Today is the final day of March. Here in central Kansas, March came in like a lamb with warmer than usual temps, and today, it is blowing out of here like the lion. We had snow showers earlier this morning, enough to cover the rooftops. The saying, "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb" was just the opposite for us this year of 2022.
We have lots of adages (or sayings) that are short bits of what life is like. They have become accepted over the years. Proverbs hand out advice, while adages state an accepted truth. There are so many of them that it would be difficult to list all.
Many years ago, when we hosted out first Czech Exchange student, Tomas and I were on our way to a picnic when I said something which was an adage. He slapped his hand on his knee and chuckled. "This is why I am in America to learn these sayings that Americans use. Not the formal English we learned at home in school." Thus began a conversation about a lot of our old sayings. He picked them up easily and delighted in using them.
For a writing exercise today, use one or two or more of the adages that follow here to create a short story or a few paragraphs or a flash fiction based on one saying. Maybe even a poem. Use it in your writing or use it only as a base, not writing the actual adage. I think you can have some fun with this one.
Adages:
A. A penny saved is a penny earned.
B. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
C. Birds of a feather flock together.
D. The early bird catches the worm.
E. Two wrongs don't make a right.
F. Slow and steady wins the race.
G. A picture is worth a thousand words.
H. Two wrongs don't make a right.
I. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Some writing books will tell you not to use these adages, they are cliches. That may be, but readers will know immediately what you're driving at. I would say, don't overuse them, but occasionally it is alright. And, it is perfectly fine to use them as a springboard for a writing exercise. Go for it!
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