Sometimes, at bedtime, my youngest daughter will beg me, "Tell me a story mommy." It's a stall tactic, I know this, because she only asks as the last kiss touches her cheek and the room is bathed in darkness and yet, I usually comply.
I make her work for it though.
"Once upon a time," I begin. "There was a girl named..." I pause.
"Caroline" she tells me, filling in the name of one of her friends from school.
"And she was very..." I pause again.
"MEAN" my daughter fills in, making me laugh and telling me that things did not go well at school that day.
We continue on, creating the story jointly as we go. Eventually, mean Caroline encounters some terrible misfortune and has to be rescued by the beautiful princess - who, inevitably, has the same name as my daughter. The fact that the story always ends the same does not change the fact that creativity was required to make it.
So if you're wondering what IN THE WORLD this has to do with you...
Your assignment today is to create a progressive story. One that I start and each subsequent commenter advnaces as he or she likes by adding 1 sentence. Let's see where it takes us.
Here goes:
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Caroline - and she was very MEAN...
Have fun.
and had no friends because she never had a nice word to say about anyone...
Posted by: Bee | June 08, 2010 at 08:02 AM
So she decided to build a clockwork dragon.
Posted by: octoberesque | June 08, 2010 at 08:06 AM
When she built it, instead of making it a fire breathing dragon
Posted by: Holly B | June 08, 2010 at 08:22 AM
The clockwork dragon was totally awesome, but got all self-aware on Caroline and began scheming to take over the world.
Posted by: Jo and the Novelist | June 08, 2010 at 08:23 AM
Dammit! Posted the same time as Holly B.
Okay - scratch my last one. The clockwork dragon was totally awesome until it got self-aware and started burning shit with it's ultimate fire-breathing ways.
Posted by: Jo and the Novelist | June 08, 2010 at 08:25 AM
Everyone was afraid of the clockwork dragon and had no idea how to stop the clockwork dragon from burning shit.
Posted by: D H-Arza | June 08, 2010 at 08:45 AM
So they went to the wise old woman who lived in the wicked tall cowboy boots down the lane.
Posted by: Boffo Yux | June 08, 2010 at 08:50 AM
The wise old woman was up on scaffolding polishing her boots.
Posted by: GiGi | June 08, 2010 at 08:55 AM
The grizzled old bird hit the spitoon with a perfectly aimed stream of tobacco juice, turned and said, "Jane's the name, and kickin' dragon ass is my game."
Posted by: AlexanderDope | June 08, 2010 at 09:01 AM
Caroline said, "I built a clockwork dragon and now it's on the loose burning shit! Can you help me?"
Posted by: Garrett | June 08, 2010 at 09:05 AM
With another perfectly aimed spit, Jane grits her teeth and says "I guess you moron"
Posted by: DaddyYo Blog | June 08, 2010 at 09:13 AM
Jane climbed down from the scaffolding, and fixing Caroline with her one good eye, said
Posted by: Jay | June 08, 2010 at 09:14 AM
....and said "Can't a woman polish her leather siding in peace?" Jane rolled her eye, and disappeared into her Kickin' Dragon Ass Weapons Shed. After some rummaging, she reappeared with a strange looking contraption
Posted by: Donna1112 | June 08, 2010 at 09:17 AM
It looked like a bayonet, if bayonets were made out of beef jerky.
Posted by: Robin (noteverstill) | June 08, 2010 at 09:20 AM
She told Caroline, "This was crafted and given to me by the elusive and powerful Jack Link. Eat it, and it will give you flatulence beyond human comprehension."
Posted by: Donna1112 | June 08, 2010 at 09:28 AM
Caroline said, "Just how is massive farting supposed to help me stop this clockwork dragon from burning shit?"
Posted by: Sara | June 08, 2010 at 09:33 AM
Meanwhile, the clockwork dragon had made it to the beach, where it stopped to look wistfully out at sea.
Posted by: Gerri | June 08, 2010 at 09:33 AM
It was so tired of all the villagers tying up their fairest maidens for him to eat - they were always so scrawny!!
Posted by: Domesticated Gal | June 08, 2010 at 09:36 AM
All the clockwork dragon really wanted was someone to play with and hold him at night.
Posted by: Elizabeth | June 08, 2010 at 09:37 AM
Jane cackled and choked a little on her tobacco spit. "It's not my job to tell you how flatulence will stop this clockwork dragon from burning shit. It's for you to figure out. But you must...you must...because this shoe polish I just put all over my house is really freaking flammable."
Posted by: Donna1112 | June 08, 2010 at 09:53 AM
So Jane made her way back to the dragon, stopping on her way to eat some five-alarm chili to give her magical farts some real heft.
Posted by: The Mother Tongue | June 08, 2010 at 10:48 AM
Jane found the clockwork dragon and grunted and groaned and farted her biggest magical fart. The clockwork dragon laughed fire in Janes face and picked her up, preparing to make Jane it's next meal....
Posted by: Alissa | June 08, 2010 at 11:16 AM
When suddenly, a very short man riding a tiny, hideous horse came barrelling through the trees with his extremely large sword unsheathed and ready for battle.
Posted by: Amy | June 08, 2010 at 02:07 PM
"nom nom nom" said the clockwork dragon, chewing up Jane with his clockwork jaw.
Posted by: Jo and the Novelist | June 08, 2010 at 02:07 PM
Fortunately, the short man was just the right height to catch Jane as the clockwork dragon spit her out. The dragon turned out to be allergic to all the nicotine that Jane had absorbed from all of that chewing tobacco.
Posted by: Merrianne | June 08, 2010 at 02:27 PM
The hideous horse stopped short, catapulting the very short man over his head and straight into the fiery clockwork dragon's stomach, causing him to burp Jane back through his massive clockwork jaws.
Posted by: Susie Kline | June 08, 2010 at 02:30 PM
It was on or around this time that Stephen Hawking appeared from the woods wearing a Wonder Woman's outfit and had modified his computer wheelchair to use Gerard Butler's Australian accent.
Posted by: moooooog35 | June 08, 2010 at 02:37 PM
Then Caroline joined Jane, remember Caroline? She learned a valuable lesson watching Jane flow in and out of the clockwork dragon. Don't build shit you cannot control.
Posted by: Jennyablue | June 08, 2010 at 02:43 PM
At the sight of that chair of a man, the clockwork dragon took a deep drag of air, preparing to set him ablaze. But whether it was the tobacco aftertaste fogging his mind, or upon recognizing that hideous outfit, he turned away, cracking up in laughter.
Posted by: Wilmobs | June 08, 2010 at 03:41 PM
So up went the dragon, flying high above the pink and purple hazy clouds until he reached the top of the mountain where he saw...
Posted by: Nikki | June 08, 2010 at 04:06 PM
a huge vibrator.
Posted by: Jo and the Novelist | June 08, 2010 at 04:38 PM
Curious, the dragon touched the shiny vibrator, upon which a buzzing sound arose.
Posted by: Dragon_Momma | June 08, 2010 at 07:04 PM
"I am the great and powerful Carmen, " it hummed, "Why have you disturbed me?"
Posted by: Becky Holland | June 08, 2010 at 09:32 PM
"Even dragons have needs, you know" said the dragon.
Posted by: Bee | June 08, 2010 at 09:41 PM
The clockwork dragon gave Carmen a shake, to which Carmen complained, "Unless you're gonna put me to my intended use, leave me alone; you're killing battery juice."
Posted by: Amy | June 08, 2010 at 10:16 PM
"I have no concern whatsoever for freaking shit burning needy dragons" Carmen replied. "The only reason I exist is because..."
Posted by: Suz | June 08, 2010 at 10:17 PM
Somewhere, someone has a void that I was designed to fill! That someone may be mean spirited and unhappy. Do you know someone like that, clockwork dragon?"
Posted by: Shadtheawesome | June 08, 2010 at 10:31 PM
The clockwork dragon pointed his tail down the mountain toward mean Caroline, who was teasing Stephen Hawking with a game of Patty Cake.
Posted by: laurenne | June 09, 2010 at 03:18 AM
Carmen, knowing her true nature and purpose in life, giggled with shiny, buzzing giddiness.
She looked at the fire-breathing, not so clockwork dragon with a nicotine buzz and said, "Find me when you're sober. I have other more... pressing needs to satisfy."
And with that, Carmen sent out a call to her needful friend, Caroline, "...
Posted by: Miss Ash | June 09, 2010 at 08:19 AM