Friday, May 08, 2009

Heritage - 50 word story



It’s not too ambitious for the conservatory? he asks but she’s determined. It costs a fortune. The town is blocked for days during the delivery. They are interviewed on TV. But she’s still not happy. I’d forgotten it was round, she says. Something arched would go better with the curtains.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the tease of a short story. I wanted to say hello from across the unravelling classroom. Can you see me waving? Have a great weekend!
-jj

Sarah Salway said...

Hello JJ, yes I see you, waving frantically back! Thanks for stopping by.

Kathryn said...

Pointless. Three days to dig up what? Fragments. Maybe a Roman vase but they could never know for sure. She did have to laugh at the latest reconstruction. They started with a six inch shard. Does anyone know what it is yet? they joked as it towered over the library.

Douglas Bruton said...

Delilah kept all her letters logged and filed in a book. Old bills and Christmas cards. And the stubs of tickets for the bus or the cinema. All recorded. The day, the time. The journey, the film. Lest she forget. Lest people in the future doubt that she had been.

Douglas Bruton said...

Bartleby came to a decision. About his collection of bic biros. One bought every year since he was twelve. And they look different now from how they did then. Still working, some of them. Bartleby decided that he would leave them to his grand-daughter. It might encourage her to write.

Kathryn said...

Sorry to post another comment Sarah but I just have to ask Douglas something. Would I be right in thinking that you have a lot of fun in choosing the names in your writing? They're always so imaginative. I rarely refer to anyone by name these days for some reason but I do think it adds another dimension to the piece, especially when they're unusual.

Sarah Salway said...

Kathryn, post as many as you want. Please. And I'm intrigued about Douglas's names too... perhaps it's time for him to do a guest post! Are you game, D?

Douglas Bruton said...

Years ago I used to have a dictionary of names... it is a source of some small grief that I have lost it. But, on the otherhand, it maybe makes me come up with things more unusual.

Sometimes when I write there is just a 'he' or a 'she'... and the piece when it is done feels just ordinary... then a name pops into my head that 'fits' and I dropped it into the work and the whole piece comes alive.

Names come to me from all over. Like ideas do. Today, as I was driving into the village I had the radio on in the car and there was a song with a girl called Delilah in it... not the Tom Jones thing... and because it was not the Tom Jones one, the name surprised me and delighted me in equal measure... and the name rolled around in my head and I knew that I was going to write a quickie thing with a Delilah in it this weekend.

Bartleby... in my inner files from somewhere... and it felt right for a collector of something as banal as ballpoint pens. (apologies to all such collectors in the real world). Plus 'Bartleby collects bic biros' has a nice alliterative quality to it.

Sometimes the piece influences the choice of name... and sometimes the piece creates the name.

Sarah, I am always happy to write stuff... any time... and I don't mind sharing all the secrets of what I do.

:-)

D

Jennifer White said...

Original... perfect... found you through our Unravelling course... enjoying your posts ;p

Megan Warren said...

Sophie was out shopping, the thought of it gave him palpitations. Her last expedition had led to remodelling the dining room to accomodate the three metre long antique sideboard that was 'just perfect'. And when it was completed she remarked: 'It doesn't quite fit does it'.

Megan Warren said...

forgot to mention that I found you via Susannah Conway's blog and I'm also a fellow unraveller. Love the prompts.

Sarah Salway said...

Nice, D. I'll email you, but fascinating to hear about the names.

Sarah Salway said...

Hah, Megan. Not perfect then!
Nice to see you here, and Jennifer too. How are you feet!!!