Writing Journal

Strange how life has a way of taking one on unexpected adventures.  A man and his wife made a trip to North Dakota to celebrate an uncle's 50th wedding anniversary.  Caught in a late-winter snowstorm in South Dakota they inched along the two-lane road.  Her job was to attempt to keep the white line at the edge of the road in sight.  Let the husband know if he seemed to be veering too far in either direction.  Too close on the right they could slide into the ditch.  Too far to the left they could have a head-on collision.   The man's hands gripped the steering wheel for dear life.  Unable to see clearly beyond the hood of the car most of the time his body was a mass of tension.  Even though it was the middle of the day, headlights were needed.  Though the lights did little to help see in the blizzard conditions, maybe other drivers would see them.  Man and wife kept their eyes peeled watching for lights cast by other vehicles....

This is the first of several assignments for a creative writing course for nonfiction writing.   The assignment is to script my own dream for tonight. So here we go with a ten-minute free-write.  I close my eyes as if asleep and just begin typing. Do you feel the wind on my face?  We are in a convertible riding down a beautiful, shady lane in the countryside. Sam, our dog, is laying her nose on my shoulder.  She is in the back seat.  Gene is driving.  I look to see Gene's handsome profile.  Now we are in the Jeep riding on the sandy beach.  The breeze is washing across our faces.  My hair is twisting in circles.  DJ the Granddog is enjoying the breeze.  She has a giant smile on her face.  Out of the Jeep, we are running at the edge of the surf.  Laughter is spilling from my heart.  My sweet Gene holds me tightly as we kiss.   Sitting on the bow of a longboat we follow the small stream into the English c...