Elucidation Blog

     It’s like one of those spy movies where they find out the password by dusting fingerprints on a pin pad. There are only two spots on my kitchen clock touchscreen that aren’t plastered with a little invisible coat of dust: the Clock button and the Word of the Day button. As someone who loves to write little detached snippets of fiction, I find Word of the Days delightful.       That said, reading the definition for a single word does not compare to the miracle of Wikipedia’s daily mailing list. I found this entirely by accident while searching for a way to get the daily featured quote. It comes with a cute little nutshell of an article, some events that happened on this very day of history, a word of the day (of course), and a quote! The quotes are endlessly amusing—either wise or bewilderingly unconventional in their opinion. For an archive of this incredible and bizarre compilation, spend the rest of your afternoon here !      The Wiktionary word of the day is also unique in t

  He keeps nervously glancing down at his watch. I wish he would stop. He’s so at peace when he’s won over by the waves of the fountain, returning to a familiar rhythm that I don’t quite recognize. But I know how it feels to have that intimate memory encoded in my most tranquil of feelings. I just want to go home. “I just want to go home,” I tell him, out loud this time. This lost, whirling homesickness boils up with the nausea from all these fumes around me. The old man checks his watch before looking up distractedly at me. It makes me twitch. “Listen, kid,” he sighs. “I’m no free man. I can’t just take you back to wherever you’re from.” He lifts the clock face to mine, as if the analog display somehow justifies his urgency. There are remnants of an ancient watch tan sitting between two permanently sunburnt patches of his sinewy wrist. “I’ve got to go.” He taps the glass as the showering fountains behind us shut off with a click. “5 o’clock.” I’m left there, staring down at

  Whispering beetles were a familiar language to me. I used to see a glimmer of their light radiating from a tiny dot out into the wide-open air. I could exist with the trees, mimicking their steady sway as the wind flowed through their leaves like it did through my hair. The trees had all the answers I needed. My favourite were the timid creatures who made a quiet home and rested contentedly in their nests and burrows. Sometimes the curious ones would pad out, hiding meekly in the underbrush as if asking for permission to greet me. They spoke my language too. Now in the discord of the city, a car pounds past me and engulfs me with its shadow of cold, smoggy air. It’s gone without a second glance. Cars never hesitate. They don’t leave that fuzzy feeling of warm fur in my fingers, only smoke. The birds here are different too. Nothing more than plain, black boxes with one beady hole for an eye. They watch me impatiently while hiding themselves behind flickering red lights. Most of

  Serenity was a frog. A distorted, unpleasant-looking frog. Or perhaps they weren’t really a frog at all, but in any case, it was a lot easier to believe that they were. This fact was the only thing that the townsfolk could count on about Serenity.  Without any qualities other than the semblance of a mucous-encrusted amphibian, Serenity was also peculiar in that they never had a location. At times it seemed that they must be somewhere, for if they were seen, surely that must be where they were situated. However, it was often the case that being in one place didn’t prevent Serenity from being somewhere else too. And then there were times when Serenity was nowhere at all, when really they must have been in at least one somewhere. It was a wonder if there really was such thing as Serenity and not just some devious, backwards illusion that had come to infect the entirety of the village—or almost the entire village. One single boy had never come across Serentiy. Not even their shadow

Character Organizer Character Organizer Fill in each box to build and expand on your character. Leave boxes empty if you aren't sure or if it doesn't apply to your story. All of the prompts are simply ideas rather than requirements. Jot Note Style: (not full sentences) Should I use jot style or regular? Check the box if you want your organizer to be generated in jot note form. You can respond to the prompts in simple one-word answers for convenience. At the end, you'll generate more of a reference sheet for your character. Leave the box unchecked for regular format. The prompts will be there to guide you, but the generator will not add anything or change your response. This allows you to end up with one paragraph written in your own voice that is structured and ready for use. You can also write in first person. In this format, make sure to include the prompt in your sentences so you can look back and understand what you've writ

Partly Randomized Character Gen Partly Randomized Character Generator Fill in each box to build inspiration for your minor or supporting character. Leave boxes empty if you aren't sure or if it doesn't apply to your story. Tips: You can write as much as you want in each section, only the grammar may begin to look strange. Press done again to resubmit your character and receive a different randomization. For the best results, follow the same syntax as seen in the placeholder suggestion. Character Name: Pronouns: They/Them He/Him She/Her It/Its Age: Species: (leave blank for human) Occupation/Class: Write A Brief Physical Description Words That Describe Personality Hobby/Interest: Outwards Objective: (what their goal appears to be) Actual Desire: (what they really need but won't admit) Additional Notes: Done C