Posted in Essays (GCSE English) | No Comments »

I handed this essay in a few weeks ago, as a first draft and the teacher decided that it was pretty much good to go.  He said he couldn’t think of any tips to give me, to make it any better.  Which either means there’s no hope, or that it was good enough for decent marks.  Fingers crossed, eh? 

He did, however, insert a few arrows, for where i should sort out the paragraphing (Something i struggle with), and it did receieve the wrath of the dreaded red circle, for an incorrect use of “;” and for the word “belied.”   I’m not sure why “belied” was circled, the word does exist and as it was typed, it’s not a mis-reading.  I didn’t realise until i’d got home, so I’ll be sure to ask him about that in the next class.  For now though, i’ve changed the word to “masked.”

Without further ado, my first essay, complete and hopefully enough to get me on my way to a pass grade: Read More »

Posted in Short, Short Stories | No Comments »

Jane Cummings sat still in the Lotus position in the middle of her sparsely furnished living room, her mind focused on nothing, her body in a state of relaxation.

It had taken her the guts of nine months to clear her mind to this extent, the journey hadn’t been easy.

Ten months ago, on a warm May evening, she had walked with her daughter along their regular and somewhat scenic route. Mostly fields, with a stream snaking through them offering the wildlife a drinking place if they should need one.

It was on this walk when Jane’s life was to be changed forever. The local newspaper had termed it a “Tragic Accident”, the following morning, while also being clear that the blame lay in the lap of an unnamed “Drink Driver”. Read More »

Posted in Flash Fiction, My Writing | No Comments »

Jane Cummings sat still in the Lotus position in the middle of her sparsely furnished living room, her mind focused on nothing, her body in a state of relaxation.

It had taken her the guts of nine months to clear her mind to this extent, the journey hadn’t been easy.

Ten months ago, on a warm May evening, she had walked with her daughter along their regular and somewhat scenic route. Mostly fields, with a stream snaking through them offering the wildlife a drinking place if they should need one.

It was on this walk when Jane’s life was to be changed forever. The local newspaper had termed it a “Tragic Accident”, the following morning, while also being clear that the blame lay in the lap of an unnamed “Drink Driver”.

Even after ten months had passed, if Jane was asked to write down a list of events, she wouldn’t have been able to. She just knew that one moment her daughter was holding her hand as they walked and smiled, taking in the beauty of nature, and the next she was sat in a private room of the Hospital, crying uncontrollably as a Doctor tried his best to convey a sense of understanding, while explaining her daughter was gone.

Looking for a comfort in the universe and a sidetrack to take her mind off the continual pain and emptiness, she had turned to yoga at first and then onto an internet guru who promised many wonderful things, purely through the power of the mind.

Her experiments had been futile at first, she couldn’t even even move a small, single sheet of paper. But as she worked on her relaxation skills and began to focus and remove herself from reality, things started to happen.

Within a few months she was able to move solid objects, not heavy but of a fair weight. Her confidence grew, as did her hopes.

The guru promised that anything was possible, the only limit being set by the mind itself, and the person in control. She had liked this idea, it offered a fantasy, a reality of her making.

Once her mind had begun to wander around the thought, moving objects seemed futile, a waste, unimportant and pointless. She began to focus on her loss, those sparkling blue eyes, the smile that lifted her senses even on the busiest and most brutal of days, her daughter who had meant the world to her.

A plan was formed. If indeed, anything was possible, why not aim big? If she could travel back in time, there was nothing to stop her from saving her daughter, restoring her life and bringing back the one thing which really mattered in her existence.

Months passed and time remained constant, she couldn’t move backward or forward, regardless of how she focused, how she meditated, how many positions she sat in and how many times she cried with frustration.

In the last few days, there had, however, been a breakthrough, a small one, but a breakthrough all the same. At not long after 11 O’clock on the Thursday night, she could have swore she had felt something different. A new level of meditation, she thought.

In her mind, as always, she pictured the smile of her Daughter, the whites of her eyes twinkling under the rays of the sun, her skin golden from a holiday they hadn’t long returned from.

She even pictured the scene, the fields, the stream, a rather cute squirrel sitting by a tree, eating something from it’s paws. She’d watched as her daughter smiled at the sight, her little heart fluttering with excitement. Then it ended.

Over the next two nights, she did the exact same thing, each time getting further. On one occasion she was able to reach out and touch her daughter, she could feel the soft woollen material of her cardigan, cool from the breeze.

As she sat on the floor, her pulse lowering, mind slowly drifting into images of nature, honing in on a field from miles above, she spotted the familiar site of Mother and Daughter, hand in hand, the smiles becoming apparent as she neared.

From her lofty position she saw the car. Blue. It turned corners and got closer.

She saw herself stood at the edge of the road, Daughter’s hand held tight. Looking directly at the car as it approached, her arm reaching out, pulling with it the weight of her three year old, her body forced into it’s path. A twisted, knowing grin etched across her own face.

She watched as the child, her child, connected with the front of the car, her body crumpling on impact.

She opened her eyes. Tears streamed. She folded onto the floor, arms stretched out in front, her body convulsing as emotion took over.

When Dorothy used her key to open the door to the flat the following morning, walking into the living room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the motionless form of her Sister. The small empty pill bottle still gripped in a frozen fist.

THE END.

Posted in My Writing, Short, Short Stories | Comments Off

Warning: Contains some very strong language!

James Connington walked slowly, using the advantage of his above-average build to push his way through he mass of people. He was early, and he smiled to himself thinking of the irony. All the more time to scare myself shitless. The smile didn’t last long as he imagined the flight, the turbulence and the inevitable crash.

The queue at the ticket desk wasn’t too bad, it didn’t take long before he was smiling at the lady who processed his details and offered him a sticker for his large holdall, the strap of which was cutting the circulation to his fingers, such was the tightness of his grip on it. Read More »

Posted in Entertainment, Internet, Literature, News, Showbiz | Comments Off

Source: Blogger taken to court over fantasy story about Girls Aloud.

A civil servant is being prosecuted for the alleged publication of a blog with details of the kidnap, torture, mutilation and murder of pop band Girls Aloud.

Darryn Walker is accused of writing the obscene article and posting it on a fantasy porn website.

The blog, called ‘Girls (Scream) Aloud’ is said to be 12 pages long and described the killing of the band members.

I should point out, this story was written for and published on, a website for erotic fiction, and there doesn’t seem to be any accusation that the problem lies in taking the story seriously, or averting a real crime.  In fact, from what i’ve read about the story, elsewhere, whether the story is about real people, celebrity or otherwise, isn’t even a factor in such a case.  Read More »

Posted in Literature, Personal | No Comments »

I read only a few days ago on a friend’s blog about something called Flash Fiction.  Writing stories which are under 1,000 words long.

The idea appealed to me, because i’m lazy, and also because when i do write, i’m such a harsh critic of my own work, that if it takes more than one sitting, it’s almost guaranteed i’ll delete it at the second sitting.

I was a little bored this morning and decided to look around for short stories websites, something to give me a little boost in my writing.  And one of the sites i landed upon was for Flash Fiction, which offers £50 to the author of any story published on their website/newsletter. Read More »

Posted in My Writing, Short Stories | No Comments »

Hi, My name is Joanne, this story is my attempt at releasing a few cobwebs,

I have never told anyone about this event, not even my now Husband.

I'll start with a little bit about myself......

I'm a 37 year old married woman, although I was not married at the time

this story took place.  I've been married for just a little over 3 months,

and the event I'm about to write about, took place, just over a year ago.

I'm 5'5", with long dark brown hair, lightly permed, with the full length

wisping down over my shoulders, and wrapping neatly in toward my body.  I'm

of a nice build, not skinny, and also not overweight, what I would like to

call nicely rounded.  34C-30-32 for all those with an eye for detail.  I'm

straight, although the story you are about to read is about me and another

woman, it was very much a one off event, and even though I did enjoy it, I

prefer men. Read More »

    

    

    
				

Posted in My Writing, Short, Short Stories | No Comments »

Little Jamie Knolls sat pawing at his bruised and battered teddy bear. He was five and a quarter years old, the quarter was important and he’d always been sure to put people right, should they leave it off.

The teddy bear had been a birthday present on his third birthday, from a friend of the family. He had almost instantly named it Rolo, after his favourite chocolate treat.

It was a deep, chocolate brown, and had once been plush and plump, but now seemed a little frayed around the edges. The fact it had been played with every day since their introduction, meant it was looking a little gaunt too, from constant squeezing.

In a moment of sheer frustration, only the night before, he had pulled one of it’s eyes out and thrown it across the room. The gesture had worked and his Mother had immediately given in and offered him “just one biscuit”, by way of a compromise.

It was this new injury he sat trying to fix now. Read More »

Posted in Personal, Site | No Comments »

So, i’ve been trying to write again, and as part of the plan, i started reading around google.

You know the kind of thing, “Tips for writing”, “be a better writer”, etc.

They all seem to offer differing advice, and in all honesty i was getting confused. So, i started googling for more specific things like, “short story format.”

I realised that i’d never actualy spent much time learning the actual format of writing, i’d always just moved the pen with my hand, or typed things out on the keyboard, hoping it would lead somewhere. Often it didn’t and i’d delete and start all over again. Read More »

Posted in Literature, My Writing, Short, Short Stories | 5 Comments »

5:28 PM.

Sally sat staring at her computer screen, the fingers of her right hand absent mindedly tapping on the mouse and her feet twitching below the desk.

There was no point starting anything new, the day was all but over, but she had to at least pretend to be working, anything else would be rude.

She’d only started the job 3 days ago, and although she was quite shy, fitting in hadn’t been a problem. An older woman named Deb had made sure of that, forcing her inclusion to conversations and introducing her to anyone who set foot in the office, whether they were keen or not. Read More »