Short Fiction #24 Washing Machine
Washing Machine
“Washing machines should not make that noise,†said Peter as he finished making his coffee.
“Then find out what’s happened,†muttered Jody, engrossed in the latest romance novel.
Peter shrugged, took a sip of his coffee and casually strolled to the laundry. He looked at the machine. The noise came again; muted screeching like some wild, watery demon trying to escape.
Peter pressed the “OFF†button, lifted the lid and stared in. At once he saw the problem and scooped up a squirming blob. He carried the dripping object and plonked it in Jody’s lap.
“Kitty doesn’t like being agitated,’ he commented.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2006 Trevor W. Hampel.
This short story was first published in Freexpression magazine in June 1999.
- To read more of my short stories click here.
A very short writing competition
A while back I wrote about author DBA Lehane who publishes a short story on his blog called Short Short Fiction every day.
This author has announced a short short short short short short story competition.
Yes – six “shorts” – meaning you have to write a story in just six words. Hemmingway did it with the deeply moving story: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”
To read all the details of the competition and how to enter click here. The competition closes on December 31st 2006.
I haven’t tried writing stories that short though I have written many writing exercises in the form of short fiction with a maximum of 55 words, based on a competition that was run by a magazine some years ago. To read some of these stories click here.
I’m thinking of entering – how about you? Have a go.
Still More Short Story Starters
One day I have to run out of ideas for this series. Here is yet another set of suggestions to use as short story starters. Hope you find something in this lot that will set your creative juices flowing. Don’t forget to let me know how your writing goes.
Short Story Starters:
- Jack was not impressed. After all, wasn’t he the one who….
- Angela hesitated. “I can still walk away,” she told herself as she moved her finger towards the doorbell.
- It was the last thing Cindy wanted to hear. It was clear that her…
- Dan leaped through the opening. “Yaaaah!” he yelled. “At last I’ve….
- Carol sat up like a guard dog alert to an intruder’s footsteps.
- “How can you possibly think THAT!” yelled Tom. “When I was…
- Ellen noticed that her hands were shaking. Her stomach churned like a giant cement mixer. She felt like….
Conditions of use:
- Feel free to use any of the story starters listed above. Change anything to suit your needs.
- Give it your best shot.
- Edit your work carefully before sending it off to a publisher or posting it on your blog.
- Let me know in the comments section how it went.
- If you publish your story on your web site or on your blog let me know so I can make a link to it for others to read.
Related articles:
So there you go.
Good writing.
Short Fiction #23 Oswald’s Love
Oswald’s Love
Oswald stared longingly at Vanessa.
“Come to me,†his aching heart whispered.
Vanessa went on talking, oblivious of Oswald.
“You know,†she said as she eased herself even closer to Albert. “We have so much in common.â€
Albert smiled nervously as she stroked his arm.
“Let us walk in the garden,†she added, boldly taking his hand.
Oswald seethed.
They stepped out on to the patio, arm in arm.
Oswald’s envious eyes followed her every move. How he longed to be in her embrace.
They moved out of view.
Oswald settled more comfortably before the fire and his rumbling purr resumed.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2006 Trevor W. Hampel.
- To read more of my short stories click here.
This short story first appeared in Freexpression magazine in June 1999.
More Short Story Starters
This series of articles is proving to be very popular with readers of this blog. Go ahead and use any of these ideas for writing short stories.
- Peter hesitated. Where was this path going? He…
- Renee was angry. How dare James treat like that? Leaving the room she…
- Susan seemed not to notice that the clock had stopped. She…
- The parcel was just what Trevor had been waiting for. He quickly…
- Vince pretended to be asleep. As Alison crept into the bedroom he…
- Wendy could not longer hold back the tears. As the…
- Just as Yolanda opened the door, her phone rang. It…
Conditions of use:
- Feel free to use any of the story starters listed above.
- Give it your best shot.
- Edit your work carefully before sending it off to a publisher or posting it on your blog.
- Let me know in the comments section how it went.
- If you publish your story on your web site or on your blog let me know so I can make a link to it for others to read.
Related articles:
- Another Seven Short Story Starters – more ideas for writing, with links to heaps more story starters.