This enclosed bridge passes over the Rio di Palazzo in Italy, connecting the interrogation rooms to the Prigioni Nuove, the New Prison. It was named Bridge of Sighs by Lord Byron in the 19th century, because the view through stone grills was the last convicts saw of Venice before their imprisonment. Photochrom Print Collection Where … Continue reading Bridge of Sighs
personal investigation
from ruins
This is the front door of the Dalmore House in Scotland, completed in 1881, deemed uninhabitable in the early 1960s, and destroyed by fire in April 1969. Life is short, and we are transient. Walk through these doors and discover who lived here, retrieve their stories, reveal who they were by what they believed and what they … Continue reading from ruins
seeing the light
These are paper filament incandescent electric light bulbs, invented by Thomas Edison in the late 19th century. Illumination is produced when an electric current heats the interior wire filament to a high enough temperature to make it glow. Imagine a love affair that enacts this story of light - the intense heat generated to make love will burn as intensely as … Continue reading seeing the light
final
There is only one 'first kiss', and there is a last time for everything. List ten things you have done for the last time. Then, write a story that begins with 'first kiss' and ends again and again, until the last time.
truth to fiction
Translating life into fiction can be a way to externalize our inner apocalypse... photo: Jon Sullivan ...and reading our fiction can lead us to an understanding of what we have locked away. Write about a Thanksgiving that became a turning point in your life, locate it in an exaggerated world of your creation, and animate it with people who enact … Continue reading truth to fiction
art from shackles
What happens to you when you see this prompt on your screen? Creating a password can be as agonizing and fraught with drama as beginning or ending a relationship. How much do you reveal, how much can you hide? What secret code will unlock this other's heart? Will the secret code elude you in the moments … Continue reading art from shackles
underwood five typos
Imagine a blizzard - you are in an isolated, two room, mountain cabin, with no electricity, no computer or cell phone. Your car is buried; a mound of snow the only evidence that it is parked outside. You've tried shoveling, but it's pointless. So you build a fire in the wood stove to keep warm. … Continue reading underwood five typos
foreshadowing flim flam
Rule for writing and life: A flim flam man (or woman) cannot work in a vacuum. It takes at least two participants for flim flam to be successful. So, when a character (or you)is bamboozled, there will be plenty of red flags in the field. They will look something like this: photo: Justine Belson In writing, … Continue reading foreshadowing flim flam
deceit
What have you agreed to believe, though you knew it could not be true? Recall the moment when you knew you had gotten on the wrong train. How long after that did you stay on the train because you paid good money for the ticket? Jon Sullivan Create a character (loosely based on you), and offer them … Continue reading deceit
living dead
Think of a time in your life when you felt like the living dead. What brought you back? John and Karen Hollingsworth Take that turning point and write it. Write to re-live.
Szabo Creative Consulting 