Little Star with a Big Attitude

 Susanna Leonard Hill's

Mix 'n' Match #4

https://susannahill.com/2021/05/31/2021-mix-n-match-mini-writing-challenge-week-4/

Little Star with a Big Attitude

by Elizabeth Muster

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Hey, who are you calling little?

I’m not little. Blackberries are little.

I rival the size of your planet, Earthling.

How I wonder what you are.

What am I? What are you?

I’m simple. Hydrogen and helium.

You’re bunch of mixed up elements.

Up above the world so high.

True. I’m light-years away from you.

Even a spaceship couldn’t reach me.

I’m so much farther away than the moon.

Like a diamond in the sky.

Okay, I get it. I light up. You don’t.

I’m not a gem in a necklace.

I shine because I'm nuclear.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

All right, all right. I twinkle. I’m a star.

Sing a song about me if you want.

But if you want a wish, go pluck a daisy.

The Unicorn's Horn

Susanna Leonard Hill's

Mix 'n' Match #3

https://susannahill.com/2021/05/24/2021-mix-n-match-mini-writing-challenge-week-3/

The Unicorn's Horn

by Elizabeth Muster

Uni was ever forlorn

As he’d sadly lost his horn

He wore a pink party hat

So none could discover that.

He went to the ice cream shop

The cone wouldn’t stay on top.

He borrowed a traffic cone;

He should have left it alone.

He begged a rhinoceros,

Who really put up a fuss.

Almost convinced an odd whale,

But the narwhal did prevail.

He found an old horn to toot,

That was the wrong kind -- oh shoot!

He stomped his hoof in dismay

A mare came over his way.

“Why must you throw such a fit?

You’re beautiful without it.”

Then Uni realized, of course,

That he was simply a horse.

https://gifer.com/en/GxE

The Egg Hunt

By Elizabeth Muster

WC 144

Henrietta the hen peck-peck-pecked impatiently at Easter Bunny’s door. ““My egg is missing!”  

“Well,” Easter Bunny wiggled his nose. “I usually hide the eggs, but I’ll help you look.” 

They picked through Pig’s trough. His egg was plastic.  

They checked Cat’s bed. Her egg was chocolate.

They headed to Horse’s stall and discovered a bright pink basket with a white egg. 

“Where did you find this egg?” Easter Bunny questioned Horse.

“In the hen house,” replied Horse.

“That is not an Easter egg,” Henrietta clucked. “That’s my egg!”

Horse whinnied. 

The egg rattled.Then it cracked.

A little beak and yellow feathers popped through the shell. “Peep!”

“My baby!” exclaimed Henrietta. 

Horse hung his head. “I just wanted to find an egg like everyone else.”

The fluffy baby chick hopped onto Horse’s nose.

“I think you’ve found something even better,” said Easter Bunny. “A friend.”

 Yesterday I entered #PBParty. Today I'm entering the story below to Vivian Kirkfield's #50PreciousWords. Thursday is #PitMad, and some time this week or next I'm going to email my 12x12 Gold query to Charlotte Wenger. Woah! And did I mention I'm working full time and have a 5-year-old? So thankful for the encouragement from my CPs and the support of my husband. 

Sorry, Snowman

By Elizabeth Muster

Your body’s rather lumpy.

Your head’s not very round. 

I only had one branch. 

No carrots could be found. 

My dad took his scarf back. 

Mom snatched her favorite glove.

Today’s high is forty.

There are no clouds above.

I won’t forget you, Snowman.

For today you have my love.

I had high hopes for February. I never heard a word from Author Mentor Match. I didn't get any love on PBPitch. My Valentiny story was not a finalist. The only thing I know for certain at this point is that if I quit, I will never get published...and I still find writing fun, so I may as well keep at it! I have written two full manuscripts during these snow days!

Haikus on being a Writer

I feel like a fraud

A middle-aged white woman

Writing cutesy scripts

How do I become

The author every agent wants

Who writes good stories

Teaches them something

Gets readers to laugh out loud

Makes them love reading 

The next Kate Messner

Maybe Kate DiCamillo 

While still being me

W-R-I-T-E for Each Other

 

 

W-R-I-T-E for Each Other -- 213 words

by Elizabeth Muster

Valentiny 2021

Zane the Zombie cut a heart from red construction paper. He smiled as he wrote the word “Happy.” He wrote V-A-L. Then he frowned. Did E come next or did I? Zane crumpled the heart and threw it away. 

“Why celebrate Valentine’s Day when your heart doesn’t beat?” a classmate asked. “Halloween is the only holiday for me.” 

But it was February 14, and Zane wanted Zelda to know how he felt. Zelda had pale skin and yellow eyes and smelled wonderfully of rotten meat. She was the best at scaring humans from the playground during recess. 

With a shaky hand, Zane made another heart. This time he wrote, “You look like death wormed over.” 

He was pleased until the classmate looked over Zane’s shoulder. “You didn’t even spell it right.” 

The words seemed to wriggle, and Zane couldn’t decide which one was misspelled. Bravely, he gave Zelda the valentine anyway.

“Thank you,” said Zelda. “I have a valentine for you too.”  The card read: You can’t scar me.

“It’s perfect,” said Zane. He and Zelda showed their valentines to the teacher.

“I think you two are just W-R-I-T-E for each other,” she said with a smile.

“What’s that spell?” asked Zane.

“Write,” said the teacher. 

“Right.” Zane smiled.

 “I agree,” said Zelda.

So last night's conversation with husband went pretty much like this...

If I get published, I'm going to thank you in the acknowledgements for putting up with a messy house and microwavable dinners. 

When you get published, I'm still going to be living in a messy house and eating microwavable dinners. 

Well...I'm going take that as encouragement...and he does have a point.

While I didn't get selected for #AuthorMentorMatch, I do get to proudly display -- 

And yes, some of my ideas did come while playing Animal Crossing with my daughter.  But I have 50!  That's quite a difference from last year where I fizzled out after a week. Wonder where that notebook even ended up?

I'm gearing up for next week's #PBPitch. I'm drafting a Valentiny story. I'm trying to keep this writing momentum going. Not going to let rejections get me down. Because I've got some AWESOME critique partners on both the MG and the PB front.