The Story of my Blog Title

Quilt of Dragonflies- My blog is named that for a reason.I am lucky enough to own a genuine Quilt of Dragonflies, which I am sure brings me good dreams when I sleep beneath it. It was given to me by a friend of my mother's, who handmade the entire thing. Color meets pattern in this fantastic piece of artwork which sits on my bed. Brilliant shades of purple, blue, and green intersperse with tie dye dragonflies. I will not hesitate to call it my inspiration.







Monday, November 14, 2011

Write on Wednesdays...think with character

This week at WoW we are doing a pick your own adventure day. I have been wanting to explore some of my characters with greater depth, and I think this is a great time to do it. The exercise involved choosing a character from a previous piece and finding out something more about the character, or creating a new character all together. I decided to make up my own character, because I couldn't find an old character that I really wanted to work with. Some characters are built to be vague, and when I tried to think of how to introduce them, I was at a loss. So I am starting from scratch. Enjoy!


Anne was a quiet kid. A reader, a writer, a silent adventurer.The kind of kid that all the parents chatter about during family gatherings.

"Oh, she's gonna have a big life in front of her. Bet she's gonna end up at Harvard or something like that."

"You'd better get her out of this town before she gets like the rest of us."

"She is awfully quiet though. What have you been doing all these years, letting her listen to Beethoven?"

You see, Anne was a small town girl. This town was one of flannel shirts and forgotten dreams, and from a tender age, Anne wanted out. This was a town of gossiping women hanging out laundry because it dried more natural that way. In this town, everybody knew everybody, and if you didn't know somebody, you weren't anybody. The days in this town were long and hot in the summer, short and frigid in the winter. The men wore jeans in the winter and cut off jeans in the summer, and kept the flannel all year round. The women were stuck in a time long gone, most of them still had a variety of worn dresses in faded pastels that dusted the floor with every step.

Anne grew up in a house full of very noisy people. No one could tell why she had grown up so quiet, though her mother attributed it to the fact that she had been repeatedly dropped as a baby. On sunny days, Anne would head for the hills, sometimes not even coming back at night. The parents considered her a wild child, and told her siblings in hushed tones to stay away from her. The youngest kids regarded her as magic, with her billowing red hair and a beautiful smile for those who were lucky enough to see it. Whenever Anne could, she went outside and wandered aimlessly for hours by herself, savoring the freedom that only solitude could bring. She would read in the branches of a tree, sprint through fields of wildflowers, or befriend the small animals that she found in the forest.

For many years, she was the largest source of gossip in the town. Anne ignored everyone and continued untouched through the path of her life, quietly singing in the crystal voice that no human had ever heard. Life for Anne was lonely but refreshing, until the day that she met Jonathan.

11 comments:

  1. Now that's plain MEAN stopping there!!!

    I want (need) more! :)

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  2. Oh dear. I seem to have struck a chord.

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  3. Oooh, her life was lonely but refreshing? That's interesting. I'd love to read more about Anne. And Jonathan!

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  4. I'm with Sarah Mac! This is torture! It's like starting a good book and being left high and dry! I love this. If you started a novel like this, guaranteed I would buy it on the spot.

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  5. I really want to read more!!! I am intriqued about this character Anne. The line you describe with flannel shirts and forgotten dreams created a vivid image of this town. I'd say you have a great novel that is brewing!!! Hope to read more!

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  6. Awww. Shucks guys...
    Thanks so much for your feedback. I have no idea where the character of Anne came from, or what will happen, but perhaps I can revisit her during another exercise. I have never linked two pieces together, but it might be fun!

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  7. I love this line : "In this town, everybody knew everybody, and if you didn't know somebody, you weren't anybody"

    hehe I can just see it. I really relate to the character of Anne. I was Anne, in so many ways.

    Great piece! xx

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  8. Anne sounds like a fascinating character, I want to read more!!

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  9. Wow, so many great lines: "a silent adventurer", "savo[u]ring the freedom that only solitude could bring", "the crystal voice that no human had ever heard". This piece is a clear indication that, no matter how good the work I've read by you in the past is, you'll keep surprising me in a good way, Claire.

    Of course, it's not just a few phrases that's great, but the whole description. I'm sure everyone in their right mind is head over heels over Anne; I just hope she doesn't end up with someone horrible when she finally leaves town.

    I would have written "Life for Anne was lonely and refreshing" instead of "Life for Anne was lonely but refreshing", but that's just me (although I would imagine Anne would agree with me here).

    Loved the reference to Beethoven too; you obviously have great taste in music. =)

    Oh, I'm with Sarah and Tessa: you are an awful person for leaving us so hooked and then just stopping like you did!

    / Rain

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  10. Claire, this story gets under your skin. I loved '...and a beautiful smile for those who were lucky enough to see it.' I felt a little sad for Anne, but more for the women that have nothing better to do than gossip about her.
    I know she will break free from the mould, she has to - she's one of those quiet, observant types! :)

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  11. This was magic! I love Anne :) I can really relate to her. Really left me wanting to know more! Awesome job!!!

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