Jonah sat on the barstool, his back ruler straight, and his hands on his lap. On the island in front of him lay an owner’s manual that appeared more encyclopaedia than manual. ‘Jonah, you’ve been with me a while now,’ Mr Roberts began, as he leant on the kitchen island and flicked through the manual. ‘Five … Continue reading Expiration Date
Tag: writing
Ink Stain
Cleo sat up in bed as the light streamed in through the window. She chewed at the end of the pen as she shuffled against the pillows, trying to get comfortable. As she shuffled, her gaze never left the Sudoku puzzle in front of her. She bit down as she scanned the puzzle, trying to … Continue reading Ink Stain
All Souls Park
As the birds stretched their vocal cords for the first time that day, Mr Bardon left his house and shuffled off to the park holding the small wooden box. The milkman trundled down the road in his electric cart and Mr Bardon tipped his hat to him, as he had done every day for as … Continue reading All Souls Park
Tweety Pie
Oliver sat down at the kitchen table and starred at the dead canary on the plate. Its yellow feathers fluttered as the breeze came in from the window. He flicked the decapitated head onto the table, then got up and closed the window, took out knife and fork from the drawer and returned to the … Continue reading Tweety Pie
Meditations on Writing #2 – Inspiration: Character or Scene (oR An4rChy)?
One of the benefits of writing short pieces of fiction is that your imagination gets to run riot like a clown in a circus tent, but just how do I minimize my chance of writer’s block – simple – character and scene. Character – Think of someone you know or knew; someone you’ve read about – … Continue reading Meditations on Writing #2 – Inspiration: Character or Scene (oR An4rChy)?
Lie In
The whir of the fan ran throughout the night, keeping the humidity at bay. The coolness had played on his skin causing him to have a restless sleep, as he shivered in his dreams. Rays of sunlight streamed into the room and shone on his closed eyelids. He stirred, opened his eyes and as the … Continue reading Lie In
Meditations on Writing #1 – Quantity, Quality, and Balance
I'm a writer - I call myself a writer. I write. What does that really mean when you get down to it, the nuts and the bolts of what that means to me. I love telling stories and I love knowing that people enjoy what I write. I like the idea that I've left an … Continue reading Meditations on Writing #1 – Quantity, Quality, and Balance
Medusa
Gennie Taylor’ had curly blonde hair and wore Aviator sunglasses so often that the combination of hair and glasses had earned her the nickname Medusa. It stemmed not from her hair looking like snakes, nor her ability to turn people to stone - but that when she wore those Aviators, her expressions were so often … Continue reading Medusa
The Lonely Tree
Freezing air seeped in through the cracks in the window frame, as the dying fire slowly cooled behind him. He picked up the axe that leant by the door and walked out of the cabin. Tree stumps lay like rotten teeth spreading out to the horizon. With the axe slung over his shoulder, he carefully … Continue reading The Lonely Tree
Habit
As some of my followers may know, when the pandemic started, I decided to write one story every day for a year. I think I managed about 70 days before the strain of writing a short story every day just became too much, not only did I burn out, but I wasn’t getting anything else … Continue reading Habit