cechambers

[cechambers]

Qigong with a T-Rex

Reach for the stars.   Breathe deeply. Standing straight.   Her short arms reaching.     Small clawed digits wiggling. Whispering to herself:   “You are the Queen of the dinosaurs!” She inhales.   Warm and humid,     The scent of flowers. Exhale.   She thinks about lunch – stop – focus! She stretches again.   Pushing up on her toes.     Hind claws digging into the damp earth. Everything is…

[cechambers]

FICTION: The Weaver

Gracefully, the smooth, worn shuttle slides across the taut warp. Grandfather carved this tool from oak decades earlier, and over the years, the hands of my family polished the wood to a warm luster. I pull the beater forward to press the row of thread into the cloth and raise the next shed. I lay the next row of yarn—a thin, even thread my wife twisted and spun with her aged fingers. Glancing…

[cechambers]

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 2022

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 2022

‘Twas the night before Christmas 2022 Our furnace was purring, so we won’t turn blue. Amazon boxes piled high by the door, Proof that we don’t want to go out to a store. I was wrapped up like a burrito in bed With a couple of Kleenex shoved into my head. In the other room, my hubby relaxed in his chair Watching marble racing on YouTube with care. Our chorus of sniffling, coughing, and…

[cechambers]

WRITING PROMPT: The Page

Friday Writing Prompt

I gave myself a silent ‘hurrah’ as the mechanism released, my fingers aching from the time spent coaxing the lock. Pushing open the door, my triumphant grin slowly slid from my face as I peered into the room. A hard thump in the core of my stomach echoed through my body. The dusty smell of documents still floated in the air, but the rows of golden shelving lay exposed and naked. I ventured…

[cechambers]

FICTION: Bones or No Bones: Ritualistic Use of Animals in early 21st century Pandemic Society

FICTION: Bones or No Bones: Ritualistic Use of Animals in early 21st century Pandemic Society

Bones or No Bones: Ritualistic Use of Animals in early 21st century Pandemic Society Missa Yahdu, University of Southern Mars Abstract: The determination of rituals and ritualistic symbolism of past cultures has always been problematic for historians and archaeologists. This paper will discuss the apparent use of animals for the practice of divination among the pandemic population during the…

[cechambers]

WRITING PROMPT: Memento Mori

WRITING PROMPT: Memento Mori

Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill – Pieter Claesz (1628) – The Met Open Access Cold seeped through my woolen gown as I sat at the window and looked out on the dark, wet street. I should be used to the cold by now. The sputtering glow from the oil lamp had finally gone out. At least I could be thankful the smell of the rancid tallow would soon dissipate. I glanced over at the still life…

[cechambers]

NaNoWriMo 2021: The Quest for Prep Begins!

NaNoWriMo 2021: The Quest for Prep Begins!

I can’t believe it’s almost October! Seriously, I have no idea where 2021 has gone but it feels like it has sped by, leaving me feeling somewhat bewildered. But, as a lot of writers are aware, this means that NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month) is speeding towards any of us who want to take on that challenge. I kinda feel like I’ve been tied to the tracks and the NaNoWriMo…

[cechambers]

WRITING PROMPT: The Alpenhorn of Summoning

WRITING PROMPT: The Alpenhorn of Summoning

The Alpenhorn of Summoning “By the rancid breath of Azag! Why have you summoned me, mortal!?” a voice boomed from within an acrid, titian cloud. “No! Oh no, no, no!” A woman spat out while clicking wildly on her laptop to stop the mournful lowing sound blasting from the speakers. Sylvia grabbed the closest folder and fanned the fog that reeked like wet poodle and burned brownies. She spun…

[cechambers]

Writing, Creating, & Existing with a Chronic Illness

Writing, Creating, & Existing with a Chronic Illness

Like most folks who live with a chronic illness, some days (or weeks or months) are better than others. Sometimes you crank stuff out and you feel like some sort of superhuman. LOOK! I MADE COOL STUFF! And then there are…other days. I have Crohn’s Disease which is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the digestive system.  But, it also comes along with a range of other non-digestive…

[cechambers]

WRITING PROMPT: Make Things Happen

WRITING PROMPT: Make Things Happen

MAKE THINGS HAPPEN appeared across a neon yellow notepad. June’s inspirational note to herself was one in an ocean of small squares. Sticky notes plastered her monitor, a colorful, geometric frame to her half-written to-do list on the screen.    “Come on, where is it?!” she asked into the empty room.    She shuffled through grocery lists, her travel itinerary, and bills due last Tuesday. As the…

[cechambers]

WRITING PROMPT: Squirrel!!!

I watched through the fluttering leaves, only my eyes twitching as I observed the woman open the trunk of her car. I’ve been watching her for weeks now, learning her habits and routines. She has never seen me, too wrapped up in herself to be aware of her surroundings. She bent and yanked an overloaded brown paper sack from her car. Glancing quickly over her shoulder, she looked around as if she…

[cechambers]

WRITING PROMPT: Capybara

One of my writing groups has started putting out weekly image writing prompts. The challenge is to write no more than 250 words in any form or genre. This one is a few weeks old but I really wanted to write something because look at this awesome animal… Capybara. Image by Manolo Franco from Pixabay. ‘Curious and cuddly’ he typed out on the flickering screen Added to the bullet point list on…

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Writing Fiction vs Non-Fiction

Writing Fiction vs Non-Fiction

I was involved in a chat the other day about writing fiction vs. writing non-fiction. That chat got me thinking about why or how I like writing fiction. I’ve always had a crazy imagination. I’m continually questioning or wondering about things around me. Seriously, inside my brain is a random, wacky place sometimes. I naturally do a lot of “what if-ing” inside my head. What if someone turned…

[cechambers]

Another Year...Thank Goodness!

Another Year…Thank Goodness!

So…2020, that was a…thing. It wasn’t a particularly good thing. It was difficult for a lot of folks in a wide variety of ways. I was certainly more lucky than others, but it was still one hell of a doozy of a year. I am glad to put that one behind me. But, with each new year, I like to do a recap of the goals I set for last year, what I accomplished, and what my goals are for the coming…

[cechambers]

County Lines: A Literary Journal

New Blog Post!

Exciting News! I mentioned in an earlier blog post that one of my short stories had received an honorable mention in a local writing contest. I just found out last week, that County Lines: A Literary Journal Vol. 8 2021 has gone live on Amazon.com. My short story, “The Stars Taste of Cardamom” is in this anthology. This will be the first story that is being printed in a hard copy and not just…

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HAVEN’T I BEAN HERE BEFORE?

HAVEN’T I BEAN HERE BEFORE?

Short Fantasy Fiction: 1,656 words

Björn slumped down into his shabby chair, the aged springs squeaked, and the worn paisley cushions gave a sad puff as he settled in. He propped his legs up on a tattered ottoman to warm his feet by the small blaze in the grate and kicked off his heavy boots. Slouching even further into the chair, he sighed as he soaked up the warmth, and his eyes drooped…

[cechambers]

Back to the Drawing Board

Back to the Drawing Board

On my current work in progress, I’m going back to the Drawing Writing Board. I’ve been outlining for the past month, but I have not been engaged with that work. When I started thinking about why I wasn’t wanting to work on the project as much, I realized that one of the main plotlines just wasn’t working for me. I was feeling like I had to force it at every turn.

Think! Think! Think! (Photo…