Story

Short Story Challenge

Scott Andrew Bailey16 Comments

Looking at my author page www.scottandrewbailey.uk there is one gaping hole. There are no short stories.

I have written quite a few in the past but it was some time ago and they need some editing and polishing before I put together a collection. In the meantime I have decided I need to start writing some new ones.

Short stories are the form I find most challenging – and that I most want to get a grip on.

So I have decided to set myself a challenge and give myself a proverbial boot up the jacksy!

I recently joined a local online writing community and one of the members posted a list of genres – which he is trying to write a story for each. I have appropriated that list but extended it terms a bit. To each genre I have added a constraint – that will make the writing harder but hopefully spark a better creation. So for example one of the options is an action story. So my constraint for that one is to set it in a confined space.

I am posting this list here and will post links to the relevant stories if and when I write them – and its a big if one this one.

But I also thought others might like to take up the challenge. If you do I am happy to post links to your resulting works of art here beneath each section.

I am going to try to work through in the order posted but that’s optional and if I get inspired I may skip to a particular one.

Here is the list

  • Action – set in a confined space
  • Comedy – about an act of terrorism
  • Crime – Set in a police station with CCTV watching
  • Erotica – set in an un-erotic place – such as a sewer
  • Espionage – set in either MI5 headquarters or a cell
  • Fantasy – Set in a shopping centre
  • Historical – Set in the future
  • Horror – A children’s story
  • Noir – based around colours
  • Political – In a hippy commune
  • Post-Apocalypse – In a book club
  • Romance – In a divorce court
  • Sci-Fi – In neolithic times
  • Space Opera – From a droids POV
  • Superhero – In medieval times
  • Thriller – In a Cricket or bowls match
  • Western – From Native American POV
  • Whodunnit – With no apparent crime

Let’s see what happens.

Little Story Teller

Scott Andrew Bailey2 Comments

So Alexander – in the middle of having a bath suddenly tells me that there is a special book waiting for me in his room. It’s magic and even he doesn’t know what’s in it.

“Where did it come from?” I ask. Thinking that he is going to say mummy brought it or Nanny and Grand dad gave it to him.  Instead he says:

“Well Daddy. When we went to my friend Alex’s party at the beach there was that man digging for worms in the mud.”

“Yes I said”.

“I went to help him and dug up a big worm – as big as you daddy! And next to it was this magical book. So I picked it up, washed it off and brought it home.”

I was there at the party with him so can confirm that he made all this up!

That’s my boy!

Poem a day challenge #62 (The Conduit)

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So this is the one I am thinking of entering into a competition the theme being “The Book”

The Conduit 

By Scott Bailey © 2013

English: Stack of books in Gould's Book Arcade...
English: Stack of books in Gould’s Book Arcade, Newtown, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A conduit, a bridge or a gateway.
It goes under many old names.
Open it with wonder and reverence,
For the spell will then be underway. 

The weakest of hands can undo it
The portal of magical ways
Connecting one mind to another
With a delicate ethereal wave. 

Some portals are heavy and dusty
Some dance with electrical sparks
But they all do the same, all show the way
For strange dreams from heart to heart. 

There were even once living gateways
Who opened the way with a look
Always there’s one right beside us
The conduit, the gateway, the book.

Get the previous ones here
http://wp.me/P3kG6h-bb