Free Stories and Writing Lessons for Beginning Writers
This feature is both a story that I have written and a writing lesson about how and why it was constructed. With these free stories and writing tips that I present, it is my intention to show beginning writers how to write with strong verbs and descriptive phrases.
These lessons also illustrate how grammar usage and knowing how to write or construct a sentence or paragraph can open up your writing world and add depths that you might not have imagined or experienced before. As always, comments and questions are always welcomed and encouraged.
A Rose in the Ashes
This story was inspired by my dear friend, Gloria Dahl.
We all experience difficult times...some more painful than others.
Sometimes our dreams and our hearts become scorched and broken, and all that seem to remain is a pile of ashes. The ashes of our sorrows.
I had a dream that appeared to whither and die, right before my eyes. It floated to the ground like wispy feathers, a piece at a time, dark and sooty...the ashes of my sorrow.
I stood over my dream with a tear in my eye. The tear quivered among my lashes for the briefest of moments before slowly and silently making its lonely trek down the softness of my cheek and finding a new home in the ashes of my sorrow.
I turned to walk away from my dream when a flash of crimson caught the corner of my eye and drew it back to the ashes. There...right in the middle...in the ashes of my sorrow, was a rose of brilliant red. Its fiery petals were raised triumphantly skyward, glorying in the warmth of the golden sun, while its roots dug their thickened toes deeply into the ashes of my sorrow like a carefree child on a warm, breezy afternoon at the beach. I could almost hear the call of gulls as they dipped and swooped over the surface of a roaring surf.
The sound of silence grew loud in my ears, and in its stillness, I could hear the echo of quiet tears plopping and being embraced by the ashes of my sorrows. From each tear, a flower bloomed, and a garden of beauty blossomed around my feet, each rose a differing shape and color.
As my senses absorbed the scene before me, I realized that my dream had not died at all. Only in my releasing of the dream was it able to grow and flourish, providing sustenance for me and nurturing others.
The wisdom of the ashes of my sorrow spoke volumes to me as I listened to its silent witness.
I felt refreshed.
I was renewed.
I opened my eyes, picked up my pen, and began to write once more.
This story was written as a tribute to my friends who have walked with me and strengthened me throughout a very difficult and painful phase of my life.
The tears represent the different situations and setbacks that I have endured, and the roses are my friends…friends who have reached out to me and given me love, support, friendship, and laughter at the times when I needed them most.
Oftentimes in the struggles of life, we fail to recognize the roses scattered amongst the ashes of our sorrows. It is only when we draw our eyes away from our sorrows that we can see that our dreams never really die. They are only taking root, preparing for the day when their tender shoots are ready to break through the fertile ashes of our sorrows and reach for the sky.
When your heart is broken and your inspiration is gone, don’t forget to look around. I guarantee that you’ll begin to see your own garden springing up around you.
Copyright 2002 by Lynette Scott. This article may be reprinted as long as it is printed in its entirety and a link back to this web page is provided with the article. All rights reserved.
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