National Flash Fiction Day

Today is the first ever National Flash Fiction Day and anyone familiar with this form will no doubt be celebrating by writing one or two pieces. After reading some tips and suggestions on the form I decided to have a go myself:


                                         Pencil Tears

She's been kicked and shouted at. Her left leg hurts, a bandage is wrapped around her ankle. She looks down at the kitchen table. The little ones pencils and pictures are scattered, drawings of matchstick versions of family and friends with smiley faces and rosy cheeks. She sees herself. Small, plain - standing at the end of the line. She picks up a blue colouring pencil and draws tiny teardrops next to her right eye. The front door opens, she puts the pencil back and quickly hides the drawing beneath the others. The man of the house enters the kitchen. She smiles. He merely glances at her, throws his gym bag on the floor and leaves. She picks up the bag but doesn't know why.

Down the Writing Road (1)

I planned everything carefully. I was going to make a quick stop and redraft my 5,000 word short story in time for a competition before continuing straight ahead with the rest of my novel. Instead I was stuck in a traffic jam in procrastination lane. Hmmm...

It's not that I don't have any ideas, or that I'm stuck on what to do next, it's picking up the pen and actually writing that is problem. It's like my hand just can't be bothered. I couldn't write anything. When I hear other writers talking about writing 2,000 words a day I think to myself, really?

Now I said 'was stuck' because luckily I've moved on a little. After reading some brilliant advice from the Mslexia writer's diary I decided to take a U-turn and go down the non-fiction street by writing some reviews and this has actually helped me start writing again. I've got two books, two radio plays and an audiobook to review and so far it's been fun. It may not be what I was hoping to write but at least it counts as writing...