by Mary Brady
The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain…
(From the opening narrative of the PBS video program Benise: The Spanish Guitar. The story goes on to include a gypsy, a magic guitar and a determination to win back a lost love “told” in music, dance, and vocals.)
This intro evokes in me a great sense of heartache and an echo of hope. Yet, the writer in me wonders what would happen if I took the story out of the setting and changed the emotion. Where would the tale wander if there were no helpful gypsy to make the guitar magic so he could win back his love, if his heart was not pure and staunch in its search?
Dark Paranormal version: The strings of his guitar brought only shadow and pain…to those around him. Women wept at the heartbreaking beauty of the sound and men whose ears caught the strumming suddenly could see nothing but darkness and took their own lives before drawing in another breath. With each tear the women shed, he grew stronger and with each life the despondent men took, he lived another day.
The Jerk—for real—version: The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain…because it had been for her he had played the songs that lived in his heart. Now that she had been forced to flee the country without him…or die, he found himself wondering how she could have been so selfish. The next woman he chose would bare her breast, tilt up her chin to expose her jugular to they who brandished the knives against him and in dying prove her love for him.
Sorry I Got Distracted version: The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain…but when he lifted his gaze from the quivering instrument, something bright skimmed along the horizon. As the source of light claimed a steady approach, it’s sparkle spread out before him, enveloping him in the essence of shiny, and he sighed. What strings? What guitar? Shiny.
The story of Roni Benise is even stranger than I am. He was a boy from Nebraska, the heartland of the USA, and not from any Spanish country at all and he fell in love with the Spanish guitar.
I do default to
the story a lot when blogging, but here it is. What happens in the story you begin with: The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain… Or do you like Spanish guitar and why?
To one lucky commenter, I will give a choice of a book from my backlist or a set of TossOn bracelets. (see TossOn bracelets at www.etsy.com/shop/julsandmaude)
Have a stupendous week!
25 comments:
The strings of guitar brought but shadow and pain
As the rain trickled gently against the dark pane
Of the window where once he would loiter to view
The lady to whom he would always be true.
I'm not sure I'd know the difference between Spanish guitar or regular. My husband plays so he probably would.
Here's my try:
The strings of the guitar brought but shadow and pain. Or at least that's what El Torre, aka Justin Richey, hoped he portrayed as he sat upon the stage without a stitch of clothes on. How could his sister have volunteered him to do a charity event at a nudist colony? He needed gigs, but he wasn't this damn desperate. So he tried to look suitably soulful and serious...it was pure survival instinct.
LOL. Fun game, Mary :)
Alison, this sounds like this could be the beginning narrative of an old black and white movie with a deeply moving and melancholy ending. I can see Cary Grant standing in that rainy window knowing she will have a happy, safe life because he gave her up. Cut to a view of Loretta Young happy with her husband and new baby. The movie could then retell the story of how they didn’t end up together. And I can cry. I love to cry at sad endings, happy endings.
Liz, haha, I love it. Oh, please tell me which one of your books that’s from—or please write the book. I love it when good people are made to take their clothes off for the right reason—it’s either funny, heroic, or sexy. Think Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly or Billy Mack in Love Actually.
Oh, and the title is a link to Benise (Buh-ness-see) playing Mi Amor.
The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain...to the Borrowers who crouched inside with their hands over their ears every time the Boy practiced his Spanish guitar chords. If only he'd be more diligent with his practice, maybe he'd get better. Surely even living in a badger set wouldn't be this awful.
{Has anyone read the Borrowers? I loved those books.}
I'm not a very dramatic writer, so this is the best I could do, Mary! :-)
The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain. He was never buying that brand again.
I like your attempts, Mary, No way I could top them, I would love to win your book, though
The strings of his guitar only brought shadow and pain....
As she sat with her hands tied to the chair, the strings cutting a bit into her wrists she started to get angry as well. Her brother insisted he was an adult and wanted to be treated like one and then he pulled a stunt like this. Then she heard a key in the lock. Good she needed to go to the bathroom. Surely her brother would let her free.
Oh no. It wasn't her brother. The tall stranger entering the room was the sexiest thing she had ever seen.
Now you know why I'm not a writer. This is a fun post Mary.
I do love story starters...
The strings of his guitar brought only shadows and pain... He plucked one sadly. The roar of the crowds, the applause, the lights whirled in his mind. He pucked another and wondered for the millionth time... What use was there for a one armed guitar player?
Interensting post Mary. You guys crack me up...especially Jeannie, Ellen and Liz.
I'm a reader, not a fiction writer, but here's a go at it...
The strings of his guitar brought out shadow and pain as he sat on the back porch plucking a haunting meoldy. She watched and listened from the kitchen window and wondered again about the changes that had beset her best friend during his last tour of duty.
Ellen I loved to read the Borrowers :) Those were fun stories.
oops that was melody, not meoldy :)
I loved these. What a fun and fascinating glimpse into What If land.
Ellen, I haven’t read the Borrowers! So much fun how many directions a story can take. LOL Of course, you’ve lived drama though if you’ve had to get a kid to practice a musical instrument.
Jeannie, now that you mention it…
Hey, Tammy, hope you win, if not this time some other time.
Kaelee, cool! I’m all for tall sexy strangers. Most of my stories are better for them.
Linda S, what a great one! Sittin’ here laughing. Thanks!
Snookie, chilling, wonderful. Just had a nephew go off to the middle east, and one of my son’s friends is there. How it must change each one of them and probably each one who loves them.
The strings of guitar brought shadow and pain ... I would liked to have read about what is to come as I sat under my palapa on the beach in Peurto Morelos, Mexico.
LOL Thanks, Anonymous! I'd be anonymous too if I were under a palapa on the beach while many of us are still slaving away in the cold. Sigh, just jealous.
No way am I going to attempt any smart writing, but wow, I like your choice of topic! I love Spanish guitar. I love Spain! We spent a very long, ridiculously hot summer in Seville a few years ago. It got up to 52 Celsius - 126 Fahrenheit! The roads were melting under our feet!
There's a reason I read & don't write, but I am loving all the comments posted.
Excellent topic. can't wait to read this ! Missy
I have no idea what I'd do with that as a story starter. Why would the strings of his guitar bring pain? Does he play that badly? So mine would probably be comedic in some way, though it would have to be a romance and end with an HEA. I'm pretty one-track when it comes to fiction.
And I do like Spanish guitar. There's something very compelling about the sound. Maybe it reminds me of that hot Latin blood...
Well, that just proves it! I wrote my little piece before reading the other comments, so I guess my response, which sounds much like I copied it from Ellen's (though I didn't) just confirms the results of today's quiz!
As for the difference between Spanish guitar and regular, I think the biggest difference is that Spanish guitar is virtually all picking rather than strumming (individual notes rather than chords). At least, that's how I perceive it.
Sonya, I’ve heard Spain is wonderful, though I’ve never been. A friend of mine is working on a medical romance set in Seville as she visited and loved the town. Glad you didn’t overcook in the heat!
Marybelle, love that you like the SuperRomance Authors blog. We enjoy putting it out there.
Hey, Missy, thanks! I’ll contemplate writing that one.
JV, I find Spanish guitar as intriguing as the people and my fingertips get sore just watching people play that music!
I loved these. What a fun and fascinating glimpse into What If land.
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