OR: The Post in which I WRITE instead of Write About Writing!
The Blog Hoppery Hoopala
So, the neighborhood Kool Kids [Lillie McFerrin, Angie Richmond, Angela Geoff and Daniel Swensen] are hosting a superfly blog hop and they're inviting you, me and the internets at large!
Here's how to participate:
(1) Write a piece of flash fiction, poem or song (300 words or less) using the photo (left) as your inspiration.
(2) Post it on your blog any time between now and when the linky closes on January 30th.
(3) Every entry will qualify for one of several prizes listed here.
And now, without further ado or delay (who me – stalling?!), here is my entry:
BETWEEN THE LINES
Its covers were crafted from tooled leather and the pages edged in gold.
The moment she cracked the spine, darkness spilled into her lap, scurried down her thigh and dashed across the vestibule.
Fiddlesticks. She couldn't catch it, but neither could she let it run free. There was nothing to do but confess.
"Papa," she called from her cushion on the divan.
He looked up from his writing desk. "Yes, Talia?"
No sense pretending. "I opened one of the Vermillion Volumes."
He came to sit beside her. "Which way did it go?"
She pointed.
"And where did it mark you?"
She hung her head and pushed her muslin skirt aside to expose the blister.
He smoothed his thumb over the angry welt until it began to recede. "You must try a little harder to resist the Chronicles of the Forbidden, daughter, or far scarier things than nasty little hobgoblins will escape into this world."
"Yes, sir." She snuggled close. "Papa, why would anyone write a bad story?"
"The stories aren't bad, little love, but between the lines of bad writers lies all their anger and bitterness and discontent. It seeps into their sentences and poisons the pot."
"I don't understand."
"Imagine a story as a forest. The flower are the characters, colorful and enchanting. The trees are the structure, rooted deep and rising to the heavens. The twilit haze is – -"
"That's where the hobgoblins live, right, Papa?"
"Yes, and that is why you must always shine light into a story, so that every aspect is illuminated and every hobgoblin vanquished."
"I promise to be a better reader, Papa."
"I believe you will be, Buttercup, and quite possibly grow up into a lovely writer as well. Now, let's go hobgoblin hunting!"
Update / February 7, 2012 : The Blog Hop winners were announced today and this entry won first place!! Yay!! Thank you, everyone! 
Now there is a world I would love to read more about (and what a great Papa)!
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed the read and meeting Papa!! I enjoy writing him!!
Ohhhh, my favorite so far. This should go on into longer story. I love it!! I could picture everything…well done! Best line, <"The stories aren't bad, little luv, but between the lines of bad writers lies all their anger and bitterness and discontent. It seeps into their sentences and poisons the pot.">
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the read. I had a hard time stopping the momentum but 300 words was the limit. Rest assured I’ll write and share more of Papa!!
Oooo I like this one a lot. Very, very good!
Thank you – so glad you enjoyed the read!
I agree with the previous comments. This is so good. You should really expand this some more.
Thanks! I wrote the story as a one-off, with no intention of furthering it, but a day later, I found it was still nipping at my heels, so there will be more to come. I’m excited to see where it goes!!
Nice! You just got yourself a new follower. I'm excited as well to know what happens next!
Wow – thank you! So glad to hear you liked the story! Happy blog hopping to you!
Great entry; loved the use of the light to clear out a story.
Thank you. I was two hundred and sixty words in before I figured out how to incorporate the light!! You might say it came to me in a flash!! lol
Beauteous, Ruth. Love imagining the story as a forest. Nice work!
Thank you!! The moment I saw the photo, I thought about the tree trunks as lines and the story took off from there … when I assigned the role of characters to the carpet of flowers, I thought of that advertising phrase from the movie version of Gone With The Wind ‘a cast of thousands’ and couldn’t stop laughing! #furthercostumegeekeryensued
Yay costume geeks! That's pretty funny
Yeah, I quack myself up!! It’s a regular laugh-a-palooza over here!! Ahahahahahahahaha! See?! I blame it all on you, oh Fearless Leader!!
This was downright ingenious. Not only a great flash, but an important message for writers. I needed to read that. Thanks!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed reading this one! I had so much fun writing it that I forgot to worry about fussing the message to death and I think that’s why it worked!!
Cute! I loved that!
Thank you! It was a crazy cool photo prompt, huh?! Happy to be participating alongside you!
I have a feeling this piece of flash fiction will hang about in the back of my mind while I write for some time to come! What an interesting and imaginative perspective!
When I dashed it off, I thought that it was the whole story. But now, well, it has its hooks in me and I think I’m gonna spend a good long time with it. I want to check out the hobgoblin hunt and then see what happens next … and next … and so on! Thanks so much for stopping – and happy inking!
A world where writers physically effect their readers, I could get into that!
How fun would that be?! I’d sign up in a heartbeat!!
How are the Blog Masters going to choose between these great entries? Wow. Another superb post.
Thank you. It’s fun to see so many people participating! You’re right – the judges are going to have their hands full!
Wow, nice. Fantasy AND it's meta! Well done.
Thanks!! So glad you enjoyed reading it!
You had me at "pages edged in gold"
What a beautiful story! I'm glad you're taking it further; I want to know more about the hobgoblins and be comforted by the wee Papa :')
Loved the bit about the writers letting their anger and bitterness seep into their writing. #muststopwritingaboutpoppingeyeballs :D
Thanks, Catherine! So glad you enjoyed my golden pages and hobgoblins and Papa!! I’ve been doodling about them all weekend!
A wonderful story to the prompt! I relished this and can imagine it, like the others, as a bigger story….I agree, truly superb!
Yay!! So happy to hear you enjoyed the story!! I quite liked your poem and have my fingers crossed for you come judging time!!
absolutely wonderful – though how could it fail, when it bravely includes both the word 'vesitbule' and the word 'fiddlesticks'! Really admire your use of the photo prompt!
Ahahaha!! So pleased someone enjoyed my fiddlesticks!! Thanks for the encouragement!!
Fun concept – would enjoy reading more about this world. New follower
Thank you! I enjoyed reading your entry too! Oh, I want to also say how much I love the Lamott quote on your blog header!!
GO, YOU WINNER YOU!!!!!
Thank you, my chieftainess! Oh, you NoInklings leave me speechless. Speechless, I tell ya. Awwwww, time for a GROUP HUG!!!
Ah! now I see and seeing is the thing I need the most.
Ruth you have the ink and it shows. This needs more exposure to your fertile pen and eye. Write and we will read it. Love the idea. I want to know more about the Vermillion Volumes, and soon if I may please and thank you.
Billy
Thank you, Billy!! I will deliver up more of the Vermillion Volumes and be sure to keep you in the loop!!
This is such a good opening. I don't get to read as much as i'd like to these days. This story has legs, and teeth.
Great things come from these little incidents of writing, and I for one want more…Billy
Aha! I see you won 'The Blog Hop' and well worth the victory indeed. Pleeaaaase write more about these Vermillion Volumes.