Writing - Month Five

[smallhobbit]

Firstly an update.  For fic_corner I wrote for Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes (a favourite story when I was young) a fic based around Petrova Fossil in WWII, but mentioning Pauline and Posy: Second Officer Petrova Fossil, Air Transport Auxiliary  My Choose Your Own Adventure fic is back from beta (thank you stonepicnicking_okapi ) but has yet to have its commas rectified.  And my stageoffools AU is also beta-ed (thank you scfrankles ) I'll post the link once it's been revealed.

Current new writing:  Back in May I wrote a Lewis casefic as a series of seven drabbles.  It was only posted at lewis_challenge because I intended on expanding it to a proper casefic as part of Oxford Tales.  I've just started to write it, although it won't be ready for some months.

A first for me was when I wrote a drabble for drabble_zone 'Late in the day' prompt Realisation which was from Sherlock's POV.  I then expanded it for fan_flashworks 'It's a trap' challenge as Donovan's POV Something Slightly Out Of Kilter.  That ficlet also enabled me to earn my 120th badge for fan_flashworks  I also wrote this month's whatif_au 'Mythology' for Sherlock (BBC) The Purple World.

Coming up: spook_me for which I signed up for Pirates, which was the new category this year.  And I've also signed up for Hoggywartyxmas again, although I'm not really writing Harry Potter.

Lastly, I'm currently following FutureLearn's Start Writing Fiction, and below are a couple of my responses to the exercises we've had so far:

Character Sketch - 200 words or less:

 

Matthew was tall and dark-haired.  Generally, he favoured dark clothing, normally being seen in black or dark blue.  Occasionally he would wear a brightly coloured tie, when the occasion called for it, but by preference he wore his shirts open-necked.

He moved quietly, and there was a constant sense of tension about him.  He reacted quickly to any sudden noise, and shied away from physical contact, either deliberate or accidental.  He looked underfed, as if in want of a good meal or two.  However, he was fit, and when called upon to run he was fast.

A noticeable scar could be seen on his left wrist and leading up under his shirt sleeve, and there was a small scar on his left cheek bone.  If he was tired, he walked with a slight limp, which he would do his best to disguise.

Within a group he would take a back seat, watching and listening, murmuring his agreement when required.  It was only when he seemed to have been overlooked that he would state his case clearly and firmly.

Turn on the radio and use the first thing which is mentioned (I had a rambling group):

 

The moor stretched out in all directions, a mass of grass, gorse and heather.  On an overcast day even the gorse struggled to brighten the landscape.  Late autumn should still have held some promise, but the steely sky and the ever present threat of rain had destroyed that hope.

The man walked purposefully along the narrow track, a slight limp obvious despite, or maybe because of, his determined pace.  It was a route he knew well, and he rarely paused, except on a couple of occasions when he bent down to examine something beside the path.  Even then he would soon straighten up, apparently satisfied about whatever he had found.

He was dressed in grey and black, his clothing mirroring the desolation of the landscape.  He might have been taken for an old countryman, wearing the same clothes he had worn for many years, but closer inspection would have revealed his garments were both new and expensive; not, however, bought for show, but for their practical nature, being warm and waterproof.

Reaching the end of the track he turned right onto a slightly broader track which, if followed for long enough, led towards the cliffs.  The track descended quite steeply to start with, twisting and turning, and was soon obscured from the view of anyone walking over the moor at the top.  The track was rutted and could be difficult to negotiate for a newcomer, but the man descended with the confidence of a regular visitor.

After about a quarter of a mile the track took a sharp turn to the right and the descent became considerably less steep.  However, instead of continuing to follow it, the man turned to the left and walked over the grass to a small hut, not unlike those found in certain seaside resorts.

He opened the door and went inside.  There was another man already inside, who looked up at the newcomer’s entrance, jerking his head in the direction of the kettle.  A nod and he went to make the coffee.  Both men had worked together on and off for years, which meant certain things could safely remain unsaid.

Whilst the kettle was boiling, the first man took off his jacket and hung it on the back of a chair.  He looked at his surroundings.  They were very similar to many other posts he’d worked in before, a powerful radio on one side, maps on the walls, two pairs of strong binoculars resting on a table before the window.

There were, however, two major differences from his previous spheres of work.  Firstly, this hut was in friendly territory, although sometimes he wasn’t as sure about that.  And secondly, the weather.  He was so tired of dank and drear, and longed for sunshine and warmth, or even a crisp cold, but not the dampness that inveigled its way into everything, despite his best precautions.

 

 

Comments

[scfrankles]

Crikey, you have been busy ^^" And many congratulations on your 120th badge - that's quite an achievement!

From the rambling group prompt story, I particularly liked:

He was dressed in grey and black, his clothing mirroring the desolation of the landscape. He might have been taken for an old countryman, wearing the same clothes he had worn for many years, but closer inspection would have revealed his garments were both new and expensive; not, however, bought for show, but for their practical nature, being warm and waterproof.

Nice bit of description ^__^

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. I was delighted to have earned so many badges. I'm very pleased you liked the description, it was interesting to write.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

So much writing! I have enjoyed all that I have read.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much. I really appreciate all your support.