Writing Workshop- Enter WWYP X!

This thread was the brainchild of myself, Crimson King and Evil Eye. We're all interested in increasing the amount of new writers back here, so this project came into being.

Writing can be an intimidating art form, as many people look at a 400 page book and their eyes glaze over. "I can never write anything like that", is usually the first thing someone says. To that, we respond YES YOU CAN!- just not yet.

All writers have to start somewhere, and that is the goal of this thread, to encourage people who may have never had an interest in writing, or those who do but find the task of putting together an entire work to be a daunting one. Every week or so, either myself, CK or EE will introduce a new topic for you to work on specific skills separately.

By taking this approach, it is our hope that we can break down the job of writing into smaller, more manageable pieces that aren't as scary as staring at a wall of text. We will be here to offer constructive criticism and to guide you through the process of each specific task, as will the other regulars of the Creative Minds forum.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ONLY! We aren't here to baby anyone, but we do want to encourage and support those people who have not traditionally been a part of this section of the forum. To that end, I would also ask that CM regulars refrain from participating in the projects, at least initially. This is geared towards beginners, and we would much rather have your help in nurturing new writers.

Without further ado, here is the first project!

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Suggested by Crimson King:

STEP 1

Describe the following picture in 100 words or less:



Try to make it fit into some kind of larger scene, but if you can't, that's okay. Just try to describe the tree as if you're describing it to a recently blind person who's never seen this tree scene before. Use your five senses to craft an image in that person's head. Good luck!

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STEP 2

Add a character to your scene, and have your character interact with the tree in some way. Do not exceed 300 words in your scene.

Pretty simple, right? Don't be fooled. The first part of this workshop was carefully scripted and focused to introduce you to some of the elements of creative writing in a non-threatening way. Now, you have to be creative. We're not going to tell you what to write about, or how you should write it.

The ultimate goal is to slowly have you construct a short story. This is a critical step in that process, as this character will determine the direction that your story is going to take now. So take risks, think creatively, and most importantly, have fun!

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NEW ASSIGNMENT

Design a protagonist for a story. It can be male, female, dog, cat, alien, tall, short, whatever you want. Post the characters vitals in this thread in the following format:

Name:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Distinguishing Features:

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You don't have to include all of this information and you can certainly add more if it will help you. What I want is for everyone to have a very clear mental image of the character, because the clearer the image is to you, the easier it is for you to describe that character to the reader. Remember, when you're writing, you're not just dealing with names. You're dealing with people.

EDIT- This assignment is open to everyone. You don't need to have completed the previous tasks.

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NEW ASSIGNMENT PART 2

Part 2: Give your character a personality.
The first step was to give your character an outside, now you're filling out the insides as well. Who is he? What does he do for work? How does he interact with people? Why does he act the way he does?

Make sure to go beyond the usual stereotypes of the "badass assassin" or "geeky virgin" or any of the hundreds of characters that have been crammed down our throats all of our lives. We are making characters, not caricatures. Think about yourself, and the people you know and how complex and unique they are. Real people have deep thoughts, conflicting interests, flaws and virtues both great and small. I'll say it again: we're building a PERSON, so make sure that your character's physical and mental descriptions are as thorough as possible so that you know exactly who you are dealing with.

Go beyond the questions I posed, both in this part of the assignment and the first part. Make your character as complete and fully realized as possible, because he will be key to future parts of this project.

Here is my response.

The wavering breeze drifted across the plain stirring up fallen leaves from the trees around us. I watched as one particular leaf floated down from a mighty tree which stood in the center of the field. It was caught in an aura of light from the setting sun. The branches were silhouetted in a blazing red and deep violet which made the tree to look like an embodiment of perfection. The soft evening sounds resonated from all around us while a slight lilting scent of wildflowers swirled in the crisp air. We were surrounded by natural beauty and grace.

I love to write and welcome new opportunities to do so.

Did i do this too fast or not enough detail?

Its 99 words btw.

I should be writing a paper, but since you posted so quickly, I wanted to give some feedback just as fast.

Zolga Owns said:

The wavering breeze drifted across the plain stirring up fallen leaves from the trees around us. I watched as one particular leaf floated down from a mighty tree which stood in the center of the field. It was caught in an aura of light from the setting sun. The branches were silhouetted in a blazing red and deep violet which made the tree to look like an embodiment of perfection. The soft evening sounds resonated from all around us while a slight lilting scent of wildflowers swirled in the crisp air. We were surrounded by natural beauty and grace.

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What I did was highlight the adjectives and underline the strong phrases. Though you aren't as guilty as others, I urge you to try rewriting it without adjectives. Does the piece lose its strength and imagery? If so, they you didn't write it as strongly as you could. A sentence is comprised of a known and a verb, so this should be your key focus. If I say "The boy swung wildly at the bully." That is four words for the base sentence versus if you pick a better verb such as "flail." "The boy flailed at the bully." Same connotation of swinging wildly, but you cut it by one word and kept the emphasis on the actor. Things like this will create such a better sense for your writing.

So, homework assignment for you: Add a character to the scene and re-describe it without a single adjective. Ernest Hemingway banned himself from using adjectives until he felt he was capable of doing it well. His style is considered one of the most clear and concise styles in written language.

The dying light of the sun bled through the clouds in vibrant red and gold, matched by the falling purple dusk. A tree was springing from the land, silhouetted by the variegated sky. Branches exponentially expanded from each other, starting with three, then seven, then from those seven came many more, and so forth, the branches thinning out and crossing, creating a dark web against the sunset.

Excellent, another response already.

Eor said:

The dying light of the sun bled through the clouds in vibrant red and gold, matched by the falling purple dusk. A tree was springing from the land, silhouetted by the variegated sky. Branches exponentially expanded from each other, starting with three, then seven, then from those seven came many more, and so forth, the branches thinning out and crossing, creating a dark web against the sunset.

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I believe, total guess, but I think Eor's version is shorter, that the previous one but gets the same image across. The most irritating sentence was the first. A concise introductory sentence is key to any description.

The dying light of the sun bled through the clouds in vibrant red and gold, matched by the falling purple dusk.

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I will break this down into parts to show how it can be revised to achieve a better image. The initial part: "The dying light of the sun bled through the clouds"

The imagery is perfect in essence, but there is a lot of places for the reader to get lost. I like the word shimmered. Not the best, but it's a start. So, "The light of the sun shimmered through the clouds." Ok, that's a bit better, but still the action is clouded. How about changing the order of the sentence to "Through the clouds, the light of the sun shimmered." There. Action is focused on the light and shimmered is the last word of that sentence. The rest of the sentence is crucial for the image, so I would create that as a stand alone image of "The sky was bathed in red and gold and meshed with purple." Not the best sentence, and actually this one could benefit from an adjective or adverb, but the focus is on the sky. Together, you go from this:

"The dying light of the sun bled through the clouds in vibrant red and gold, matched by the falling purple dusk."

to this:

"Through the clouds, the light of the sun shimmered. The sky was bathed in red and gold and meshed with purple."

This revision isn't the best choice, but it shows you where to aim the process.

Zolga Owns said:

Here is my response.

The wavering breeze drifted across the plain stirring up fallen leaves from the trees around us. I watched as one particular leaf floated down from a mighty tree which stood in the center of the field. It was caught in an aura of light from the setting sun. The branches were silhouetted in a blazing red and deep violet which made the tree to look like an embodiment of perfection. The soft evening sounds resonated from all around us while a slight lilting scent of wildflowers swirled in the crisp air. We were surrounded by natural beauty and grace.

I love to write and welcome new opportunities to do so.

Did i do this too fast or not enough detail?

Its 99 words btw.

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I think CK covered everything pretty well here. Your goal as a writer is to get your point across as succinctly as possible without losing meaning. Try what he suggested for you, and you should find that you have a very strong paragraph.

EDIT- At Eor, the one thing that really stood out to me was your word choice. I've never even heard of the word "variegated". What does it mean? Your reader isn't going to stay interested if he has to pick up a dictionary to follow what you mean. Simple writing is the key. If there's an easier way to say something while keeping the same meaning, go for it. At this point, your reader has no idea what your meaning is, so that's poor word choice.

Thanks for the feedback i will edit accordingly.

So don't use adjectives and add a character? A challenge but one that I will undertake gladly.

Peanut Butter and Jam said:

EDIT- At Eor, the one thing that really stood out to me was your word choice. I've never even heard of the word "variegated". What does it mean? Your reader isn't going to stay interested if he has to pick up a dictionary to follow what you mean. Simple writing is the key. If there's an easier way to say something while keeping the same meaning, go for it. At this point, your reader has no idea what your meaning is, so that's poor word choice.

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Variegated? It's not an uncommon word, it's just a different term of variegation. Like with leaves. Means multicolored. But point taken

editing this now with the rewrite

edit: ok

"Red and gold ***** the night sky, while the tree stood up like a phallus, ready to enter the womb of the night"

Still, I would have chosen a lighter word. Even "foliage" would have been more apt. You must consider the reader when choosing anyway word at all.

Autumn is a very peculiar time of year: people begin to wear their scarves and double breasted coats, the leaves on the trees burning into vibrant shades of red and orange before falling to the Earth. It is its own separate beauty. Yet among this, it is the signal that, soon, Winter will court the Earth; lull her into a deep sleep of ice and lifeless tranquility. Just yesterday, the last of the leaves on our old sycamore fell, leaving the branches to scratch at the shades of dusk on the horizon. It is such a fleeting and forewarning beauty.

im definitly interested in this. i have always been bad at writing

New version with no adjectives and a character. I like the name Garth XD.

Garth felt the breeze drift across the plain stirring up leaves from the trees around him. He watched as one particular leaf floated down from a tree in the center of the field. It was held in an aura of light from the sun. The branches of the tree were framed by a mix of red and violet hues which casted the illusion of perfection. Garth heard sounds resonating from all around him while the scent of wildflowers swirled in the air. He felt overwhelmed by beauty and grace.

Eor said:

"Red and gold ***** the night sky, while the tree stood up like a phallus, ready to enter the womb of the night and release its load of leaves"

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Is this a joke? Or a petty attempt to demean CK and Jam's advice?

Or a serious attempt?

EDIT: Ok XD it made me laugh lol.

"The day died behind a webbed tree"

I think it's dusk anyways, I can't tell.

edit: It was pretty much a joke/new entree. I'm friends with both eric and jammy

You laugh, but I don't think I'll be able to look at that picture the same way.

Virgilijus said:

Autumn is a very peculiar time of year: people begin to wear their scarves and double breasted coats, the leaves on the trees burning into vibrant shades of red and orange before falling to the Earth. It is its own separate beauty. Yet among this, it is the signal that, soon, Winter will court the Earth, and lull her into a deep sleep of ice and lifeless tranquility. Just yesterday, the last of the leaves on our old sycamore fell, leaving the branches to scratch at the gentle shades of dusk on the horizon. It is such a fleeting and forewarning beauty.

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With this paragraph, you spent too much time on the setup. You don't mention the tree until the second-to-last sentence, and you only address the tree specifically in that sentence. Everything else is generalities of fall. The tree seems to just be an afterthought, an illustration of fall.

I do like how you described the tree scratching at the horizon, so expand on that sort of imagery more and cut out what isn't relevant to the topic. I removed the semicolon because it seemed unnecessary.

Zolga Owns said:

New version with no adjectives and a character. I like the name Garth XD.

Garth felt the breeze drift across the plain stirring up leaves from the trees around him. He watched as one particular leaf floated down from a tree in the center of the field. It was encased in an aura of light from the sun. The branches of the tree were framed by a mix of red and violet hues which casted the illusion of perfection. Garth heard sounds resonating from all around him while the scent of wildflowers swirled in the air. He felt overwhelmed by beauty and grace.



Is this a joke? Or a petty attempt to demean CK and Jam's advice?

Or a serious attempt?

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I have to say, this is SO much better than your first attempt. I'm genuinely impressed at how well you incorporated CK's suggestions.

I'm going to tackle a different area in my review: believability. You have to make sure that what you write is accurate. The setting of this piece is fall. Would there really be wild flowers in bloom? It's those kind of little details that will elevate your writing from good to great. Be careful about drawing an accurate and believable world when you write.

EDIT- Eor has ruined sunsets for me.

Peanut Butter and Jam said:

I have to say, this is SO much better than your first attempt. I'm genuinely impressed at how well you incorporated CK's suggestions.

I'm going to tackle a different area in my review: believability. You have to make sure that what you write is accurate. The setting of this piece is fall. Would there really be wild flowers in bloom? It's those kind of little details that will elevate your writing from good to great. Be careful about drawing an accurate and believable world when you write.

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Thanks for the feedback Jam.

I tend to follow suggestions well when they pertain to writing.

Ok new focus believability.

Peanut Butter and Jam said:

With this paragraph, you spent too much time on the setup. You don't mention the tree until the second-to-last sentence, and you only address the tree specifically in that sentence. Everything else is generalities of fall. The tree seems to just be an afterthought, an illustration of fall.

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The prompt said to describe the picture...yeah, there's a tree in it, but it reminded me of Fall more than anything else

Virgilijus said:

The prompt said to describe the picture...yeah, there's a tree in it, but it reminded me of Fall more than anything else

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Curse you and your logic, Virg!

Ok made it more believable.

Garth felt the breeze drift across the plain stirring up leaves from the trees around him. He watched a single leaf floating down from a tree in the center of the field. It was encased in an aura of light from the sun. The branches of the tree were framed by a mix of red and violet hues which casted the illusion of perfection. Garth heard sounds resonating from all around him while the scent of foliage swirled in the air. He felt overwhelmed by beauty and grace.

Thanks for all the help guys/gals.

The tree stood, its branches as bare as the plains around it. A perfect climbing tree, thought John, who had stopped to appreciate the scene in front of him. Wooden footholds forked from the formidable trunk, a series of y shaped logs that begged to be climbed. Through the spaces between the branches purple turned into red as the sun fell beneath the Earth. He began to move closer, his boots leaving a trail in the dirt. A draft of wind caught him, bringing the scent of maple to his nose as his coat flapped behind him as if it were a cape, the cold air stung his face and urged him to hurry.

I think Eor won.

Edit: and that I suck at punctuation.

WARNING: I'm a novice when it comes to writing so please try not to criticize me to harshly, as I want to become motivated and possibly become a good writer, anyway here goes:

A big graceous tree surrounded by the autumn winds. The lushious African environment is seen on a beautiful soft evening consisting of a violet and orange sky which makes it seem like a silhoutte, The day has aged just as the tree has, the leafless branches on the tree show of it gave life to other branches in which it grew into a spectacular sight.

I know this isn't good,but please feed me on some fancier words to use.

The tree actually reminds me of Africa.

And you guys ignored my last entry (not the **** one). Though the **** one does fit the prompt, and I think describes it, if in a really weird way.

Skler said:

The tree stood, its branches as bare as the plains around it. A perfect climbing tree, thought John, who had stopped to appreciate the scene in front of him. Wooden footholds jutted from the formidable trunk, a series of forking branches that begged to be climbed. In the background purple faded to red as the sun fell beneath the Earth. He began to move closer, his boots leaving a trail in the dirt. A draft of wind caught him, bringing the scent of maple to his nose as his coat flapped behind him as if it were a cape. The cold air stung his face and urged him to hurry.

I think Eor won.

Edit: and that I suck at punctuation.

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It's not fair. You're good at Link and writing.

I really like the direction you chose to take with the imagery, such as the smell of maple and the cold air. Your decision to frame the appearance of the tree in climbing terms was a great choice. My suggestion would be for you to watch your word choice, and try to make your descriptions more interesting. Your ideas are great, so be sure to make sure that your prose matches. Simple, elegant writing that doesn't just describe the scene, but also brings it to life for the reader.

OmegaKoopa said:

A big graceous tree surrounded by the autumn winds. The lushious African environment is seen on a beautiful soft evening consisting of a violet and orange sky which makes it seem like a silhoutte. The day has aged just as the tree has, the leafless branches on the tree show of it gave life to other branches in which it grew into a spectacular sight.

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You failed in the same way that Zolga did - an over reliance on adjectives to convey your images. I am harder on you because there are some amazing lines in there overwritten with fluff words.

Homework for you: Rewrite this without using adjectives or adverbs and had three similes or metaphors. I want you to really think because I see a lot of potential in some of these sentences. Also, change two verbs, using a thesaurus to something stronger.

Also OmegaKoopa, make sure that you're writing complete sentences with fully developed ideas. Your first sentence reads,

A big graceous tree surrounded by the autumn winds.

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Well, what else? What about this tree? You're not telling us anything about the tree other than it exists. But if we change a few words,

A big graceous tree stands in the autumn winds.

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Now you have a complete thought formed in your sentence. You want to make sure that every sentence (and eventually, every word) imparts something important to the reader.

Crimson King said:

You failed in the same way that Zolga did - an over reliance on adjectives to convey your images. I am harder on you because there are some amazing lines in there overwritten with fluff words.

Homework for you: Rewrite this without using adjectives or adverbs and had three similes or metaphors. I want you to really think because I see a lot of potential in some of these sentences. Also, change two verbs, using a thesaurus to something stronger.

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Taken, I will rewrite this without adjectives and use stronger words, I appreciate you saying that you saw potential.

Peanut Butter and Jam said:

Also OmegaKoopa, make sure that you're writing complete sentences with fully developed ideas. Your first sentence reads,

Well, what else? What about this tree? You're not telling us anything about the tree other than it exists. But if we change a few words,

Now you have a complete thought formed in your sentence. You want to make sure that every sentence (and eventually, every word) imparts something important to the reader.

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hmm.. I see, so basically I should put more thought as well as fully developed ideas, sure why not, I will take this in mind as I rewrite it again.

nice sig btw..

I didn't really describe the tree itself, I just kind of wrote. Sorry.



No wind, no sound, and not a living thing around. This tree has been alone, in this dry desert, longer than most of us have lived. The heat coming from the sun, and off the ground, makes thinking impossible, but is thinking really needed to judge the beauty of this land's sunset scene? And is this tree truly alone then? Alone isn't if you have someone or something with you but having a sense of belonging and purpose. This tree is not alone. It has beauty. It has the sky and earth, that it is both apart of.

Nice topic, this could benefit me. Though, I didn't come up with much... this is what I have:


The tree is bare, stripped of leaves and standing alone on a lifeless autumn evening. Its branches are grey, jagged and gnarled, growing unevenly in all directions. Surrounded in silence, no sound is made, as there is only the tree and it wishes not to be heard.

Ok after taking in account of suggestions from CK and Jam here is my final edit.

Garth felt the breeze drift across the plain stirring up leaves from the trees around him. He watched a single leaf floating down from a tree in the center of the field. It was encased in an aura of light from the sun. The branches of the tree were framed by a mix of red and violet hues which casted the illusion of perfection. Garth heard sounds resonating from all around him while the scent of foliage swirled in the air. He felt overwhelmed by beauty and grace.

In such a short amount of time I have learned so much.

Cake, Josh, and Zolga: I'll get all of oyu when I get back home.

Zolga, never think something is your final edit because no matter where you are as a writer, you will learn more and more and more and more. It's just a bad mindset because it makes you think you have reached a level you have not, so when it's criticized, you feel hurt--been there WAY too many times for me to admit.

caKe said:

No wind, no sound, and not a living thing around. This tree has been alone, in this dry desert, longer than most of us have lived. The heat coming from the sun, and off the ground, makes thinking impossible, but is thinking really needed to judge the beauty of this land's sunset scene? And is this tree truly alone then? Alone isn't if you have someone or something with you but having a sense of belonging and purpose. This tree is not alone. It has beauty. It has the sky and earth, that it is both apart of.

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I like the first line except for the fact that it is a fragment. I'm not opposed to fragments, but they seem to rarely work as opening lines. Try to make it a complete sentence?

"Alone isn't if you have someone or something with you but having a sense of belonging and purpose." - This sentence doesn't make sense. I think I know what you mean, but the phrasing is not coherent. Maybe you meant something more like, "Being alone isn't about not having someone or something, but about not having a sense of belonging and purpose." The way you have it phrased, the meaning is flipped.

"It has the sky and earth, that it is both apart of." - Grammatically, it should be "both of which it is a part of." Also, "apart" is not the same as "a part." If it were me though, I'd have ended it with, "It has the sky and earth."

The philosophical theme is something this piece does have going for it.

cheap_josh said:

:


The tree is bare, stripped of leaves and standing alone on a lifeless autumn evening. It's branches are grey, jagged and gnarled, growing unevenly in all directions. Surrounded in silence, no sound is made, as there is only the tree and it wishes not to be heard.

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"It's" should be "Its." The first is a contraction meaning "It is." The second is a possessive. Also, "no sound is made" is a redundant phrase as "surrounded in silence" says the same thing.

I did like how you attributed an intent to the tree, thereby giving it character.

Zolga Owns said:

Garth felt the breeze drift across the plain stirring up leaves from the trees around him. He watched a single leaf floating down from a tree in the center of the field. It was encased in an aura of light from the sun. The branches of the tree were framed by a mix of red and violet hues which casted the illusion of perfection. Garth heard sounds resonating from all around him while the scent of foliage swirled in the air. He felt overwhelmed by beauty and grace.

Click to expand...

There should be a comma after "plain" and "leaf," though for that second one, I'd prefer "float" to "floating" and no comma. You also have two consecutive sentences using passive voice and the words "was" and "were." Passive voice has its place, but it's probably better to use active voice here. As in "Red and violet hues framed the branches of the tree." Also, "cast" is already the past form of "casts." "Casted" is not a word. Passive voice in the last line weakens the effect it seems you're going for.

Good imagery, but could benefit from better delivery.

---

Edit: Nevermind. That was bad. I can't describe landscapes.

OT: That "yes on Prop 8" banner ad is making me twitchy.

"It's" should be "Its." The first is a contraction meaning "It is." The second is a possessive. Also, "no sound is made" is a redundant phrase as "surrounded in silence" says the same thing.

I did like how you attributed an intent to the tree, thereby giving it character.

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Thanks for the feedback, I changed the its. I'm not sure what I should do about that last sentence though, I don't know which part I should delete.

Crimson King said:

What I did was highlight the adjectives and underline the strong phrases. Though you aren't as guilty as others, I urge you to try rewriting it without adjectives. Does the piece lose its strength and imagery? If so, they you didn't write it as strongly as you could. A sentence is comprised of a known and a verb, so this should be your key focus. If I say "The boy swung wildly at the bully." That is four words for the base sentence versus if you pick a better verb such as "flail." "The boy flailed at the bully." Same connotation of swinging wildly, but you cut it by one word and kept the emphasis on the actor. Things like this will create such a better sense for your writing.

Click to expand...

I read the opening post with high hopes, and I wasn't disappointed. The first response changed my outlook on making sentences that hold depth. With that in mind, let me give this a shot. =]

A calming sunset crept through the sky, appreciated only by a lone tree that gazed in silence. The warm colors settled beneath the branches peacefully, as if resting upon its unusual companion.

I thought about that one too much. =[
But it was fun! =D

El Nino said:

There should be a comma after "plain" and "leaf," though for that second one, I'd prefer "float" to "floating" and no comma. You also have two consecutive sentences using passive voice and the words "was" and "were." Passive voice has its place, but it's probably better to use active voice here. As in "Red and violet hues framed the branches of the tree." Also, "cast" is already the past form of "casts." "Casted" is not a word. Passive voice in the last line weakens the effect it seems you're going for.

Good imagery, but could benefit from better delivery.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that.

I will work on this today.


I was thinking about the "final edit" thing today while I was in L.A. class (sooooo boring though she does let me read when I'm done 30 min early) and i can to the same conclusion you posted.

Thanks though :D

whens the deadline for this?

I'm pretty sure there isn't a deadline, it's not a competition, just post and get critiqued.

no like, how much time do we have before the second part

CK and I were thinking about moving on the next step on Wednesday or so.

El Nino said:

There should be a comma after "plain" and "leaf," though for that second one, I'd prefer "float" to "floating" and no comma. You also have two consecutive sentences using passive voice and the words "was" and "were." Passive voice has its place, but it's probably better to use active voice here. As in "Red and violet hues framed the branches of the tree." Also, "cast" is already the past form of "casts." "Casted" is not a word. Passive voice in the last line weakens the effect it seems you're going for.

Good imagery, but could benefit from better delivery.

Click to expand...

Here is my new version taking in El Nino's advice.

This is helping my writing loads thanks all.

Garth felt the breeze drift across the plain, stirring up leaves from the trees around him. He watched a single leaf float down from a tree in the center of the field. It was encased in an aura of light from the sun. A mix of red and violet hues framed the branches of the tree which cast an illusion of perfection. Garth heard sounds resonating from all around him while the scent of foliage swirled in the air. Beauty and grace overwhelmed him.

Cool, this is a good idea for people like me who want to become at least a little better at writing. Here's my submission.

The end of another day has fallen. As the sun set once again, I watched the tree standing right in front of me. Shadows seemed to cover its bare branches, giving the tree a bit of a gloomy appearance. The tree seemed to tower over me, and the branches seemed to reach out to the sky above. As a soft wind blew across the darkening land, I could hear thin limbs gently swaying in the breeze. We were both alone, the tree and I; both of us stood ready, waiting for the approaching night.