Cheryl Burman's Blog: Blog posts for readers and writers, page 17

We found the footprints in the snow

Continuing last week’s stories which you can find here (Monday), here (Wed) and here (Saturday). One more day should wrap it up.

The rising sun deepened the shadows made by the giant footprints. And when Janet thought ‘giant’, a slight tremor ran through her that the prints really did belong to a giant.

We’ve found these footprints in the snow before, she remembered.

She and Dragon had fought many of these creatures in the past, sent at all times of the year by the Goblin King to attack th...

Take this path and follow it across two bridges

Continuing last week’s stories which you can find here (Monday) and here (Wed).

Janet led the way to the open iron gates, Dragon at her shoulder, Fairy hovering above her head, and Pixie riding on Dragon. At the entrance, the friends paused.

‘Why is it so quiet?’ Fairy whispered. The daunting silence was enough to hush other voices.

Janet glanced at Dragon, who breathed a little fire and moved ahead of her. Janet let him.

At this time of the morning, the courtyard should be busy with people goi...

The iron gates stood open

Janet fell asleep to the steady rhythm of Dragon’s wings as they flew above the world. Her dreams filled with goblin kings brandishing axes, destroying villages, terrifying children and forcing families out of their homes to wander unmade roads across shelterless moorland. Dragon began to descend and Janet woke with a start. Pixie dozed on her lap, and Fairy had given up trying to keep pace with Dragon. Gauzy wings folded, she perched on his head, between his tiny ears, and peered ahead. She tur...

Among her new year resolutions Janet decided

Among her new year resolutions, Janet decided she would spend less time in her imaginary world and engage more in the ‘real’ world. She understood about new year resolutions because she’d heard her mother tell her father that he should adopt one or two, and here were her suggestions. By the look on her father’s face, Janet had the impression they weren’t what he himself had in mind.

Janet shrugged on her thick coat, wrapped around her neck the new scarf Santa had brought her, pulled on her fleece...

Happy 2023 – the year in review!

Yes, I meant 2023, as it’s been quite a year, with lots of hard work and a lot of positives. Thank you everyone for making it so!

On the home front

Let’s start with home life, which was disrupted most of the past two years with house renovations. While redecorating was finished by Christmas 2022, we then had the kitchen extension built which took the first half of 2023.

Many of you followed along eagerly, with a strong sense of schadenfreude I suspect LOL. Now of course, all the pain ...

Young girl and clocks picture prompt

The clocks would never align. Judith had known this since the time her father deemed her old enough to understand. She had been too young to question it, and besides, time wasn’t relevant when your day cycled through waking, breakfast, lessons, lunch, playing, dinner, bath time, story time and bed …

She had also been too young to question why most – not all – her bedtime stories centred around time in some form. Time in the past, time in the future, time which flowed quickly, and time which ...

She hesitated in the doorway

She hesitated in the doorway. The room beyond was night dark, and she fumbled for a light switch. Her groping fingers found only smooth door frame, but now her eyes grew accustomed to the shadows beyond. She gripped the cool wood, squinting into the unfamiliar space, unsure how she had come here.

Behind her, yellow light filled a long corridor. She had walked its length, driven by a sense that somewhere here answers could be found. She knew now that she sought lay in the room beyond. If she ...

Looking for tips on writing craft?

I’m always looking for tips on writing craft! And as some of us might be using the holidays as a chance to do some writing, I thought I would remind people about the writing tips on this blog. All stuff I’ve learned over the past few years, and am still learning.

Click here to browse through the category, use the search button at the bottom of the page to find specific topics, and check them out.

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