A quick note to say ‘From the Edge of an English Summer’ can be downloaded for just 99p/99cents until Sunday. Thanks again to everyone who has already purchased. A special shout out to America, you’re doing me proud. Your support really is flattering, encouraging and humbling all at the same time. The prompt picture has fallen well for me this week, I’ve selected a short episode from one of the several spent round Wordsworth’s camp fire in the book.
PHOTO PROMPT © Anshu Bhojnagarwala
Despite the tiredness and alcohol, Sunday morning came repeatedly, every hour it seemed. To say I had an interrupted night’s sleep would be uncaringly inaccurate. Sleep punctuated my moments awake. Wordsworth had helped me cobble together a makeshift mattress of bracken and lent me an old jumper but I was cold and uncomfortable.
He stoked the fire back to life, placed a pan of water in the embers and we were soon enjoying a reviving cuppa.
“It wasn’t cold last night and that’s a very comfortable bed. The problem is not with the world, it’s you,” he said, “you’ve grown soft.”
Written for Friday Fictioneers – a 100 words story based on a photo prompt. Hosted by Rochelle. Read the other entries here.
You know Wordsworth?
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Just the modern day tramp, Neil. It’s ages since I spoke to the poet, he might even be dead for all I know
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I can sympathize. Sleeping on the ground isn’t something I’d want to do any more.
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I was a lot younger when I went camping with my son and even then it was hell. Thanks for reading
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A nice little reminder. Glad to here your book is doing well Michael.
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HI Iain, how’s yours doing? My partner has just finished it and is about to post a review. the hard part is keeping up the momentum, reaching more people. Any tips?
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No real tips I’m afraid Michael. Mine did okay up until Christmas and then sales tailed off considerably in the new year. I just use social media to spread the word now and then, repost good reviews and so on, get other bloggers to post about it, some will do interviews – but it’s a hard slog. My best solution – get on with writing the next one, which I am about to begin hopefully this month!
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Congrats. Great going!
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Thank-you
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Congrats on your book 🙂
I agree with Iain – nice reminder!
https://evergreenleaf.blogspot.com/2019/02/fire-deity-agni-dev.html
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Thank-you
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I’m sure Wordsworth will soon harden him up!
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He is a bit of a wuss to be honest but rough sleeping is a tough one.
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I really enjoyed reading your book, so Wordsworth is familiar. Found the story a comulsive page turner. Well done.
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Thank-you very much. Was it you who gave it the fabulous review the other day? If so, thanks again.
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Hope it’s ok to ask: you gave me some helpful hints about short story writing, and competitions. What’s the best way to get information about those kinds of competitions ?
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It’s absolutely fine. Writing Magazine and particularly Writer’s News are brilliant for this. They have monthly competitions and publicise as many as they can find. They are the same magazine. If you go on their website you’ll be able to see their competition section. (And if you search my name in their gallery you’ll find one of my little successes, a long time ago.) It’s well worth a subscription because they have free to enter comps for subscribers and at the beginning of the year they send a competition guide for the year ahead listing hundreds, which helps with planning. The best piece of advice I received is to send whatever you have before the deadline. I was running out of time once and didn’t think the piece was quite finished but I sent it anyway and came second. Countless times I’ve held on too long and missed the closing date. If you want someone to cast an eye over what you’ve written before you send it, I’d be happy to help.
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Thanks so much Michael, I appreciate your guidance. The Writers’ Magazine is new to me. It’ll be a real focus and incentive for writing short stories. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I’m reading a book just now called ‘First You Write a Sentence’ by Jo Moran. Its surprisingly helpful.
Thanks again.
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If you haven’t read Writing Magazine before, you’re in for quite a treat. I have been known to read it from cover to cover which is a problem because then I’m not writing, so beware. 🙂 In the margins of the Writer’s News section is where you find quite a few little competitions and call outs.
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Bracken and an old jumper? No wonder he didn’t sleep.
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No, you have to have the right constitution I think, something I don’t possess. Thanks Margaret
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Dear Michael,
I like the way Sunday morning came every hour. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle, it can feel that way when you’re struggling to sleep
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Excellent metaphor for the way we become unused to discomfort, whether physical, intellectual or emotional.
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Thanks Penny, glad you liked it
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Great symbolising. Well done.
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Thank-you
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Sleepless nights are the worse. Certainly something gone wrong somewhere.
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They certainly are, he’ll be alright once he can get back to his own bed, I think
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Glad your book is doing well, Michael. I have to admit to being soft as well, the days of camping around the fire are gone. Entertaining piece! =)
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Thanks Brenda they are for me as well but I had to find out the hard way, unfortunately.
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Sleep punctuating moments awake… I can identify with that. I liked this.
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Thanks Sandra
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You describe sleepless nights so well! I have my copy of On the Edge of an English Summer all set and ready to go. Fabulous stuff Michael
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Thanks very much Lynn, I hope you enjoy it.
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I think Terry could still sleep on the ground. He loves sleeping outdoors, and he doesn’t mind bugs and cold and rain and snow. I married an unusual guy 🙂
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You certainly did. I certainly can’t do the cold and hard ground stuff anymore. In the expanded version of this he was also complaining about being a feast for bugs, your Terry definitely wouldn’t be the one to play him on film. 🙂
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We all get older and softer, Mick, and you describe it well..
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Thank you sir
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I empathize with the protagonist… I’m so soft that I find it horribly inconvenient to sleep somewhere without an ensuite, as I tend to get up once or twice every night to go to the bathroom.
I really liked the line “sleep punctuated my moments awake”.
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Thank-you, I too appreciate my creature comforts too much to be able to sleep outside
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at the end of the day, it’s all about perspective. congrats on your new novel.
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Thank-you, yes they’re coming at the situation from opposite ends of the spectrum
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I wonder so much… but it seems to be the first of many nights… escaping?
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Thanks Bjorn. Yes he’s been kicked out by his wife and only has his Tramp mate to rely on.
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Nicely atmospheric
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That’s one way to build an interest in your book. Let out little bits here and there. Good job!
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Hi Tessa, sorry for the late reply, somehow your comments didn’t flag up to me. Thanks for your time and comment, much appreciated
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This is beautifully crafted, Michael. Your storytelling drew me in… the Sunday repeating itself hourly, and “Sleep punctuated my moments awake,” are gorgeous. It’s not my genre, but I bought my cop, The $.99 was gone already, though it’s still Sunday, but your writing was too tempting. 😉
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Thank you very much Dawn, I hope you enjoy it. Sorry about the price, that was me getting my dates wrong.
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No worries, Michael! I could have borrowed it for free, with my Amazon membership, but it was still a reasonable price, to support a writing friend.
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Thank-you again. Much appreciated
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We all grow softer with age, don’t we! Glad he had Wordsworth to keep him company.
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Thanks for reading and commenting
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True, we do get used to all the comforts of life. But sleeping on a makeshift mattress of bracken is probably uncomfortable. If Wordsworth doesn’t recognize that then he is going to wander lonely as a cloud 😉
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Thanks for your comment, nicely worded
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I suppose it is about perspective but that Wordsworth fellow seems a bit harsh.
Then again, maybe I am an old softy too 😉
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He’s just very opinionated. Thanks Dawn
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You took me back to a great night spent rough sleeping in the new forest in 1956, I would love to do again, but in 1956 not 2018.
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I’m with you on that Mike
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