I love writing prompts! This book has so many good prompts to get your creative Juices going. I wanted to share it with you because sometimes as writers we hit the proverbial writers block, or need something different. Something to get us to think outside if the box. I love this idea, and tomorrow I am going to begin one of the writing prompts.
There are three writing prompts for each day. Morning, Midday and Dinner. I am going to pick a random one, and in the morning try this out. I am excited to delve into this book of writing prompts!
Here is Love in Inks website, and they have a link to their Facebook page on their site as well.
Ohio, when I woke up this morning. I thought I was in an unfamiliar place. I thought for a moment perhaps, we were drinking together because I also forgot where I was for a moment.
Ohio in case you didn’t get the memo, this is not supposed to be a frozen tundra. It is the Midwest and it’s supposed to be spring. Where did the April showers go?
The May Flowers I planned to plant in my Garden will have to be postponed. The headaches. Don’t even get me started on that. One day its 70 degrees. The next day it is 20. The pressure change causes me to get headaches, colds, and eventually a sinus infection.
I just entered this competition. This is a great way to improve your writing skills. I also enjoy reading the shortlisted stories on their website. I love reading as much as I love to write!
You ever wonder what a rejection letter looks like form ELQMM? Well here it is. While all that drama with the apartment was going on, I still managed to get something accomplished.
I saw a man in a pair of tan-colored khakis, tossing my son in the air. My son giggling wildly as the man started to give him a tickle. The man turned around and placed my Son in my arms. Then he put his hand on my shoulder and said,
“Don’t worry. It will be OK.”
The man smiled and I woke up from my dream. I was almost certain it was my husbands biological Father, trying to tell me something. I thought maybe one of my magazine submissions had gotten accepted, or something positive like that However, I was not prepared for what was about to occur next.
I told my Husband about my dream, and then put it out of my mind for two or three days. I was so busy writing, the dream I had about Mikes Dad was completely forgotten.
On February 8, we were going to sign our new lease agreement for the apartment my Husband and I have been renting for the last five years, after they left a message on my phone saying that the new lease had been prepared. My Husband went to the rental office to sign the lease. The apartment manager said,
“You can’t sign that, you are over occupancy.”
“What?! That’s just great!”
My Husband was furious. We did some research and although the apartment was a one bathroom one bedroom apartment, it was rather spacious because it was a studio apartment. My Mother helped us get in contact with a lady from the department of fair housing, and she said according to the city ordinance we were well within our rights to be there. 200 square feet a person was all that was needed. For our family that ment that 600 square feet was needed. Our apartment exceeded that by 220 square feet. Legally if we wanted we could have four people living in the apartment.
While I was doing research and getting free consultations from attorneys, the apartment manager told me she was going to talk to corporate and see what she could do since there were no two bedroom apartments available. I gave her more than enough time.
As luck would have it, my Mother happened to find an ad in the paper for a house for rent, that was less than our monthly rent on our apartment! Shortly there after on February 16, we gave our notice to vacate and here it is:
Tenant’s Notice to Landlord:
February 1, 2016 I, ********* ****** called to have the lease prepared. The office staff told me it would take a couple of days. On February 8, 2016 the office staff informed us our lease was ready to sign. My Husband went to sign the lease and they informed him we may be over occupancy. They had to check with corporate before signing our lease, and that they had no two bedroom apartments available currently. Currently residing in the 820 square foot 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment are my Husband, and I and our two-and-a-half year old son.
On February 10, 2016 I spoke to ***** on the phone, I asked her who my husband had spoken with on Monday, February 8, 2016. She informed me it was *****, and I asked if she had a chance to check with corporate. She assured me ***** would be meeting with regional tomorrow, (February 11, 2016) and that someone would get back to me.
It is now February 16, 2016 and we have not yet received a response. Under the current circumstances, with no lease secured yet, we felt that it was best to make other housing arrangements, as the current terms of our lease will expire on February 29, 2016.
We are giving notice of our intention to vacate the premises of **** *********** *** **** *** ********* *** *****, no later than February 29, 2016.
Sincerely,
******* and ********* ******
Tenant February 16, 2016
The apartment manager looked shocked and said,
“No one from corporate has tried to contact you?”
“Nope, not at all. And since we have a small child we had to make other arrangements quickly, especially because it is the middle of winter and we can’t be left without you guaranteeing we are legally allowed to be there.” (Yes. I played stupid.)
“We were discussing offering you a month to month lease. Is that something you would be interested in?”
“No that is one-hundred dollars more, and one-hundred more than we can afford.”
“We could let you stay in the current apartment at the current market rent until a two bedroom becomes available.”
“No we already made other living arrangements.”
Her eyes began to twitch as someone does when they are nervous, as she looked over our notice to vacate. Did she ever really talk to corporate? I don’t know. We signed the papers needed to give us leave of the apartment, and began the process of packing and moving our things.
After cleaning the apartment we walked through it with the apartment manager. She saw a chunk was missing out of the enamel top on the stove and began to say,
“Well I don’t–”
“That was like that when they moved in here. My daughter asked them to replace the stove and they absolutely refused.”
“I asked them twice and they still refused,” I said, “and the mold. Just let me show you the black mold problem we have in here that I have asked maintenance to take care of and they never have.”
“Didnt maintenance fix your bathroom fan?”
“Yes and I asked them about the mold. The guy just said, ‘Yea that happens. these apartments don’t get very good ventilation,’ but he never did anything to resolve the situation.”
“Oh my gosh, I had known it would have been fixed and you would have had a new stove. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this.”
“Well they had every right to be there according to the department of housing.” my Mother said.
“Oh really? That’s interesting because corporate told us only two people per bedroom.”
“Well not according to the city ordinance.”
“Well cooperate drills that into our heads.”
“Well has corporate ever been to a zoning meeting?”
“Well no.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“The attorneys said corporate could enforce a rule that they thought was needed for safety like no more than two people per bedroom, but it would have to be in writing in our lease. No where in our lease did it say that,” I said.
“Wow. That is interesting. I will have to look into that myself.”
“I just don’t want this to happen to any future tenants. Especially people with such young children.”
I gave her the keys and did not look back.
The whole situation was very stressful on my family, but I am counting my blessings. My Mom just happened to look in the paper the same day the landlord refused to renew our lease. A couple of days prior Mikes Dad who passed away comes to me in a dream and tells me “It will be Ok.” I’m counting my blessings we have angels looking out for my family and I. A parents love is unconditional, in this life and in the next.
This is the link to my facebook page. I post updates about what I am currently writing. It is an opportunity for me to share my thoughts with friends and family on Facebook. Please check it out for a chance to get to know me. Thanks.
I am excited to say their are major updates coming to my blog! I am starting to get really serious about my writing. There were some unforseen things that happened in my life that really have given me no choice but to write. New updates coming soon are…
Revisions and editing on posts
Social Media websites and other Accounts. So you can follow me on Facebook too!
Updates along the way about the challenges I face as I am trying to get my work published.
I would love to allow guest bloggers as well, to encourage others to write and follow their dreams.
Getting over my fears. I have been writing under a pen name. I will no longer be doing that, and you will get to see the mask I have been hiding behind. The face behind the words!
I look forward to sharing this journey with all of you. My blog and writing is a work in progress. Please bear with me on this endeavor.
I would like to blog regularly, but as my internet usage is limited, (Do to finances) that is hard to do. Things seem to be looking good for us in the future. Both of us are working hard to repair our credit, so our family can get out of this one bedroom apartment! Hopefully within 4-10 months we can get a loan for a car, and in 2-5 years we will be able to purchase a house. Repairing credit is not easy, and it takes time.
My Husband is looking into starting school, and I am looking forward to helping him accomplish his goals and dreams. We have a lot of things going on right now, and we are both excited!
I want to take the time to thank my parents. They have been supportive of us, and sometimes helped us when we really struggling. ( Such as, couldn’t get a car loan, couldn’t afford groceries because our rent increased.) Very rarely do they ask for anything in return. Just that we do the same for our son.
I am very thankful for my family. We may not have much money, but we have each other. I hope someday I am able to repay my parents for all they have done for us. Hopefully I will be able to post more short stories after my Son’s birthday party! I guess things get better, it just takes time! Goodnight everyone. I’m off to bed.
Last night my Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, My Husband and I, as well as our son, went to see the Christmas light show in Cambridge Ohio, at the court.
Our son giggled with glee and pointed to the lights as he kicked his legs and bobbed his head. “Look Dat!” He said and pointed every time someone passed us on the sidewalk.
Tears began streaming down his face. It could have been just because he was cold however, he was dressed warmly. I began to wonder if he felt the same way I did two years previously when he was just a seed my tummy.
My boyfriend and I were sitting there in church at the Christmas mass and silent night was being sung. I started to cry as I thought about my Christmas miracle stirring inside of me. I finally got it! The Christmas story is everyone’s story.
I looked at my boyfriend. I felt what I believed was the first flutter of life moving inside of me. I looked at him and said, “I know It’s a boy and we will call him Noah.” I was pregnant and unmarried at the time. People judged me because of this. They didn’t know my boyfriend and I, who later became my Husband. Personally I didn’t care. This was our Christmas miracle
As Noah cried, the memories came back. I remembered that night in church. I cried because our Child was a promise. The promise of a Christmas miracle. Two Christmas before that, we were trying to grapple with the news that I would never have a child. Yet here he is. He must have felt what I felt. Joy and beauty that he was a miracle. My son changed our lives.
I felt what Mary must have felt all those years ago. Happiness that God had blessed her with a beautiful baby boy. She also felt sadness because of those that judged her, because she was an unwed mother.
Noah understands this is the season of miracles. It was also this season of miracles that brought my husband and I together. It was at a Christmas time we
really connected. It was because of Christmas our son is here today.
The Christmas story is everyone’s story. With great pain is great joy. Without pain, there would be no hope. Happiness would cease to exist.
This is the season of miracles. Yours is right around the corner. Never give up hope.
This Thanksgiving we went over to my parents. My son was so excited because he got to play with his favorite people. He is a Grandpa and Daddies boy. My son wanted Grandpa to chase him around. Needless to say my Dad was tired.
My Grandfather had given my parents a bottle of champagne. So my parents thought it would be nice to celebrate and share that champagne with us. My husband tried to get the bottle opened and couldn’t. Then my father tried unsuccessfully. My Brother finally cracked it opened.
When the champagne was poured we noticed it was flat. Needless to say it tasted like dirty feet. I took one sip and could not drink any more. My husband took a sip and said it tasted off. No one else was drinking it so my husband figured he would drink it.
My Dad noticing it was almost gone, wanted to try some. He tried a sip and said it tasted nutty. Like sweaty balls.
I googled the champagne. No wonder why. The champagne was the same age as I was. It was from 1988 and it was 26 years old. Apparently, champagne does not keep as well as fine wine.
Snapshots of a Life 