“5 Minute Freewrite: EMPEROR” by Richard F. Yates
I received a lot of positive feedback on my last freewrite, which is when my natural self-destructive tendencies kicked in, and a little voice in the back of my head said, “Just walk away, man… Just walk away…” BUT, I’m kind of mad at that voice right now (bad investment advice), so I decided to DEFY him and try another round of freewriting…
Today’s prompt for the @freewritehouse, as announced by @mariannewest, is “EMPEROR.”
Okay… I got nothin’… Let’s do this!
“Emperor”
The emperor is finally born. The emperor was very old. The emperor never knew he was the emperor. He ordered take-out like the [lowliest] slob… She was also emperor. No one liked the emperor, whoever she was---or he was.
The emperor was crafted, not born. The emperor lost a lot of money at the track.
The emperor had twins, or his wife did. Or her wife did.
The emperor might not be human.
The emperor definitely lives in a dream world---and is selling tickets for admission online. Three wishes per entry (which translates to about $45.00 (USD.))
The emperor lost his mind. The emperor was never so happy. The emperor was just a myth. The emperor lives in the past.
The emperor died---and we never even knew her.
The emperor lives on in the breath of the wind on a cool summer morning. The emperor went to…
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And that, as they say, is that… Some might want to consider this piece a poem---but I don’t think that’s what it is. It’s definitely NOT a narrative, probably more of an exploration of a concept. How many situations can we attach to the IDEA of an “emperor” and have it still make sense? (I’m going to say, about six… Feel free to disagree.)
What I might do with this type of freewrite is play with an idea for a while until I came across a story that grabbed me, then---on my next round of crafting---expand on the story and see where it went. These little fragments could be different emperors or different moments in the same emperor’s life OR (and I like this idea the most) possibilities that the emperor comes to and either does or doesn’t engage with and/or live. These are cosmic crossing-points. Each moment branches into a series of new stories, new experiences (for the emperor AND the writer / reader.) A non-linear, fluctuating, compilation of stories centering around a central concept---concept as character, because the individual character can be swapped out, but the IDEA remains constant... An explosion in a shingle factory of a story, a (relatively) little bang...
But, you know, it’s all fun and games until quantum-entanglement comes along and collapses everything into a super-massive black hole… It’s a moral as old as time…
Thanks for playing along!
(And remember: They’re always watching!)
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---Richard F. Yates
(Primitive Thoughtician and Holy Fool)
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I love that you didn't listen to that evil voice!!
Liked all the explorations, but especially this line.
Hello @richardfyates, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
Good thing you did not hear that evil voice. I imagined the person you describe selling ticking recreate all those scenarios in your imagination. So it was one just being all at once. LOL
Thanks for the comment! And yeah, the voice of doubt is always there, waiting to make folks feel bad. We just have to make the effort to push through it!
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Awesome freewrite! I love the photo of the handwritten page, the accompanying thoughts and explanations, and the freewrite itself. The emperor was born, then crafted; his wife, then her wife; there's so much trickery and spin and back-pedaling, it seems, like the news media presenting a candidate to us and revising the "facts" until we get caught up in those " cosmic crossing-points." I like your view of freewriting, expanding, "all fun and games until quantum-entanglement comes along and collapses everything into a super-massive black hole… It’s a moral as old as time…" and I'm thinking you and @owasco would be great at the next #WeWrite partner writing. You both have that grasp of math I always wanted but it kept slipping out of reach, for me.
You do sound like me (sad to say) when you "my natural self-destructive tendencies kicked in" -- you were ready to walk away, but you came back for another freewrite, after all. We're glad you did!
Thanks for the comment, and happy that you were entertained by the writing! This is a very supportive community, so there's a good chance I'll write more---and maybe even engage a bit! (Baby steps. Nothing too drastic...) (Ha!)
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Baby steps. You're in the right place. Never mind the seven77 pushups thing. I'm ok with just being all in one piece and mobile. Running, doing pushups: I'll cheer everyone else on!