Ficly.com

Okay so just had a bit of fun playing around on the site ficly.com. I sourced this from one of the writer's resources mentioned in the previous post.

The basic concept of the site is people post very short stories or scenes for others to read, and at the end of it you can write a prequel or sequel for it.

I set up a user profile called 'Catcher in the Why' and then wrote a sequel to someone's poem. I didn't write a poem myself but rather turned it into a story.

The best way to explain is to show you. Everything that's on the site is viewable without logging in so I don't think i'll be causing any offense by reposting it here. If I end up talking to the author of the poem and they're bothered by this i'll take it down.

Someone going by the username THX 0477 posted the following poem;

http://ficly.com/stories/26864

Pocket of life amidst the barrens
Bowl before the heavens
Stony tendrils spread under vaulted sun
In their midst a spring fed glade

Amidst miles of rock and held aloft
Greenery grows and beckons souls
Weary of war and valley heat,
“Come partake, my verdant sanctum.”

Little more than grass and shrubs
This little spot, a mountain’s Eden
In all directions, rock, dust, death and war
Pocket of life amidst the barrens

At the end of the poem in the comments section he mentions he was trying an experiment, writing an idyll poem from a dare.

I posted this as a sequel.

http://ficly.com/stories/26890

Tim covered his face with his hands from embarrassment, unconsciously becoming the proverbial ostrich burying his head in the sand. He was in school assembly, every grade was in attendance, and his younger brother Jeremy had been selected to read out one of his poems as a part of literature week.

Tim knew Jeremy was a ‘unique individual,’ their mother reminded him often enough, and on one level Tim had always admired his brothers ability to be himself at any cost, but there were times when social pressure got the best of him and he wished Jeremy would just try a little anonymity.

It was one thing for him to be reading his poetry in school but why, dear god why, did he have to do it dressed as a wizard wearing attached breathing apparatus. What the hell was a space wizard anyway? This thing was way too conceptual for a high school crowd and Tim had a sinking feeling there were more props involved that hadn’t even been seen yet.

Tim looked up from his masked face & saw Jerry Hull grinning at him. Oh crap!

It was fun. I'm going to try some more I think. I certainly hope THX takes no offense at my turning his post into a story about being embarrassed by poetry. I have no problem with poetry at all, just wanted to have a little fun and try my own experimenting. This was definitely a good antidote to all that analysis of late.