Welcome to the one hundred and twenty-ninth in this daily series that is ‘5pm Fiction’.
Late April 2011 I discovered http://StoryADay.org and the project that is to write 31 stories in 31 days. Anyone who knows me or follows this blog, knows how passionate I am about short stories so my clichéd eyes lit up at this new marvel. And just a few days later there I was, breathing life into new characters. This went on to become (with some editing of course) my 31-story collection eBook Story A Day May 2011.
I was nearing completion of the 2012 project when I decided that I didn’t want to stop at the end of May so 5PM Fiction was born. I put a load of prompts on the 5PM Fiction page and today’s was to write a monologue about a journey, so here is my 225-worder.
To no-one in particular
I knew it was going to drive me mad, the sixties CD, but it’s become his favourite and who am I to complain? Not that he’d listen if I tried to. A six-hour drive up to Edinburgh and this is all we have. At least it’s by different artists. Cornwall was Pat Boone crooning to no-one in particular. Not to me, that’s for sure and certainly not to Eric. Doesn’t approve of all that same sex malarkey. I think it’s fascinating, the connection they have, and some say they’ve always known but the only thing Eric finds interesting is who the service station cafés are run by. We only stop at English ones, no Costa or Pret a Manger for Eric.
That’s one thing that first attracted me about him, how patriotic he is, and so vocal, but then I realised to what extent and, well, it became an obsession… not quite to BNP level but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was on that list that someone published on the internet.
He does his computer does Eric. Never lets me go messing about on it but then I wouldn’t know where to start. I’d be too afraid I’d delete something important, and it must be important or he’d not keep his door shut, make me knock when I take him his cups of tea.
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Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them) 
on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are fortnightly episodes, usually released on Sundays, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.
