An Unexpected Visitor
“You may call me Zara and I am a traveller through time. ”
Writing Prompts
““GEE WIZZ!” I exclaimed.
I had been conducting this self-flagellation for around ten minutes. A few more minutes would be enough.”
The Laptop Bag
Three triangle torsoed men, all in grey suits and suffering from an excess of neck, tumbled out of the side street where Jay had been moments earlier, looking around frantically
My Country's Country Song
“I got a country heart but I live in the UK
Croydon’s far from Tennessee,
No dusty road when I go for a drive
Prius windows down on the M25”
Is Elizabeth Bennet fat?
Some time ago a friend and I were talking about the fact that “Pride and Prejudice,” one of my favourite books, was being turned into a film starring Keira Knightly.
“That’s terrible casting. She can’t play Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth Bennet is fat,” my friend said.
I remember being taken aback at how certain she was. My Elizabeth Bennet was not fat. Truth be told, my Elizabeth Bennet looked remarkably like me.
Cas
The Corner Cafe normally smelt of coffee beans and burnt butter but today it had the scent of collective damp clothing and mouldy umbrellas. Yet through the condensation covered windows with their chipped white painted frames Harvey continued to stare, ignoring his fellow patrons. Then, at last, his patience paid off. Through the gloom appeared a petite woman in her early twenties. She stood out from the crowd with her large, purple headphones, yellow umbrella, battered dark green parka jacket and bright red converse which had seen better days. Her hair was light brown in tight shoulder length curls. Harvey watched her as she walked by the cafe window, bouncing around the puddles which had formed on the uneven path. He would have known Cas anywhere.
Time to go.
I'M OFF
“I’M OFF,” Nina squealed as she ran in the kitchen,
Past Daddy who was halfway through putting a dish in
The sink, which was full of suds, bubbles, and more.
Nina ran past so fast the suds slid to the floor.
Before Daddy could catch her, she’d reached the next door.
Writing Excuses Podcast
I thought it would be useful from time to time to share tools I am using to improve my writing. With that in mind, let’s start with the Writing Excuses podcast.
The Dirt Queen and the Bubble King
The Bubble King is the lord of the suds,
He’ll protect you from dirt from the Queen of the mud.
He’s slippy, he’s slidy.
He keeps neat and tidy.
You’ll sparkle all thanks to the bubb-el-ly King.
The Tippity Top of the Tomato Tree
There was once a butterfly who was so sad to see
as he couldn't get to the tippity top of the tomato tree.
Notes from lockdown
It has been just over three weeks since the UK went into lockdown for Coronavirus. I thought it would be good to document three things I have discovered about myself and this situation so that I can look back and remember this strangest of times.
The Five Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Anyone who knows anything about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will tell you that it was War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death until 1936 when Pestilence retired and was replaced by Pollution. And it is true, that is what was written down. It is often said that history is written by the victors. This is a rather silly quote as anyone with a pen can write down history; winners, losers, middle management, and dyslexics which is exactly what happened with the Four Horseman story. The truth is that Pestilence stayed with the four until 1963 and retirement is something of a kinder term for what actually happened...
In the beginning…
To be honest, I’m finding it hard to know what to say or where to start which is an ideal state for a blog post. I’ve been creating stories in my head for years starting with Girl and Fiona (a Robin Hood rip off staring me and my sister…Fiona). I eventually began writing them down and discovered how much better things are when they’re in your head. Nevertheless she persisted!