GippsGirl

  • The formatting isn’t great – sorry.

  • <p style=”text-align: center;”><b>Behind Closed Curtains</b></p>
    ‘Jimmy look, that rude electrician is back!’ Marjorie adjusted her glasses and squinted towards the bungalow. ‘And he’s wearing that t-shirt again, you know, the orange one with large red letters saying Bog Off You Nosy Neighbour!’ She poked her tongue out in the general direction of…[Read more]

  • Brutal

    Graham was beside himself. Furious, speechless, incandescent with rage. They had demolished the ancient well in his garden, thrown the centuries old stonework down inside, and constructed a former which showed their intention to pour footings a full twenty metres from where the summerhouse should be. He leaned forward and peered down. All…[Read more]

  • And we’re there. Thank you to all the generous donors. We’re here for another year!

  • One More Year!
    Probably daft, bearing in mind we have maybe 10 to 15 members who are even close to regular, and perhaps half a dozen who are. I need to raise about £150 this month to keep the site going. It will keep going; it’s just a case of finding as much as I can. SO… please see the donations group for details. Simple as that.

  • The Mausoleum

    The star broke down as wife Stephanie’s casket was taken into the mausoleum. The stone masterpiece, testament to their love, could have been fashioned by Wren …’

    Justin Mallory’s architect had also been proud of the secret panel to facilitate re-entry: stone-clad, freed by hidden lock and latch. Justin pocketed the key. He swiped…[Read more]

  • Hi Janette – as discussed, it’s gone. Feel free to post again when ready.

    Ath.

  • Right man for the job!

    Half eight, overnight ice on the inside of the windows, me already double Aran-wrapped, my phone rang:
    ‘Missus Blake? Morpeth Builders. We’ve a cancellation. Can come and have a look at your chimney today.’
    ‘That’d be great. There’s some sort of, of … blockage. The boiler’s broke, so lighting a fire the only way to kee…[Read more]

  • Congratulations, Libby, and thank you Seagreen for such an enticing theme – I had a dozen possibilities in my head, and it was obvious others did too, strong voices all and I was glad not to have to do the judging.

  • I knew from the minute I started reading these that judging would be a tricky business…

    Thanks all for entering! I love that you each took a perfectly mundane experience – like sitting in traffic – and gave me a fabulous peek into the headspace of your characters.

    Ath, straight in there with your character reference of the man in the siler GT. T…[Read more]

  • What is this? I turn my back for TWO days and I’m inundated!! ????

    Please bear with me. Worked a fifteen hour shift today (with the same tomorrow). I promise to come back with a winner by Monday at the absolute latest x

  • Car

    Look at that bloke. Arm out of the window, cigarette in hand. Marks and Sparks polo shirt that his wife bought him. Revving the engine every five seconds; counting down the time until death. And he got the silver car, the GT model. He chose that. He calls it “my car”. But if anybody asks, “We chose it. Me and my lady.”

    How old do you reckon?…[Read more]

  • Hand Signals

    Molly matched the testy huff coming from the seat to her left, though neither were on account of the tailback as school runs jostled with motorway traffic on the approach to the roundabout. ‘For God’s sake, Jake. You’ll appreciate one day why I put school first, holidays with your father second.’

    She ignored his mouthed words;…[Read more]

  • Janette posted an update 3 years ago

    Apologies for the absence. I have been writing and reading disturbingly little while I’ve wrestled with other things, mainly concerning health and other shit that saps far too much energy, not to mention confidence. Anyway, I had a gentle nudge (thanks, @sandradavies) to perhaps ease myself in with an entry into the Den comp. It’s been ages, so…[Read more]

    • And great to see you here. Janette. Hope you are on the mend.

      • It’s a long, varied road, but I feel I’m going the right way along it, thanks Ath. I’m learning that I need to keep in touch with the outside world.

    • Libby replied 3 years ago

      Lovely to read your story @janette . Good luck with your recovery <3

  • John T posted an update 3 years ago

    Sorry for my prolonged absence from here. What with writing a new novel and proofreading two other, as well as all the drama and complications of choosing to self-publish, all my writing energy has been directed in less sociable pursuits. But, I have news. My first book should be published within a month or so, when the wonderful Leigh Forbes has…[Read more]

    • Drama and complications, John? Nothing you won’t overcome, I’m sure. Great news about the books, and loving the website.

    • Cheers, Athelstone. Since I wrote that, ‘a month or so’ now looks optimistic, at least for the ebook version. Amazon are giving Leigh less freedom to format the book, and what looks perfect on Apple Books or Kobo looks a mess on Kindle. We need two different ebook versions to work around the limited options they now give. The paperback version is…[Read more]

  • ‘O dolce mano’ another opera

    Coming out of the theatre, in the carpark, beeping the car unlocked, you say ‘If we’re dropping Judy off, she’d be best in the front –‘
    Because it’s SO difficult to get out of the back seat? Nevertheless, I say nothing. It was Judy – a work colleague –that offered him the tickets. I bought the third on seeing the…[Read more]

  • The 2023 HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition is now open for entries. Up to 3,500 words, set 35 or more years ago, exploring every aspect of historical fiction.

    Deadline 1 July

    Full details and how to enter: https://historicalwriters.org/awards/ddshwass-award-2023/

    • Thanks, Daeds. I’m trying to get a story ready in time. Are you going to enter?

      • I was thinking of entering one I’d already written, thought I’d missed the deadline but I haven’t, so I might go for it. How’s yours coming along?

        • Libby replied 3 years ago

          @daedalus
          Mine is becoming a more interesting story than I’d thought it was but it needs more time so I’m not going to enter. Good luck with yours if you do enter.

  • You’re sitting in traffic. Tell me about the car and the person (people) in the car next to you.

    400 words

  • Pleasantly surprised by this, especially given the company ☺️

  • Wow! They were all classy little pieces of writing. Seagreen, I really enjoyed that. Well done.

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