Word of the Day Story Thread

[Jercurpac]

Here's an exercise I like to use whenever I find myself stuck for ideas to write or need a break from a project I'm working on. I like to take one random word and use it to start writing. You can take that one word into any direction you're compelled to. If your word is stoic you might be compelled to write about a family member who was stoic, or you can invent someone who was stoic, or if the word stoic makes you think of boats you can write about boats. The idea is to get your brain moving and get your hands to start putting down some words. Plus, you might even end up with an interesting idea for a story that you might want to pursue further.

This is going to be a spot for me and anyone else who wants to try their hand at it to leave their word of the day writings whenever they feel the need to clear their minds or try and find inspiration. I'll leave a couple links to words of the day, but preferably only pick one instead of trying them all for the perfect word. The goal is to practice getting ideas from something new or surprising. Even if you have to write "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this word" over and over until inspiration hits.

Dictionary.com word of the day
Merriam-Webster word of the day
A.Word.A.Day
http://wordthink.com/

[Jercurpac]

Here's a little something I was working on for a little bit when I was having trouble working on another project.

dharna
\ DAHR-nuh \ , noun;
1.
In India,the practice of exacting justice or compliance with a just demand by sitting and fasting at the doorstep of an offender until death or until the demand is granted.

Of course the door was green. It was just like that greedy little bastard to paint his door a viciously jealous shade of green. It didn't even make sense when taken in with the entire color scheme of the house. The walls were yellow, the shutters were red, and the trim was blue. No one in their right mind would choose to paint their house into such a monstrosity, but of course that's just what Gary was, completely and utterly out of his goddamn mind.

"Open up you bastard, I know you're in there!" Bruce pounded on the door, cringing with every hit more with revulsion towards Gary's sense of décor than with the pain of repeatedly mashing one's fist into solid oak. "You know why I'm here now get your ass outside." Bruce paused from his assault on the door and leaned in towards it trying to tune into whatever activity might be going on behind its emerald exterior. He began to hear the faint thumping of bass notes echoing through the house's walls and what might possibly be a voice, a singer, a stereo system playing music. Bruce leaned in even closer putting his ear against the door. The sounds of music became even more evident.

"You son of a bitch, you can try to ignore me if you want, but I'm not moving until I get what I'm owed!" He steadied himself, breathed in deeply and then looked around. The lines of evergreens that ran along the street swayed slowly in the wind, seemingly in time with the beat of the music that rang from the bowels of Gary's house. He looked further down the street to his own house, a stately color of off white, something normal, something sane. Bruce turned resolutely towards Gary's disaster of a home.

"No," he thought, "This guy's not going to win. I'm going to stay here until he can't ignore me any more. You can't just take something from another person and expect to get away with it." He shuddered slightly as the wind picked up slightly. "I don't care if I have to stay here all goddamn night."

[Dubbi]

"Dharna" is an interesting word, one that I never heard of. If you could find a word of equal interest, obscurity and exotic origin, I'll gladly write a piece characterized by it.