In an effort to write more....
I recently (a few weeks ago) entered a micro-fiction writing contest on a sci-fi website called Hilobrow. I didn't win (the winner was truly spectacular) but I wanted to post my entry here. It's like losing weight, right? The more people you tell about your goals, the more likely you are to accomplish them?
The shimmering blue circle hung above the sidewalk, casting its shifting light on the prefabs in the cul de sac. Tomy spun the pedals on his tricycle back and forth, biting his lip and studying his creation.
He knew Mommy would be mad if he did it, but he didn’t care. Ever since the doctor showed mom the brain scans she’d treated him differently, had urged him to “play with kids his own age” and “be normal.” She’d forced him to go to Sadie’s dumb birthday that morning. But Sadie called him strange and the other kids threw chunks of cake at him, laughing at his stories about doors in the sky and creatures weirder than in his Dad’s old comics.
So Tomy left.
Tomy didn’t need them. He had a friend - he had Jonah, to make him a brightly colored balls of light, or an ice cream sundae spun from the purple clouds above his world. Jonah had powers, like Tomy. Jonah was cool, except for when he was annoying and asking a lot of grownup questions. Tomy didn’t want to talk about that boring stuff, like the ships that brought them here, or what elements humans were made of, or how many settlers were still on their way. Tomy thought playing light ball was much more fun.
He pushed off the ‘walk and pedaled through, the blue light enveloping him.
“Hello Tomy,” Jonah said brightly, his tentacles reaching out for a hug. “Having a bad day?"
As a result of a January's theme on Writer Unboxed, and a comparision of my story and the winner, I've decided I need to work on making my voice distinct. I also need to write more often, which I find difficult to do when I'm working. These are the times when I wish I was a grade school teacher or a bank teller and I worked 9-5 hours....
The shimmering blue circle hung above the sidewalk, casting its shifting light on the prefabs in the cul de sac. Tomy spun the pedals on his tricycle back and forth, biting his lip and studying his creation.
He knew Mommy would be mad if he did it, but he didn’t care. Ever since the doctor showed mom the brain scans she’d treated him differently, had urged him to “play with kids his own age” and “be normal.” She’d forced him to go to Sadie’s dumb birthday that morning. But Sadie called him strange and the other kids threw chunks of cake at him, laughing at his stories about doors in the sky and creatures weirder than in his Dad’s old comics.
So Tomy left.
Tomy didn’t need them. He had a friend - he had Jonah, to make him a brightly colored balls of light, or an ice cream sundae spun from the purple clouds above his world. Jonah had powers, like Tomy. Jonah was cool, except for when he was annoying and asking a lot of grownup questions. Tomy didn’t want to talk about that boring stuff, like the ships that brought them here, or what elements humans were made of, or how many settlers were still on their way. Tomy thought playing light ball was much more fun.
He pushed off the ‘walk and pedaled through, the blue light enveloping him.
“Hello Tomy,” Jonah said brightly, his tentacles reaching out for a hug. “Having a bad day?"
As a result of a January's theme on Writer Unboxed, and a comparision of my story and the winner, I've decided I need to work on making my voice distinct. I also need to write more often, which I find difficult to do when I'm working. These are the times when I wish I was a grade school teacher or a bank teller and I worked 9-5 hours....