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February 21, 2011

First Challenge!

Okay, folks, this is exciting!  We are off and running with the first writer's platform building challenge today!  The winner will receive an awesome prize, and as you well know, I  am all in favor of prizes :)

As of the writing of this post, I have deliberately not read anyone else's challenge yet, because I didn't want to be influenced (or intimidated out of even trying!) so I'm really looking forward to reading them all once I've finished mine.  The rules state that we must include one secret, one lie, one interesting quirk, one annoying habit, one of our best character traits, one of our favorite things in the whole wide world, use the words bloviate, fuliguline, (yes, those are actual words and yes, I will have to look them up before I can use them!) blade and rabbit, and accomplish it all in 300 words or less in any writing form we choose!

Ready?  Go!

Susanna was not like the other rabbits.  She liked to get up at 5 AM, not 6 or 7.  She preferred the openness of the meadow to the safety and confinement of the briar patch.  She loved how blades of spring grass tickled her feet, like fuliguline down.  And while the other rabbits were quiet and kept to themselves, Susanna liked to hop up on the back porch steps of the farmhouse where the sun was warm, and bloviate at length about the merits of vegetarianism to anyone who would listen.  She spoke especially firmly about this to the dogs, a habit the other rabbits found bizarre.  Why would anyone talk to dogs?  The other rabbits figured that the reason she enjoyed public speaking and communing with dogs was because she was adopted.  No denying she was odd, but they were willing to overlook her eccentricities because she was loyal and kind and always quick to help when called upon.  Susanna loved her home and her family, but sometimes she felt her differences and couldn't help but wonder where she had come from, and how and why she had ended up here.  Still, she was a happy rabbit - how could she not be with all the good fortune bestowed upon her by not just one but four lucky rabbit's feet :)

There you go - and only 220 words - pretty good for the queen of long-windedness :)  Those of you who have read Punxsutawney Phyllis may recognize the familiarity of the opening lines :)

Now, here is the question:  I may have revealed something about myself that isn't strictly true (actually, of course I have, because the rules required one lie!)  Can you guess what it is?  The answer will be in my next post, but I will look forward to your guesses!  If you want to, feel free to try to guess the secret, too, and/or follow the guidelines listed above and submit your own list/paragraph/story/poem in the comments for us to enjoy and guess at if you're not already in the Crusader Challenge (because I know a bunch of my followers are very creative and not crusaders!)

So, see if you can guess and/or add your own attempt!

20 comments:

  1. Oh this is so fun! I didn't join the crusade since I thought it would overlap with the A to Z challenge but this is a blast. New follower:)

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  2. Susanna, you are like sunshine coming from my computer. It's always a pleasure to stop by your blog and see what joy you'll bring me today.

    My guess is that you know exactly where you come from! You are heaven sent!

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  3. Nice to meet you fellow beginner blogger! I'm yet to do the challenge and have read a few answers, including yours - and yes, intimidation is certainly now a factor. Now following you in RSS. :-)

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  4. Hi Cally, nice to meet you! Yes, intimidation is a big factor. I keep visiting all these amazing blogs and thinking, hmmm... maybe I'm not cut out for this! Good luck with your challenge - I will look for it!

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  5. Lovely little story! It is somewhat intimidating isn't it?...So about your lie, I'm going to guess that you don't talk to the dogs about vegetarianism-- you just talk to them.

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  6. Great job, Susanna! No need to be intimidated! You rock! : )

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  7. Awesome effort! I have to go with talking about vegetarianism. The five o'clock thing is so nice sometimes, to write when the house is quiet, so that may not be the lie. :)

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  8. Hello Susanna! I was stopping by to guess your lie. I am going to guess that you don't like to get up at 5 AM! That seems awfully early! :)

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  9. Hello fellow crusader! So nice to "meet" you. I love your story, such a creative approach! My guess is that maybe you like a little meat with your veggies?

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  10. This was fabulous! Awesome job! Awesome! I would say your lie has to do with the vegetarianism?

    Fun read!

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  11. I totally love this!!!!!

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  12. I love the post, no idea what the lie is.
    Hello fellow Crusader!:)

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  13. Freya - I am such a bad liar as a general rule that I figured t would be glaringly obvious! Meanwhile, I've read entry after entry of other people's and had absolutely no idea :)

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  14. Hello fellow crusader! I am a tad bit late, the whole house has been sick all week. So, I just thought I would pop in and just say Hi! :D

    as for your fib? I am thinking that despite being adopted, you know exactly where you came from! :D

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  15. Maybe you don't bloviate about vegetarianism. New follower and crusader. Really enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing.

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  16. I would have to guess that you are not actually a vegetarian. Great entry!

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  17. Visiting you again this time to judge your entry! And I have to say I am very impressed at how you fit in all the words and the secret, lie, quirk (talking to dogs! love it!) annoying habit, best character trait and favorite thing - all in just over 200 words and a charming little story, to boot. the only thing I missed was finding out the truth about Susanna's uniquenes - was she really adopted? I'll take a stab and say that's your lie - you're not really adopted. Either that or you don't like getting up early!

    Congrats - you made the "short list" in the judging!

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  18. Wow, Margo, thanks! I was adopted, though, and I do get up early :) My lie is a bit of a double - I am not a vegetarian and I DO NOT like public speaking!!!

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