Skip to content

The DNA of Stories

Ideas and first drafts with a bit of analysis from time to time

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Thrushbeard
  • 10 Minute Sprints
  • One Day at a Thyme
  • Story Noodling
    • Lyra
    • Arianna
    • Psyche
    • Calypso
    • Nightingale
    • Changing Lanes
    • Secrets
    • Greenwitch
    • Lost Island
  • Analysis
  • Kat Redfern Author Site

Category: 10 Minute Sprints

Fantasy image A tarnished copper egg the size of a man's torso, sitting in the middle of a large, ornate, temple-style building. The open side of the room looks out on a mountain clearing. Ideogram image

Egg

On July 27, 2025June 27, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

“If that’s an egg, I’m a gargoyle.” “Well you’d better climb up on the roof then, because it is.” “It’s the size of my torso and made of copper. Look at the tarnish marks from where the water’s dripped on it.” “So? It’s still an egg.” “Fine, it’s a pretend egg. “Why would someone create …

Continue reading Egg

historical fantasy style, a large wooden cupboard in a room with stone walls. The cupboard door is half open, showing shelves of mismatched glass bottles and pottery jars with hand-lettered labels. ideogram image

Harmful

On July 13, 2025June 27, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

“Most medicines can be as harmful as they are healing. It’s all to do with the affliction, the dosage, and the patient.” Nadira knew it was important to remember the two-sided nature of the cures they created, but did Healer Mentor Fong have to start every single lesson with it? And usually finish with it …

Continue reading Harmful

a badly-drawn diagram of a room, seen from above, with squares representing doors and windows, and round blobs scattered across the diagram, with squiggly lines connecting some of them. One of the blobs has a badly-drawn crown on it. It's meant to be the layout for a ball, but is a mess Ideogram image

Diagram

On June 29, 2025May 31, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

Georgina looked at the diagram on the table. Leonard was clearly very proud of it, pity it looked like nothing so much as a square plate of spaghetti and meatballs. “So this is the layout for the ball.” Leonard puffed his chest out. “Yes. The door is there.” He pointed to one side of the …

Continue reading Diagram

Two young women in a classroom, one sitting at a desk, the other leaning against it, in conversation about their futures Ideogram image

Assembly

On June 15, 2025May 31, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

“You have to, you’re doing your Leaver’s presentation this week.” “Which is why I’m not going. What am I going to tell them? That I’m going to spend my future career pushing a broom around my Mum’s coffee shop?” Janet rolled her eyes, then propped one hip on the desk in front of mine, arms …

Continue reading Assembly

A small painting studio with large windows overlooking buildings, the studio has watercolour landscape paintings in various stages of completion scattered about it Ideogram image

Harass

On June 1, 2025May 17, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, Story1 Comment

Leanne winced as she heard the voice outside her studio, loud enough that probably didn’t need the phone she was speaking into. Geraldine was coming to keep her company while she worked, again. What that actually meant was that Geraldine would harass her with questions and opinions from the moment she opened the door to …

Continue reading Harass

A large workshop shed at the bottom of the garden of a country cottage Ideogram image

Handy

On May 25, 2025May 17, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

Grandad was a hoarder. He picked up the oddest things at second-hand shops, and charity places, and car boot sales, always saying. “You never know when something like this will come in handy.” Everything was then taken down to the old shed at the back of the garden, where no one but Grandad ever went. …

Continue reading Handy

young woman with dark hair, wearing a long, midnight blue cloak walking down the stairs from the walkway on top of the walls of a stone castle. medieval setting and she is the lady of the castle. Ideogram image

Source

On May 18, 2025April 26, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

Rowena strode down the tower stairs, and through the main courtyard. If her husband had turned to look back at her, she’d have stayed. And he started to. He was going to turn. And then he stopped. Maude had made some sweeping gesture and his attention had moved to her, rather than the wife he …

Continue reading Source

A photo of five beautiful adult princesses in ottoman-style ornate gowns and robes around a large table with dishes of fruit and small cakes. They are all looking at their grandmother, an elegant and intimidating lady at the head of the table. One princess is wearing white, another blue, then pink, green, and gold. Ideogram image

Fly

On May 11, 2025April 26, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

Isabelle would have given a great deal to be a fly on the wall at her grandmother’s next grand tea. Just what that ‘great deal’ would have been remained unexplored, as the Dowager Empress showed her the hidden way into her favourite sitting room, already set for a larger-than-usual tea gathering. The hidden way included …

Continue reading Fly

fantasy image of a woman in the deep purple robes of a temple mystic, her eyes glowing sliver as she walks down the three stone steps from the dais where three empty thrones sit. Ideogram image

Banish

On May 4, 2025April 26, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

Sophia looked down on the young couple between the guards. Given their situation; found guilty of threatening the stability of the kingdom and standing before the thrones, they probably should be looking a little more cowed. But Lord Grayson was looking smug and his wife, Lady Roselin was positively smirking. As well she might, under …

Continue reading Banish

Fantasy image of a young man sitting at a desk in a castle library sternly questioning a nervous looking older man standing before the desk. They are in fantasy historical clothing, the young man in shades of dark blue and the older man in over-ornate red and gold. The young man is clearly in charge, even though he's sitting and the older man is standing Ideogram Image

Relevance

On April 27, 2025April 12, 2025 By Kat RedfernIn 10 Minute Sprints, StoryLeave a comment

“You didn’t mention that in your report.” The man gulped. “You hold an important position and your time and attention is in such demand, it is necessary to only present information of the utmost relevance.” I leaned back in my chair, pinning him with what I’m told is a decidedly unnerving stare. “Relevant to whom?” …

Continue reading Relevance

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts

Categories

  • Story (524)
  • 10 Minute Sprints (93)
  • Random Fiction (93)
  • Thrushbeard (71)
  • Writing Exercises (54)

Tags

  • Fantasy (86)
  • 10 Minute Sprints (84)
  • Story Prompt (68)
  • contemporary (60)
  • Fairytale (34)

Year

  • 2025 (121)
  • 2024 (91)
  • 2023 (63)
  • 2022 (70)
  • 2021 (82)
Blog at WordPress.com.
Sackcloth and Sky by Kat Redfern
The DNA of Stories
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • The DNA of Stories
    • Join 122 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The DNA of Stories
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...