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December 7: Flash Fiction Challenge

December 7 Flash Fiction Challenge at Carrot Ranch @Charli_MillsWe crowd into the lobby, snow nipping at our backs each time a new couple or family enters the oak doors. I wiggle my fingers to diminish the giddiness of a night out to the Calumet Theater. I listen to chatter as people explain who they know in the upcoming performance of Alice in Winterland. One mother laughs when she explains how much green paint her daughter wears as the Grinch. Another confesses how nervous her son is the play Charlie Brown.

It’s a winterland mash-up of familiar American Christmas stories all set to the music and narrative arc of Taichoski’s Nutcracker Ballet. It’s a bit like this take on multiple Christmas songs in one minute:

And all of this creativity in bites to produce one performance also reminds me of the weekly compilation of responses to our flash fiction challenges. It struck me, as I took my seat in the historic gilded and velveted Calumet Theater how much of a ballet mom still resides in my heart, rounding up the stories backstage each week. I want to bring roses to all the writers after a performance.

It’s been too long since I connected with my inner stage-mom. For 15 years I lived in awe of The Nutcracker. Five of those years I eagerly watched from backstage as my eldest daughter and youngest son both performed in a professional ballet troupe from Minneapolis.

Every child in dance dreams of shoes and sugar plum ferries. In ballet, it’s point shoes. After spending $100 on a pair of pink satin slippers with ribbons so fair, my darling daughter would pound the toe-boxes, burn the satin off the point and whip-stitch the ribbons. If it sounds horrific, consider what we writers do to a flash fiction.

We pound stories into sentences, slice words to a perfect 99, and strangle characters with twists so fine.

Between the audience seats and the dancers behind the curtain exists a stage upon which we both suspend belief and let art convey the story. I love dance as much as literary art, but I have no skill for it. I can take classes, just as I learned the craft. But writing is the performance I prefer. I’m content to sit in the audience and watch the dancers.

For years, I helped backstage, learning how to double-pin strands of wayward hair and zip sparking costumes during quick changes. A quick change occurs when a dancer must change costumes for back-to-back dance numbers. My son, one of few boys who even studied classical ballet, was guaranteed to be cast as one of Clara’s brothers and rarely had quick changes in the first half. My daughter danced in the corp, meaning she had numerous changes.

And lucky me, one year I was responsible for the Prince.

The Calumet Theater with its opulence and history reminds me of the Red Wing Theater where The Nutcracker performed on tour. I went with the troupe and taxied my kids to classes, performances, and costume fittings. Each December dreams of sugar plums danced on stage. And then the lights went out.

Children grow up, move on and stage-moms are left with no one to buy roses for or help whip-stitch new ribbons. What a comfort it is to be in a theater again, listening to family chatter, watching former students return for the holidays and sneak backstage to say hello. I sink into my seat, wait for the house lights to dim, knowing that these children performing on stage have received classical ballet instruction from my daughter.

A literary community knows such connectedness, too. I’m stage-mom in the back-wings, watching each of you work at your craft, find joy in the steps and brave the spotlight when it’s your turn to perform. And yet we are a whole, each voice lending to a more powerful dynamic than one alone.

Hold on to that feeling a moment. Two points I want you to own: no matter your solo, no matter your dream and your pain to accomplish it, no matter how many hours you write alone — you are not alone here. Second, we are a part of something bigger, something we call art. And we are champions for literary art, giving voice to unheard stories, even giving voice to the invisible.

If you know some of my journey, you are aware of how I feel about the homeless experience and veteran struggles being invisible among society. They are the unsung songs, the canceled performances, the flash fiction in a journal no one reads. Recently I learned of an organization using another art form to give voice to veterans and their families:

Songwriting With Soldiers operates from a simple principle — pair veterans and active-duty service members with professional songwriters to craft songs about their military experiences.

To me, this is a powerful way to use art to heal, to create empathy for another’s experience, to give voice to those who struggle to articulate that experience. Songwriter, Mary Gauthier, wrote The War After the War (below) with the input from six combat veteran spouses, which is the number of women I share my own experiences with each week. It’s empowering when the invisible are seen and heard.

While I don’t have roses to share with all you who perform on the writing stage at Carrot Ranch, I have a digital gift for the holiday season. If you’ll go to my Canva profile, you can pin or download the Carrot Ranch Seasonal Desktop Wallpaper to add a touch of holiday cheer to your computer. I tried to think of different manifestations like the diversity we have here at the ranch (the squirrels are for the nuts among us who don’t like holiday cheer).

Surrounded by velvet the lights finally go low at the theater. The performance has begun. And I’ll let you get to your own.

December 7, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write that features a performance. You can interpret what is a performance any way the prompt leads you.

Respond by December 12, 2017 to be included in the compilation (published December 13). Rules are here. All writers are welcome!

***

Performance Anxiety (from Miracle of Ducks) by Charli Mills

Standing in the darkened wings, Danni stretched her hips. She arched her back, clasping her hands overhead. On the stage, Evelyn prepped the audience.

This was her moment. She couldn’t see faces, just the heavy beam of overhead stage lights. Her professor taught her tricks to overcome performance anxiety when she realized that as an archeologist she’d occasionally have to give public presentations.

The Sandpoint Theater was packed, and Evelyn was already giving introductions. “Without further ado, Dr. Danni Gordon…”

Walking out into the lights, Danni conjured the friendliest face, as if she were performing just for him – Ike.

###

 


184 Comments

  1. […] Source: December 7: Flash Fiction Challenge […]

  2. Frank Hubeny says:

    Imagining the face of a loved one seems like a good way to overcome performance anxiety.

    Here is my approach to the performance prompt, but it is not on an official stage.

    ——————

    Holiday Storytelling

    Each year Peter told the grandkids how he killed the monster. They believed him, but children grow up.

    Sylvie was nearly grown-up. She quietly went to Grandma Alice to get the truth, “Did Grandpa really kill a monster?”

    Alice told her, “Your Grandpa’s getting old. He wants you to be happy and so he tells stories. He’s feeling better now but he has protected me from his nightmares for many years. I only know this. What he fought was not exactly what I would call a ‘monster’.”

    “I didn’t think so.”

    “It was the meanest dragon that ever lived.”

  3. Chris Mills says:

    Escape Artist: Flash Fiction Challenge for December 7

    My husband insists on a dress rehearsal of his escape routine. He was a failure as an illusionist, so he’ll try Houdini’s gig.

    I snap the padlocks. Believe me, it’s an honor. He sinks onto his back in the coffin. As his assistant, I kneel and kiss him, passing a key into his mouth from mine. I lower the lid.

    From the coat closet, I retrieve a suitcase and pause at the front door. The real key lies on the locked lid. I hate to miss the performance, but it will be a long scene before the curtain drops.

  4. denmaniacs4 says:

    First Performance

    “NO! I WON’T! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME.”

    I still see him, still hear his awful silence. Eyes darting. Like the condemned. Tears desert-dry. The pain is too much for waterworks.

    Nine he was that Christmas. He shot up by thirteen but that year when he was nine, he was a waterless shoot.

    Arrested.

    Pale, as if exposure to the sun would shrivel him.

    He had two lines. “He is a beautiful baby.” And “The donkey is sad.”

    The moment overcame him. He scampered off the stage into his mother’s arms.

    The play, as plays do, went on without him.

  5. Juliet Nubel says:

    You do bring us roses every week, Charli. Your input and comments, hard work and thought put into these weekly challenges are like a stage-mom’s hug after every performance. Thank you for all of that. I’ll be back later.

  6. julespaige says:

    I don’t know what a Cavana provile is or how to get there… anyone?

    Public speaking, or even smaller presentations for school… they all can be a tad nerve racking. In one choir I was in we couldn’t be seen, in another – until grew to be too many, we were in a high loft, but then moved to an in your face front section. I’ve done my share – and think that I may never have to do it again. Yet one remembers that one should never say never…

    Anyway – just wanted to put two cents in and Thank You Charli for the music additions. I’ll be back…

    • Charli Mills says:

      Oops! That would be a failed link! It’s linked now, Jules and here’s the address to my Canva Profile: https://www.canva.com/wordsforpeople.

      You might think, “never,” but you’re an overcomer and do it nonetheless. I think singing in a choir must be a magnificent experience, adding one’s voice to others. Kind of like our collections!

  7. […] December 7: Flash Fiction Challenge December 7, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write that features a performance. You can interpret what is a performance any way the prompt leads you. […]

  8. julespaige says:

    “In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”
    Sir Francis Bacon

    CR/ LIGHT; messaging (reverse haibun + two words)

    the cursor blinking
    waits to advance – the curse,
    blessing; advances –

    As the cusser and controller of the keys, the writer walks
    that odd line through. I stand watching the squirrels out the
    window like acrobats unafraid of tree limb heights. Spying
    on the line up of birds taking turns at the feeder. Woodpeckers,
    Junko, Mourning dove, mockingbird… pecker, junk, mourning,
    mocking… is there a secret message from nature? That present
    darkness, swooning like a lost love. As dawn breaks and the
    sky turns a faint blue, who else is looking for the light of the
    bright sun to shine?

    ©JP/dh

    Note: I actually wrote this 12.7 for my daily verse. And I only had to
    add two words. When something fits… use it. Could just be I was
    connected to the prompt before I saw it… I’d like to think that sometimes
    we all can do that – Make a connection to the performance even before
    we see the play…

    • Charli Mills says:

      That’s so true about how we make connections and I think our minds are constantly doing this. I like the idea of the sun dawning as if the stage lights come on.

    • Liz H says:

      “I’d like to think that sometimes
      we all can do that – Make a connection to the performance even before
      we see the play…”
      A great synchronicity, indeed!

    • Pete says:

      Beautiful images, loved that last line…

  9. Pete says:

    Take Five

    Jan set the cake on the table. She lit candles, grabbed her phone, and pressed record.

    “Happy Birthday, to Logan…Happy birthday, to Lo—”

    Jan popped up. “Tyler, why aren’t you singing?”

    Tyler rolled his eyes. Logan leaned forward, ready for cake, but Jan held out a hand. “No sweetie, not yet. Hang on. Tyler, sing. Avery, smile. Okay, ready? Smile!”

    She pressed record. “Happy Birthday, to you…Happy—”

    Jan cocked her head. “Tyler, try to look happy, so I can post this.”

    “Mom.”

    “Shh. Okay, let’s try again. Smile. Baby, not yet. Okay, ready?” She pressed record.

    “Haaappy….”

    • Ha ha ha ha. You can take the child to the camera, but you can’t make him smile 🙂

    • Charli Mills says:

      And this is reality-tv! Great modern take on the everyday performances of our lives, Pete.

      • Pete says:

        Thanks Charlie, I had no idea about your life in theater. No wonder you’re such a fantastic writer, you’ve done a little bit of everything !

      • Charli Mills says:

        It was forensics that really captivated me because I could let the “characters” come to life in a dramatic or humorous interpretation, and I think it does help in writing characters to life, too. But mostly, I pinned hair and tutus! 😀 I can’t wait to see where your son takes you as a Dad. The journey is wild, as you already know.

    • Liz H says:

      (I find it’s easier to smile and sing AFTER dessert!) 😀

    • What a performance. Sadly I fear this could be true for many. social media has a lot to answer for.

      • Pete says:

        I know it. Not too long ago I went for a hike when my wife and kid were out of town. Reaching the top of an overlook, where I used to take a breath and look at the scenery, I found myself patting my pockets for my phone, as though to validate my hike. Luckily I’d left it in the car and was forced to enjoy the scenery.

      • I’m the same when it comes to scenery but I always have been that way. Now it is just easier to carry a phone instead of the camera, cheaper to develop and I can enjoy for a lot longer than just having the memory which starts to become somewhat blurred. I always have time to physically enjoy the moment and there are some things I do not photograph.

    • In our efforts to capture and remember every detail, we miss so much of what we hope to hold. I find myself happier the more I turn off my technology. Love your take on the prompt.

    • julespaige says:

      So hard to be happy when you aren’t… just let them eat cake.
      Not everything has to be recorded. But then this comment comes from a person who does not have a smart phone 😉

  10. […] For Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge — “Performance” […]

  11. Juliet Nubel says:

    Hi again,
    I’m back with my story. Which is really my story. I am this mother…

    Ol’ Red Eyes

    ‘Your daughter danced beautifully.’ The other mum stared at my red-rimmed eyes but didn’t mention them.

    ‘Yours too’, I lied.

    I hadn’t noticed her daughter or any of the other girls. I never do. They are all just a blur of pale legs and lacquered hair, moving around the edges of my own beautiful child.

    The tears spring forth whenever she flies onstage. I smile from the heart, but my eyes weep freely from a well, deep within my soul.

    Where that well originates will be a lifelong mystery. Her beauty, her grace?

    Or just pure, undiluted, crystal-clear pride?

  12. […] If you want to participate, here’s the link:  https://carrotranch.com/2017/12/07/december-7-flash-fiction-challenge/ […]

  13. Viva la Diva

    “Told ya Pal.”
    “Told me what?”
    “All the world’s a stage.”
    “Yep, s’pose so. Hey, do you dance, Kid?”
    “Jist the can’t-can’t. Why? Hope Shorty’s ain’t plannin’ some sorta ballet here at Carrot Ranch.”
    “Naw, her dancin’ lessons are of the 99 word variety.”
    “Gotta tell ya, Shorty’s a tough act ta follow. Such strong performances every week.”
    “Yep, Shorty’s writin’s a gift.”
    “Pal, ta say that diminishes the fact that Shorty’s sharpened her skills an’ honed her craft through perseverance an’ hard work.”
    “Kid, I meant Shorty’s writin’s a gift ta all us.”
    “Oh. Now I’m readin’ ya.”

  14. The Show Goes On

    A long running show, predictable; performed live, it could easily go off script, could still surprise the players as well as the audience. She used to enjoy that.
    She was well respected for her roles, yet, despite her experience, her pre-show jitters were getting worse instead of better. Onstage if the tempo slowed at all, she was aware of a persistent anxiety, always ready to prompt her from behind the curtain, whispering to her of her inadequacies.
    “Good morning, how are you?”
    She smiled. “Fine.”
    7:55 A.M.
    She had gotten through her first act, had given a convincing performance.

    • I wonder what role she takes on when everyone has gone to work or to school. I would love her to be a detective…or even a serial killer for that matter 🙂

      • Oh my. I did not see that coming. I felt she was more ordinary than that. Tell ya what, since this flash has some ambiguity, you can go on and have her be a serial killing detective if you wish. There is no right or wrong response.

    • Ugh. Did it again. Charli, when you come by this way, you should know that the better version is over my way.

      • Charli Mills says:

        The ambiguity is well-balanced in this flash, D. It allows us, as readers, to both feel ourselves in that role (empathy) or imagine any call to come (adventure). Never a problem picking up a later version! You certainly help me out in that regard. 😉

    • julespaige says:

      Yep, sometimes just getting through the day can be like that. I had a few jobs that I ‘performed’ like that …

  15. […] If you want to participate, here’s the link:  https://carrotranch.com/2017/12/07/december-7-flash-fiction-challenge/ […]

  16. Hola Charli and the good folks of this community. Here’s my take on the prompt: https://jagahdilmein.wordpress.com/2017/12/09/the-audition/

  17. […] for Carrot Ranch, December 7, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a flash that features a […]

  18. […] Flash Fiction Challenge at Carrot Ranch […]

  19. Annecdotist says:

    How lovely to progress from assisting your children’s dance performances to watching one that your daughter has enabled. Good vibes passed down through generations!
    Having addressed my own book-promotion performance in a recent post, I thought I’d go back there for my flash. It’s inspired by Yoko Ono’s performance Cut Piece from 1965, although it didn’t come my way until a video at an art gallery about a dozen years ago. I think (I hope) it’s a bit more disturbing than the Christmas show that inspired this prompt.
    Does a ‘first draft’ video reflect badly on my published fiction? http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/2017/10/does-a-first-draft-video-reflect-badly-on-my-published-fiction.html

    • Charli Mills says:

      Yoko Ono’s performance cuts deeper than what I see in local theater and dance. Although I did go to the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra performance of Sinfonia Artica which portrays Admiral Scott’s failed arctic expedition. The final piece begins with his last entry in his recovered journal and he states he has no regret. A soprano was sequestered away from the choir and orchestra and moaned gracefully to the wind machine and strings. It reminded me how much I appreciate performances that uplift. I can’t say Yoko’s piece is uplifting but it certainly exposes. And I still enjoy your videos!

  20. I imagine that there is much grieving that occurs as ones children stretch their wings and fly. I had not thought of the backstage mum as being part of this before but I can now. It must make your heart swell with pride to have watched her on the stage and now to watch on the stage those that she has taught. I’m heading off to consider my own performance – thank you for the wallpaper — a lovely reminder that with the community you have created we can perform knowing that we are not alone. I will return with a flash.

  21. […] For: December 7: Flash Fiction Challenge […]

  22. TanGental says:

    Lovely stuff Charli and the respondents (is that a new rock band?) I love the idea of the songs for the military. Have you come across Gareth Malone and the Military Wives? There’s a BBC series about how he formed them and took them to the Royal Albert Hall and a number one hit, even though they were complete amateurs. Very moving stuff.

    • Charli Mills says:

      If I led any band it might be ill-fated and short lived, but we’d have a great name! 😉 Wow, I had not known about Gareth Malone and the Military Wives. Incredible. I’ll read up on it more and try to find the BBC documentary. We’re all amateurs on that stage but together, military wives are a force of nature. This group here in Hancock is nothing short of amazing. I’m already thinking about how we Carrot Ranch responders could work with collected stories from the vets and wives and write flash…perhaps that is a project for Vol. 3.

  23. TanGental says:

    Here’s a link to their song https://youtu.be/kQ7f4lV3e0c

  24. […] Carrot Ranch Prompt (12/07/2017): In 99 words (no more, no less) write that features a performance. You can interpret what is a performance any way the prompt leads you. […]

  25. Liz H says:

    My effort at a grisly smile:

    My Mouth-Watering Performance

    “All I remember,” I pause, heaving a shuddering sigh, “Was walking into the downstairs parlor. It was dark, but I smelled swampland. I stepped in a patch of something wet and my feet flew out from under me.

    “And then I came to and saw your dear face hovering above me,” I grasp his brawny bicep, offering up a shaky smile. “But your fiancée, Melanie, has been…eviscerated.”

    “Murdered by the Swamp Thing!” Lawrence clenches his fists. “I swear I won’t rest until it’s destroyed!”

    “Of course, Dear,” I murmur, picking a strand of swamp grass from my teeth.

    https://huldermn.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/my-mouth-watering-performance/

  26. Wow! Those rocks inspired me! Thank you, again. Hope you enjoy the performance. https://colleenchesebro.com/2017/12/11/the-gales-of-november-a-haibun-haiku/

  27. […] 7, 2017, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write what features a performance. You can interpret what is a […]

  28. Joe Owens says:

    Hello all. I just returned from a mission trip to Central America, so will drop back into my regular posting schedule again I hope! Looking forward to catching up on everyone’s responses. https://fictionplayground.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/a-five-star-performance-carrot-ranch-weekly-flash-12-07-17/

    • Charli Mills says:

      Welcome back, Joe! Wow, that must have been memorable. How was your mission trip?

      • Joe Owens says:

        It was fantastic Charli. I decided to sponsor a seven year old through a Christian organization run by a good friend I met in Belize 5 years ago. God blessed me so much and has revitalized and refocused me!

  29. […] Mills at https://carrotranch.com challenges us to “present a performance in 99 words.” Mine is based on a true story […]

  30. […] week’s flash fiction prompt over at Carrot Ranch is one that gave me an idea right away, so I wonder how I’m getting my response in with […]

  31. […] This, of course led to the week’s flash fiction prompt in which Charli challenged writers to In 99 words (no more, no less) write that features a performance. You can interpret what is a perfor… […]

  32. Norah says:

    Hi Charli,
    I’m late this week. Apologies, I’ve had some distractions. Here’s my contribution: Christmas lights https://wp.me/p3O5Jj-12A I do promise to catch up on reading. If I’m too late, it’s okay to leave my story out. I’m okay with that. 🙂

    • Liz H says:

      They do let us know, in no uncertain terms, when enough is enough!

    • Charli Mills says:

      I keep late hours at the Ranch and you have the advantage of being a day ahead! Besides, I’d wait for you, Norah. Hope your distractions are all positive!

      • Norah says:

        Thank you, Charli. That’s so sweet. The grandchildren and Christmas activities were a good part of the distraction! Then recovering. 🙂

    • julespaige says:

      Oh, I know that overtired little person all to well.
      Sometimes even as a grown up adult – I think I’d like to stomp and fuss until I fall asleep! 🙂

      • Norah says:

        Sometimes we just can’t help ourselves, can we? I know I’m in need of sleep when little things, that normally wouldn’t, start to niggle. As adults we are able to make better behaviour choices. Usually.

  33. […] week at the Carrot Ranch Literary Community, Charli hosts the flash fiction challenge. This week’s prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that features a […]

  34. Deborah Lee says:

    Those not behind the scenes of any art cannot know the twists, the angst, the drive and the gritty hard work to bring forth a performance that makes it look easy! Wonderful post, as always.

    https://99monkeysblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/command-performance-jane-doe-flash-fiction/

  35. You give us roses in so many ways, Charli. I love the connections you’ve drawn here between these arts you love. What beautiful thoughts on the processes we employ to hone our talents. Awesome.
    Here’s my offering for the week…just making it under the wire, I hope. http://www.themeaningofme.com/curtain-call/

    • Charli Mills says:

      Thanks, Lisa! It’s rewarding to work these performances and see what you all create each week. And wires are easy to get under! 🙂

    • julespaige says:

      Your piece reminds me of all the times I had tot move while growing up… that last performance in the old school and having to shore up for the new one.

  36. Aww Charli, I’m so sorry I missed your post and flashing this week. Just couldn’t do it. Thank you for reminding us we are not alone in this, in our art, in our struggle and isolation. Love the medley, so clever and what a great night out! Moved by the The War after the War…and so thankful you have your support network of other VA wives…. <3

  37. A wonderful post, Charli. My sons have never been interested in drama, sadly, unlike me who was a real exhibitionist. Here is my contribution: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/flashfictionchallenge-the-red-devil/

  38. julespaige says:

    I’ve had my own distractions this week; A trilogy of three books each about three hundred pages. So my performance of getting to all these wonderful entries… I was determined to catch up on before the next 99 flash prompt.

    Stay warm or cool depending on where you are 🙂

  39. […] in response to the December 7 Flash Fiction Challenge at Carrot Ranch […]

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