Mindful writing challenge 10 - Prestige Laundry

White plastic bags, full beyond
brimming, filled some more;
lined up in front of the window. A woman
walks past, alone, from her dryer to the
wooden bench with an empty hand.
Her laundry spins.

Photo credit: Taliesin

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This is part of the small stones writing challenge

Mindful writing challenge 9 - White Wall

The white wall has always been there, her face refreshed this July past between showers. The fierce sun throws shadows behind the small plastic brown pots, with squat green soft round leaves. Above the lid of the wall, one brick thick lengthways, two strips of wood carefully nailed in, the strips are almost but not quite linear. The lines of nails facing upwards have rusted, showers of copper dust scattered at their feet like confetti. The bright sun ends halfway in the wall; in the shadow cast by the house, a solitary black lantern swings in the breeze.

Photo credit: Antelligent

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This is part of the small stones writing challenge

Mindful Writing challenge 8 - candy stripes

Photo credit: Alvimann 

The window is black and bare, chocolate brown curtains shoved to the sides. Before the window, laying plain on a blue plate on the bare grey table lies the high spot of the day. Chips, beautiful golden yellow and full of innocent promise like a freshly boiled egg. I pick one up, a thick chip, the edge is highlighted in a single line, suntanned crispy and brown. The heat permeates my fingers, the edges crisp and hot against my chapped lips. The inside yields soft creamy starch. Something missing....? Cold tomato ketchup spurts easily out of the plastic bottle, transforming golden chips into candy cane brightness.

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This is part of the small stones writing challenge - run by the lovely Satya Robin. I met Satya at an Arvon foundation writing course some years ago. I remember her kindness. Just simple things, really. Those little details make all the difference.

Image source: http://www.morguefile.com

Mindful Writing Challenge 7 - Latte

The Rawwwcccccchhhhht white froth rises to the height of the white mug. Next is the espresso; plastic tub emptied out, new smaller one placed carefully with a prayer that the new fancy machine, courtesy of Santa, does not break so early in the new year. But Oh - that smell! The freshly split beans spill their moist earthiness through the office.  The froth topples precariously, a single chocolate cherry dot on top. I swoop in; suck the falling bubbles from the side. Creamy sweetness on my tongue, a barbershop quartet of warm laughter gusts across the wooden floor; bliss.

Photo credit: Alvimann

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Want to take part in the small stones writing challenge? There is still time. No, you don't have to be a writer. Just pay attention for a few minutes, and write it down.
See the details here: Small stones writing challenge
Photo source: http://www.morguefile.com

Mindful writing challenge 6 - Caught in the rain

Even the edges of my thick jumper are wet, a pair of slugs sliding trails of moisture down to my  elbows each time I raise the tepid coffee to my lips. A puddle of beige collects in the white saucer, settles to the lowest layer. The cold settles in around my thighs, wet trousers rubbing against wet skin. Outside, the rain has stopped, of course, blue skies veiled by gossamer thin grey froth. Sunlight captured in the tears wept by the building; falling stars illuminated above cultured evergreens.

Image source: http://www.morguefile.com/

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It helps if I say what a small stone is, seeing as I've been talking about them. Well, a small stone is a short piece of writing that captures a moment that you have noticed. No, you don't have to "be a writer"to take part. Everyone has the capacity to pay attention. For more information, have a look at this blog here: http://www.writingourwayhome.com/small-stones/

Want to take part in the small stones writing challenge? There is still time. See the details here: Small stones writing challenge

Mindful Writing challenge 5 - Grey Chimney

Grey chimney above a fractured skyline; at the zenith the red light blinks its eye, a staccato warning watching over the maritime hospital. In the twilight, robins and thrushes serenade the hushed roar of the approaching Fiat. The fresh wind brushes my cheek, caresses the trees beside and behind me and leading down the hill past the Victorian houses in formation along the avenue.

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So, what is the small stones challenge? Well, here's the quick version:


1. Pay proper attention to one thing every day during January.
2. Write it down (this is a small stone).
3. Get daily support & inspiration.

Everyone can take part, it isn't just for writers. Give it a go, you will surprise yourself.....

It's not too late. See the details here: Small stones writing challenge

Mindful writing challenge 4 - needle and thread

Scratch, rustle, rasp. Black thread twined through silver needle, slicing through Burgundy cloth. Slick, soft and warm beneath my flattened palm, 100% polyester exhales the night just passed. Firm need, cold and bright against my forefinger; thin spaghetti strap slowly laced back to bodice. Nimble work, while my body cools in the halfway almost dawn of January. Outside, the next-door neighbour's wind chimes pogo in the breeze.

Photo credit D Base. Getty images

Want to take part in the small stones writing challenge? See the details here: Small stones writing challenge

Mindful writing challenge 3 - Biffy

Biffy in large white letters on a red skip, beyond the bulk of the black fire escape, beneath the white door. Trees cross ratcheted above soft green layer of field, topped and framed by a white solid cloud. A picture perfect moment, framed in white, punctuated by rain.

Mindful writing challenge 2 - Chorus line

 The satellite dish is stinging as it sings, clipping my red raw ears. A light pitched scream of ecstasy for the new year, above and beyond the robins of the dawn chorus line. Closer, in the dim light, dark shadows blink above peeling paintwork. Auto-tune, the birds nearby shriek the decibels through the delicate lace mesh, camouflage. Who can tell?

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If you want to take part, post your comments here: http://www.writingourwayhome.com/

 Image: Getty Images

Mindful writing challenge 1 - Stars

Mindful writing challenge, January 2014.

Rain stars explode on her windscreen, invisible firecrackers beating again and again, beaten back. The firefly beacons trail up from liquid comets on the ground and the fire blazes, dances between the two. Stellar collision, ice and blazing, the light blinds. Crash and burn. Our car flies on through the storm, above the the M2, and the star that binds us close. She will return, she is a jealous furnace. One day, she will claim us all.

Image: Getty Images

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We have all been issued a challenge for January 2014. Do you want to give it a go? It's the small stones challenge.

So, what is the small stones challenge? The question is, can you find and observe one thing, mindfully, carefully once a day, every day during January? Record this piece, write it down, this is a small stone. Pay proper attention to it, write it down. On a bit of paper, in your phone, on your hand.... just take 10 minutes a day to see. You will surprise yourself. Write the small observations, small stones, and see where it takes you.... So, I was being driven back from a friends wedding through the rain and this is what I had observed...

Want to take part? See the details here: Small stones writing challenge

The Bear - is sleeping?

The Bear is often associated in stories with King Arthur. The recent solstice is associated by modern pagans with King Arthur and his rebirth, along with the sun. I can understand why, the return of both is associated with hope and brighter evenings.

But for the moment, the nights are still long. And the bear, though s/he doesn't hibernate, very sensibly finds somewhere to rest...

Tá an béar ina chodladh.

Image: Getty Images

"The bear is in his sleeping" as opposed to "the bear is sleeping". The more I think about it, the stranger the English language seems to me. Is the bear the concept of sleep? I don't know. Then the feeling passes, and I have a little lie down. 

It seems more sensible to me that the Bear is in a sleep, the sleep that will pass and the Bear will still be there. But then, what do I know....? Is it all splitting hairs? But the idea of keeping your energy conserved until the light returns strikes me as a sensible one. You need your energy until the light returns, so lay off any ideas about changing your diet until then.....!

Do you want to know how to say it in Irish? Try here for one way... http://talkirish.com/blogs/wordaday/archive/2013/12/20/irish-word-a-day-b-233-ar-bear.aspx


For an alternative way of speaking try saying chodladh ("sleeping") with a western / Connacht twist try here http://www.forvo.com/word/ina_chodladh/#ga

Happy seasonally effected!

Happy Christmas!

Holly

We have a special delivery from Santa for all you good people out there, a double helping of the seasonally effected podcast.This includes the two latest open mics, from November and December 2013.

I love the variety on offer, and wonder how much the words change according to the season we hear them. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Follow the link to the seasonal stories here...

Playella - Jam Tomorrow

Can you tell a story through 12 lines of dialogue?

The Descent theatre think you can - they are showcasing playellas - 12 lines of dialogue each - on their blog

Credit: Gregoria Gregoriou Crowe fine art and creative photography.

 My piece - Jam Tomorrow - was published 8th December and can be found on their blog here http://descenttheatre.co.uk/2013/12/08/playella-jam-tomorrow-by-sm-jenkin/

 Let me know what you think....

City without a head - floating in the air

In the run-up to Christmas, are you feeling lost? Hassled? Do you feel like you are running about like a headless chicken?

The ME4Writers have the solution for you - you are no longer alone! Come and join us in the City without a head, floating on the airwaves. 

Yes indeed, the ME4Writers will be sailing by on Radio Sunlight on Monday, 25 November from 8.30pm. We shall share some of our work with the effervescent Fizzer. And you too, I hope!

What is the city without a head? It is our attempt to define, confuse, capture, expound, tangle, twist, label, and generally riff on life in cities. Entries range from story fragments, poems, faux-definitions, found writing to short stories. Will you enjoy it? Who can tell....

The only way to find out of course, is to join us at Fizzer's radio show - online here  or tune in at 106.6FM

Be seeing you.....?

[EDIT] You can listen to the show again on Fizzer's blog here. The ME4Writers kick in at 41 minutes into the show. Enjoy!

17% - Bad Signal

So, the next piece I produced for 17% was called Bad Signal.

The theme for the month was International, and what triggered the story was the TV. The box opens up to different worlds, so that you don't even have to leave your sofa... so how many of us are trapped on the sofa letting life pass us by?

It got me to thinking, how do we decide to fly? What stops us, if the world is more accessible than ever before. Does travel always broaden the mind - if you have decided your opinions before your journey do you have the capacity to let what you see change your mind?

And I dare anyone to make sense of the instructions that come with any new piece of equipment (ever), they are invented to make honest fools of us all... if life came with an instruction book, who would have written it, I wonder....

Bad Signal can be viewed on youtube here