The ultimate queue...
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| Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash |
I'll be honest. I struggled with what to write for my blog post this month.
No idea came. Nothing. But there was a faint glimmer of light on the horizon. The Alpha season was starting again soon, surely that would provide an idea. And it did!
Alpha writers is an email group that I'm part of, and this will be my forth season with them. Every three weeks, one of the group sets a writing challenge and we each have up to 300 words to write on it, and then we vote and comment, anonymously on each other's pieces.
The first challenge of this season is an interesting one - To write an internal monologue of a person stuck in a queue.
This throws up all kinds of options. What kind of queue first of all? Supermarket, bus or post office? Concert ticket, sporting event, passport, leaving planet Earth?
Then what style do I write it in? Serious, comedic, dystopian?
All kinds of ideas have come into my mind. I really should have captured them all.
I've even had the idea of a gladiator waiting to go and fight in the coliseum.
It needs to be engaging and entertaining. Do I want to amuse my reader, make them think or scare them?
What other ideas will my fellow writers have? Some say go for your first idea as that's the one your meant to write about, others say dig deeper for the more original idea.
Sometimes, when I've written other challenges, it's only as I start to write that either the ideas come to me or I decide to discard them as it's clearly not working. On more than one occasion the words have come to me as I've raced against the clock desperate to submit something before the deadline - which this time is the 21 September, just in case you were curious.
Of course there is one ultimate queue I could write about - the queue where I wait to be judged by Christ - as we read about in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 14:10.
How long would that queue be? Would I even be in a queue, or would it be more like a waiting room? Would I be waiting with others or be on my own, Who would I be waiting with? Standing behind an archbishop and in front of a pickpocket or random member of the public? Would I talk with them, be too nervous or excited or terrified? I'd like to say I'll let you know once it's happened, but I don't think that will be possible.
How do you feel about queues? Do you love them or loathe them? What sort of queue would you write about? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments or on Facebook.
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I think I wrote about the experience of being in a Tesco queue once at the Scargill Writers' conference. It's probably buried somewhere in my computer archives or may still be in my notebook. As for queues in heaven, I've often had the thought that it might be a bit like the checkout tills at the supermarket where instead of the 'Basket' or 'Trolley' queue, you join the 'Talk to Jonah' queue or the 'Find out how short Zacchaeus REALLY is' queue. There's got to be some way in which the questions we've always had get answered.
ReplyDeleteFound my 'description of the Tesco queue' in a notebook! Here's a snippet. "But, in front of me, there is a Small Child who wants Haribo. Small children who want Haribo - but aren't getting any - have screams that could slice into the soul of the Archbishop of Canterbury and divide him cleanly from every moral and compassionate instinct. This here is not a child. It is a monstrous wailing boy-creature that any midnight wolf would be proud to call 'brother'."
DeleteThanks, Fran, that did make me chuckle. I'll never be able to look at a screaming child in public the same way again. You write so well. Even in this snippet! A perfect use of a em or en dash, and 'slice into the soul of the Archbishop of Canterbury' brilliant!
DeleteMade me chuckle too
DeleteFascinating topic. I’ll have a go sometime. Thanks Martin. Hilarious as usual Fran!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen, that's very kind. Let me know if you do. I'd love to know what you come up with.
DeleteWhat a fabulous idea for a blog post. You've played a blinder there
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wendy, that's really encouraging, especially as I wasn't sure if this would work as a post. I'm delighted by all these responses. :)
DeleteStuck in a queue. What a challenging idea for a story. I'd love to know what you come up with as your final choice.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed! I'll let you know. Thank you, Veronica :)
DeleteGreat post Martin! My husband once fell asleep, standing up, in a queue, in Turkey. To pay our electricity bills there, we had to stand and queue for ages. He was so tired, he nodded off. I didn't think it was actually possible to nap in that position but apparently it is! I really enjoyed reading this. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant as always. I wonder what queuing in heaven would be like. I am seeing some kind of heavenly book area where you get to ask Shakespeare where he put his folios, talk to Jane Austen about her story arc for "Sanditon" and question Dickens about the ending of Edwin Drood.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks, Ruth, you are always so encouraging. A heavenly book area sounds wonderful! For me, I'd happily queue for hours for a fireside chat with Lewis and Tolkien. And Angels will come and bring us hot buttered crumpets and spiced apple juice, whilst we listen, mouths agog as these masters of their craft share behind the scenes of how Narnia and Rivendell were created.
DeleteSee you there! Eventually. Not now, not yet
ReplyDeleteLoely post. I guess we are all on that queue by His grace.
ReplyDeleteAnytime I see your pic with your dog, I always wonder what you both are looking at! Food for thought post. Tx!
Wonderful post. I was pleasantly surprised that you thought of something very similar to what I would write. My idea though, is inspired by an online post I read a few months ago, written by a lady about her preacher uncle's dying moments. Shortly before he passed on, he had asked for his Bible to be brought to him. Once he had it in his hand, he held it close to him and said that he saw people being called by name to join a queue and it would soon be his turn. A short while later, he lifted up his Bible and said, "that's me Lord," and promptly passed away. The lady recounted how comforted her family had felt to see the Bible fulfilled through their uncle, that he had not died, but he had only moved on into heavenly places.That got me thinking how delighted I would be to stand in that queue and eagerly wait my turn to run into His embrace, behold Him face to face, see my loved ones who also slept in the Lord, and pass from judgement into life.
ReplyDelete