Tag: complete-the-story

Sunday Sundries

Things that are gray. Or grey, as that spelling seems a little more magical than “gray,” and to me, all of these items have magic.


From bottom left, a rat sent by Lisa in Iowa years ago when we had to remove rats from our attic in The Compound amid much drama and mishap. In the end, the rats were gone, the house was secured, and despite it all, there were moments of humor, and Lisa’s rat symbolizes that. It was, in fact, that kind of magic that brought Lisa into our lives when she read the humorous TJB books, wrote us a letter, and a bond was formed. It included a visit to The Compound and meetings at Saints and Sinners, and it endures to this day.

Next up is little Dedo, a gift from me to Tom one year. Dedo is a small gargoyle on the Notre Dame Cathedral who is said to have a protective, caring presence. Dedo is a symbol of kindness and safeguarding. Sounds like Tom. Sometimes when you want to wander across the Internet, look up stories and legends about Dedo and his likenesses.

Then there’s Batman, whose sartorial choice for this look is a gray bodysuit. Through the decades, his bodysuit has had bold colors of several hues, zebra stripes, a mummy bandage look, brown, and black, but most often, he’s in gray. Batman is a symbol of hope and justice. He has no superhuman qualities, but he represents the best of humans in his quest to protect others, disable villains without killing them, and give people a belief in a better future.

An elephant, besides being my college mascot, symbolizes many things in different cultures. A list includes: power, wisdom, loyalty, fertility, strength, high moral character, longevity, stamina, moderation, eternity, memory, vitality, majesty, and intelligence. Speaking of magic, many years ago, over coffee, a professor told me a fact about elephants that made me rethink a certain bias I had, planting a seed that would fully bloom in the 1990s and change my life for good and for better.

Oh, the shark bites…the book. He’s only being playful. I doubt I ever gave any thought to sharks at all until one night when a few of us were hanging out in the lone convenience store in the wee town where I went to high school. (As I recall, the sister of one of my friends worked there, and she didn’t care if we gathered there. There was nothing else to do.) I picked up a book, read the first few pages of Jaws, thought, Eek! Not for me! and put it down. Later, I saw the movie when it came out, loved it (and also ended up loving the novel), and from then on, sharks held a fascination for me. I appreciate seeing them in their natural environment thanks to skilled photographers. I like seeing them in cartoons. They continue to have mystery and, like the elephant, a majesty to me.

Finally, we have what I dub a “melancholy of Eeyores.” In the pantheon of characters who inhabit Hundred Acre Wood, Eeyore seems to have a theme for many people, who think he’s: sad, depressed, pessimistic, downtrodden, negative, gloomy, and hypersensitive. However, he’s also a thinker and a planner. The magic of Eeyore is that he’s greatly loved by his friends. They don’t exclude him, berate him, try to change him, or avoid him. He brings a balance to their group, and they love him without conditions.

Finally, I included the writing prompts book Complete The Story. I feel as if I’ve story-told enough in this post already, so I’ll leave you with the prompt below. Maybe something among the worlds of gargoyles, heroes, and animals pictured will trigger your imagination or a memory that helps you create a story of your own. The story begins…

On the 4th day of the 10-day selfie challenge, I wished I’d never bought a smart phone. The photo of me was innocent enough, but what I accidentally captured in the background opened up a whole world of trouble. I had been walking…

Happy imagining and writing!

When worlds collide


Take a page from the coloring book Village Charm and a page from Complete the Story, and what might I get? The idea to finish this prompt:

along with the page I colored:

Here’s a tale for anyone who wants to read where imagination took me while I colored today.

Pauline felt empty and full at the same time. She was mentally and physically exhausted, but her spirit buzzed with energy it hadn’t felt in a long time. Finally she was ready to open the bookstore–as soon as the clock on the city hall tower struck ten.

She sat on a bench across the street from Little Village Books and realized that technically, the store was open. At least the front door was. Memphis the cat sat in the doorway, pausing his grooming ritual to watch her. He’d been her constant companion the last few weeks, and she’d grown to appreciate the company. She could understand why Grandpa let Memphis stay when he’d first walked into the store as a stray.

She smiled and pulled a rumpled letter from the pocket of her denim jacket and began to read it, as she had many times before.

“Sweet Pauline, I’ve always wished one of my grandchildren would want the bookstore. For years, your grandmother was my partner. She was the reasonable one of us, always reminding me, ‘Richard, remember that store doesn’t own you. You own the store.’ When our only child, your mother, married your father and moved away, we almost sold Little Village Books. We didn’t. Then Jenny died. As a widower, I again considered selling out and moving close to your parents and their growing family. I didn’t. When Calico Jane died three years ago, I knew I was too old to get another cat and probably too old to continue running the store. Two buyers offered good deals, a surprise in an era of declining independent bookstores. I worried that the property was more appealing than a bookstore. I didn’t accept either offer.

Your mother and I had a long conversation about all of you. I told her what qualities I thought the store needed in an owner and manager: intelligence, a sense of humor, a love of books, people skills, and financial acumen. She told me that all of you love books and reading, but also: Ricky’s brilliant but completely lacking a sense of humor. Elaine’s loaded with personality but has filed bankruptcy for the second time. Barry has people skills, but his sense of humor skews toward daredevil antics and frequent trips to the emergency room. ‘But Pauline,’ she said, ‘is smart, has a sense of humor, does great with people, and has burned out from pouring herself heart and soul into teaching. Little Village Books would be in capable hands with her, but I can’t imagine her leaving her students.’

I assume if you’re reading this letter, maybe you’re considering a career change. The shop is in the black and won’t be a financial burden to you. In addition, I sold the house and have lived in the apartment above the store for the last couple of years, where you could live. The money from the house sale would come to you with the store. The town’s small, the property taxes are manageable with the apartment and shop bundled together, and when Memphis walked in the front door last year, I somehow knew a future was going to work out for him, me, and a new owner. The cat was good luck. He can be good luck for you, too.

In the large locked drawer of my desk in the apartment, I’ve compiled years of stories about the store, its customers, and the townspeople. It’s a big advantage to know your customers’ tastes, but also who you can count on and who to be wary of. It’s not a perfect town. It’s a real one. Consider those journals the kind of education you got while earning your teaching degree.

Before I close, I advise that if you decide to take the store, even before it opens, do one outrageous thing to communicate to the world, or at least to one little village, there’s a new bookseller in town. After that, I hope, like me, you have the adventure of a lifetime in a store that you own–but honestly, it will own you, too.

Much love,
Grandpa

Pauline returned the letter to her pocket and looked again at Little Village Books. When she’d first seen it, the store signs, the door, and the signs that went to the sidewalk for bargain books and to advertise events, had all been painted a dignified blue and gold. She’d refreshed some of those with new colors, particularly the front door, now bright pink and green. The plaster on the lower exterior wall was the same bright green. Yesterday, she’d heard a child say to her mother, “But I want to go in the melon door store!” She couldn’t hear the mother’s answer as they kept walking, but she knew from that moment, her “outrageous” choice of color had fulfilled Grandpa’s directive.

The “Melon Door” Book Store now officially belonged to her. Or to her and Memphis.

©Becky Cochrane

Button Sunday

I haven’t done one of these for almost two years, and have only ever done three of them. NO, that is not the beginning of the story! Anyway, I’m not writing this story, you are. You don’t have to put it in my comments (though you certainly can, even just a teaser of it, so I can believe you might be having some fun with it). Write it in your journal, on the back of a piece of paper, in a sketchpad, anywhere you can find.

Below is the writing prompt from this wonderful book. If I were ever to teach a class for people motivated to write, this book would be one of my tools. I can barely flip through the pages without my imagination taking wing.

Try it! Here’s your prompt:

I have been haunting this museum for 39 years. I like to think my presence has helped to keep the place interesting to its clientele. The newspapers call me…..

Your turn!

You don’t have to put it in the comments, though it would be fun if you did. But this writing prompt is for you. One thing that is written into the Neverending Saga has to do with elderly people and what they bring to the lives of the characters. I can’t imagine my own life without the seniors I’ve known and how they graced, entertained, enhanced, and touched my life. The best of them were also a little unpredictable and still very young inside.

Do with this what you will, you and Mr. Stanley.

This whole thing started for me this morning when I shot this photo while thinking of one of my characters. Maybe the photo can also be part of your completing this prompt. CREATE!

Time to complete something?

Today is a Full Moon, which had me thinking how full moons are a time of completion, and that reminded me of this book. I first posted it back in March of last year and shared one of the writing prompts. I’m personally invested in what I’m writing now, and I get “prompts” from so many sources–a few I can recall off hand are a perfume bottle, a song (lots of these), an ornament, a recipe, a scrap of fabric, an old car–but I remember well what it’s like to feel blank and frustrated when I want to write.

Even if you don’t write, if your stories are in your mind and not put to paper, maybe you feel like indulging your imagination. Here’s the beginning of a story from the book:

For the past six months, this had been his block. The acoustics were perfect, the foot traffic not too heavy or light, and there was plenty of room on the sidewalk for Jonas and his…

Your next word hopefully gives you an image that fires up your curiosity to figure out who Jonas is and what he’s doing. Things you might consider are imagery (what do you see? hear? smell? taste? touch?), motive, and conflict. Imagine it, write it, dream it–and by the way, I hear dreams on this full pink moon may be important.


Photo by Christophe Lehenaff/Getty Images

Complete the story.

I don’t how or when I’ll complete the story, and I’m fine with that.


Just found a new book, though, that has writing prompts. Some of them look like a lot of fun. However, I won’t be playing for now, as it might provoke a couple of people to demand I send a new chapter from my work in progress.

Still, this is an enticing beginning, and I encourage all you writers or aspiring writers or just humans with some time and creative energy to have fun with it. (If you have trouble reading, I can put the text in comments.)

In my own personal continuing story, today I received my second COVID-19 vaccination. The hope is that based on the timeline of other Houndstooth residents and friends, there may be actual socializing in our small group by the end of April.


Arriving and being checked in. Hi, Luke from Nebraska–thank you!


Just after shot. My other National Guard were from Idaho, Georgia, Washington State, and Germany. They said they are meeting so many new Guard and appreciate the opportunity to help. They also said Houston has been really good to them. =)


Vaccination tents in my rearview mirror as I stop for the 15-minute post-shot waiting period. They do that in case of reactions. If you blow your horn, a healthcare worker will come to assist you, and they have portable rooms set up on the spot for that.

I remain in awe of their organization, efficiency, and upbeat attitudes.