FSF - Bewitched

Five Sentence Fiction - Bewitched

What it’s all about: Five Sentence Fiction is about packing a powerful 
punch in a tiny fist. Each week I will post a one word inspiration, then 
anyone wishing to participate will write a five sentence story based on 
the inspiration word. The word does not have to appear in your five 
sentences, just take your inspiration from that word.

This week’s inspiration word is: BEWITCHED

He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she giggled and stretched her coltish legs, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She didn’t even know he existed as he watched her from under the trees, a lone satellite shadowing the popular crowd.

Head thrown back, she laughed from her belly at a joke unheard as he edged closer. He could see the penned inky hearts on her arm but they were not for him. Oh, for the courage to speak to her - the thought of it alone stopped his breath as he turned away downcast.

Five Sentence Fiction - Horror

I don't read, watch or write horror, but who's to say there can't be a first time.? I have been playing Plants vs Zombies on my iPad, so maybe that's where this humble piece came from!
Don't forget to go to Lillie's blog for FSF! http://lilliemcferrin.blogspot.com/

Jake had had a rough day – crashing off his skateboard had left him scraped and sore and just a little embarrassed. His parents out for the evening, he wearily dragged himself to bed with his black cat, Frizz, for company.

A vague sense of unease tugged at his senses as he slid under his covers, did he actually latch the back door? As his mind struggled with sleep, the creatures swarmed and lurched up the staircase. Slathering excitedly, the zombies jostled for space on the landing as their leader opened Jake’s door and greedily pounced.

Sit under a tree and write..WoW Exercise 17

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 17: This week, we are going with Karen's idea for an open choice week. So take a look at the old writing exercises (you can find them listed in my sidebar: WoW Writing Exercises), find one you'd like to try (or retry!) and link it up to the linky below.
5 minutes inspired by a picture.
I can't work out how to copy it, but you can see it here. http://inkpaperpen.blogspot.com/2011/07/sit-under-tree-and-writeits-write-on.html

No-one knew of course. She could never let them know or too many would be at risk. The warnings had been rumbles of mumbles and murmurs, but none had heeded them. Not in their land, not in their homes.

Of course, the political word had been out, that there would be change when the new regime took over, but the extremes that it would go to were never envisaged. As the daughter of a city academic, life had been comfortable, never the sunburnt toil of the country folk. School, enough to eat, a pretty home, space of their own.

And then the trucks and the soldiers, the dictation of enforced poverty and an agrarian state.  Just yesterday the neighbours were taken, told that their new life would be in service of the better good. The screams of the children still echoed in her ears.

She ran to the tree, in the green glade, a special place, her special place. Checking over her shoulder, she made sure she had not been seen. A tear dropped as she slipped her treasures into the rootspace.

why write?

Why write? We write for many different reasons, to communicate, to express thoughts and feelings, to draw pictures with words, to stimulate and extend. Writing can also be an academic exercise, a challenge in thinking, in crafting the perfect expression. For some it can be free flowing, for others precise tight and disciplined.
I write for myself, for a sense of achievement, and to share (perhaps!).

Why do you write?

WoW - the problem

The brief

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 15 - Give yourself some time to notice the people around you. The people who may cross your path each day. The lady in front of you at the supermarket, the man who helps the school kids cross the road, a neighbour, a waitress in a cafe, a librarian, anyone at all. Choose one person, someone you don't know, and this person will become the basis of the week's writing exercise. Describe this person as you see them, describe their surroundings. Then imagine a problem, create conflict for this person. Describe the conflict. Describe how your character deals with the problem. The conflict might resolve itself, it might not. It is up to you. Perhaps, the lady in the supermarket has forgotten her wallet. Does she bursts into tears? Maybe the librarian finds a lost child. The aim is to show how your character responds to conflict and in the process, reveal something about that character. Tell us their story.


Let's aim for around 200 words, keeping with the theme of the last few weeks (to make each word count).

This was fun! I had a few characters in mind, but this guy intrigues me every time I see him.

His eyes snap open. The hydraulic hum, the distant smash of glass a far away call to duty. Feet to floor, he dresses quickly, buttons one two three four five, a compulsory sixth tightens his neck. High waisted jeans, longitudinal creases precisely pressed. Hair parted and combed slickly.

His pulse quickens as the noises come closer, anxiety presses in as he anticipates the disruption ahead. Socks, then shoes, laces left over right, under, looped then tightly snapped. Sugared tea stirred, exactly thrice.

He stands outside tense and waiting.  His block runs from Shipley St to Windy Parade and he must keep it right.

‘G’day, mate!!” shouts the garbo over the cacophony of rubbish and recycling. An annoyed dismissal – how dare this troublesome invader expect response?

Machines lift and lower, coloured-lidded bins crash landing spreadeagled in gutters and grass. As the truck moves off, he scuttles into action, dragging them back into place, perfectly lined.

Down the street, house after house, (the units are the biggest anxiety), order is regained. Sweaty palms pocketed, his breathing slows as he surveys his morning’s work.

Another Tuesday morning.

Would love your feedback, positive or negative!

Rewrite...The God of Small things

Write on Wednesday Exercise 14 - The Mighty Mighty Rewrite...

Zanni: I did a workshop with literary author Mj Hyland, who teachers Masters in Creative Writing at Manchester University. She asked us to choose our favourite book, take the first paragraph and then write our own content into the paragraph, keeping the structure, tone, language etc. It's really helpful!

Here's my first go at WoW, I don't think I've attempted creative writing since school days! 

I love the God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I've tried to keep the tone and language, but change the context and weather.

Original

"May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled in the sun. The nights are clear but suffused with sloth and sullen expectation."

Rewrite

"February in Bourke is a hot hellish month. The days are long and tortured. Dust blows and seeps slickly into the crevices of cars and homes and families. Mirrored light shimmers a mirage. Black crows gorge on the battle-losers and blowies hum their hypnotic drone.

The nights are cooler but instilled with lethargic anticipation."


Comments welcome!

inaugural post

Wow, this time last week I would never have thought I'd have a blog, but a chance conversation with an inspiring woman has led me to this moment. As a young girl, I wanted to be a writer or a librarian, but somehow ended up as a doctor. Not a bad career, which continues to bring in the bacon, offers a privileged view of people and life, and (I like to think) helps people with their daily struggles.
But lately, with my babies nearly grown, I feel a pull to create. And what better time than Spring, to explore new growth!