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...

Try as I might, I have been finding it particularly difficult to rise to the latest JUWC challenge. The fact that both Tova and Roy have done such particularly good jobs with theirs has left me bereft of ideas. Every time I try to start something, it evolves into a very poor second to Tova’s wonderful entry. But the words she chose are absolutely fantastic. Some of them I’d heard of before and had even added to my vocabulary (such as rive, odious and usurp). Others I’d read ...

Inspired by both DeathbyBeebles and Tova (and at both Tova and UDig's insistence), here is the next challenge for the JU Writers Club. The idea is to write a story in 6 words.  I know it sounds like a hard thing to do (and believe me, it is).  But not everything challenging is easy.  If you want to see a few good examples, check out Beeble's post here: http://deathbybeebles.joeuser.com/article/308581/My_Six_Word_Story It is a tough exercise, no doubt.  But here is ...

She woke with a start, shook the remains of the dream she was having and habitually reached out and touched the wall. It felt warm. She sat up in the cot, looking across the annex to the kid’s empty beds. Groaning to herself, she swung her legs off the cot and stood, stretching up until she felt her back click. As she walked across the room, she rolled her head from side to side and then rolled her shoulders. She felt a little better for the light stretches. The kitchen bay was empt...

Hopefully, this will stimulate everyone’s imaginations. Some of my favourite stories are those that appear to be a glimpse into the future. Not necessarily science fiction as such, more almost alternate realities. For instance, you could rewrite an historic event from the perspective of here and now or perhaps a piece set in a future where, for instance, water has become more precious than gold. You could write a poem or a play about a typical day living in the 22 nd Century. It re...

He said he’d wait. He still remembered the conversation as if it were yesterday. “I’ll be waiting for you.” “Really? You’ll wait for me even after I do what I have to do?” “Yes, of course I will. I love you.” “I know you do but love might not be enough to get us past this.” “Of course it will. So long as we have each other, the world could stand still and we’ll still be fine.” “Oh, I’m...

On and on, ad infinitum repetition The treat is not so sweet with this carry on Over and over till boredom is a relief This righteousness feels completely wrong The treat is not so sweet with this carry on Ditto after ditto, repeating endlessly This righteousness feels completely wrong Rewind, reverse and repeat after me Ditto after ditto, repeating endlessly Until any sense of moment is truly gone Rewind, reverse and repeat after me The singer might differ but not the song ...

Mindnumbingly spent Bored by too much stimuli Give me some relief

Those whose hearts Are formed in sorrow Can’t help but look bleakly At the coming tomorrow Those whose hearts Are formed in pain Look to be hurt Again and again Those whose hearts Are formed in mirth Will never believe In their own true worth Those whose hearts Are formed from hate Will never understand love Can lift this weight Those whose hearts Are formed in ire Never let cool waters Dampen their fire But those whose hearts Are formed from peace Move through...

I have my mother’s mouth And her creative ways I have her nurturing instinct And her love of music I have my father’s legs And I have his eyes I have his way with people And his love of good humour I have my mother’s sins Her vanity and pride I have her nervous laugh And her lack of self-control I have my father’s bullhead His lack of faith in his own abilities I have his crushing shyness And his damned dodgy knees I have my granddad’s temper Though I never met him A...

I’ve been thinking about the next Joe User Writers Club Challenge. I am going to appropriate an idea of KellyW’s to make this suggestion: how about rewriting a classic fairy tale. You could rewrite your favourite, maybe inserting yourself into the tale or rewriting to make it end differently or modernising the story to suit the sensibilities of today. You could turn a tragedy into a comedy or vice versa. Maybe Ali Baba’s 40 Thieves could be changed to be politicians or maybe any number ...

This could be the scene where I could finally tell him: a deserted stage. Footlights will dimly glow. We'll walk on stage left. Two shadows moved out onto the stage. As they drew closer to the still-glowing footlights, their glow revealed a man and woman. The man could feel the heat coming off the cans, like radiators. He ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair. Wow, it must get hot up here?” The woman replied, almost despondently. “Yeah, it does. But the makeup hides our sweat...

The last challenge was a beauty. I really like the idea of offering up a couple of suggestions as it means if you're not inspired by one, you might well be inspired by the other. With this in mind, following are the next couple of suggestions. The first is courtesy of DrDon (thanks, Don): Signs (as metaphors for life) Don had a picture of a 'Detour' sign as inspiration. But I'm sure you all get the gist. The second is a favourite quote of mine. It comes courtesy of the great Stan L...