Welcome to Six Sentence Slayer Stories
Editor’s note:
Greetings Atomic mates. Have to say I was all at sixes and sevens this week trying to come up with something for Denise’s Six Sentence Stories. It wasn’t the prompt word of Shift I had trouble with, no, there were plenty of ideas – too many in fact.
I started with two extracts from my novel which I’m currently editing that contained the word ‘shift’. Okay. Not bad, but no real ‘story’ in either or ‘context’ other than the pleasure of seeing some characters very dear to me make a brief appearance in short story format.
(Extracts of extracts: “Henry stared at the monster, then at Marling – and still she seemed perfectly unaware of the shapeshifting menace before them.”
and
“Iris wondered if the female staff had husbands or partners they went home to after their shift had finished, and when they returned to their homes did they lead normal lives: children and pets and dinner and TV, trips to the supermarket, appointments to get their hair done.”)
Next, I wrote a micro story, but it was a bit crap.
(extract of the bit crap one: “Oi, shift yer arse ya great lazy wazzock.”)
lol.
Next, I wrote a poem, which was so good actually I had to steal it for a competition I’m entering, and their rules state no previously published entries either in print or online or on a blog.
(extract of good poem being saved for competition: “She didn’t wish to debase certain animals and insects by comparing the monsters to any such creatures – but it was true the shifty ones would emerge from beneath rocks, slithering on their bellies and licking their lips…”
In the end, I didn’t have a clue what to write, so I cracked open a beer and turned to Slayer. And that, you know, kind of worked 🙂
Presenting:
Six Sentence Stories
Raining Books
(Intro) – crack open beer, play fkn loud, cue thunderstorm, rain and howling guitars, cue Dave Lombardo’s ‘enter the gates of Hell’ drum prelude, cue menace and general foreboding, cue insane riff.
Trapped in library
A paper object, bound
Awaiting renewal
Overdue books meet acquittance.
The page is being read
Return to plot draws near
Fall into me, the author’s indie words
Abolish market trends made of stone.
Printed fonts, Times New Roman is best
But Caslon too is quite nice
Awaiting the hour of reading
Your time shifts away.
Raining books
From a library sky
Reading its wonder
Creating my chapters
Now I shall reign in books.
(Outro) – cue thunderstorm, play again.
Raining Books written by Ford Waight, after Raining Blood by Slayer.
The Atomic Mage 
You’ve made my evening, V, lol. The vid show’s as “unavailable” so I went to the YouTube, cued Raining Blood, turned up the volume, hit play. Just what the doctor (and Atomic Mage) ordered 😆
Luv, luv, last stanza…raining books from a library sky…
P.S. Don’t forget to let us know when you’ve entered your poem in the competition. Your fans at the Six will want to read it 😎
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Ha cool, D, glad the doc (and a mage) got the right medicine. Love that band. Odd it wouldn’t play on the embed, sometimes when I view a vid it says ‘unavailable in your country’. I just embedded a new link so hopefully that works.
\m/ 😎
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New link a go! Playing now. I smile.
\m/ 😎
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Sometimes the best time to write is the time when you don’t have any ideas, and really don’t want to.
Free Association rules!!
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Yes to Free Association! Thanks, Liz 🙂
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Whatever you’re on, keep taking it. 🙂
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Seems to be working for now 🙂 Cheers, Doug.
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Love “raining books” and “reign in books”. Also love your thought process about writing a story to go with the prompt. The first word that came to my mind when I read the prompt was “shape shifting”, AND I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! 🙂
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Cheers, Dyanne. That’s so cool you thought about shapeshifting as I did too 🙂
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Sounds like demonic stuff worthy of an exorcism even though one is just reading. I like how you used the prompt: “Your time shifts away.”
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Thank you, Frank.
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excellent use of the cue
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Thank you, UP.
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Yeap, recipe works mate!! 👏🤘
I’ve tried also that word barrage of yours with a slower tempo in a Theatre of Tragedy fashion; works like a charm!!
(On a sidenote: D with Maiden and you with Slayer just deleted my plans for an evening with celtic folk music – not that I am complaining for the consequent alternative 😎)
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Haha, nice one mate! I enjoy some Celtic music too, but a thrash metal switchover is not a bad thing. Yes, cool how D chose Maiden and I chose Slayer this week. Was also listening to Sepultura and VoiVod blasts from the past! 🙂
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God, it’s frustrating when there are too many things swirling around, can be hard to pin something down and get anywhere at all. Well worked out and great that you coaxed a competition entry out of it too 🙂
Slayer is something of a nostalgia trip for me as I remember one of my best friends at high school was obsessed with them. He had good taste and introduced me to many bands like Muse, Megadeth, Motorhead and… ABBA.
I think even without the musical accompaniment this would have gone down a storm, great sharp intensity to it.
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Thanks Jacob. Agree it’s frustrating when too many ideas are on the go, but way better than none. Wow.. Muse, Megadeth, Motorhead and ABBA – all top, top, top bands! Your school friend made excellent introductions there.
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Oh wow! Great SOC start: very tantalising… Then the Six, and the accompaniment – may we reign in books! Yes, let’s 🙂 And as Denise says, keep us up to speed with your submission.
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Will do. Thanks, Chris. And here’s to reigning in books for a long time to come! 🍸🍷🍹🍺📚📖📗📘
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Oh yes, books and wine! (Hoping our President lifts the booze ban tomorrow).
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Looks like the lifting happened Monday then? With some small restrictions still and limits on social gatherings. Cheers! 🍷>chink<🍷
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It did! My ‘happiness cupboard’ is full again! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
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It’s often when you have no ideas that you come up with your best ideas.
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Very true, Mimi. Thanks!
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SOC… (Homer Simpson audio over: mmmm, stream of consciousness)
Being a big fan of genre* I’m of the opinion that, contrary to what I’ve read (about SOC not this Six), it is not a case of simple abandon of control.
There is an underlying ….sense of tune…. confidence, whatever, that has to be going on, (on the solid side of the keyboard), otherwise it is, as my psych prof would have said, merely ‘word salad’.
Like the others, I enjoy the look at the previously-crumpled-up-in-the-waste’paper’ basket drafts’
*well, it better be a genre, lol
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Thanks, Clark. I like the idea of there being a sense of tune going on, as you say, and a confidence. There has to be some binding or yes it’s just salad.
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Love Slayer!
….and hey, you slayed me with this post!
Good luck with the competition!
Fab poem! xo
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Thank you, Resa. Glad you enjoyed the poem and chuffed you like Slayer too 😎
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I enjoyed both the back story and the story.
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Thank you, Lisa.
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