F.2

Apparently, "F" also stands for "for the record": My intent is to prompt-blog during the week.

F is for ...Funny

Funny how different it feels to write from the office, and in short order after writing last night before bed. I hope this means I'm flexing new muscles, hence feeling sore.

Which offers a few free words!

Funny
feels
flexing
feeling
few
free
.... Thanks extemporaneous (e!) musings...!
federal
fantastic
functional
futile
friendly
font
fountain
foundation
fundamental
fricasee
French
festering
foster/
fostering
fallow (a great word)
freedom
french fries
...and "freedom fries" of course...
fabric
fabricate
fabulous (for the gays...)
for (!)
fornicate (not intentionally following "the gays"...)
follow!
following!
flippant
festive
festival
Festivus (which I may or may not count)
fart
fanciful
fancy
foot
footloose
...and the favorite "footloose and fancy free"
favorite
farm
farmhouse
farmland
fellowship
focaccia
fen
feedlot
focus
forensics
flippant ... which made me wonder if I was repeating myself, which proved to be true, but which also inspired a wordcount, which makes the redundant flippant number 51.
Fantastic.
Oh, how I wish (ph)enomenal started with "F"!

e

matt's offerings:

episode

episodic

EBay

... many thanks, my sweet.

electronic

electoral

election

elephant

elegy

elegaic

elephantine

elliptical

estuary

Estonian

European

Europe

eucalyptus

effortless

effort

emancipation

egregious

eggplant

empire

emperor

errant

egg!

expectations

exploitation

existential

existentialism

... I know, I know....

evil (to parallel "d"s devil)

event

eventful

e pluribus unum

equate

equation

enable

enact

effette

Ezekial

entourage

entreaty

embolden

embryo

embrace

embarrass

... it's amazing how quickly, during this process, simply spelling disappears....

eventually

esoteric

eagle

eat

eaten

...whoohoo! 47 at first count! a personal best.

edamame

Eden

erase

That will have to do. 

I'll admit, I'm feeling more hopeful about writing again, thanks to this "prompting." As if maybe I can step back in, make a move, create something (or revise something, the tiny green goblin says) that might matter to me, that other people might want to read.

Tomorrow is "f" - perhaps a harder lift.

Eden. Erase.

Is there something there?

d

It is quickly becoming something of a moment of zen for me: time to write 50 words. Is there an appropriate "d" word to apply? Let's see.

devil
defy
destiny
deny
dent
derail
decry
donate
deliver
delay
debit
destined
darling
donation
debate
dogged
dog
dog day afternoon (...?)
daylight
daytime
dawn
derriere
diet
dietician
dollop
Dumbo(!)
do-si-do
doberman (pincher)
.... I'm parentheses happy today....
doctor (noun)
doctor (verb... I'll do at least 51...)
document
docent
decent
definite
definitely
desperate
.... 36, and struggling...
dope
dope fiend
daguerretype (sp?)
doozy
depression
defenestration
decoupage
defer
Doppler
destitute
dapper
duck
dolorous (to which I want to reply: sonorous)
deer
deep
deeply
deeper
deepest
... One more good one, one moment of zen....
deliverance
destination
die
....Not the cheeriest, but it'll do.
Looking forward to "E"!

c is for... "Can" and "Cannot"

Back in  2001, when I first started rewriting my life, I became enamored of a little mantra that helped me get out from under the tyranny of "should."  When I started to whine that I "should" do something - write, exercise, call Mom - I forced myself to replace it with the word "can" (if it was possible and in my control) or "can't" (if it wasn't.)  That established, I could rest easily between "can't" or "can," which inevitably led to will or won't. It put the power back in my hands.

C is for....

can

can't

crap

cartwheel

cartilege

court

courting

courtliness

.... I do get into ruts....

catastrophe

cunnilingus

craftiness

creativity

cart

cantankerous

...it is, by the way, snowing outside, big, blustery flakes, actually sticking to the ground...

carnival

creation

caterwaul

coop

co-op

corner

catapult

count

cat

coochie-coochie-coo....

carpet (matches the drapes?)

cascade

croon

centrifuge

centerpiece

central

cerulean

carnivore

carnivorous

canine

.... ran out at 35 this time....

Cartagena

cartel

cocaine

cooperation

clean

cream

crag

captain (OK, that's a cheat, I saw the word on my bookshelf)

carport

car wash

caterpillar

coonskin

cap

cesspool

chain

chain gang

chapter

chapel

chaplain

chest

chesty

choose

choice

58 words....  I guess I "can."

bold

... and Matt just told me this ambition was "bold."  :)

B is for...

begin

belittle

battle

betray

bottle

boy

barter

bet

behind

best

better

beyond

bundt

butter

beast

boat

be 

berate

baseball

basketball

butterfly

beetle

Beetlejuice

bargain

bead

bean

beer

boozy

but! ....this is hard....

boggle

befriend

bedazzle

buck

"buck up"

buster

beryl

Beelzebub

butternut

bowl

bowling

biryani

beseech

...40 seems to be where I first really putter out...

blast

blaster

beyond

boysenberry

blackberry

blueberry

berry

biscuit

braid

broil

... and... 

believe

... off I go...

...begin

Here's the good news: I'm eager to start. "B" words have been swirling since yesterday. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to... "b"egin.

Stolen Inspiration

A few month's ago, I read an article in Poets & Writers about prompts.  A writing instructor (name forgotten, apologies offered) said he gets himself going in the morning by cycling through the alphabet, one letter at a time.  He maintained that the simple rigor of that action served as a kind of mental warmup - something to get his mind, and his fingers, crackling along.

I'm teaching a class at the Writer's Center this spring, and it will be very prompt-heavy, so I'm going to give this prompt-cycle a shot. And hey - "A" worked out alright.

A is for...

apple

airport

amazing

absolute

afterthought

afterbirth

artistic

androgynous

abetting

able

Andes

andouille

adapt

adaptation

adaptive (ok, that's cheating a little bit)

acrimonious

Atilla

Atlantic

artificial

artsy

affect

affix

antipodes

Africa

artichoke

artisanal

alpaca

astute

arrival

antipathy

antiquated

ass

Alex!

abet

aggrieved

acquiesce

accept

adapt (am I starting to repeat myself?)

Asperger's syndrome

aloof

aloft

albeit

....I need eight more.  

atwitter

aflutter

adrenal

abulations

adulation

adore

adoring

adoration (cheating again....)

....I want one really good one....

afraid.

...."Afraid." A fitting end to this. Hey - one letter, 50 words. It'll get me through 26 days.