Emma Robinson

No worries, Ath. I absolutely agree with you. For me, rules are interesting in a meta way for people’s reactions to them, either for or against. I like to think I’m relaxed but my bonnet bees show my uptightness 🙂 The truth is, I’m fascinated by ‘rules’ and the improvements or failures that can happen when they’re ‘broken’ – though most of the…[Read more]

I’ve learned a new word: ambitransitive. Thanks, Ath. It’s a helpful one.

Like you I think probably no rules are broken. I have a small bee in my bonnet about contemporary UK English abandoning commas and that may be why I thought a comma would help.

Your list, Ath –  avoidance of ambiguity; awareness of how things sound; comprehensibility; and…[Read more]

I can’t offer any grammatical analysis, but it does certainly sound wrong. Almost creepily so. I did have to have a giggle at Libby’s analysis of the hair as ‘a nasty piece of work’.

Here are my thoughts but I’m very willing to be told I’m wrong.

The sentence would read better with a more appropriate verb and a comma:

‘Don’t worry,’ Jacob soothed, against her hair.

I agree Ath with both your points — I’d prefer ‘said’ for the speech tag, but using a transitive verb isn’t a problem. Aren’t a lot of speech tags trans…[Read more]

Teddy was lost.

Teddy’s owner, Joe, was inconsolable. His face red and blotchy, his screams ringing through the house. How could Joe and Teddy survive apart.

Teddy himself was having a nice time. He’d been left on the bus, propped up next to the window where he could see the world go by. Life with Joe was nice, but sometimes a bit boring. Teddy…[Read more]

I love this story, Ath @athelstone. Congratulations!

Sandra and Knicks’ stories are fabulous too.

The Mooring (325 words)

The two sisters were in their twenties. They stood on the kyle’s shore in their Puffa jackets and looked at a small yacht moored to a buoy, hatches closed. The yacht floated as calmly as a swan.

Although the sisters were dressed in similar clothes their personalities were opposites.

“They were lucky,” said Lena, about…[Read more]

Well done Raine and thank you Knicks. I’d forgotten how much fun it is writing these short skits.

Warning: Dark humour.

SEIZING THE MOMENT

‘Twenty-five years we were married,’ I tell the young police officer as he hands me a cup of tea with shaking hands.

‘I’m very sorry for your loss,’ he murmurs, gaze resting anywhere but on me.

I suppose I should wash and change, but I’m feeling a bit odd right now.
And it will take more than a wash…[Read more]

I’ll try and give my brain a rattle and join in too. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these comps, but I’ve found them a great learning device in the past.

I’d like to try an entry this month if you set a comp, Knicks. I’ve been away from writing for over two months and am very rusty but, selfishly speaking, it would be a good way to get back into it. I’m not going to be able to manage the annual Den challenge this time around, having spent too much time with all this surgery stuff, so the monthly…[Read more]

Ath, I know I’ve not been round much recently, but that looks fab! Noticed that blogs and whatever the heading is next to it both go bold when you click on blogs, but it seems so much easier and intuitive to navigate. Thank you xxx

In the place and time I found myself, I had done something wrong.

My punishment? A chain of large metal links, secured around my throat, pressing against my flesh, reminding me of its presence every time I swallowed or turned my head.

A man, with whom I had a connection – were we related? Was he the reason for my wrongdoing? – received the sam…[Read more]