My parents, both college English professors, believed that making students write papers of a certain length was nonsense. In a way, they’re right. Then again, authors must deal with word limits when submitting work for publication. Go figure!
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I was inspired to write the above by a prompt from Cheryl and Kathy at Writing Works Wonders. The idea was to write something, using the word “nonsense” in 50 words or less. You can click here to read others’ responses and submit your own.
While thinking about what to write, I remembered a time in high school when I was assigned to write a 500-word paper, which overwhelmed me. My dad, in gest, suggested I write something like this. “In the night, the cannons went boom, boom, boom,” then repeat the word “boom” as many times as necessary to fulfill the word count requirement. If I’d included this information in the above piece, it would have gone over the 50-word limit. Well, at least I wrote something, and that’s what matters most.
Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography
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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
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Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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My Corner 