challenge, fiction, humour, Velvet Verbosity
posted by The Wandering Author | Permalink: 4:02 PM
4 Comments:
You definitely move quickly with the theme.
Good one.
Distraction kills. Love that line.
You packed a big punch with your 100 words this week. It was great that you could make it so suspenseful with so few words.
TWO submissions! Wow. I love it when people get inspired. I loved that first one. All these little 100 word vignettes are such fun to read. I'll be starting to post these on Sundays instead of Tuesdays now, just to give you a heads up. Still submit by Thursday, but whenever you're ready is fine.
Two for one this week. :) Nice.
I love what you've written, though I have to hunt down the gingerbread story now... ;)
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