Delicious Delectable Description

The last thing you want your Readers doing is skipping great tracks of your story because your ‘description’ is long and boring, and likewise, if you use description to pad out your word count, then it will be a foregone conclusion; your Readers, will get plenty of exercise, skipping pages.

 

The Last Egg

    Kira squats behind the bins in the alley, she pulls her head back as a cloud of flies rise up from the surrounding garbage. The smell penetrates her conciseness.  She’s never been in the Dead Zone, until a month ago, she didn’t even know it existed.  
In the Clean Zone where she lives its always  sterile, like a science lab, surprising herself, she realises the decay is welcoming, enfolding, in keeping with her mission, reminding her of the lies everyone in AI are living under.

Travelling in Australia

I've always loved travelling, and while I've travelled overseas, I've missed doing that of late, before Covid, my planned 2020 trip was time spent in Africa. Unfortunately, its back on the wish list, but not forgotten.

In saying world travel is fine... my own country Australia is a pretty schmick destination in anyone's book.

The beaches are stunning, the wildlife astounding. We have hinterland, bushland, rain forest, and deserts that stretch as far as the eye can see. 

It's Time

Hello Australia, as we rage towards the silly season I've had the thought the usual Christmas has not as yet taken place, not even started to pace itself out. 
The stores are...Empty.

A Sun Burnt Country

The sound of the ultralight buzzed like an angry Nat, skimming across the barren landscape like a bird of prey. 

Rick was now only 100 km from the east coast, all was dry or burnt, no rain had fallen for a few years, which meant no regrowth either. Although, he could see evidence of new fire storms, he really wondered what was left to burn.

Animal Photography

I’ve been taking photographs since my Pop gave me a little Kodak Instamatic for Christmas when I was 12 years old. The model that had the little cubes on top for the disposable flash.

One of my fav photography subjects is animals and birds. Both can be hard to capture due to the nature of their environment.

The Novel Begins

Motivation is one of the biggest killers to a good writing schedule. If you listen to the greats there is no tried and true way of keeping the flow going. Some authors write in the mornings, some in the afternoons, and then there’s the night owls that write all night. 

Alone

Gens stares at the com screen, and it looks back like an incriminating eye, the empty halls leading to other pods were telling a disquieting tale.  It has been weeks since she’s left her own pod, nothing unusual, her chair didn’t maneuver well over the floor grids.

      There really is no reason to leave, she has an abundance of fruits and vegetables from her greenhouse attached to her pod, but now, she is running low on protein capsules, and usually Lando brought them, but he’s not answering his intercom.

Where We Work

How many of us still have a real job, the job that pays for all our dreams and goals. 

Well I'm no exception. 

As a part of the Mid North Coast Financial Counselling Service I have the wonderful pleasure of working in Macksville, NSW, two days per week. 

The Nambucca Valley is just beautiful, sparking rivers, and stunning hinterland. The 2019 bushfires have taken their toll, but the regrowth is amazing in the South Arm area.

Financial Counselling has been my occupation for the last 11 years. Its a position, that has brought me to tears, and shouts of joy, when a plan comes together.

Writing in 2020

 

Here we find ourselves in November 2020, with Christmas just round the corner, and my novel is still waiting unfinished.

At present my mojo needs a good kick start, an electrical current to head out onto the writing highway. You may think I’m being a bit too hard on myself, considering I’ve completed two AWA courses Blogging for Beginners and How to Get More Blog Readers.

Let’s take a closer look.  Am I being too hard on myself?  Not at all, because while I’ve completed the above courses, they are in reality, exercises in procrastination.  

My voice is quite clear in my ears, 'Once I finish these courses, then I’ll have more time to write.'

Sharing My Work

I though I'd make Fridays a great day to share work.  Yours and Mine.

Writing pieces can be any genre, part of a larger work, fast fiction, or poetry. 

The only thing I ask is that we keep the the piece to 500 words. 

A limit of 500 words makes the reading manageable, we all have busy lives. 

I'll kick start the process with a short piece I wrote recently for Nambucca Valley Writer's Group. 

I would suggest any budding or experienced writer join a writers group. Its simply wonderful to meet with like minded people to share your ideas, and to hone writing skills. 

I've been a member of NVWG for over 10 years off and on as life dictated. I love these people, they have a very special place in how I interact with myself and others. 

Anyhow, I digress. Something  I do on a regular basis, bear with me 😎

Early Morning Walks

 How lucky am I. Truly blessed.

This is the view on my door step, well a 5 minute drive. Early morning walks are my fav. 

Just thought I'd share the experience with you all. 

Enriching Character

How is everyone coping with isolation, regarding the Rona crisis.

I’d love to say I’ve used this precious time to write my novel, but… I can’t. I have written things, though, and taken part in Zoom meetings, talked with family, keeping in touch, and working from home.

Yes, I can see your heads shaking, at all the procrastination, but it hasn’t been in vain, and while my hands have been otherwise engaged, my brain has been thinking of characters, plots, and short story writing.

My television has hummed and warmed itself, to life, after a four-year drought of blankness. I’ve serial binged more shows than I thought possible on Netflix, studying new things, and observing how movie characters develop, and work within visual plots.

And, I’ve come to the conclusion, we need to instil our characters with memorable phrases, and traits. Depending on your genre of course—you don’t want your detective giggling over the dead body, but then again, a nervous reaction to death, a coroner’s assistant, a nervous Watson, to a brilliant medical Holmes.

I always equate Stephen King's Delores Clairborne with ‘dust bunnies’ when in fact it was her employer Vera, in her demented fear, who coined the phrase, and so, too have I equated ‘dust bunnies’ in my own life, when fearful situations arise.