Op Shop Angel

 

Clothes try to hide their wrinkles by squashing together on the Op Shop racks. Fur coat hangs forlorn, itching from the rusty hanger and typewriter looks in vain for her missing ‘L’, unaware it is wedged deep into the toe of the well-worn boot who continually tells tales of his travels from long ago even though he knows no one listens.

Antique lamps, vases, glasses, and plates put their noses in the air, hating the fCoat Hangeract, they share the same shelf with the chipped, and cheap; unaware their own glaze has lost its lustre.

Poor Green Sleeves is missing a beat and lace bootee pattern will never be the same without all her instructions. Whilst her owner was busy knitting, her playful tabby scratched one purl, two knit and a cast-off from the page. Cradle rocks gently in the corner straining to hear sounds of tired infants, his many coats of paint chewed and worn.

Discarded buttons, brooches, and pins mingle with old and weakened cottons, all once used for their beauty and strength. Everything feels dusty, unloved, and useless, until Robyn arrived. Robyn spread excitement among the shelves and racks of the Op Shop’s inhabitants on her very first visit. It was the way she touched them, admired them. She saw their worth, their beauty that so many had forgotten.

 

 

The Op Shop is never a sad tired place anymore, every time Robyn steps into their crowded home, they forget their wrinkles, their shabbiness, the chips, and missing parts; they smile and sparkle hoping to catch her eye, hoping to be the next one chosen and if they’re not chosen today…there is always tomorrow.

chipped vases

The Dark scent of Truth

 

Lichen and moss

held bricks

and mortarPic for The Darl scent of truth

in place

until today.

 Now

their dark scent

seeps

under

ancient doors

that close in

secrets or

shuts them out.

 Dark scent

peels away

false colours

loosening locks

and hinges

and tongues

exposing

truths

that

no one

wants to hear

but

hear

they will.

 

Peoples

lives

are

about

to

change.

 

Number 6

Number six

He searched the village.
Number 6
Grey Street.
No 6
Elder Street.
No. 6
Baker Street.
No no no!
Arthur was
exhausted.
Loosening his tie
rubbing the back of his
aching neck
he entered the last
No. 6 of the
day
with dread.

To his surprise
this was it.
No. 6
Fulham Fare.
He took out his
cheque book
flipped to the
6th
cheque
wrote down
$6666
for the first
6 months
rent
took 6
deep breaths.
His aching neck
eased.

He must change the lettering
Over the door
from AIP
to FLR
He shook the agents
hand
6 times and
left
with a
6th sense
that all will be well.

My Random Writing Routine. Or, How To Bumble Your Way to Success.

Ahhh, this is heaven to read, Thank you Jen Storer

Girl and Duck

Nifty tips. Everyone wants them. Ten Tips for Honing Voice. Seven Steps to Quirky Characters. Three Ways to Ensure your Lipstick Never Moves while Public Speaking. (Actually, I should write that last one. I’ve got it covered).

Tips about creative writing abound and for those of us in the trade they’re fairly easy to knock up.

I recently wrote a ‘listacle’ that continues to get loads of traffic. That listacle was Nine Tips for Becoming a Real Writer. It was a little tongue-in-cheek. But reading back over it still makes me feel vaguely guilty.

You see, I can give good, solid, responsible advice that’s easy to grasp. Or…I can tell the messy truth.

So here goes.

news

People always want to know what authors do. Like, what we do every day. They want to hear, ‘This is what I do, how I do it, when I do it. This is…

View original post 979 more words

Nine Tips for Becoming a Real Writer

Girl and Duck

1/ Make writing a high priority. Never jam writing time into your day. Jam your day into your writing time.

cone.jpg2/ Write while you’re fresh. Run errands when you’re flagging. Errands rarely require much brain power.

Remember, writing is High Priority. You don’t want a gravestone that says, ‘She ran countless errands.’

3/ Have a daily To Do list AND a daily Writing To Do list. Keep them separate.

4/ Construct your next Writing To Do list at the close of each writing session.

5/ Limit your Writing To Do list to five tasks. Any more than that and you’re setting yourself up for defeat. Avoid feeling defeated. Nurture yourself and praise yourself constantly. Every step forward is a victory.

Here’s an example of a Writing To Do list from my own Truly Tan schedule:

•Write 5oo words (ie move the story forward by 500 words)

•Revise chapter two (tweak…

View original post 192 more words