Finding nuance: an exercise

a one sentence non-fiction prompt

I think nuance is understanding two or more things at the same time.

Not yes or no, but yes and no.

Like that FB relationship tag, “it’s complicated.”

Here’s an exercise: Make one sentence advance the story in two different ways.

Here’s one from writer, Ocean Vuong in his non-fiction flash, “Immigrant Haibun.”

“The sky was September-blue and the pigeons went on pecking at

bits of bread scattered from the bombed bakery.”

Vuong places a communion on a beautiful day amid the aftermath of destruction. This could be a story of a beautiful day or a bad one, or both.

Prompt:

Recall a moment of personal or communal joy that was shadowed by a broader context of hardship or tragedy. For instance, think about a birthday celebration held during a period of significant loss or societal upheaval, like during a natural disaster or in a time of economic crisis.

Write a single sentence that captures this moment, blending the immediate happiness of the celebration with the somber undertones of the surrounding circumstances. Aim to evoke both the lightness of the joyous occasion and the gravity of the external situation, giving the reader a profound sense of the complex emotions involved.

Or any sentence that does TWO THINGS :) Voila, nuance.

(lol. These AI flamingo-pigeons are a riot.)

Soon, Nina