Sad Stories in Threes
As a member of a number of social networks, I am particularly fond of LinkedIn where I take part in homepage discussions from time to time. One of my favourite exercises involved a response to a ‘set task’ – to write a sad story in three words. I found this fascinating.
I had previously come across a sad story in two words “Jesus wept”, found in The Bible. So I wanted to test myself to see if I could up the ante, and rise to the challenge – respect due to the connection who brought this task to the fore.
My first three word sad story was ‘forgot the keys’. Then, over the next few weeks I built on this and wrote in poetic form a series of sad stories in three words.
Each line of Sad Stories in Threes can be read as a story in and of itself. You can also read all of the lines as one body of poetry, and see the emerging tragedy captured in three word lines, revealing a sad story impacting on people, neighbourhoods, and communities over time.
Sad Stories in Threes wraps itself around pitiful global events and political leadership vacuums that have plagued human beings and Our Beautiful Planet Earth since time immemorial, but especially during 2016 – I really do hope 2017 is better.
If you have some time to wile away, try your own three word story – happy or humorous, sad or sombre, you can write about your own perceptions and realities, or delve into your imagination and write about a fantasy, or a dream.
If you lead a creative writing class or workshop, you can use Sad Stories in Threes to stimulate discussion, ask participants to consider the stories behind the three word headlines, and talk about what they think or imagined happened, when, why, where, and how. You can support your session by bringing additional information, news items, personal experience, visual images, and props.
I have found that three word stories are a good discipline for the mind to practice, and can help hone down on the essential features of creative writing in poetic form. You’ll probably end up with a creative work fit for filming and making into a movie – if you are that way inclined.
Sad Stories in Threes
Forgot the keys.
Evidence was lost.
Sick to death.
The people wept.
Fires burn relentlessly.
Fuel tank empty.
Roadblock, cut off.
Criminals seen looting.
Isolated in hopelessness.
The bunker flooded.
Fearing the worst.
Haunted by war.
Colleagues reported missing.
No one cared.
The perpetrators lost.
No one spared.
By Cynthia Antoinette Roomes
© Sad Stories in Threes
December 2016
Featured artwork image: ‘WAR ZONE’
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Love. Love. L.O.V.E
Cynthia Antoinette Roomes
Author of: ‘EVOLUTION – a collection of paintings poetry and prose’
ISBN: 978-1-4772-3972-2 (soft cover)
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