Tag: #AtoZChallenge2020

A to Z Challenge – D is for: Do’s and Dont’s

D2020

Like everything my parents had thrown at me over the years, nothing was worse than to get a piece of paper handed to me as I walked out the door; to a meeting, a date, school, even when I visited my grandmother.

They were the ‘do’s and dont’s’ lists, which over time became the ‘young man’s guide to better English and speaking properly’.

The truth was, my mother never trusted me to get it right.

It was not without reason.  Very early on I got a reputation for being a bit of a maverick, saying what I thought rather than what was diplomatic, or just the right thing to say.

To a certain extent, I learned a great deal from these notes.

But the biggest surprise was my 18th birthday, and the day of the party being held at the manor house, and where I would be mingling with the gentry, and other distinguished guests.  I didn’t get a list.

I suppose I panicked.

Helen, the older sister who was wise beyond her years, an ace at diplomacy, and not one to ever ‘speak her mind’ dropped in to see how I was going.

Not very good.  No list, no prompts, no ‘how to behave at [named] occasion.

“What’s up, little brother?”  she could see I was agitated, though her word would be non-plussed.

“No do’s and don’ts.  What’s mother up to?  Does she want this party to go south by southwest?”

“Maybe she finally has faith in you.  You’re 18 now.  I have faith in you.”

“But you know me, foot in mouth disease.”

“Once, but not anymore.  Now screw your courage to the sticking point and let’s make an entrance.  If all else fails, just remember to stick to two subjects, their health, and the weather.”

No chance of backing out now.  The escape route had been effectively closed off.  I took a deep breath.

What was it I’d overheard not fifteen minutes ago?  Oh, yes.  ‘There’s a first time for everything’.

 

© Charles Heath 2020

Camp NaNoWriMo – Day 3

The April version of the November write-a-thon is upon us, well, me actually.  I’m not sure hope many others are trying to resurrect an old piece of writing.

The truth is, I’ve been at this story off and on over the past three years, and every time I get a head of steam, something else comes along.

Now I’ve decided to use the April version of NANOWRIMO to get this thing finished, or at least in a first draft state.

A further three chapters got the editing they deserved, and I am creating a synopsis chapter by chapter so that I can get an overall view at the end.

I’m also creating a character chart and adding the characters, discarding the original and creating a new one so that I can get a better look at the characters, and their interactions.

Today’s word count takes me to the end of Chapter 8 and adds another 3,900 words to a total of 12,150 so far.

Chapter 8 is, by the way, the unofficial last chapter for the first section.

Like falling off a ten-story building, so far, so good.

 

AtoZ Challenge – C is for: Can I help you?

C2020

I had once said that Grand Central Station, in New York, was large enough you could get lost in it.  Especially if you were from out of town.

I know, I was from out of town, and though I didn’t quite get lost, back then I had to ask directions to go where I needed to.

It was also an awe-inspiring place, and whenever I had a spare moment, usually at lunchtime, I would go there and just soak in the atmosphere. It was large enough to make a list of places to visit, or find, or get a photograph from some of the more obscure places.

Today, I was just there to work off a temper. Things had gone badly at work, and even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I still felt bad about it.

I came in the 42nd street entrance and went up to the balcony that overlooked the main concourse. A steady stream of people was coming and going, most purposefully, a few were loitering, and several police officers were attempting to move on a vagrant. It was not the first time.

But one person caught my eye, a young woman who had made a circuit of the hall, looked at nearly every destination board, and appeared to be confused. It was the same as I had felt when I first arrived.

Perhaps I could help.

The problem was, a man approaching a woman from out of left field would have a very creepy vibe to it, so it was probably best left alone.

Another half-hour of watching the world go by, I had finally got past the bad mood and headed back to work. I did a wide sweep of the main concourse, perhaps more for the exercise than anything else, and had reached the clock in the center of the concourse when someone turned suddenly and I crashed into them.

Not badly, like ending up on the floor, but enough for a minor jolt. Of course, it was my fault because I was in another world at that particular moment.

“Oh, I am sorry.” A woman’s voice, very apologetic.

I was momentarily annoyed, then, when I saw who it was, it passed. It was the lost woman I’d seen earlier.

“No. Not your fault, but mine entirely. I have a habit of wandering around with my mind elsewhere.”

Was it fate that we should meet like this?

I noticed she was looking around, much the same as she had before.

“Can I help you?”

“Perhaps you can. There’s supposed to be a bar that dates back to the prohibition era here somewhere. Campbell’s Apartment, or something like that. I was going to ask…”

“Sure. It’s not that hard to find if you know where it is. I’ll take you.”

It made for a good story, especially when I related it to the grandchildren, because the punch line was, “and that’s how I met your grandmother.”

Camp NaNoWriMo – Day 2

The April version of the November write-a-thon is upon us, well, me actually.  I’m not sure hope many others are trying to resurrect an old piece of writing.

The truth is, I’ve been at this story off and on over the past three years, and every time I get a head of steam, something else comes along.

Now I’ve decided to use the April version of NANOWRIMO to get this thing finished, or at least in a first draft state.

The old way I used to write stories was to have a separate file for each chapter, and with some of the books, there are upwards of 100 separate files, and recently I have been combining these into single files.

So much easier to work with, create indexes, and create a synopsis of the story, as well as a character list.

Yes, some of my stories had the main protagonist change name halfway through, and yes, it’s embarrassing.

Today’s word count takes me to the end of Chapter 5 and adds another 4,552 words to the total.

Like falling off a ten-story building, so far, so good.

 

A to Z Challenge – B is for: Bloody hell…

B2020

The cell phones insistent and shrill ring dragged my mind away from the crossword, and after a fairly mild curse, I picked it up.

Sidney, my brother.  Odd he was calling me at this hour of the night.

“What,” I barked into the speaker.

“That’s no way to speak to your baby brother.”  His smooth tones rarely reached a screaming point, which was often the reason why mine did.

And who called the younger brother ‘baby’ brother these days?

“What do you want?”

A hesitation.  He was in trouble again, I could feel it.

“Can you come down to the bar.  I seem to have left my wallet at home.”  Sheepish, and just enough to stop me from yelling at him.  It was not the first time, nor would it be the last.

“I told you the last time was the last time.”

“Just this once, please?”

I shook my head.  That was probably my biggest fault, giving in to him.  After our mother had died, and our father had to work, it was left to me to bring him up.  He was going to be the death of me yet.  “Where?”

“The usual place.”

I was surprised because the last I’d heard they’d banned him from going in there.  It was only a twenty-minute walk from my apartment, but, late at night, and winter, there was snow in the air.  And the odd snowflake falling, a prelude to much worse.

About a hundred yards from the bar I had a shiver go down my spine.  I’d not had that for a long time, not since school, and the trouble with Wiley, the school bully.  Wiley had graduated to the local thug, done a few stints in jail, and last I heard he had been sent down for a few years for an assault.

I stopped and took a moment.  Perhaps karma was trying to tell me something.

I shrugged.  Just in my imagination.  I reached the door, took a moment then went in.  He was standing by the bat looking a little apprehensive.  He was in more trouble than just not paying his bar bill.

Close up I could see the fear in his expression.  “Bloody hell, Sid, what have you done now?”

“A problem that he insists his older brother would be happy to pay for.”

I knew that voice and felt instant dread.

Wiley.

In the flesh, and not looking very happy at all.

 

© Charles Heath 2020

Camp NaNoWriMo – Day 1

The April version of the November write-a-thon is upon us, well, me actually.  I’m not sure hope many others are trying to resurrect an old piece of writing.

The truth is, I’ve been at this story off and on over the past three years, and every time I get a head of steam, something else comes along.

Well, five other somethings, that is.

Now I’ve decided to use the April version of NANOWRIMO to get this thing finished, or at least in a first draft state.

But, dithering, and doing everything else, I managed to miss day one’s update on the website, which like the early days of last November, the web site had a similar problem/.

So day one has gone into day two and will stay there till the update is available.

Today’s effort is the reading, amending and getting into the gist of the story, processing a total of  3,698 words out of a target I’ve set at 75,000.

As I add the draft chapters to the first draft, the word count will increase.

I’ll try not to miss tomorrow’s update!

A to Z Challenge 2020 – A is for: A funny thing happened…

A2020

There was no doubt the morning was going to end badly.

After all, it started with a bang, yes, a bang. That was the power meter blowing up. The sixty-year-old electrical wiring had finally given out. Or was it the three power boards running out of the single outlet attach to twelve different appliances?

It didn’t matter. No hot water, so no shower. No kettle or toaster, so no breakfast, unless you call a so-called power bar breakfast.

No phone, for that matter, to ring the electrician, and, yes, I forgot to charge my mobile phone, and now the power is out…

1% battery left. I try to dial the number and it dies.

So, on my way to work, a funny thing happened…

I ran into an old school friend I hadn’t seen for years, and probably never would, living just up the road. I’d left a half-hour earlier than usual, and I discovered she always left at that time. Came home later, too.  That’s why I’d never seen her.

Perhaps there is such a thing as a ‘silver lining’.

 

© Charles Heath 2020

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal

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For the A to Z Challenge this year my theme is going to be:

Taking a phrase, and turning it into a mini-story.

The first, as a small hint for the coming days, starting with A is:

A funny thing happened…

in which I have to use the phrase within the story.