Author: Vera Knight
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Dear Chicago: It’s Lipton
Why doesn’t she love me? I know she doesn’t because if she did, she would be here. I think about Mama all the time but I barely know what she looks like. I know the drugged out messy look—that’s the only look I ever see but I wonder how she looked before. How she smelled…
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Imagine This
You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like? This is gonna be fun! For my perfect reading/writing space let me take you on a journey. Imagine yourself in your dream house, the walls are lined with whatever material that gets you excited and the kitchen has as many ovens…
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Waiting Equals Faith
All my life I’ve been careful to do what’s been expected of me—well, most of my adult life anyway. The thing is, doing what’s expected hasn’t always worked out the way I thought it would. Growing up, I mostly did what I was told. Sure, I had my ups and downs like everyone else, but…
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Names in the Sky
Practice writing prompt given to me by ChatGPT: In a town where people are born with their names already written in the sky They say—if you can find your name in the sky, there’s a spot for you in Heaven. The names are written in black ink in beautiful cursive letters. They also say that…
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Dear Chicago: A Note From Charity
Snippet of my upcoming fiction (unedited): Chapter One X-Mas It’s Christmas Eve and Dad was supposed to be here. He called a few days ago to tell us he wouldn’t make it. Every year he made us forget that we didn’t have a mother, he made me forget at least. Lipton can’t forget who he…
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I Asked ChatGPT to Give me Prompts
Prompt 1: A moment of unexpected kindness between two characters who are usually at odds with each other. John looked over at Beth, the woman who made his skin crawl. He thought about moving closer to her, because he was beginning to see his breath form small puffs in front of his face. The cabin…
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The Red Letter
A Short Story: Part One The sky wasn’t just gray today—it looked bruised, heavy with something more than rain. I liked the rain, but this felt different, like the world was holding its breath. 2:00. Nothing good on TV, just more daytime talk shows and infomercials. Maybe I’d scroll through my phone for a bit.…
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He Didn’t Need a Resume
“He was such a good student.”Never mind the rips in his shirt or the holes at the bottom of his shoes. “He studied hard every night.”If he sat close to the wall underneath the small window that had been painted shut, he could position the book just enough for the moon’s light to shine in…
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How Do I Relax?
Is there even a thing called relaxing where I can just sit back, kick up my feet, and enjoy a good book? Let’s imagine for a moment… I’m on a beach, the sand warm beneath my sandals, and the breeze gently brushing against my skin. I’m wearing a white sun hat that perfectly matches the…
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Uncomfortable Truths About Adulting
Adulthood, for me, has been a wild ride. Most days, I’m just begging for a moment to catch my breath. For some of us, though, there is no real break because as soon as you sit down, something inevitably breaks, a kid starts crying, or someone needs help finding something.
Author Vera Knight 