Tag: short story
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Lottery – A short Story
Branwen’s mobile phone shivered in her hand. It was Harry, her hyperactive younger brother. He was always a distraction. He could be a bit too much sometimes, but she was in a generous, and bored, mood. “Are you in?” Harry said excitedly. “I’m outside – buzz me up.” Branwen obliged. One minute later Harry stumbled […]
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Opening Chapter Dec 2001
This is something I wrote in 2001, that’s nearly twenty-one years ago as I write this. It’s either genius or a piece of shit. I suppose it could even be both. You decide! (or not, I don’t care)
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A lazy writer?
What it is see, is that I’m a lazy writer. No, it’s true, I know that I could work much harder and craft every sentence, every paragraph, every chapter, every verse, every simile or metaphor into something that is entirely professional and rock solid. No, I could, I really could do it – every time. […]
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It’s a collage
It’s a collage, that’s what it is, it’s a coll-fucking-age
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FREE BOOKS
Kindle versions of some of my books are on a FREE promotion for a limited time Click on the links below to access the books BUMS Dead Flowers For the Time Being Boys from the Backfields Cheats and Liars The Three Bears
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A bit of impromptu live writing
Some unedited ‘live’ writing Written on 15:01 Sunday November 1st 2015 I was reading about yet another writer half my age who has won some prestigious award and is appearing at several upcoming literary festivals and events as a featured, if not the star, guest. So I started thinking why. Why has that writer achieved […]
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No style, no substance
What do I mean? I mean this is a short story with no style and no substance. Why? Why not? Style is taste, substance is an illusion. Fair enough, but I don’t understand. You don’t need to. I mean I don’t understand the point of it. Of what? Your short story. This. Nor me. In […]
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Some Shadow
The path to the cabin was choked with brambles; that was good. It meant that no one had been near the place for months at least. Jack laughed. ‘Ssh,’ Emma said. ‘No, it’s all right now,’ he said. ‘Look – there’s no sign of another human being – we’ll be safe here.’ ‘But it’s not […]
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Starburst
I’m just leaving the Co-op Shop and I’ve got a bag of “All Original Starburst Chews, Bursting With Real Fruit Juiciness”, a Grab-Bag of Walkers Salt and Vinegar Crisps, the last manky copy of today’s Guardian newspaper and one Silk Cut cigarette. I’ve got more cigarettes at home, of course, loads of them. Thing is, […]
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The Richest Man in the World
I am the richest man in the world. They say I am a recluse, I am afraid of doorknobs, I shower in purified water a dozen times a day, and I eat nothing but the flesh of sterilised fruit. It’s true; I am the richest man in the world, the rest doesn’t matter, it’s of […]
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Captive (Short Story)
“This too must pass.” These words have helped me in my long ordeal. They ring in my head like a mantra almost every minute that I’m stuck here in this God-forsaken pit of a room. If I divide the days into hours and the hours into minutes and the minutes into seconds and think only […]
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Breaking the Rules
Wednesday night: I met this fit girl in the pub; we exchanged phone numbers. I wrote hers on a pack of silver Rizla cigarette papers. I don’t want to appear too keen – treat ‘em mean and all that, so I had an idea. There’s fifty papers in the packet. I’ve decided that if she […]
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Dead Flowers – a short story
Twenty-seven people were killed or injured when the bomb exploded. I happened to be travelling past on the bus, but I was only shaken up a little. I went to help of course; I am a doctor after all. I attended to three of the victims. Mair died on the spot and Alice lost a […]
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Born to Lose – (short story)
Walter? What sort of a name was that to give to a child born in 1995? Walter Andrew Nankeville. You don’t need much imagination to know what nickname he acquired in later life. To be fair his parents were decent sorts, hard working and honest, and they only wanted the best for their one, and […]
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The Impossible Mess – A True Story
The received wisdom is that when you conjure up a piece of fiction, such as a short story like this, you have to work hard to ensure its readers suspend disbelief. They have to believe that the story you’re telling could have happened, if not in this world then at least in some parallel universe […]