Crunch: The Statue
Writing Exercise #14
I was traveling all weekend and I didn’t prepare an exercise for today—scrambling to write this an hour before it publishes! I trawled Notes for inspiration, and saw
’s Wicked Writing Competition. This is NOT a submission for that—but it was inspiration in a pinch.If you have ideas for Prompts, Crunches, Sprints, Relays, Stretches, Fables, or other writing exercises in the future, please leave them in the comments! If you would like to write your own take for this exercise, please comment with a link so that I can see what you wrote and support your work, maybe even share your version with my subscribers. Please let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, or constructive criticisms as well!
Enjoy!
Crunch: Write about a Statue
The statuary. Midnight. My phone—before they took it--told me it would have been a moonless sky even if it hadn’t been cloudy, but the clouds added a layer of darkness. It was like hiding under a thick blanket: a suffocating, claustrophobic darkness. My eyes slowly adjusted and I could make out vague outlines. I knew this place by heart if it were daytime. I could name each statue and sculpture and I could tell you who the artist was or which work it was meant to replicate. I reached out and dragged my fingertips across one—the cement sculpture a far cry from it’s marble original, the rough pits and edges a jarring sensation against my skin.
How long had it been? One minute? Ten? It was impossible to tell. I had to make it to thirty minutes to fulfill the dare. I scoffed inwardly that they thought it was scary—yet I was still afraid to scoff outwardly for fear of making a sound.
To keep my mind busy I tried to build a map of the statues—I knew where they were supposed to be. This was a replica of the Thinker. There was David. Over here, the Veiled Virgin. But, behind this sculpture, a new one. It seemed out of place. I reached my hands forward, so I wouldn’t stumble, dragged my fingers along the sculptures that lined the path.
Cold stone gave way to warm fabric.
The statue whirled around: “Can I help you?”
(250 words)
Talk to me!
Your feedback helps to improve my writing. I would really appreciate a comment on your thoughts on this writing exercise. Consider telling me your thoughts about:
Do you have a favorite statue or sculpture? Which one?
When was the last time you went to a museum of any kind?
Are you going to participate in Macabre Monday’s Wicked Writing Contest?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy! Come back next week for another writing exercise!
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Thank you and God bless!
1. I'm not sure if I have a favorite statue/sculpture, although the Thinker's right up there, especially as there's a bronze cast of it at the University of Louisville within line of sight of the law school where I went. :)
2. Erm.... let me think...it's been a minute.
3. Possibly?
I've heard of David; I don't think I know the Veiled Virgin. I'll have to look that up. Also if that happened to me I would probably scream and run away; I've seen enough Doctor Who to know that living statues are bad news.
"David "which I had the pleasure of seeing in Rome left me awestruck.