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

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

This project will remain open until December 10th. The Next project will open on December 15th.

Option 1: Picture It

Source: iStockPhoto | Click to embiggen

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 and credit the photographer.)

Option 2: Poetry

“Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.” – Anonymous

Use the quotation above to inspire a poem about love and magic.

Option 3: Pick Three

“When two people meet and fall in love, there’s a sudden rush of magic. Magic is just naturally present then. We tend to feed on that gratuitous magic without striving to make any more. One day we wake up and find that the magic is gone. We hustle to get it back, but by then it’s usually too late, we’ve used it up. What we have to do is work like hell at making additional magic right from the start. It’s hard work, but if we can remember to do it, we greatly improve our chances of making love stay.” — Tom Robbins

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:
meet, magic, naturally, gratuitious, gone, hustle, work, hell, love, chances

Option 4: Tell Me a Story

“I’d like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years ago.” — David Blane

Use the quotation above as inspiration and tell me a story.

Option 5: Seven Things

“Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you take the girl’s clothes off.” — Raymond Chandler

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 examples of every-day magic.

Option 6: Short and Tweet

“After being in Harry Potter, I believe a bit more in magic than I did before.” — Rupert Grint

Do you have a Twitter account? If so, use the quotation above as inspiration, and tweet about why you do or don’t believe in magic to: @cw_barista.

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

Option One: Pick Three

Fewer and fewer Americans possess objects that have a patina, old furniture, grandparents’ pots and pans, the used things, warm with generations of human touch, essential to a human landscape. Instead, we have our paper phantoms, transistorized landscapes. A featherweight portable museum.
~Susan Sontag

• Cat Views, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
• What Letters Are Made Of, by A~Lotus
• Brittle Yesterdays, by Gemma
• Jeweled Letter, by Niebla
• Time Tested, by Becca
• Pieces of the Landscape of My Youth, by sister AE

Option Two: Can You Picture That?

• My Three Girls, by Bobbi
• Dancing Through Time, by sister AE
• Something Old, by Melissa A. Bartell

Option Three: Poetry

Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all.
~Mark Twain

• Heirloom Damonds, by Tiel Aisha Ansari
• Like Second-Hand Diamonds, by Gemma
• Second Hand, by sister AE
• Got Holiday Spirit?, by Linda
• Frozen Foods and Filly Friends, by Linda
• Different Kinds of Blood Diamonds, by Richard

Option Four: Fiction

All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.
~Federico Fellini

• Autobiographical Art, by Snack
• Broken Promise, by Medhini
• The Pearl Bracelet, by Rob Kistner/li>

Option Five: Timed Writing

I don’t want to own anything until I know I’ve found the place where me and things belong together. I’m not quite sure where that is just yet. But I know what it’s like…. It’s like Tiffany’s…. Not that I give a hoot about jewelry. Diamonds, yes. But it’s tacky to wear diamonds before you’re
forty…
~Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
(spoken by the character Holly Golightly)

• My Grandmother’s Pearls, by Melissa A. Bartell
• This Place, by James Steerforth

Some men’s memory is like a box where a man should mingle his jewels with his old shoes.
~George Savile

• Memory Box, by Bobbi
• Box of Me, by Melissa A. Bartell
• Stranger, by Rob Kistner

Don’t forget to comment here with your name, the title of your piece, the selected option number, and the direct link to it. Also, please note: since the database was destroyed and I’ve had to reconstruct, you’ve ALL become first-time posters again, so your comments will be queued for approval.

Also? There’s still time to submit to this Project. Follow this link for the actual prompts.

HAPPY WRITING

On Friday, November 7th, I accidentally blew away the entire database, and then a server glitch at my host rendered it impossible to recover it. Thanks to Google’s cached pages, I’ve reconstructed most of the Project and Participants pages, but in the interest of time and sanity, have not gone back and re-linked all the old submissions – anything earlier than July/August won’t have links, just a list of titles and participants. I apologize for this.

As a result of the db debacle, we have a new design, and a few new features. One of them is the “Quotable Cafe” widget in the right side of the menu. I’ll be inputting the quotations used in each project, and they’ll show up there on a random basis. It’s both an interesting piece of history (to see what’s been used) and may help find inspiration later.

Also new: Beginning with this month, I’m inviting all of you to participate in a new way, by submitting your own photos to be used in the “Can You Picture That” option. Our own Janet is this month’s contributor.

The Holiday Project will begin on the 7th of December, and run just past the beginning of the New Year. Last year our holiday theme was “Tradition and Ritual,” this year, I’m thinking it will be “Family & Community.” The January Project theme is “Fresh!”

This Project will run through December 6th, and the theme is Jewels. It’s inspired by a gift I received from my mother before I went to my writing workshop in San Francisco: my grandmother’s pearls. You are free to interpret the theme more metaphorically, but I like the notion of hand-me-down jewelry and art and antique pieces that have history and meaning.

Option One: Pick Three

Fewer and fewer Americans possess objects that have a patina, old furniture, grandparents’ pots and pans, the used things, warm with generations of human touch, essential to a human landscape. Instead, we have our paper phantoms, transistorized landscapes. A featherweight portable museum.
~Susan Sontag

Pick at least three of the following words, and build a piece of writing around them. The form is up to us: poem, scene, flash-fic, essay, or general blog entry.

essential, furniture, landscape, museum, paper, patina, possess, touch, warm

Option Two: Can You Picture That?

Use the following photo to inspire a piece of writing in any form (poetry, prose, whatever).
(Please remember to copy the image to your own server, and include photo credit when it is known.)

Option Three: Poetry

Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all.
~Mark Twain

Using the quotation above as your inspiration, write a poem (any form is fine) about second-hand diamonds.

Option Four: Fiction

All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.
~Federico Fellini

Using the above quotation as your inspiration, write a flash-fic, scene, or short story involving pearls.

Option Five: Timed Writing

I don’t want to own anything until I know I’ve found the place where me and things belong together. I’m not quite sure where that is just yet. But I know what it’s like…. It’s like Tiffany’s…. Not that I give a hoot about jewelry. Diamonds, yes. But it’s tacky to wear diamonds before you’re forty…
~Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany’s
(spoken by the character Holly Golightly)

Take eleven minutes (use all eleven, but don’t go over), and write on the subject of the place where me [you] and things belong together.

This is a timed exercise and it’s expected that it won’t be perfect. Any format – fiction, essay, verse – is welcome.

Option Six: Seven Things

Some men’s memory is like a box where a man should mingle his jewels with his old shoes.
~George Savile

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 things that would be (or are) in your memory box. In this case, the box can be literal, and hold jewelry, or other special trinkets and treasures, or metaphoric. You’re not required to explain the items in your list, but it’s more fun for readers if you do.

Don’t forget to comment here with your name, the title of your piece, the selected option number, and the direct link to it. Also, please note: since the database was destroyed and I’ve had to reconstruct, you’ve ALL become first-time posters again, so your comments will be queued for approval.

HAPPY WRITING

Option One: Can You Picture That

1. The Letter, by Ghost
2. Muse Flash, by sister AE
3. Gifted, by EasyWriter
4. Stonewalls Enthrall, by Gautami
5. Flicker, by MissMelysse
6. Why I Need to Write, by Abhinav

Option Two: Poetry

1. Haiku, by Ghost
2. Unlocking, by Gautami
3. An Autumn Leaf and Other Things, by Abhinav

Option Three: Fiction

1. Her Last Moments, by Ghost
2. A Strange Reality (Intro/Chapter 1), by TheOrangePiper

Option Four: Timed Writing

1. Listen, by Melissa
2. Change of Seasons, by Becca

Option Five: Seven Things

1. Seven is a Magic Number, by Colleen
2. Lexicon of MissMeliss, by MissMeliss
3. Seven Wonderful Words, by Becca
4. Option Se7en, by Steph
5. Seven is My Favorite Number, by Janet, with a bonus from ME at the bottom.
6. Seven Things that Make Sense, by SunShine
7. Give Me Seven Words, by WarriorPoet(2)

Option Six: Pick Three

1. No One’s Child, by Gautami
2. Saving Daylight, by Becca
3. The Knife of Winter, by sister AE