BRIGIT'S FLAME WEEK 1 ENTRY- SEPT - MUD

[augustday1]

What’s In a Name?

“Mudunique!”

Oh, how she hated the name.

The horribly constructed monstrosity of an excuse for a girl’s name, had to be the worst name ever.

Or at the very least, if not number one on the list, surely it would be one of the top ten worst in the whole world.

How could a person with even the least bit of God given sense name their

Comments

[drippedonpaper]

This was a very original take on the prompt

[augustday1]

>>>I hope she isn't hoping to sell her sister>>>

Oh my! That had me laughing.

Thank you so much for your reply. I was especially happy to see it right after posting and find out that I had been able to express what I was trying to. Sometimes you wonder if you've just strung some words together. Having such a quick turnaround on these prompts, I'm never really sure if I've been able to get across to a reader what I intended to say. Knowing that even one person related to the meaning of it-- is very rewarding to me. Also I'm glad to hear you felt like reading on-- I was surprised by the length of this piece. It's good to hear you finally made peace with your own name- it's funny how many people struggle with their given name. ( me included---it's actually quite plain & boring.)

Not sure if you're competing. I'll be reading other people's entries over the weekend. Best of luck to you, if you are.

[attentionhoard]

Wow, excellent entry! You've crafted a very engaging story that propelled me through the text with ease and a sense of excitement to get to the end.

Your characters are well-imagined and you have a talent for writing dialogue. Nice work! I would suggest though, going back over it to catch a few spelling/grammar mistakes as well as trying to tighten it up; it runs on a bit in some moments, but other than that great work and thanks for sharing! I enjoyed reading about Mud. :)

[augustday1]

Thanks very much for your encouraging comments. I did just do a sweep through to clean up some errors I couldn't see through my tired eyes. Posted this in the wee hours of the morning to get it in on time. Although, I'm just one of those writers who needs a beta/editor. I repeatedly miss typos-- many times my sentences reads back to me as I intended them appear--even though there's a big fat typo sitting in it. I just can't seem the mistakes. I would be very interested to see were an editor would suggest I trim back some--hopefully you'll be my editor this week and I'll be able to receive that kind of direction. Looking forward to reading your entry this weekend. Best of luck to you. Your comments are very much appreciated.

[attentionhoard]

Depending on how much I have to edit this week, I can give you an informal edit (in addition to your other editors) if you'd like?

[augustday1]

That would be very nice. I would love and appreciate your input on fine tuning this piece. Thanks so much for the offer. That is if you find you have the time to get to it. I understand the challenge of trying to write, live RL, and other stuff... on our plates.

[insolentscrawl]

What an excellent piece. I really enjoyed it. Very unique take on the whole thing, and well written. you strike a fabulous balance between dialog and narrative.

[augustday1]

Hi there. Thanks so much for your words. This is a wonderful review and I'm very happy to know you felt I had some success writing this prompt. I look forward to reading your entry. Best of luck to you! I need to pop over to your over 30 group this weekend & see what's doin' over there.

[mermaidbia]

Wow. I must say that was really excellent. You took an idea - encased in an overly strange name - and completely ran with it, filled it with a story, with confidence and with a life of its own. Usually stories with a too overt mention of "God" tend to repel me - we understand each other now, right? - but I was amazed at how fleshed-out this story was, this story that began with nothing but a name, and how logical it is in all the emotional consequences. It's beautiful and skilfully executed. Its Christian themes are obvious, but they don't go overboard, so I love this quite a lot. I especially love the relationship you sketch out between Mud and her grandma.

"The new boy on the block, two years her senior, had very exploratory hands."
That sentence actually made me laugh out loud, especially the word "exploratory" made me want to clap my hands. I love such exact wording for such mundane acts, it's kinda silly. X)

My favourite bit would probably be this:
“Mudunique.” She said the name with confidence-as if formally introducing

[augustday1]

Cool-- I like your new avatar. It's sooo pretty.

Thank so much. I see you're nominated for great reviews and I see why. I'm kinda new around here but I can tell how much care you take in leaving comments that are very insightful and encouraging -- and specific, too. I appreciate you expressing what you felt about the story, & not just comments about the plot or structure of the piece.

BTW- I had to laugh about the exploratory hands part,too.

The handling of the Christian themes, I think very much relates to the way it plays out in my life. It's about things quietly working in the background that end up having a tremendous impact. It's impossible for me to unplug from those themes when I write & I'm grateful to see I could present that in a way that wasn't bombastic. I very much appreciate you reading this being so open to receive it. You really are gifted at this reviewing stuff ( and writing too--which is why I'm looking forward to your entry!)

[harlotbug3]

I’ve been assigned to you. I’ve a degree in literature with a background in psychology and a foreground in serious success

[dreamy_idealist]

Thanks to you, now I can say that I love Mud!

I, too, have trouble living with my name, it's not horribly connoted as your character's name is, but last time I checked they were 40 of us. My brother it's worse, they were 3! I understand the parents' wishes for originality, but sometimes it's not that simple.

Anyway, great story, and original interpretation of the topic. Good luck!

[augustday1]

You know, I wonder if there's some book out there that deals with the psychology or methodology of picking out names for children? My name is quite plain and I don't think I ever felt a kinship to it.I've even experience 'name envy'. I don't think I ever had the conversation with my mother about why she selected it. I find that a little strange. She's no longer living-- but I just might see if my father has any recollections for me.

Well, I thank you very much for your kind words.