Wonderland Challenge 2020

Queen Alice

         PROMPT: Write a final blog entry to commemorate this event including all you've learned (or not) with this process.

         

         Whew! Let me catch my breath. Pounding the keys takes concentration and for some unknown, annoying reason the caps lock ignores my request for a capital letter. I know my mind is thinking capital, but perhaps my left finger is too exhausted to emphasize that desire to the correct key. These digits have been tippy-tapping at a furious pace attempting to keep pace with my sprinting imagination. This Wonderland Challenge has sparked an entire crate of fireworks responses. Boom, boom! Sizzle, crack! I swear I'm smelling gunpowder. There's nowhere for ideas to hide in the flare of illumination.

         I feel as if I've just completed a marathon. I'm not sure if I'm running across the finish line in a burst of adrenalin, or crawling. I finished it! I crossed home base and sunk one in the net. I did mention sports were not my thing, right?

          I don't seem to be gasping and gulping for air with my mouth wide open, at least not any more. My muscles are not spasming, but I feel as if they are about to rebel. My butt is numb from this computer chair / saddle. When I set out on this challenge, I felt ready, confident, and curious. The finish line shimmered just out of reach in the distance, but I persevered. Each prompt completed represented one more step towards that goal. I remembered to breathe and trust my imagination as I created.

         A few of those prompts flexed and vexed me. They demanded more effort from me. Initially, I confess to being stumped. The 'Rule 42' and 'Rebellion' sections had me scrabbling for an in, an idea, an angle. The ol' thinking cap is a bit worse for wear, there are bare patches worn in it.

          My initial reaction to 'The Jabberwocky', 'Mock Turtle Song', and 'All the king's horses' had me cursing like Winnie the Pooh. "Oh bother!" Again, I struggled with a topic, a base to build a poem on. Then I needed a rhyme and rhythm that carried the story. I floundered. I've never composed a song before. Perhaps I caught myself on the semantics of that particular word. As long as I'm not tasked with setting my words to music and I'm not called upon to sing it, off key and in a croaking voice, we're all safe.It proved not to be insurmountable.

         In my first blog for this challenge I mentioned time management. I determined to devote as much time as I needed to this project. Once inspiration ignites, time and its restraints disappear. I jotted down snippets of dialogue and background for all the prompts regardless of their order. Many nights I tossed and turned. I could not hope to sleep until I rose and scribbled a few notes. I sacrificed reading time. I ignored anything I deemed unnecessary except for eating. This effort required fuel. Cookies and tea supported my creative endeavours.

         Have I earned a crown? I anticipate it's heavy. I'm not really a hat person. Wait, this would be head gear, or head jewellery, right? Where does one store a crown? Could I hang it on a hook next to hubby's baseball caps? Does it need to be polished? Is there a detail shop, a cleaning service that does this? Is a crown considered casual wear?

         Thank you for this fantastic, fun challenge! I appreciate the thought and effort that went into creating this jaunt through genres and styles. I salute you with a well-earned cup of tea and a platter of scrumptious cupcakes iKïyå§ama

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