The first time it happened, I was sitting under the kitchen table. It was a good place for a small child in a busy household. Out of the way, unseen, but aware of all the goings-on. So anyway, the first time. It was a holiday, so I wasn’t at school and the kitchen was full …
Emrys walked through the station, making for the café he preferred to use for initial contact meetings. It was public, busy, and open. So, anonymous in a way that only hiding in plain sight could manage. He was in there often enough that all it took was a nod to the people behind the counter …
Another exercise from Steering the Craft, this one playing with tenses and perspectives. Which version do you prefer? Third person, all past tense Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Janice logged in to the blog she’d created all by herself and hit the ‘new post’ button. This week’s recipe ‘From the …
After all the excitement I decided a quiet, at-home day was on the cards the next morning. Chloe had left me a message in the crystal ball. She’d gone up to the tower to visit Ulfgar and I supposed I should follow her up there later. Or not. I sipped my morning cup of tea …
Writing Prompt: You found an abandoned puppy on the side of the road and took it home to keep as a pet. It wasn't until it started to sprout horns did you realise you, unwittingly, adopted a hellhound. It was the eyes, reflecting red in my headlights that caught me. Of course I had to …
Daniel staggered into the bare, single room of his home, leaning back against the rickety wooden door and groaning. A movement by the fireplace caught his eye and he groaned again. “Really? Can’t you go and be inspirational at someone else tonight? I’m exhausted.” Hope rose and drifted towards him. “It is when you’re at …
Faith waved, smiled and closed the door on the little group who’d decided it would be highly original to serenade her with the George Michael song all the way home from the pub. She wondered what was involved in a legal name change but knew it wouldn’t be worth the effort unless she did a …
A mini follow-on to this post. Faith looked around the café as she entered. Marcus was easy to spot, mainly because every woman in the place seemed to eyeing him. He stood as she walked over to the table he’d chosen and leaned in to kiss her cheek when she arrived, before guiding her into …
“He what!?” Anna was glad she was seated as her brother’s friend, Sir Peregrine Travers, shuffled his feet and stared at the empty fireplace. “He lost.” Peregrine ducked his head. “Everything, the lands, the house, even your dowry Miss Greenleigh.” Across from her, Anna’s mother fell back against the sofa cushions and began to wail. …
This is an exercise from Steering the Craft, writing a piece with no punctuation. I've done it a couple of times before and the effect is always breathless and chaotic. It's rather fun! Delauney plunged down the stairs and into the heaving mass on the dance floor trying to find him from glimpses and hints …
The DNA of Stories 