Decades ago I submitted a resolution to our state medical society. A young specialist sought me out, told me he had travelled to the annual meeting specifically to support the resolution, and stressed how important it was and how he appreciated the opportunity to speak in favor of it and support its passage. When he took the floor, he strongly opposed the resolution! A group from a specialty organization had gotten to him and convinced him of the adverse political ramifications were this resolution to pass. You can imagine my surprise at his about face!
Sometimes an attitude, and opinion, or even the direction of one’s life can change 180 degrees almost precipitously. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write in poetry or prose a story, fictitious or real, of an abrupt “about face”.
I would appreciate seeing your posts by 2/6/2013. Don’t forget to include “FWE About Face” in your title, tag with FWE, and post to Gather Writing Essential. Also include this line:
Challenge: write in prose or poetry a story, fictitious or real, of an abrupt “about face”.
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Comments: 61
My whole life has taken several 'about faces' and has been a total surprise to me each time since I am not doing or ever did what I thought I would be when "I grew up"
Thanks.
You should have seen the 'about face' from the girl in front of Angela during AMI....she turned the WRONG way.
No, I was not pleased.
what a nasty surprise.
Could you plz send this to the Triple Name Club ?
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't believe that those cynical old farts are unprofessional or uncaring, in fact, it is often just the opposite but at least the good ones become less sure of their opinions, more cognizant of their limitations and more careful with their instincts over time and most importantly, they come to realize that their power in a sometimes harsh world is limited. They end up taking joy in what they can do rather than in dreams of what they could do.
Although Dr. Cook at one time might had been an idealist, as Head of the Department, he knew what side his bread was buttered on.
Not!
There are a lot of possibilitiess for this prompt, John. I hope to read many good ones, since we've all been in that situation a few times if we've participated with people and life.
to face the facts and not have our values erased
not to preform an about-face and appear disgraced.
great prompt
Ack!
AnAboutFace...
I wrote a rondeau once about an "about face." Here's the first stanza:
I've changed my mind about love and sex
What used to feel simple is now complex
Where once it was splendor in the grass
Now feels, beneath me, like morass
Leaving me gasping, for fear of what’s next
Thanks for your comment, Susan.
Oops, that would lead to a bunch of controversy and I'm not up for that. Then I started thinking about my life and... came up empty.
If I can get anything written in the next three or four hours, it will have to be fiction.