Run Rage

Get out my clucking way

You can see I’m on a run

Not just strolling in the park

Chasing ducks for fun

As you walk eight abreast

Blocking the entire path

I buzz behind you angrily

While you chat and laugh

It really is quite wonderful

You’re having a lovely time

But one hour is all I have

For this lunch of mine

So when you see a runner

Weaving through the crowd

Please remember to share the path

And do this poem proud

The Sublime to the Ridiculous

Last week our homework started with a class exercise where we had to choose one of eight different heroes, ranging from a 103 year old woman to a Squirrel. We were given 5 minutes to describe where they lived, their temperament and their most precious thing.

I should have guessed it was leading to something but of course I didn't and chose a Goldfish. Our homework was to write a story about our hero finding something really precious they thought they'd lost. It was certainly a challenge. I'm just glad it wasn't my turn to be read out.

This week we're working on a children's story. Not really my bag either but it's great to have a challenge. I'd strongly recommend a creative writing class to anyone, not least for the range of genres you're encouraged to dabble in.

Creative Writing - The Terminology

Flash Fiction, Sudden Fiction, Postcard Fiction, Micro Fiction, Nanofiction, Short Story, Novella, Novel, Poem, the list is endless. There is so much jargon. Who'd have known that you can't just write a story? Every piece of work falls into a category. Where do you start? Where does it end?

Apparently writers fall into one of three categories. Your plotter will start out with a planned story line, know exactly where the tale is going and how it will end. The discoverer starts writing with no clear direction and lets the story tell itself. Then there are those, probably the majority of writers, who are a natural combination of the two. You will start at the beginning of a journey with an idea of where it may take you but let it evolve organically, allowing natural, unplanned twists and turns to evolve. 

At the moment I seem to clearly fall into the second category. Our first homework exercise set me off on a story I had no idea I wanted to tell. Each subsequent installment is directed by our next assignment. So far I'm on almost 7,000 words. So what is that? A short story I believe.

Teacher feedback is precious. As yet she hasn't seen my project in its entirety, in fact she doesn't know it exists as one body.  I'm worried about demanding too much of her valuable time but equally I have no one else to show it to. What to do?