Community Story Board is as Community Story Board Does

February 3, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 6 Comments

The Community Story Board is back. Here is a message from the editors to provide some guidance going forward. Please visit with the idea of submitting some of your great work. You will find the submission guidelines on the site.

We’re back!!! New Guidelines.

After careful consideration and discussions with a panel of experts (we hear voices), we are implementing some not so drastic changes. In the spirit of keeping this a fair and fun community for everyone, we have rearranged some privileges, made some editorial changes, and adjusted our guidelines. Some of you who had free posting privileges prior to our closure may now find that you are restricted and need an editor’s approval before posting. After a history of consistent quality posts, you may regain privileges to post without editor approval. This is not anything personal or a judgment against your writing or talent, but we are striving to take the CSB in a more positive direction. To do so, we need to establish more quality control.

Going forward, we ask that people remember that this website is about feedback. The ‘C’ stands for Community and we mean it. Even if you dislike a piece, please feel free to comment on it with respect and integrity. Consistently coming to the editors with an issue about works that are represented on the blog does not help the author in question learn and grow. If discussions do get heated and cross the line of civility, the editors will step in and there will be the risk of removal of offending party(ies).

Without further ado, here are the New Guidelines!

This blog is intended to feature Short fiction, non-fiction and poetry, as well as art pieces and musical works. We would prefer if your submission was no longer than 1000 words long, unless it has been arranged prior.
We ask that you limit your posting to 1 piece per day unless you are an editor or have previous permission. The exception to this rule is during contests, prompts, and themes that require more than one post per day.
The work you submit must be original and all rights must belong to you. If you are submitting work for someone else, you must include a signed release with your submission. Any work that is deemed as not original will be promptly removed from the site and you will no longer be allowed to participate. This includes any art work or photos that are an accompaniment to your writing, unless it is public domain.
Your work will be published as determined by the editors of this site, and on the schedule that works for them.
We will not edit your work for you. It will be published as is.
We maintain the right to refuse to publish a work at our discretion and without any further explanation.
We do not claim any rights to your work. It is yours to do with as you wish. If you no longer wish to have your work featured on the site, please use the contact form on the Submission Guidelines Page. Please remember to include the title of your post so that we may easily find and remove it. It may take up to 72 hours for it to be removed from the site.
Please keep in mind this is a community. Choose only your best stuff and post the rest to personal blogs.
The formatting of your piece will be handled by our editors, unless you have posting privileges. WordPress sometimes does odd things. We will do the best we can to ensure that it comes out looking great.
If you are submitting an excerpt of a published book, please also send us a link to the book and the publisher information.
Fan Fiction will NOT be accepted.
NO self-promoting via single links to your blog with no other content.
All content on this site is property of the individual author. If you are going to use it in part or in whole somewhere else, you must have permission from the author first, with the exception of reblogs.
Please include the links to your website/sales pages with your work if you wish to have them posted.
Please note: It may take up to a week for one of our editors to get back to you.
If you wish to have a photo included with your submission please note this at the top of your submission and we will send you the appropriate email to submit it to. We kindly ask that you limit your photos to one per submission, unless you are doing a photography post that has been previously approved.
Please ensure that your photos are appropriate for all audiences and are not offensive. This includes graphic nudity, violence/gore, sexuality, and anything else that may be construed as inappropriate.

We hope everyone has a good time here and shares in the joy of reading and writing–Thank you, the editorial team.

Keep a look out for a post about coming events such as an artist contest and the bi-monthly theme, which will be replacing the weekly prompts.

CSB Prompt is as CSB Prompt Does

November 12, 2013 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

English: Illustration of the pain pathway in R... — English: Illustration of the pain pathway in René Descartes’ Traite de l’homme (Treatise of Man) 1664. The long fiber running from the foot to the cavity in the head is pulled by the heat and releases a fluid that makes the muscles contract. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is in response to the Community Story Board Prompt for this week: Tomorrow by Julian Froment. You can see Julian’s here; http://goo.gl/ujGp3c

“Okay what did you say?”

“I said I can’t believe you forgot about picking me up.”

“Aw honey I didn’t forget.”

“I don’t know what you call it then. I waited at the airport for an hour and no you.”

“I know, I know. It’s just─”

“Just what you dead beat?”

“Well it’s just I made a mistake that’s all. I thought your flight was tomorrow. ”

“Mistake. I would say leaving your wife at the airport so she has to call a cab cause your sorry ass can’t answer the phone is more than a mistake. I told you when I left when the flight was. Here’s the damn schedule right on the table where I left it.”

“I wasn’t home to answer the phone.”

“Tell me something else I don’t know. Who were you with? That slut of a sister-in-law of yours?”

“Naw I was not with Teresa. I was at the doctors.”

“The doctors? What the hell you doing at the doctors.”

“This pain in my chest is worse.”

“Pain what pain?”

“I told you I had a pain.”

“You mean that pain you mentioned a month ago?”

“Yeah that’s it.”

“You said it was cause you got hit on the job. What did the doctor say?”

“Tumor.”

“What? What ya mean tumor?”

“Yeah he said they need to operate tomorrow. If not I would have to wait a month and he thought that might be too late. I told him I couldn’t tomorrow cause you needed to be picked up from the airport.”

“No wait. Call the doctor and tell him you can do it tomorrow.”

“Too late. His office called and told me before you came in that they had another in my place.”

CSB Prompt is as CSB Prompt Does

November 8, 2013 ~ John W. Howell ~ 10 Comments

This post is for the CSB’s writing prompt Childhood Memories.

“Have you made up your mind?”

“No sir I am still trying to decide.”

“Well okay you take your time. We stay open till nine.”

“Oh I can’t stay out that late. My mom says I need to be home before dark.”

“How old are you anyway?”

“Just turned ten.”

“I would say you need to be home by dark. How far away do you live.”

“We are just down the block about midway.”

“Does your dad know you are out?”

“I don’t have a dad. He went to heaven.”

“Oh geeze kid, I’m sorry.”

“Yes Sir. How many of those licorice Scotties can I get for a penny?”

“Those are two for a penny.”

“How about those wax lips and moustache.”

“Those are a penny each.”

“Those B.B.Bats there?”

“A penny each.”

“That Clark Bar?”

“Now those candy bars are five cents for any one of them. The Hershey’s, the Mounds, the Zag Nut, the Three Musketeers are all five cents.”

“Five cents is all I got.”

“Well if you don’t decide soon it will be dark and you’ll be late getting home.”

“Even if I am a little late my mom doesn’t get there until later.”

“Where’s she at?”

“She works at the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company.”

“Oh A&P.”

“How about those Dots and JuJy Fruits?”

“All a nickel. If you have a nickel why can’t you decide?”

“Well. . . I need to buy some candy for my sister too. I don’t want to split hers up. I want her to have one for herself.”

“Where’s your sister?”

“She works too.”

“How old is your sister?”

“I don’t know. Not as old as my mother. Are those malted milk balls a penny?”

“No. They are two for a penny.”

“The hats?”

“Penny.”

“Those candies on paper?”

“Nickel a foot. Just a minute. I forgot about a special I am having today.”

“What’s a special?”

“Do you like Almond Joys?”

“I really do.”

“I am running a special on Almond Joys. For today only and only for kids with sisters, they are two for a nickel.”

Prompt is as Prompt Does – Community Story Board

October 13, 2013October 13, 2013 ~ John W. Howell ~ 5 Comments

It’s Sunday, and time once again for the Weekly Prompt at The Community Story Board. Go here for details

http://wp.me/p3xQw1-1Ga

This week is to see what everyone can do with the word “Yesterday …”

Interpret it as you will, but the word yesterday must appear somewhere in your work, be it the title or in the middle of a sentence. Write poetry, prose, fiction, or memoir it is yours to create.

Here is mine:

“Yes sir. Can I help you?”

“I’m not sure. I think I have lost my way. Is this a hotel?”

“No sir. This is not a hotel it is a reception area.”

“Well it looks like a hotel. You actually look the front desk clerk.”

“I can assure you sir this is no hotel and I’m not a clerk.”

“Then where am I?”

“Do you remember anything about yesterday?”

“Yesterday? Let me think.”

“Weren’t you driving your car? Going to San Francisco wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. I was driving. Wait a minute. I was driving down US One and there was a dog or goat or something in the road.”

“And the ocean was to your left.”