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Drabbles Needed! Authors, have a go.
Oh Michael - we've all thought that! I've never managed to write drabbles in a series although I've thought about it. I've done a series of 'fractured fairly tale' drabbles but they don't follow on so it's not the same thing. They are merely linked by a theme. It's definitely harder than the stand-alone.
Here's the first of my Fairy Tales series.Bad Hair Day
She was immensely, inordinately proud of her hair. It was fair, straight and she had never had it cut. Naturally, her grooming routine consisted largely of shampoo, loads of conditioner and half a day each time getting it dry. The good old bedtime routine of brushing a hundred times was employed too. The longer it got though, the harder it was to sweep the brush impressively from her head to the end of each lock. It involved lots of hefting and tugging and by the time she'd done she really needed a kip.
Handsome Prince? Rapunzel lusted after a hairdresser!
Dancing QueenI could have danced all night - and I would have if my feet didn't hurt so much. My sisters obviously don't feel the same. Look at them, with faces as long as a wet weekend. No wonder they can't get partners. And mine's the most gorgeous bloke in the room! I love this dress. It's like moonbeams caught in cobwebs - so light, so twirly.
Lord, my feet are killing me. There's no give in these shoes. I think I'll nip home for some comfy ones. Bum! I'll never find that in the dark. What idiot makes glass slippers?
The glass slippers bit always did worry me. Trouble is, given the sort of shoes you do see women wearing, glass slippers aren't to be excluded on the grounds of impracticability :-)
Jim wrote: "The glass slippers bit always did worry me. Trouble is, given the sort of shoes you do see women wearing, glass slippers aren't to be excluded on the grounds of impracticability :-)"Shoes should be comfortable!
I believe I was a mistranslation of 'fur' - but why spoil a good story?
Ignite wrote: "I believe I was a mistranslation of 'fur' - but why spoil a good story?"As in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQfidT... ?
Oh! I got all excited by the mistranslation factoid.But snopes says...
FALSE!
A debunking website. You can check loads of stuff there to see if it is actually true or not.
If you get a virus warning or similar, copy and paste the whole thing into google and you'll normally get the Snopes website come up. That'll not only tell you that it's a scam, but will give you the history and evolution of the scam :-)
Halloween has come early in M R Gott's Halloween Bash on his blog 'Where the Dead Fear to Tread', as part of the month long celebrations of all things dark and fearful I have written some exclusive drabbles (100 word stories) that have featured in a guest post.Go and check them out here:
http://wherethedeadfeartotread.blogsp...
These are superb Michael. Suitably nasty! I must be horrid because they made me smile but I think that's appreciation of the writing and craftsmanship. (That's what I tell people!)
Okay, I've succumbed. Here's my first attempt at a drabble...On the Radio
Paul was certain he couldn’t be seen from outside his little shed. He’d found the thing weeks ago, and had tinkered with it every night after his wife had gone to bed, trying to make it work. It was electric, he was sure, and over many nights he’d constructed a makeshift battery from bits of lead and acid from the apothecary. Now he just needed to connect the wires.
There was a spark and a crackle from the front of the box.
“Paul Eastly?” How did the box know…?
Splinters erupted as black uniforms crashed through the door. “You’re nicked!”
Haha! Excellent - and it's a Kingsmen Drabble too.Now, did you enjoy writing it? Is your brain fizzing with more ideas? You're nicked, chummy!
Tim wrote: "Okay, I've succumbed. Here's my first attempt at a drabble...On the Radio
Paul was certain he couldn’t be seen from outside his little shed. He’d found the thing weeks ago, and had tinkered wi..."
Excellent ending :-)
My latest drabble (100 word story) has been posted in the Indie Book Bargains newsletter, take a look below:No Matter How Deep
I couldn’t believe I’d been so careless. She stood there her face frozen in a rictus of perfect horror as she saw the mess I’d created. I hadn’t meant to of course, I’d been a little too enthusiastic in my investigations.
What can I say? When I start on a puzzle I’ll do whatever it takes to solve it. And this really was a tricky conundrum.
“My God, what have you done?”
“Looking for what you saw.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said she had the most beautiful soul, but I looked everywhere in her and I couldn’t find it.”
If you enjoyed reading this then take a look at my other drabbles here:
http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/1...
And there's a new Facebook group all about drabbles, you can see it here:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/drabbles
Oooh, that's creepy. Where is the soul?
Apparently they did experiments with the dying in the 19th century, weighing them as they died to see if they could spot the drop in weight as the soul left. Or so I remember being told :-)
Jim wrote: "Apparently they did experiments with the dying in the 19th century, weighing them as they died to see if they could spot the drop in weight as the soul left. Or so I remember being told :-)"It was supposed to be 22 grams or something like that.
It's intriguing though. No size, takes up no space, yet we all recognise it in one another. Anima - that which animates us.
Ignite wrote: "It's intriguing though. No size, takes up no space, yet we all recognise it in one another. Anima - that which animates us."It could just be a side effect, like the idea that intelligence is the product of physical complexity in the brain.
Or it could be what organised DNA and set if off reproducing :-)
The latest Tales of the Imp drabble (100 word story) has been posted in today's Indie Book Bargains newsletter (thanks Rosen!), I've also provided it below:
Tales of the Imp - Booze and Fire
The Imp guided me, he didn’t do anything directly and he still insisted that I do everything myself. We followed my boss as he staggered home from the pub. We then waited until all the lights were out before sneaking into his house.
In his bedroom I spread his clothes near the head of his bed. I locked the windows. I then poured whiskey onto the clothes and dropped a lit cigarette.
The clothes spewed smoke and left as the flames took hold. As I closed the door I inserted a wedge of paper into the hinge to prevent escape.
If you haven't read the rest of the Tales of the Imp drabbles yet then you can see them here: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/t...
That Imp looks almost Buddha like in that picture. He's not though!;)
The latest of the Murder Drabbles series has been posted in the Indie Book Bargains newsletter (thanks Rosen!), I've posted it below as well.You can read the rest of the Murder Drabbles series here: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/m...
A Resting Place
I found a place for Penny to rest, a place hidden from the bustle of the world where she would decay in peace.
I could never visit the site again, so I took my time. I buried her deep, too deep for anyone to discover. My rage against her dissipated as I covered her with the dark soil.
I no longer blamed her, I realised that she had freed me. Now I saw the world with fresh eyes. Tenderly I smoothed the surface of her grave and left for my new world, a new life that existed exclusively for me.
I can see the way that these are going somewhere. Great idea!
Here's the next in my Fairy Tales series.Grown Ups by Kath Middleton
I'll never understand grown ups. They tell us kids off for telling lies but they have their own kind of lying. That's different of course. But if you tackle them about it, they can't explain the difference. Take last week. There was this big celebration and two fantastic fashion designers had been summoned to the palace. They were rubbish. Should have asked Gok Wan. Anyway, they disappeared mysteriously and ordered loads of expensive posh stuff ready for the procession. They needn't have bothered. The Emperor came out in the nuddy. They all lied about that till I pointed it out!
Another good take on a traditional fairy tale.
Another in the Fractured Fairy Tales series.Ribbit Ribbit by Kath Middleton
I was playing on the grass with my golden ball when it rolled away and into the pond. Damn! Oh, bugger, Nanny says I mustn't say damn! Then a huge frog hopped onto the grass with my ball in its hands.
"Princess!" it cried. Team point for noticing the crown. "I will return your ball if you will take me home and let me spend the night on your pillow."
Looked like the only way to get it back, so I agreed. Blow me down, next morning there was a handsome prince there.
At least, that's what I told Daddy!
A couple of min from yesterday and today on the Indie Book Bargains newsletter - Hairy Bear
I'm scared of my teddy bear. I think it might be alive. Mummy says not to be so silly. Wherever I am in my bedroom, it's looking at me. Mummy says there are famous paintings like that. They seem to watch you because they're good pictures. I'm not sure my teddy is good. I turned it to face the wall and when I woke up, it'd turned back. Last week I decided to see if it was alive. I took the little scissors out of my manicure set and cut off a bit of its hair. It's started growing back.
DIY
Dave decided one of the kitchen cupboards needed a shelf. He'd got some of the little silver fittings for it to rest on and now he just had to cut the board to fit.
He carefully drew a line and began work. He was using a hacksaw because it was too much of a faff getting out his power saw. He wasn't making any headway though, and it was hard work.
Eventually he gave in and got out the power tools.
"Anne! Have we got any frozen peas?" he called as he packed his left hand into a plastic box.
The latest Tales of the Imp drabble has been posted in the Indie Book Bargains newsletter (if you don't subscribe then check out the site here: http://www.indie-book-bargains.co.uk/ as well as a daily drabble you also get the hottest daily Kindle bargains), I've copied the drabble below.If you'd like to read the complete series of the Imp then visit his page here:
http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/t...
There's now a Facebook group dedicated to drabbles, come and like the page here:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/drabbles
Wishing on a Star
The long walk home seemed too normal; I didn’t feel like a murderer. It was a cold night, but I barely felt the air’s chill. The sky was crisp and full of stars. The Imp danced a merry jig upon my shoulder. He kept congratulating me on a job well done. His shrill little giggle filled my ear.
It took forever to walk home; I kept to the quiet streets, guided by the Imp and kept out of sight from the few people out at this strange hour.
Did I feel regret? Not then, that would come, but not yet.
The latest in the Murder Drabble series has been posted in the Indie Book Bargains Newsletter, if you haven't read the other drabbles in the series then you can do so here:http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/m...
Keeping the Secret
The memory of that first kill captivated me for days. I recalled the scene over and over again. At first it felt fresh, but the memory turned stale, its image no longer vibrant.
I wished that I’d kept a trophy, some trinket to freeze the moment so that it would never fade.
And then it struck me, a way to store the treasure without the risk of keeping evidence. I’d always dreamed of writing and I learned of drabbles, a story exactly one hundred words long. A memory stored in the open as a story and no-one would ever know.
Another from me in today's Indie Book Bargains email.The Family Business
I look like any woman, enjoying her sewing. I am no ordinary seamstress though. I work in the family business. My mother is Lachesis, the Fate, who measures the thread of life. I use it in my needlework. I don't have an executive position as she does. She decides the length of your life. You decide what is stitched there. I merely sew it all together. If you are mean-spirited and dissatisfied, I stitch sorrow to your soul. If you are generous and happy, I decorate your soul with joy. This decision is not mine. Listen, and consider well, humanity.
Ignite wrote: "Another from me in today's Indie Book Bargains email.The Family Business"
I really like that one. Lovely.
Thank you. Strangely enough I wrote that in my sewing room!
I'm doubly reassured, firstly that the old firm is still in business.Secondly and more importantly, Ignite has a sewing room. My faith in the nature of the universe is somewhat restored.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Lost Innocence: The Accused (other topics)Azazel (other topics)
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Speaking of Talkes of the Imp, here is the latest:
The Best Laid Plans
For a long week I struggled through possible scenarios. It needed to look natural, preferably an accident. I harassed the Imp for suggestions, but he told me that it had to be my plan. I’m not sure why, he wouldn’t explain. He did point out however that my boss smoked and drank a lot.
Now there was an interesting thought.
I wondered know how many smokers die in their sleep while drunk.
I know that he likes to get hammered on a Friday night, too drunk to walk home sometimes.
It’s Friday today. I think I’ll murder my boss tonight.
If you haven't read the others in the series then you can read them here: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/t...