Wednesday 4 June 2014

Future Learn: Creative Writing

At the moment I am taking part in an online creative writing course, provided by the Open University through a fantastic initiative called Future Learn. There are all sorts of completely free courses you can sign up to take part in and I am really enjoying the creative writing, which I'm now just over half way through. Since it seems a shame to have all this new writing saved on my computer and not share it, I'm going to post a few of my assignments as I go. This challenge for this first example was to expand an idea from my writing note book into a 200-350 word short story. Here it is:

The low moan of centuries past drifted across the rolling waves, up the cobblestone path and through the cottage window, into the ears of a little girl who really should have been asleep. Instead, she swung her torch, which had been poised above a dog-eared book, towards the window.
“Hello?” she whisper-called out into the garden outside.
The moan continued, grumbling through the floorboards beneath her feet as she padded over to find its source.
“Who is there?” she called again to the bushes and the trees and the nesting pheasants who hadn't so much as ruffled a feather at the groan.
When no reply came, she pushed her glasses back up her nose and swung her leg over the sill and down onto the ground outside.
Clutching her torch tightly she climbed all the way out, seeming not to notice how cold the floor was beneath her bare feet, or how the chill night breeze permeated her summer pyjamas. Unperturbed, she headed over to the garden gate, pausing only to tuck her book under the arm carrying the torch so that she could swing it open. Then she was outside and heading towards the shore – and the source of the groan.

2 comments:

  1. Now this sounds like a story I'd want to read. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! I might try expanding it once Air is finished and published; I have quite a few ideas for where it's going to go.

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