Runnin’ the River “How was it, buddy?” “Durn near the best prawns and chilli sauce I ever had, Vince.” It was too, with all the right fixin’s an all. Plenty green ginger and not so much chilli that you
How to write flash fiction
Want to produce really flash stories? Sharpen your writing skills with flash fiction. Small is beautiful Apart from winning competitions, there are beneficial spin-offs from writing flash fiction: finding one word to replace four stretches your vocabulary; keeping it tight
The Diary of Elizabeth Pepys
Even if they have not read it, most people have heard of the diary of that old reprobate, Samuel Pepys. It seems unfair that he alone should have the first and last words: no documents written by his young wife
My Favourite Writing Competitions
Competitions are a way to develop your skills as well as a source of inspiration. Plenty to Choose From There are masses of writing competitions; from the questionable ‘ads’ asking for entry fees but not mentioning judges or prizes, to
Love Letters
Love Letters: a gentle Christmas story “No, Harold, you can’t have ‘PO’.” “Why can’t I? It’s an abbreviation.” Harold’s truculence is purely theatrical, designed to arouse his audience, an objective he usually achieves. “It’s not in the Oxford and, well,