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Under the Radar

10/24/2023

99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

How long had they managed to stay under the radar? And now, because of an unfortunate recent slip of the pen and subsequent conversation, nine years of research are in jeopardy. The casual mention of their scientific name had blown the lid off of their fact-finding investigation of this international group. High on the list of data collected was the aptitude of the collective minds and their collaboration in creating the underlying code 99. Fostered by a group of imaginative characters, the tales were conceived. Future analysis by Cryptozoologists is in danger if their mole is found out.

Maybe I had heard the word Cryptozoologist before; however, when it came up as part of this week’s 99 Ward Story prompt, I looked up its meaning. In doing so, Wikipedia, as long as it isn’t screwing us over with their information, divulged: A pseudoscience and subculture that searches for the studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated. As long as this source isn’t screwing us
What immediately came to me is the writer’s mind and how we fly under the radar in the daily search for the unknown. Which often as not results in the creation of legendary and possible unknown characters who become extinct by the end of the story they write, or not.

Me, the writing panster, plan for very little when it comes to putting pen or pencil on paper. It’s true I have more projects on the go than one most likely needs. What is one supposed to do when there is a continual eruption of ideas floating about the gray matter? There are those who would ignore it, and there is me who says it needs to be recorded as much as possible. There is not much allowance for escaping tales, stories, and anecdotes. Some pair wonderfully with previous thoughts; yet others stand alone that may just do that - stand alone in history with no other thought to encourage growth.

You could say I might be somewhat superstitious when it comes to corralling my thoughts on paper. Always a bound journal, no coil-bounds allowed. My theory behind this is that the coils are open to let the melding pot of ideas escape, not true for the bound version. It’s okay to laugh, there are others who choose to be shakers of heads and rollers of eyes rather than laugh. Of course, when the journal is not handy, which is very seldom, any scrap of paper will do to record the idea, character conversation, the next book in a series. It doesn’t matter what I write with or on, the raw first draft will be longhand.

Galavanting thoughts of the study of legendary animals filter into me from the previous paragraph. I do believe my era has the makings of such animals based on our knowledge and use of cursive writing. The future Cryptozoologist will spend copious amounts of time dissecting the traits of a panster. Are they legendary and now extinct? Did they actually exist? Yes, I suppose that’s a bit of a stretch; yet there have been a number of occasions while writing in my journal in a bistro, I have been asked what I am doing.

The scenario may play out with a reply, “Writing a chapter of my next book.” The next question might come forth as, “Don’t you use a computer?” That’s when I explain my penchant for writing my first draft longhand. I have been asked, “You know how to do that?”

Of course, I am poking the stick at the lack of writing with a pen and pencil by others. It’s good fun to see reactions, and to be able to share one of my favourite topics - The Old Ways.
I think it will be a compliment to go down in history as people who may or may not have created their own code to communicate with each other by writing their stories without electronics. And so, perhaps a book saga begins...for someone.

Ann Edall-Robson
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”

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October 24, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a cryptozoologist. Who is this character? What cryptids do they research and why? Are they serious about their work, skeptical, or scheming to fool others? Go where the prompt leads!

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Under the Radar

99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

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