Today we met for the
Lunchtime Creative Writers Group. The
university is still closed for the summer, although the freshers will be
starting next week so it was only a small group who met. As there weren’t many things to share,
although what was read out was really good, we had time to do a quick 10 minute
exercise.
We all started with the line
- His heart pounded as the car hurtled towards the cliff edge. There was
no way of stopping it now… and it was
amazing what different ideas everyone had.
This is how mine turned out.
His heart pounded as the car
hurtled towards the cliff edge. There was no way of stopping it now…
But he had to time it just
right, too early and he wouldn’t get the lift needed and too late and he’d be
in the sea.
His hand hovered over the
button mounted in the middle of the dash, the temptation to hit it now very
strong but he waited, counting under his breath.
Finally he came to the
place, that if his caculations were corrected was the perfect place, and he hit
the red button with the palm of his hand.
There was a bang but he’d
been expecting that, and in the rear view mirror he saw smoke but that was also
to be expected.
Had it worked?
He couldn’t see from the
windows but in his door mirrors he could see the wings as they unfolded in a
chitty chitty bang bang style, although blue to match the car.
The material rippled in the
wind but seemed to hold and he suddenly realised he was no longer on the cliff
but meters above the sea with seagulls giving him very strange looks.
Moving the steering wheel
seemed to work the rudder and he turned in a deep cuerve till he ran in line
with the cliffs. He didn’t seem to be
loosing height at all.
I then set a homework for
the group (borrowed from Mslexia), it made me think of the the hush puppy
shoes my friend had that I coveted and the horrible coat I had, the only good
thing about it was the huge pockets it had.
Think of an item of clothing
you loved or hated; an ugly winter coat, ballet shows, a naught push up bra.
Imagine a scene where you are wearing the item. How did you acquire
it? Did you lose it, damage it? Try to recall an obstacle or scene
of conflict involving it, turn it into a short story or poem.