Decorative
Ever seen something beautiful but useless? Pictured above is a drinking fountain station in a Las Vegas casino / hotel. Gold plated against marble wall with some gold-button accessories. Because it was a hot day, I went to fill my water bottle (how often do you get to drink from a gold-plated tap), but alas, both can’t spare a drop.
I can’t remember whether I took the photo before I discovered they were out of order or after? When I found this while scrolling through my gallery though, I was reminded of that let-down feeling. I liked the aesthetics, the clean, opulent design. I get to thinking that, perhaps, they were really designed not to work. The station was too accessible to the public after all. Perhaps it’s a reminder that the combination of beauty and utility is truly rare.
Your Prompt: Find an item around your home that has neither a specific use, nor sentimental value. Write a story centred on this object—make it an essential part of the narrative.
Quick Tip
Are you bundling your adjectives? While it’s acceptable to use more than one to describe a noun, make sure each adjective is adding something to the picture, not supporting another another descriptor. It’s enough to describe someone as having “a vivid imagination”—it’s not necessary to say one has “a sharp and vivid imagination.”
About Writing Desk
Years ago, I gave up blogging for good. But I changed my mind and here we are. Aside from maintaining a consistent writing practice, my goal is to build a live space outside social media for content that supports the creative process, free of mindless, addictive, and AI-generated distractions.
May your visits here be frequent but brief. The idea is to offer something that will light a spark, not distract from your writing. For this reason, I don’t post Writing Desk on social media. Thanks for stopping by!
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Found Words
“She was his wife, a higher being, and he worshipped her with a queer craven idolatry, like a savage: a worship based on enormous fear, and even hate, of the powers of the idol, the dread idol.”
—D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover
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Leah Ranada 