The Word Worker

Author: wordworkerrussell

  • To Outline or Not to Outline

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Anyone who participates in the writing community for very long will certainly run into the great debate. Should authors outline before writing or not? I suspect the heat of the discussion stems from academic writing instruction, in which outlines are necessary for structuring arguments and organizing large volumes of factual information. Certainly outlining can be…

  • The House

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    wordworkerrussell
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    She trailed her fingers along the wooden bannister, stepping carefully to avoid tripping over the litter of decay. The air smelled faintly musty, but the open front door lit up the foyer with clear sunlight. She turned and grinned at her companions. Chuck groaned. “I know that look,” he told the real estate agent with…

  • Squandering God’s Estate

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Jesus told a story of two brothers. The older brother fulfilled society’s expectations of a dutiful son. He worked alongside his father, maintaining and supervising the family estate. He never broke the rules, never disappointed his father, never neglected his responsibilities. The younger brother was the family wild card. He chafed at responsibility and expectations,…

  • Moon

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    wordworkerrussell
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    She sniffed the night air, savoring the smells of grass and dead leaves surrounding her den. A screech overhead drew her gaze, but the owl’s presence woke no concern in her yet. A musky scent set her body trembling, and her mate trotted out of the underbrush. He sat just out of reach, tongue lolling…

  • Impossible

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    wordworkerrussell
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    It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. That’s how she knew she had stepped through. Thirteen hours on the clock. The impossible hour. Her breath froze and shattered as another puff left her nostrils. Humans weren’t meant to be here. Well, here wasn’t exactly the right word. Weren’t…

  • Cursed City

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Fifteen years since she had fled the city, a child in a handful of refugees with nothing to feel but pain. Child or not, that last view of the city had been burned into her memory as surely as the real fires had marked her face. She frowned, old scars pulling tight; surely it should…

  • What Are We Looking For?

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    wordworkerrussell
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    The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders ostracized anyone who broke what they thought was part of God’s law. They spent their days watching for infractions, railing about rules, and arguing about minutae. When God Himself visited them, they rebuked Him using their interpretation of the law He wrote, the law He was; then they killed…

  • Market Day

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Shara peered through the nearest window as she worked the complicated controls. Jumping onto the long crank shaft to add her full weight to the effort, she grumbled under her breath. The thing creaked louder than a banshee shriek, and moved about as fast as old Piet dozing in his armchair. She heaved a sigh…

  • Mustard Seed Faith

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    wordworkerrussell
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    The mustard tree is a fascinating plant. Its tiny seed is one of the smallest in the world, and must be collected by soaking the pit of the mustard fruit for several days and then straining the resulting pulp through a cloth. The seed germinates quickly but grows incredibly slowly. Its most rapid growth occurs…

  • The Row

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    wordworkerrussell
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    The Grand Experiment, the village council called it. Marigold sniffed; Mayor Belfast always did tend toward the dramatic. Bunch of nonsense, in her opinion. What folk were thinking electing that bunch of nincompoops she would never know. Six months they had wasted building the stupid things. A whole row of cottages made entirely of turf.…