Flash Fiction – The Orphan Seeker

In this week’s flash fiction challenge, Chuck Wendig told us to choose five words from a list and incorporate them into a story. I chose the words foxglove, whalebone, topaz, acid and orphan. And I had a surprising amount of fun writing this piece! 

Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for stopping by!

 

“Foxglove!” shouted a customer, clicking his fingers aggressively. The yellow light of the gas burners accentuated the nicotine stains on his fingernails.

Craela gave Bartholomew a smirk, knowing how much being called that would irritate him but he ignored her. He straightened his maroon waistcoat over his russet fur, pulled his white gloves a little further down his paws, and with all the dignity he could muster, walked across the pub to the man calling him. The beer swollen floorboards whined in protest under his small weight.

“I’m Bartholomew sir, how can I be of assistance?” he asked with a slight bow.

“Don’t give me airs Foxglove, if I wanted airs, I wouldn’t be in this shithole.”

“I’ve already told you my name. I don’t answer to Foxglove,” replied Bartholomew, turning away stiffly.

On Rabbit Holes And The Birth Of This Blog

I was reading one of the many (many, many, many) articles on the importance for writers of having a blog, a website, and so I thought, heck, I’ll give it a quick look. Actually that’s a lie. I have had a look at blogs before and have left a slew of them in my wake, never managing to stick it out for any decent length of time. Mainly, I could never wrestle Blogger into something that I thought looked good and so I had decided a while ago that it wasn’t me, it was the blogs, they Just Weren’t That Into Me.

And then I found WordPress. So I figured, once more unto the breach – I’ll give blogging another go.

On The Wisdom Of Finding Nemo

Today I want to speak about the wonderful advice from Neil Gaiman’s commencement address speech (embedded below for the pleasure of your eyes and ears). In particular I want to go over the ‘no matter what gets you down, keep making good art’ part. A very valid and empowering piece of advice.  Sort of.

The thing is that it pre-supposes that you have already made something that you are proud of, let alone actually finished something. What about the noobies amongst us that are just wading out into the murky waters of artistic creation, or those who are in danger of drowning right in the middle of it? (also known as the saggy middle of that novel you’re writing).