Showing posts with label Microfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Microfiction. Show all posts

Wednesday, 5 February 2020

Insecure Writer's Support Group #2

Has it really only been a month since the last Insecure Writers Support Group? So much has happened since then that it doesn't seem possible.

This month's support group is co-hosted by Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson. Thank you to them.

Since last month's support group I've taken part in the twitter pitch, which was encouraging if not wholly successful for me. I'd be interested to hear how everyone else got on.

By far the biggest change since last month is my wife has gone back to work after her maternity leave and I am now taking care of our son three days a week. I'm still worrying about time to write, but now there is even less of it and no one else to take care of him. I have broken writing tasks down into a series of microtasks, so I can get something done in the few moments of down time. I'm writing this during one of his shrinking number of naps.

I'm thinking of writing something about being a stay-at-home Dad in what is definitely a Mum's world, but I'm not sure if anyone would want to read it. I think it could be pretty funny rather than just middle class white guy complaints. In the short space of time so far, I've been made both very welcome and very unwelcome.

This month's optional question is: has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?

The answer is neither a straight-forward yes or no, but more of a sort of. I was involved with a theatre group and someone chose a series of photos to act as stimuli for scripts for sketches. I selected these two photos:


And then wrote Four Doors Down and Dog Lady, but if I'm completely honest the photos reminded me of ideas that I'd already had rather than inspiring them in the first place.

For seventy-three weeks, Susan at Stony River used to run Microfiction Monday. Does anyone else remember it? She would post a photo the week before and invite everyone to respond to it with a 140 character story. It was a great writing exercise. Eventually I did them all and I really missed it when her site went down. I hope she's OK. Maybe the IWSG needs its own Microfiction Monday. Would Insecure Writers be interested in joining in?


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Sunday, 14 January 2018

Twitter Twatter #51

November 2017 does Twitter:


























































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Sunday, 7 January 2018

Twitter Twatter #50

October 2017 on Twitter






















































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Thursday, 15 December 2011

Rolled Up, Blown Out

“I sat down opposite a scruffy looking young man rolling a cigarette. He held his little carcinogenic work of art so gingerly and carefully as he sculpted its form, and more importantly, its contents. He licked his finger and dabbed at a loose seam, his task complete he looked around as he patted his pockets, searching for what turned out to be a lighter. He found it, shook it and poised to set fire to his creation, but nothing. The wind was blowing the well-used lighter out before it could deliver its spark, he tried a number of poses all to shelter it and all to no avail. Finally, in what looked like a desperate act of self immolation he hoisted his t-shirt up over his face with both cigarette and lighter together underneath: success!”

This is another set of six sentences that I posted on Six Sentences.
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Monday, 12 December 2011

Uncertainty

At the beginning of time there was nothing. Suddenly a bang filled the silence, but there was no one to hear it. In an instant, nothing was replaced with everything. Everything grew exponentially to a size so far beyond man's understanding of infinity that it seemed impossible to comprehend. The nothingness was rudely consigned to a history no one could possibly remember. As he stared out of his kitchen window, Gary took solace from all of this as he failed to open a carton of milk.


I recently posted this on Six Sentences, which asks people what they can say in six sentences.
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Monday, 18 July 2011

Microfiction Monday #42

And now I'm all caught up with the forty-second Microfiction Monday photo (The Stony River site seems to be down so I'm not linking to it):


Here's my response:

The stones bore witness to their crimes. The stories they could have told, but nobody knew how to ask.


- - - - -

And so here's the full set of Microfictions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 , 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 & 73.

Now I need something else to do on Mondays...
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Monday, 11 July 2011

Microfiction Monday #40 & #41

Another Monday, another Microfiction duo.

Here's the fortieth photo:


Here's my response:

The lobster squeaked.

The flower glowered.

This was not the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

- - - - -

Here's the forty-first picture:


Here's my response:

The astronomers knew nothing of the starbabies, because they only looked up at the sky after their bedtime.
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Monday, 4 July 2011

Microfiction Monday #38 & #39

A brace of Microfiction Mondays.

Here's the thirty-eighth photo:


Here's my response:

Her thumbs moved in a blur.

Hey M8. OMG gone AWOL. PLS dnt tell M+D. Theyll B trippin. ROTFLMAO!!!1!!:) xxx

- - - - -

Here's the thirty-ninth picture:


Here's my response:

Centuries ago, Cleopatra bathed in milk to keep her skin soft.

Centuries later, Erica filled her bath with Jack Daniels.
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Monday, 27 June 2011

Microfiction Monday #36 & #37

Another pair of Microfiction Mondays.

Here's the thirty-sixth photo:


Here's my response:

The quick brown fish jumped over the lazy dog.

X marks the spot.

- - - - -

Here's the thirty-seventh picture:


Here's my response:

She had no idea what she would be letting herself in for, when she put the message in the bottle and threw the bottle in the ocean.
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Monday, 20 June 2011

Microfiction Monday #34 & #35

It's Microfiction Monday again.

Here's the thirty-fourth photo:


Here's my response:

As far as he was concerned he was a perfect example of equine prowess, but for some reason everyone else thought he was just another donkey.

- - - - -

Here's the thirty-fifth picture:


Here's my response:

He played footsie underneath the tables of the garden party with more dexterity than any other guest.

She raised an eyebrow.

He smiled.
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Monday, 13 June 2011

Microfiction Monday #32 & #33

More Microfiction Mondays.

Here's the thirty-second photo:


Here's my response:

Bishops only move diagonally when sober.

- - - - -

Here's the thirty-third picture:



Here's my response:

"Repeat after me, knights in shining armour are not foil-wrapped walking dinners..."
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Monday, 30 May 2011

Microfiction Monday #30 & #31

Two more Microfiction Mondays.

Here's the thirtieth photo:


Here's my response:

The race would go on for as far as the runners would run for. The finish line was always on the horizon. To compete is to lose.

- - - - -

Here's the thirty-first picture:


Here's my response:

"It's not what it looks like."

"It had better not be, because it looks like you're stealing the last of the supplies in the bunker."
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Monday, 23 May 2011

Microfiction Monday #28 & #29

It's been a while since I've written any Microfiction Mondays and I've missed it. It was a regular stimulus that kept me thinking. I enjoyed it so much that having missed out on a fair few Mondaysworth, I went back to the beginning and worked my way through the earlier pictures.

After twenty-seven weeks of writing two a week, suddenly the new Microfiction Monday stimuli pictures stopped. In the weeks that followed it didn't look as though there would be any more forthcoming, so I decide to go back and finish off what I started:

Here's the twenty-eighth photo:


And here's my response:

The monster looked down at the goat. He knew it was a trap, but even he thought it was cruel to tether the goat out of reach of the grass.

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-ninth picture:


Here's my response:

"What do you mean by 'A Roman Knows?'"
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Monday, 7 March 2011

Microfiction Monday #73 & #27

It's Microfiction Monday:


He used be someone, he used to mean something, people used to look at him.

Now they barely notice him when they're dusting.

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-seventh picture:


Here's my response:

She strummed. She was bored of musing. She pondered whacking her sister upside her head with the harp. She strummed again.
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Monday, 28 February 2011

Microfiction Monday #72 & #26

It's Microfiction Monday once more:


The dreaded Odor-Eater thief had struck again. The only recourse for the sole survivor was to poke out its tongue.

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-sixth photo:


Here's my response:

He swanned off. It was the only way he knew how to make an exit.
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Monday, 21 February 2011

Microfiction Monday #71 & #25

Microfiction Monday is back. Here's the photo:


The exit was always just out of reach. Often she caught sight of the back of a shambling form following her. It resembled the back of her own head.

It couldn’t be.

Could it?

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-fifth picture:


Here's my response:

Together they were a great team. They always won each and every race. Try as they might, the greyhounds never quite caught up with them.
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Monday, 14 February 2011

Microfiction Monday #70 & #24

It's Valentine's Day, but it's also Microfiction Monday:


The ladies both dismissed him. "Not if you were the last man on Earth" said one.

He smiled. Pretty soon he would be…

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-fourth photo:


Here's my response:

The troll could hear them talking. It was mostly inane chit chat. Although it was very dull stuff, he wanted to join in.

He missed dull.
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Monday, 7 February 2011

Microfiction Monday #69 & #23

It's that time again, Microfiction Monday:


It was embarrassed. Hands in its face all the time. It was praying no one would notice that its 7 was really an upside down 2.

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-third picture:


Here's my response:

It was the smile that crewed a thousand ships.
It was the smile that screwed a million sailors.
It wasn't the smile she saw in the mirror.
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Monday, 31 January 2011

Microfiction Monday #68 & #22

It's Microfiction Monday again:


"I know it was supposed to be women and children first, but you've got to have priorities..."

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-second photo:


Here's my response:

She hadn't seen a soul in ages. She stared out of the window as the flood waters rose everyday. She'd have to break out onto the roof soon.
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Monday, 24 January 2011

Microfiction Monday #67 & #21

It's this blog's second birthday, but more importantly it's also Microfiction Monday:


"Dad?"

His old man remained silent.

"How long shall we wait?"

His father inhaled deeply before he replied.

"She'll come back."

- - - - -

Here's the twenty-first picture:


Here's my response:

She struck a pose. "Don't look now, but are they taking photos?"

"I can't tell if I don't look."

"Just don't look like you're looking."
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