I belong to a local writers’ group. Most weeks we are set writing tasks – a bit like homework but more fun.
Sometimes we are asked to write an extremely short story on a given topic with a specific word count. This is known as ‘flash fiction’.
It is a real discipline to keep to a set number of words. You have to cut out all extraneous material, unnecessary adjectives and pare your writing right down. A tricky thing to do. I tend to overwrite and then find myself having to edit – which often takes more time than the original piece of writing!
I wrote this piece two and half years ago. It is barely a story. More like a paragraph.
The task was to write 100 words on the topic of freedom.
It was written with my tongue firmly in my cheek and I trust it won’t offend any Royal watchers. At the time it was simply meant to be humorous – who knew how prescient it would turn out to be!
Notes from a diary
The security guy had slipped out for a smoke.
“Come on”, I said. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.”
She had tears in her eyes. “Can I really only take one suitcase?”
“Yes, hurry up!”
“Well”, she said, “at least we’ll finally be free of your awful stepmother – not to mention your dad. We’ll miss the kids though.”
We ran to the station.
“I can’t believe we’re free Meghan. I’ve waited so long for this.
You do love me, don’t you?”
“Harry,” she replied, “I’ll follow you anywhere if it means freedom from your ghastly family.”
Those of you who have been regularly following my posts will know that I have been blogging almost every day for the past 82 days. I know many of you look forward to reading my blogs and I have been touched by the kind remarks and support I have received. I plan to continue blogging but from now on it will only be a couple of days a week rather than every day as it takes time away from other writing I wish to do.
Thank you for reading my blog. Please do continue to let me have your feedback – it means a lot to me.
© Andrea Neidle, My Life in Poems
My Life in Poems 