This project will remain open until December 31st. The next project will open on January 1st.

Option 1: Picture It

Use the image above to inspire a piece of writing. Your piece can be fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or any other form that suits you. (Please remember to copy the image to your own server.)

Option 2: Poetry

And there is the headlight, shining far down the track, glinting off the steel rails that, like all parallel lines, will meet in infinity, which is after all where this train is going. (Bruce Catton)

Use the quotation above to inspire a poem about meeting in infinity.

Option 3: Pick Three

What’s the railroad to me?
I never go to see
Where it ends.
It fills a few hollows,
And makes banks for the swallows,
It sets the sand a-blowing,
And the blackberries a-growing.
(Henry David Thoreau)

Use at least three of the following words from the quotation above to create a short piece of writing in whatever form (poetry, prose, fiction) you wish:
a-growing, blackberries, ends, hollows, me, railroad, sand, swallows

Option 4: Tell Me a Story

The most common of all antagonisms arises from a man’s taking a seat beside you on the train, a seat to which he is completely entitled. (Robert Benchley)

Use the quotation above as inspiration and tell me a story about a stranger on a train.

Option 5: Seven Things

Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return. (E. M. Forster)

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

Give me seven of your favorite things about trains..

Option 6: Short and Tweet

I have always loved to sit in ferry and railroad stations and watch the people, to walk on crowded streets, just walk along among the people, and see their faces, to be among people on street cars and trains and boats. (Ella R. Bloor )

Do you have a Twitter account? If so, use the quotation above as inspiration, and tweet about people-watching on a train: @cw_barista.

Bonus Option: Time It: For an extra challenge, set a timer for twelve minutes when you sit down to respond to one of these prompts, and stop writing when the timer goes off!

Thanksgiving was last week, at least in the U.S., but parades occur everywhere. Before we launch into December, let’s talk about them for this week’s Thursday Threesome.

76 Trombones Led the Big Parade

Onesome – 76: How old were you in 1976, and what’s your favorite memory from that year? If you weren’t yet born in 1976, what’s one change you’d like to see in the world when you TURN 76?

Twosome – Trombones: Do you play a musical instrument? Have you ever marched in a parade?

Threesome – Led the Big Parade: Are you a fan of parades, or do you prefer to avoid them as much as possible? If you are a fan, do you have a favorite parade?

How about you? When you’re ready, post your answers in your own space, and leave a comment here.

As I write this, we’re a week away from Thanksgiving, in the US, and just a bit more than half way through NaNoWriMo. Whether you’re participating or not, take a moment to consider the old adage, “Truth is stranger than fiction,” because it’s this week’s Thursday Threesome prompt.

Before we get to that, however, I have to apologize for not posting anything last Thursday. I could come up with a clever excuse, but the reality is that I forgot it was Wednesday night, was swamped on Thursday, and by the time I realized I hadn’t posted, it was Saturday morning. Forgive me?

And now:
Truth is Stranger than Fiction

Onesome – Truth is: What’s the most bizarre true story you know? Even better, what bizarre thing really happened to you?

Twosome – Stranger: We were all taught not to talk to strangers as kids. Do you still avoid them as adults, or are you likely to strike up conversations with interesting-looking people on the bus, subway, or coffee shop?

Threesome – than Fiction: “Reality” shows seem to be dominating the television channels this year. Do you watch them, or do you prefer scripted, purely fictional dramas? When you do watch reality shows, do you ever wonder if what you see is less truth than fiction?

How about you? When you’re ready, post your answers in your own space, and leave a comment here

“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.
“So it is.”
“And freezing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”
–A.A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

Onesome – Winnie the Pooh: What was your favorite book series as a kid? Was there one you tried to find the complete set to read? …Or maybe just one book you remember well?

Twosome – and the: holidays are just around the corner? Are you ready for things? …or are you too immersed in life to even think about it?

Threesome – Blustery Day: Hey, what do you like to do on a stormy day when you’re not working or in school? Do you curl up with a book? Watch TV? Bake? How do you pass the time when you don’t feel like going “out in it?”

How about you? When you’re ready, post your answers in your own space, and leave a comment here so we can find you!

Thursday Threesomes will run all month, however. Happy writing!

Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!

This is the second of two Halloween-themed Threesomes. When I was a kid, we actually knew all three lines of the “trick or treat” song. This week, we’re breaking it down. Answer the prompts on your own blog, and let us know you’ve done so.

Onesome – Trick or treat: Do you still go trick-or-treating? Do you go for yourself, or to escort a child? If you don’t go trick-or-treating, do you stay home and give out candy?

Twosome – Smell my feet: Are you the type to go barefoot, or do you have to have shoes and socks on, even when you’re lounging around at home?

Threesome – Give me something good to eat: What’s the best thing you’ve ever pulled out of your trick-or-treat bag?

We’re past the mid-point of October now, and Halloween is fast approaching. It brings to my mind the old Scottish proverb:

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

So:

Onesome – Ghoulies and ghosties: Do you believe in ghosts or ghouls? Ever encountered one?

Twosome – And long-leggedy beasties: Many people use spider motifs in their Halloween decor. Do you like spiders, or do you shriek when you see one?

Threesome – And things that go bump in the night: Does your imagination ever get the better of you in the dark of night, or are you a pragmatist about such things?

Answer these on your own blog, and leave a link here, so we can see what you wrote. And don’t forget: there’s still time to participate in our October Project.

We’ve all heard the aphorism, “A stitch in time saves nine.” For this week’s Thursday Threesome, we’re breaking it apart.

Onesome- A Stitch: Do you sew? How about embroidery, cross-stitching, needlepoint, or even knitting. What’s your fiber-art fetish?

Twosome- in Time: How do you keep track of time? Are you digital or analog? Smartphone, PDA, or day planner?

Threesome- saves Nine: Think back to when you were nine years old. What one thing do you remember most about that year?

Leave your answer on your own blog, with a link-back, or answer in comments. And don’t forget to participate in the October Project if you haven’t already.

1.	snack report	2.	MissMeliss report
3.	bullion dealer report	4.	You're next!

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We’ve got permission from one of the original hosts of the Thursday Threesome to use the name, and to steal borrow from their archives. To help relaunch CafeWriting, we’ve chosen a Threesome from May, 2003.

The Thursday Threesome

Come have a seat and chat a while. Coffee, tea or me?

Onesome- Coffee: Do you drink coffee? If so, do you ask for brewed or do you prefer the fancy espresso drinks? What’s your flavor?

Twosome- Tea: Do you drink tea? Hot or iced? Regular, herbal or flavored?

Threesome- Or Me? Ok, not really me! Seriously, what’s your favorite beverage? Alcoholic or non, healthy or not?

Leave your answer on your own blog, with a link-back, or answer in comments. And don’t forget to participate in the October Project if you haven’t already.

1.	snack report	2.	MissMeliss report
3.	JohnSherck report	4.	Mike G report
5.	You're next!

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This project will remain open until October 31st. The Next project will open on November 1st.

Option 1: Picture It

October 2011: Harvest | Source: istockphoto.com

Use the image above to inspire a piece of writing. Your piece can be fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or any other form that suits you. (Please remember to copy the image to your own server.)

Option 2: Poetry

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.
~Edwin Way Teale

Use the quotation above to inspire a poem about gathering together or scattering abroad.

Option 3: Pick Three

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, ‘October’s Party’

Use at least three of the following words from the quotation above to create a short piece of writing in whatever form (poetry, prose, fiction) you wish:
October, party, hundreds, leaves, dancing, wind, band, carpet

Option 4: Tell Me a Story

A wind has blown the rain away and blown the sky away and all the leaves away, and the trees stand. I think, I too, have known autumn too long.
~e.e. cummings

Use the quotation above as inspiration and tell me a story about a literal or figurative storm.

Option 5: Seven Things

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.
~Carol Bishop Hipps

In improvisation, one of our exercises is a game called “Seven Things,” in which we go around in a circle giving each other the challenge, “Give me seven things that [whatever].” We are not going to go around in a circle here, but if you’re drawn to lists, this prompt is for you.

Give me seven of your favorite things about Autumn..

Option 6: Short and Tweet

Oh how we love pumpkin season. You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin…. We anxiously anticipate it every year.
~Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, October 2010

Do you have a Twitter account? If so, use the quotation above as inspiration, and tweet about why you do or don’t celebrate “pumpkin season”: @cw_barista.

Bonus Option: Time It: For an extra challenge, set a timer for ten minutes when you sit down to respond to one of these prompts, and stop writing when the timer goes off!

This event ended 3 months, 4 days, 18 hours, 51 minutes, 8 seconds ago.

1.	MissMeliss report	2.	Jeremy report	3.	snack report
4.	JohnSherck report	5.	JohnSherck report	6.	Melissa A. Bartell report
7.	You're next!

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