I've been really overwhelmed by the response to the JU Writers Club so far. Thanks to everyone for your support. We've had some fantastic short pieces already and I can hardly wait to see what you all think of next. To that end, Shovel has suggested a picture to provide inspiration. In true Shovel form, it is risque and should, erm, stimulate imaginations well. Following is the link to the picture he suggested: Link I'm still waiting to hear back from Admin about the problem I h...

I’m really surprised and pleased with how many of you wonderful people have jumped at the idea of forming a Writers Club. So far, 17people have signed up, which is just fantastic. I can’t guarantee I will be the most attentive of group administrators but I will do my best. The main idea I have behind this is to offer inspiration and support to each other without any pressure to perform. With that, here are the ground rules, as I see them: 1. Have fun 2. No time limit for any storie...

A while ago, Kelly had a blog where she put up a picture and asked the rest of us to see what sort of story we could come up with based on it. The exercise was really good, with some really inventive responses. Check out Kelly's blog here: Link I’d like to take this idea one step further. I’d like to form a JU Writers Club. The idea would be each member of the club suggests or provides a topic, scene or picture and we all write something based the suggestion. We can then compare n...

I'm peeved... My latest story, in response to San Chonino's challenge, is not showing in the forums list, for some reason. So I'm advertising it here, for those of you who missed it. WWW Link

The terrain was flat, barren and dry. Great tables rose in the distance, but offered very little shade on the flatlands. The air buzzed with electricity and savage winds often swept across the plains, making it hard for the scouting party to maintain their direction. They had left the main group days earlier, on a mission for signs of sustenance. They had stumbled over a small ridge down onto the plain in vain hope of finding something, anything. The head scout urged his party on. ...

I've been really remiss in not kicking something off but I have been waiting to give someone else a chance to come up with something to inspire us all. But I realised it is now February, so I thought I'd better jump in and get us started again. For those of you who are new or not familiar with the JU Writer's Club, it is simply a group of us here who enjoy writing. There are no rules, no fees, no competitions and no pressure. Someone will post a piece of inspiration, be it a quote, a po...

This is my response to Kelly's latest JU Writers challenge... Link He: Oh, Odin’s goddess, proud lover of the sea, Take you up an axe so you might set me free To roam with you across living seagrass plains Where tides will no more wash over my wooden remains Oh, Neptune’s daugher, a small favour is all I seek Take me to your depths before I am made too weak I long to hold you close, as close as you can bear The tree inside has died but will live again...

I’ve been working very slowly on a few stories just recently but I keep having all these ideas. With a lot of these ideas, I get the first few paragraphs written then I have to go do something else. The end result is a bunch of ideas barely started and me rapidly losing interest in them as the initial burst of creativity associated with the story is long gone. I said to Nicky recently what this essentially means is when I have writer’s block, I have a bunch of ideas I can use to help in...

The shopfront still had a ‘For Lease’ in the window but activity inside negated this sign. A group of kids, noisy and nosey, were pressed up against the window, watching the goings on. The air around them fairly pinged with eager anticipation. The group broke apart suddenly, all members scooting across the footpath to stand by the gutter. As they did, the shop door swung open and a disembodied voice cajoled them. “Come in, kids, come on, come in.” None of the childr...