Saturday 8 September 2012

Visual Dare - The Odd Couple

Driving home yesterday from my interview (you can read about it here) I was doing that thing where you review everything you've said and wonder how you came across and if you should have said things differently...

To distract myself from my post mortem I turned my attention instead to this week's Visual Dare set by Angela Goff.

An unusual picture had sparked debate and I was struggling at first to think of an idea.


Then I came up with this...


Clare’s physical features are all angular, sticky out elbows, sharp collarbones, pointed nose. She is a bird, picking at her food in the same manner as she picks at people. Extracting the juiciest morsels to play with, feathering her nest with woven gossip.

I wonder what animal Howard sees her as.

My ex, laidback and crumpled like a cat who has seen too much in his past eight lives.

He has this knack of keeping her unfiltered criticism in check, playfully pouncing on her cruel words batting them away like a kitten with a ball.

I stab my chicken menacingly!

Let me know your thoughts...

And check out the other stories at Anonymous Legacy.

 

9 comments:

  1. These descriptions are spot on for each animal, nice work :)

    (Btw thanks for your observation on mine, all fixed)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Laura - I really struggled with this prompt to start with so I was pleased to get anything written.

      Delete
  2. LOVE. Great characterization, describing the people in such animistic terms that reveal their character. Like the twist of the POV describing *her* exboyfriend and his new flame. Makes me wonder what plot twist is coming, now that we've been introduced to such a unique trio. More please!! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well let's just see what next week's prompt is, I do fancy doing a follow up so there might be more...;-)

      Delete
  3. Your story reminds me of how effective comparing people to animals can be in conveying character. Really well done. If this is what you do with a prompt that stymies you, let's hope for more of those.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind comments. I remember doing an exercise in a writing class once where we wrote about a character as if they were an animal, I must have dredged that memory out from somewhere in the back of my befuddled brain - inspiration is a funny old thing!

      Delete
  4. Sarah, I think you did a great job here! You made the people come to life with their bird-like features. You weren't stymied at all! :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stymied - such a good word - I need to use it in a story! So have you written something on this prompt yet? I know you were "STYMIED" too! x

      Delete
  5. The narrator feels like a cat too, but not a playful one at this point! Some great descriptions!

    ReplyDelete