WRAP UP - ROMANTIC PICNIC and new challenge guidelines, I Should Have Kissed You.

Ah, what a great turn-out for The Romantic Picnic. Thanks Andy for all your promo efforts  *high-fives*

Welcome to several new followers - Cluelessincairo, Elen Lackner, T Roger Thomas, A J Locke, and Anne @Writers Space. Welcome new contributors Sulekha Rawat, Nilanjana Bose, Anne, Elen Lackner, Michael DiGesu, Suzy Que; and to JL who has been gone awhile.  Glad you all could join us.  And a big thank you to all our returning contributors, you know you rock!

I always marvel at how a simple theme can have so many wonderful interpretations.  Few of us – myself included – actually incorporated the picnic as more than the setting, and I was surprised there were not more children and families depicted.  Even more interesting: only one person included the Ants.  Picnics must be fun to write, cuz many excerpts were over word count!  I was impressed with the awesome landscapes - beaches, mountains, and gardens - and a variety of rich cultures to fascinate us.  My weekend reading was filled with wine and potato salad . .

Francine: used the picnic throughout her writing.  The setting and picnic spread were romantic, the Marques and The Lady unchaperoned, and a matter of social etiquette to discuss.

Sally:  had a special invite, a beautiful day, and a bad childhood memory on the horizon to spoil the lover’s time together.  Except; this beau knew how to get to a picnic with the hood down, and holding hands, and an unexpected proposal to rival the shining sun.

Sulekha: wrote of a mid-day, Valentine’s Day getaway with a busy corporate husband.  As a good wife, our pov lover fulfills her duty, as unsatisfying as it is, all the while thinking her husband has no time or caring for her.  Until the moment he proves he listens to every word she speaks.

Madeleine: treated us to a lesson in perspectives; writing out the same scenario from differing POV.  Interesting; all the different ways to ask a person on a picnic, and all the emotions and possibilities from just a subtle change.

Anna: continued her story of Paul, Jenny and Priscilla, this time adding in the responses of the kids to the return of their mother.  She leaves us hanging with the possibility that the picnic reunion may not be as happy as hoped, or may not happen at all.

Adura:  took us on a sensual journey into the botanicals with a long time crush on a competent co-worker.  The picnic seemed the perfect setting to take a plutonic relationship to its next level.

Nancy: set us atop the Grand Canyon, with the wind blowing in our hair, a child who wants to learn to cook, and the love of a dad for the helpful neighbor.  Seven years is a long time for a love to grow.

Roland: gave us the gift of “finger” foods for a midnight picnic in the cemetery; complete with the insanity of long dead spirits to cheer the happy couple through their long night of running.

Denise: took us back to the islands to wait with Inya for his tourist attraction to return to him.  Trusting the endurance of the fling, Inya returns to the place of their first meeting; papaya, wild ginger, wine and a trusting heart exposed to the sea, and fates.

Linda: offered a cultural feast, complete with a rebellious teen, a forbidden love affair, and a risky chance at an alternate life.  She left us all with aspirations for the mysterious future.

Andy: deviously allowed the female lover to stew in her own cooking as he purposefully arrived late, then sweet talked her into a white limousine .  Within was a romantic picnic complete with pink champagne, roses, and a pink diamond to ensure a long, full night.

Nilanjana: filled the night with stars, wine, and fine poetry to lift our mood and leave us breathless in the moonlit air.  A feast for the soul.

Anne: wrapped us in a memory of the perfect day, overlapping the picnic of past and present to build a dream world where the spirits of loved one dine on remembrance.

Suzy: tricked her lover into revealing her perfect date, then flew us off to a romantic location, all perfectly set up with music, fine cutlery, and all the alone time anyone could wish with such an adventurous, handsome man.

Crystal:  watched our lovers play with the family at the park; a family and a love that was rejected for more immediate concerns, now looked upon with regret and a taste of jealousy.  We were left with the consequences of choice, an ache for things that could have been.

Radwa: walked the shoreline, taking note of all stages of love from new romance, to comfortable passion, to sharing of family and growth.  We fed on the waves, and the salty air, and drank in the soothing wonders of life in its unguarded moments.

Elen: reunited us with a long lost love; recapturing a moment in time as if it had never escaped loving arms, sensual kisses and silvering moon lighting the way to wild abandon.

Joy: lingered on the rebound; a heart breaking dilemma of doubt and mistrust where the past over shadows the present, the future a turned back walking into the horizon without a glance back, leaving only the ants and crumbs to share the loss.

Michael: swept us away in a gusty moment of passion; the wind and fingers in the lovers hair stirring breathless kisses and waves of desire with a wet “I love you.”

Donna: undressed our lovers for an afternoon delight; surfing the years of togetherness as well as the enduring waves change.

As you can see, we met our challenge goal of 20 entrants, gathered some new friends, and fed our passion for Romance in a variety of flavors.  What we didn't obtain is a clear winner for the People's Choice award.  Part of the reasoning could be the technical errors Denise had in getting the poll up, and then the inability of mobile apps to view the sidebar; or perhaps it is just that our writers are so awesome it is difficult to pick only one winner.  I think I'll go with that one.

Thank you all for joining us for The Romantic Picnic.

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Our next challenge I SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU, is eligible for the Featured Writer and Runner Up awards, so you may want to start creating/polishing your 600 word (or less) prose or prosetry excerpts now.  Challenge #44 was inspired by Glorianna’s song I Should Have Kissed You.

What we are looking for is the hesitation, the uncertainty, and the (however temporary or permanent) consequences of the missed opportunity TO KISS.  We want our lips to feel it, our tongues to taste it, our bodies and minds to be so involved in the anticipation that we have to kiss our hand (or our uninterested significant other) just to be fulfilled . .

Read the full details by clicking on the Challenges page up top. All upcoming challenges have been posted, so check out the guidelines on the page. 

You do not need to be a member or follower to sign up on the linky and post your vision of the Challenge Theme, but you DO have to be a MEMBER to be considered for FW/RU, so if you haven’t yet joined, now is a good time.

Challenge Schedule:

Challenge #44 -  Sept 7 -    I Should Have Kissed You   FW/RU

Challenge #45 -  Sept 21 -  Oh How I Hate My Beautiful Friend

Challenge #46 -  Oct 5   -    Birthday Madness 

Challenge #47 -  Oct 19 -    Halloween – House of Horrors.  FW/RU