Inspiration from Reality TV

With the continuous flood of bad reality TV shows that dominate network and cable television, I thought I’d blog about this sad topic.  Why?  Because there must be some new meaning in this antiquated topic of brainless television.


I find it unfathomable how these shows exist let alone how disturbing they are.  All these reality stars or celeb wannabes beg incessantly for attention, putting their pathetic lives on display and for what?  You guessed it...a feeding frenzy of mass proportions.  These shows feed the insatiable appetites of fame-starved reality show subjects.  They feed a sick amount of couch potatoes and even more so they feed the deep pockets of network/cable executives. 

Thanks, Bravo.

I’m curious about the reality TV icons; those star-obsessed freaks who hog up my television screen.  Talk about being caught in a "whirlwind of stupid." Is your life so remarkable that you have to have a camera in your face, capturing all the mundane or better yet staged moments in your life?  I'm in awe at times and not in a good way, I assure you.  Truthfully, I don’t watch much TV, but when I do, I cringe at all the reality shows.  Oh,  I've watched my fair share. Who  hasn't?  There’s just too many on the air for Christ's sake.  Will it ever end?  Probably not.  


So with all the repulsiveness that comes with reality TV, what can we gain from it as writers? Here’s the “meaning” and possible silver lining I was referring to earlier… characters my friend; flawed, ridiculous, unadulterated and cruel characters.  If you’re lacking inspiration in some of your characters or stories for that matter, try flipping the switch and tune into any reality show.  


I've found at least one positive aspect for reality TV.  Would you agree?  Whether it’s the Kardashians (please God - no more Kardashians), Jersey Shore, Bravo TV's Real Housewives (pick your city) or even a cooking competition, there’s almost always some facet that can inspire something with our writing…right?  


You tell me.  Do you use any of this crap for inspiration?  I sort of did with my Hallucinating Housewives flash fiction series.  What about you?


Mina B.

Writer's Platform Building Second Campaigner Challenge

The Writer's Platform Building Second Campaigner Challenge is here!  Here's my entry:   

         Imago Interrupted 

After two nose surgeries, liposuction, breast augmentation, and a barrage of beauty treatments, Margaret was almost...perfect.  One more treatment and she’d finally be beautiful, breathtakingly so, like her childhood friend, Diana.  No more being Diana’s “plain” friend - the one men ignored.  

After this, they’d want her.  After all this, in Margaret delusional mind, she'd achieve synchronicity.

“Hold still, Margaret. Almost done.” Dr. Frank said, making one last injection.  The miasma of nitro seeped eerily from the cryotank.

The needle’s contents crept through Margaret’s veins.  Laced with stem cells, the treatment promised to regenerate Margaret’s face to a youthful state.

Margaret mumbled.

“Don’t move. You’ll cause damage.” Dr. Frank clipped, blotting blood from her face.

Margaret’s mouth opened in pain. “Ahhhh.”

“Do not oscitate!”  Dr. Frank shouted.

Margaret panicked eyes glanced at his nurse.  Her worried expression mirrored Margaret’s. Not good.

Dr. Frank cursed, snatching more gauze.

Margaret felt her lips become uncomfortably plump.  Her forehead stretched far too much; underneath her tendons felt torn.  She hadn’t planned for this; the horrifying lacuna where everything went terribly wrong.  She wanted to scream.

Too late.

In the end, Margaret's beautification efforts were futile.

Truth be told, they were downright ugly.

That's it!  I'm adding this one to my Hallucinating Housewives #FF.  Fun stuff.  Looking forward to reading the others. :)

Mina B.

Writer Campaign Flash Fiction Challenge

Well, writer campaigners.  I didn’t get my flash fiction piece done on time because frankly, I ran out of time.  Booooooooooo!  I know.  I know.  However, despite not being able to make it in time, I still wanted to support the campaign – which is why I’m posting now.  There were over 300 people that submitted their FF, so if your interested, start here and happy reading! 

 Deadly Whispers

The door swung open, nearly bursting its hinges.  I stared back at an empty threshold.

Confused, I went to investigate, but stopped when a vase near the door crashed onto the floor.

My head jerked to the doorway, but no one was there.

Another step and the coat rack thwacked across the entryway, knocking down a lamp and spilling my glass of Boudreaux over my sofa and coffee table.

Cursing the mess, I glanced at the door suspiciously.  Spidering tingles permeated through me, and I shuddered.  Despite no one being there, something still felt terribly wrong.

My cat then pounced onto the mess, licking hungrily at the puddled wine.

“No!” I said, but she uncharacteristically hissed.

I gasped. Only one person made her viciously hiss, and that was Miles. But there was no way it was him.

It couldn’t be.

My gaze darted back to the door, only to hear a whisper in my other ear, “Hush.”

I jumped; my eyes frantically scanned the empty room.

A horrifying vibe assaulted me, followed by an ice-cold pressure squeezing my throat.

My eyes widened when an unmistakable voice spoke.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Mile’s ghost said. “Love me. Hate me. Kill me. You really are one fickle, bi-"

And then the door slammed shut.

The end.

If you're interested in a few other flash fictions I've written, click my Hallucinating Housewives ff series here.   Anyway, I’m off not to spend some time reading other writer’s FF.

Cheers,
Mina

Hallucinating Housewives: A Wicked Dress

As previously mentioned, I’ve created a series that pokes fun at married women fantasizing, specifically about anything dark, morose and preferably creepy as hell.  The first one I posted last month was called The Beast.  This installment is called A Wicked Dress.  Enjoy.

A Wicked Dress

A witch stood erect with unruly red curls, wrapped in gray clothing. Using her one good black eye, she gazed at the innocent females before her.

Bound, gagged and blindfolded, the attractive females were shivering with fear, donned in nothing but their bras and panties.

Ignoring their whimpers, the witch cursed. “They all look the same.”

A second witch emerged. She wore the same attire, except for her inky hair and eerie green eyes. She grew defensive. “It took me weeks to find these.”

“Shut up, you fool.” The head witch’s bedeviling eye scanned the group. “Bring that one here.”

The lowly witch dragged a reluctant female forward.

The unknown woman was shaking uncontrollably while praying silently. She had imitation blond hair, false blue contacts and a voluptuous set of fake “C” cup boobs – just like the others, all except one.

The head witch poked and prodded at the female, scanning her face and body, searching for signs of oriniginality. She said in disgust. “Not one is unique?”

The second witch interrupted. “This one is scarred.”

The one-eyed witch’s lips twisted. “Good.”

The second witch pushed the marred female, causing her to land on her stomach. The female writhed in pain, exposing her defect to everyone.

“Get up,” the witch snarled, pulling her up.

The female stood on trembling knees.

Both witches agreed in unison. “Perfect.”

“Anna!”

Anna shook her head, withdrawing from her daydream, hearing her husband call again. “Hurry up. We’re going to be late.”

Hurriedly, Anna glanced at her two dress choices. Should she wear the black one and be like everybody else, or should she dare to be different?

Summoning some originality, she donned the fuchsia slip dress and matching shoes.

At the mirror, Anna turned to her back and ogled at her angry scar.  With her short ebony hair, everyone would see her imperfection. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled seductively. “Oh well…I am feeling wicked tonight.”

Copyright 2011 by Mina Burrows.

All rights reserved

Update and Winner of my Blogoversary Contest

Congrats to Sophia the winner of my Free Book Contest for Richelle Mead’s Last Sacrifice! Wahoo!  The winner was chosen through the established and reputable Random.org.

I want to thank everyone for all my well wishes/comments regarding my 1st Annual Blogoversary.  It was a big deal and I’m happy my friends celebrated it with me by stopping by and entering my contest.  I so love Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series and thought it was fitting to have her final book – Rose’s story/Last Sacrifice – be my prize for my blogoversary.  Anyway, I hope I’ve inspired you readers to dive into the series. I promise you won’t regret it.

Before I forget, be sure and stop by often, because you never know when I’ll have a FREE Book Contest.  I’m pretty lucky when it comes to sourcing my giveaways and I do plan on doing another one soon.  I’m thinking something along the lines of Larissa Ione.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

Also, in February, I’ve joined up with Kathy from I’m a reader not a writer who is organizing a Valentine’s Day - Love Hop.  The dates are February 8th to February 13th.  I’m preparing a special book lover’s delight so be sure and check it out.  Oh, and tell your friends too.

Lastly, while I’m tweaking and pitching my books, I’m writing a few flash fiction series on my blog.  There kind of fun to read and oh yeah...their FREE.  So I hope my fans/friends will take a peak and have some fun in the process.  The first is a segment I call Hallucinating Housewives.  Everyone is familiar with Stepford Wives, Desperate Housewives, and then of course the classic Bravo TV's Real Housewives of “Pick a City.”   My series pokes fun at married women fantasizing, specifically about anything dark, morose and preferably creepy as hell.  I hope you enjoy them. The first one I posted last month called The Beast.

The second mystic series, I’ve created on my blog is called the Shadow Spirit series. They’re essentially ghostly beings that are marked, living an eternal life in the shadows, helping the helpless. The first of the series is call Next.  I had quite a lot of fun scribbling this tale and hope you enjoy it too. The first of the Shadow Spirit series is called Next.

Once again, thank you for all the blogoversary wishes, but most of all…thanks for stopping by!

Until next time…read anything you can get your hands on…

Mina B.

Copyright 2010-2011 by Mina Burrows.

All rights reserved.

Mina’s Shorts: The Beast

I sometimes get lost in my imagination when it comes to writing.  As far as an idea goes, I get inspired by something as random as a passerby’s comment or words on the back of a cereal box. From time to time, an idea will throttle my brain until I write something down.  In the spirit of these random thoughts, I thought I’d start doing a segment on my blog called Mina’s Shorts. They’ll be most likely around 300 words and creepy in nature, cuz…that’s just my thing and all. Anyway, here’s one I scribbled recently called The Beast.  Enjoy.

The Beast

By Mina Burrows

“Kill the beast!”

A savage cry bellowed from the amassed crowd, followed by a surge of approving screams.

The group’s leader, a domineering hunk, approached center stage. His voice boomed across the sea of onlookers, “Silence!”

The crowd simmered as the speaker summoned the beast on stage. The beast was massive, excessively pale, and bare-chested with a nipple ring. His head covered with a burlap sack – a seemingly better alternative to his face. His black pants were ordinary except for a slit in the back, allowing for the beast’s winding tail.

Flanked with two beefy guards, the beast jerked ferociously, his tail whipping in defiance.

A busty beauty called out.

“Let me have it,” she cried. “I want that bloody tail.”

The leader's eyes honed in on the woman. She wore a tight crimson ensemble, revealing breasts begging to be touched. Lust assaulted him and he sneered a reply, “That can be arranged.”

The woman winked at him, silently agreeing to his demands, her desire increasing tenfold. The leader waved her on stage and she hurried in response, her matching Gucci shoes clicked in tandem.

The leader grunted at her enthusiasm, while the crowd roared.

The beast stilled, sensing her presence.

“I know who you are,” the beast growled, unable to see her face.

The red seductress laughed, unsheathing her dagger. The knife gleamed against the harsh lighting, making the crowd go wild.

She snatched the tail, her brain engrossed in her task. As she readied her knife, she felt a nudge on her shoulder.

“Honey?”

She ignored it, lost in her salacious mind.

“Sweetheart!” The tap turned into push. “Can you hear me?”

The distant voice finally pulled Delia, the day dreaming housewife, out of her musings.

“What?” She glanced at her husband in surprise.

“You’re day dreaming again,” her hubby replied.

Delia grinned. “Only about you, you beast…I mean, sweetie.”


The End




Until next time…read a little, write a little. Yeah, that’s my thing.

Mina B.

 
 
 
 
Copyright 2010 by Mina Burrows.

All rights reserved.