It all began with silence

Photo by Boba Jovanovic on Unsplash

On the 27 May 2019, I wrote and tweeted my first very short story (vss). The prompt word was silence, and inspired by local hedges been torn down during nesting season for a new housing development, this is what I wrote.

No Bumblebee.

No blackbird, swallow, swift or Robin.

No buttercups or poppies swaying in the breeze.

No hedgehog, weasel, stoat or mole

Almost silence.
Just the sound of property developers chewing then choking on money. This past year with #vss365 community (that's the # to use to share your stories) has been quite the experience. I've written 4 ongoing stories, I've learnt endless new words; craven, 

riparian, obfuscate and Orenda to name just a few, I've been published in the first vss anthology. And now, I've got an idea for a book. It all came about as a result of a vss called 'Achoo' about the disastrous impact of a man's sneeze. I began thinking how good that story would look with an illustration alongside it. I shared that idea with the members of an online writers group that I'm part of and one of the responses I received was

Illustrations would be a great bonus for these very short stories. A lively line drawing per story would make this into a popular coffee table book. Find your illustrator and you’ll be on to a good thing is my advice.

I then went on to share this with an illustrator that I know and she feels that it would be 'an amazing idea' and she could illustrate a few as examples that I could then share with publishers, she's not sure when she'd be able to do that though.

Now I have many decisions though. How many stories to include? And then which ones to include and which ones don't make the grade. Do I then need an editor or at least, a proof reader and what's the best way of choosing one of those? Any answers or advice that you, my fellow ACW members, may have, would be gratefully received. Here's two of my favourites that I'd like to include in the book...  My Dad

When I was a kid, my favourite time of day was the gloaming.

It's when I knew my Dad was coming home. The second I heard him whistling, I'd
run as fast as I could to meet him, then he'd pick me up and twirl me around
till I got dizzy. Then race me home. I miss those days.

And Exhale

The CEO was in the lotus position, calm and fully focused on

his breathing. 

His breath leaving his body at precisely the same time that

his head left his shoulders.

Max smiled as he cleaned his blade and wished that all his

assassinations were this easy.

Martin is a writer, baker, photographer and storyteller. He's been published in the ACW Christmas anthology and Lent devotional. He's currently honing his craft at flash fiction and you can find him on Twitter here.