#timed writing exercise

[dissonantdreamer]

Rust falls from between my finger tips

each press of iron to wood a scream.

The dissonance echos in my head.

How was I to know this was goodbye?

Sundown came long before it should.

The porch has gone dark and the wolves are out.

My head is trapped beneath the water

I’ve forgotten how to breathe.

Forgiveness was supposed to mean something.

We shared the same cold floor miles apart.

Our blood left in the cracks, is closest we’ll ever get now.

If I wasn’t there would you have prayed?

[nmjackson]

02.25.2026 Write a piece about someone building a birdhouse

Video isn't much better from last time, but slowly, a plan is forming lol. Since I'm trying to write a book of my own, I'm using these exercises to get to know my characters more. Honestly, I don't really like how this came out. I don't think this is how they'd react BUT that's not a bad thing. Now that I know how they're not, it might make it more clear of who they are. That's the lesson from today's 10 minutes ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ noice

Prompt is from dropkickwritersblock on Tumblr.

"I don't really think it goes that way."

Perhaps it was the heat.

Perhaps it was the way Ezra said it.

It could've been many things, anything and everything, but it wasn't nothing.

Tesoro threw the pieces of wood from her hands screeching in an unholy way.

"I've had it! You've always got something to say, but do you ever come and help? Huh? Why don't you come and put it together then?"

" 'Cause Mimi's not my pet."

"Then why do you feel the need to put in your own two cents now?"

Tesoro furiously scrubbed at the salty water leaking from her eyes. It was getting harder to tell whether or not Ezra's smile was more smug than apologetic. "Sorry, I was tryna help-"

"Bulswick," Tesoro's voice failed mid-way through.

"Careful now. You might actually get your voice stolen if you do end up cursing."

Any other time, it might've been funny. However, it wasn't right now. Tesoro couldn't even handle the thought of being laughed at, not with everyone already laughing.

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Rules listed here in “10 Min. Prompts Masterlist”

[nmjackson]

02.23.2026 Write a piece in which a character gathers their allies

Video is definitely...something lol. I was tired from work, but if I didn't get it done, it wasn't going to happen. So, moral of the story is done is better than perfect. (Also, this is very unoriginal. I'm aware. It's just a ten minute exercise. So, don't sweat it, okay?)

Prompt is from dropkickwritersblock on Tumblr.

"Okay! Who's with me?"

The crowd booed and jeered.

"Okay... That wasn't what I expected..."

She shrunk back an inch on her already small platform. "I have no allies then?"

"And why should we volunteer? That dragon is as vast as the Capital itself. why try to go after it when it makes more sense to move?"

The crowd hummed in agreement, the whispers of a growing unrest causing a cool sweat to chill her spine. But, she couldn't back down.

Wouldn't.

"Fine," Her voice was high and taut. "You want to run. Fine. Hurry up. But!"

She managed to regain the attention of the crowd whose minds were already home, packing up and leaving.

"If you leave, you can only take a third of your wealth with you."

The crowd rounded on her then. Coming closer, in a tighter circle, her throat now bone dry.

"Don't you get it? What I'm saying only guarantees your safety."

"How?" Barked a woman holding her child near her breast.

"What do dragons love more than eating?"

The crowd swayed, agreeing while sucking at their teeth.

"If you stay and fight, you may stand to triple your wealth yet. Or, die as heroes, at the very least."

The circle loosened some, and since standing on her soap box, her shoulders dropped away from her ears.

"So, I ask once more. Who's with me?"

Several hands raised and grand cheer came next from the mercurial crowd.

"Now, that's more like it!"

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Hey there!

If you liked this post, I’d love for you to join in.

Rules listed here in “10 Min. Prompts Masterlist”

[nmjackson]

12/08/2022 "I wish I had more time"

"I...wish I had more time."

"No, sh, sh. You've got time. Just save your strength. Healer! I need a healer!"

On the outskirts of the every moving battlefront, no one could hear the prince's pleas.

"I-" the soldier coughed up blood, nearly choking on it if the prince hadn't turned the soldier to his side. Blood coated the royal's robes, the sickly warmth covering the prince's thigh.

"I wish I had more time with you," the soldier wheezed.

"You do! No, don't sleep. We've got all the time in the world."

Men don't cry, especially not for bumbling brave idiots who enlisted in this senseless war for nothing other than a promise to protect his love. Yet, the tears kept coming, the prince blinking fast in order not to lose any moments with the soldier dying in his lap.

"I'm...sorry I couldn't...fulfill my promise."

"You gave me your word, soldier." The prince's heart fell into the pit of his stomach when the soldier grinned wide enough to reveal the rows of bloodied teeth.

"Say my name."

The prince brushed back matted hair and debris from the soldier's eyes.

"I'll say it when I feel like it."

The soldier's laugh dissolved into a fit of painful coughs.

"I'm sorry, my prince."

"Save your apologies," The prince's voice came out thick and watery. "You've your promise to keep."

Somewhere in his fading, the soldier felt his body being pulled up. A fierce hold around his ribs that would've stopped his breathing if he hadn't stopped breathing already.

"Find a way back to me, or I swear I will never forgive you...Claudius."

Those were the last words the soldier heard before falling into darkness.

Hey there!

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Rules listed here in "10 Min. Prompts Masterlist"