Creative Writing I used to make up books that I'd claim I'd read, with details on the plot. I'm sure the teacher knew I'd made them up. Though she never said anything. Those were some damn good books.

Picnic April brought the dreams of summer, days when we will pack a hamper, lay out our blanket in the sun and take a break from everyone. We will savour all the fare, bought from foreign grocers, share

From a Bridge in Naka Meguro a sudden gust lanterns dance beneath glowing cherry blossoms The lanterns were so pink and so were the cherry blossoms. All gone now as rainy season threatens to descend on

solitude sometimes i dream of a hermit's life on an untroubled beach amidst natural wonders where i shall nurture those parts of my being so starved in the big city only forced to hide from passing boats

image courtesy of pixabay what a thing these lines of ochre red of charcoal black scraped on stone indented in clay thoughts kept on hides of beast on beaten reeds gifts of the earth the new cave is no

We all write for different reasons, but sometimes I think that deep down, I think part of the motivation for writing at all is that we want to be loved. Just a bit. Maybe that’s why we take it so hard

This story has been removed by the author. If you are a writer, come and join us at @ink-ubator

This story has been removed by the author. If you are a writer, come and join us at @ink-ubator

Evan’s bed shuddered beneath him as though a herd of buffalo were stampeding across the commons. Thunder? For a moment he wondered if he was about to be drenched in a downpour, or trampled under running

In my last post ( Part1) we covered some of the basics of story openings or hooks. Going back to my opening line from The Mask of White and Red: Ilsa’s first memory was of fire. Something is clearly wrong

The Hook Distractions. The world is full of them. The modern world even more so. There are a thousand things a potential reader could be doing other than reading your story (or novel, or screenplay, etc.).

Image from Pixabay It's been a little while since I've posted any fiction and I thought I'd update you on what I'm up to (other than taking pictures of moss). Work There's a lot of it. I'm in a new job

Strictly speaking these flowers were photographed in the wild and in Japan, but erm... they may not be wildflowers so to speak. In any case, the place I photographed them was wild indeed. I've posted about

I told you I love moss. I wasn't kidding. There's something so soft and velvety about it. This photo was taken in Kyoto. It's a funny place, full of pockets of ancient things mixed in with modernity, but

On one of Tokyo's most traveled expressways is a sight my kids gleefully like to call "The Golden Poo". It's real name is the Asahi Beer Hall and it is the headquarters of Asahi Breweries in

John’s face was grave. “Word from the docks is that it’s to be war. The Bloody Sun King is set to drive out the Little Bear once and for all. They say the straits will be cut. There’ll be blockades in

Ilsa was beginning to worry that Kerrie wouldn’t have all the dresses ready in time. There was still so much preparation to do before the ball and barely enough hours in the day. After the morning’s

Thanks to @bex-dk for encouraging me to post in the Color Challenge. I love moss. No, I really LOVE moss. So on a recent hike at Yoro Keikoku in Chiba (Yoro-keikoku Valley ) I stopped to take this. I know

This story has been removed by the author. If you are a writer, come and join us at @ink-ubator

As some of you will know, I am originally from Australia, but living in Japan. Every year we go to our inlaws' place for New Year. On New Year's eve, we usually play cards, drink a bit, watch some kickboxing