northie

Yep - me pretending to be a kind of US writer (with the very able assistance of @Parker Owens ). I'll have to think of something different...

Hmmm... I really enjoyed being part of last year's contest. Writing a story, but not my writing, if you see what I mean.

Particularly with the world as it is, our own choices can seem pointless or entirely out of reach. I suppose we have to remind ourselves we have value and agency, and our choices, however small, do matter. The bourdon of the repeated question is very effective, a dull, throbbing beat that matches its persistent, pervasive nature.

As ever, dear friend, you use your delight in nature and the natural world to reinforce essential truths.

'Dead happy' by Josh Silver. My rating: 5 (out of 5) stars I haven't posted here in a while. I've still been reading but nothing's grabbed me quite in the way this book did. This was a gripping, emotional follow-up to Happyhead. In continuing to skewer cults and pseudo-psychology, Josh Silver delivers a real humdinger of a book. Seb's journey continues. A queer teen, he's been enrolled in a programme that claims to foster happiness, even in the most unpromising. The psychological and emotional battering given to these younger characters should be enough to make you spit. Or give you a gut punch. Those who don't change (including Seb's would-be boyfriend, Finn) see the other side of the coin. The only humour comes from Seb's sardonic asides. They made me smile even as I fumed and inwardly raged. Their fight back is one of the main plot drivers. Do Seb and Finn win out? You'll have to read it to discover. I let this book sit in my tbr pile for far too long. Once I got going though, I had to see it through to the end. Huw Parmenter's performance as narrator is stellar, adding much to the story. Highly recommended.

Speaking from experience, one or two word themes definitely do it for me. The very vagueness draws me in and often allows me to explore the theme from various angles. Now to get down to it... 🤨😄

I do like it when a story I'm currently writing fits one of the themes. Phew. Not that it's the first time that's happened. But still, less creative angst is always good. 🤨😄

What a wonderful, quiet yet deep character study. All those thoughts and observations that keep on under the surface. A pleasure to read.

Welcome - I've read and enjoyed your writing elsewhere. I'm pleased to see you here. 😊

I think I'll give this a miss. Coward much? 😬🤨😄

Thank you! You're very kind.

It took me quite a while to warm-up to the theme. One change of story later and I really enjoyed myself with my maybe-murderous space camels. Yet more proof, if it's needed, that it's a rare antho theme that stumps me completely. Congrats to everyone who contributed. A popular theme caught many people's imagination.

👀🤨😄 You noticed... I love reading your quote/comments - they always make me smile. Thanks for reading.

Thank you! It's one of my earliest stories and I'm still proud of it.

It's an interesting writing exercise - ideal for a short prompt set in a confined space. Glad you enjoyed it.

Wherever you left it? 🤨😄 Thanks for reading.

It's an antho - freaky is where it's at. 🤨😄 Thanks for reading, Gary.

😄 It's the complete opposite to my original thought for a story. I love it and I'm glad you do as well.

Apparently some AI programs are already resisting being closed down. 👀😦 Thanks for reading.

Getting the job done? Using his oxygen to a useful purpose, rather than hanging around a wrecked dome. Later, I imagine Bent's head is still mostly in his dream when he goes outside without any protection. Hence him feeling the wind and running fingers through his hair.

See - you've got me reading Westerns again. 👀😄 But really, it's the age-old truth that families can fuck you up, projecting their issues onto someone else and so disrupting that individual's life for a long, long time. I love that your beast is figurative. It's real alright, just not in a way that you can touch it. Can love conquer all? It's comforting to think so.

Hmmm... Somewhere they can plot the overthrow of everything human? 🐪🐪

Excellent. And really spot-on with sharp, oh-so-real dialogue. I love writing with anthropomorphic characters - there's so much scope for playing around. This was so fun.

Yep - go, camels! 🐪 Thanks, Thirdly, I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

😄👍👍👍👍 Sometimes the shortest comments are the best. Glad it got to you...