Category: BlogBattle

This month’s #BlogBattle: ‘The Capten Sings’!

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Blogbattle_FLUTE

Yes, I’m very far behind! Hence the two posts in a short space of time. But I’m trying to make amends, trying to catch up. That’s gotta be worth something, right? This month’s #BlogBattle prompt was ‘flute’. I’m still sticking with the Boddi Craig theme for the time being — I’m just enjoying it! The title of the story is The Capten Sings, and you can read it here.

If any had survived, they would have recounted — with wide-eyed horror — how the Capten was singing when it happened. Not just singing but bellowing at the top of his lungs; so loud they wondered how his voice did not crack with the strain.

Whew! Managed to slip this story in there just before the end of the month! Before I know it, next month’s prompt will be out! Catch up, Joshua, what are you doing with your time?

Oh, and be sure to check out some of the other #BlogBattle entries! They’re always great!

This month’s #BlogBattle entry is a return to Boddi Craig: ‘Two-Thirds of a Watch’!

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Blogbattle_BROOCH

Well, it’s certainly been a while, hasn’t it? How are you all? I sincerely hope you’re all safe and well! It’s been rather chaotic recently, what with global pandemics and failing laptops, so I won’t self-flagellate myself too badly. We gotta take it easy on ourselves, especially during times like these, right?

Anyway, on to the reason for this post: the new #BlogBattle prompt is out! This month the word is ‘brooch’. I knew that I wanted to return to the twisted little island I had begun to explore in last month’s #BlogBattle. Who knows, maybe I’ll be making this a series? The title for this story is Two-Thirds of a Watch, and you can read it here!

It wasn’t her face that his eyes kept coming back to, and it certainly wasn’t his face. The boy could hardly bring himself to raise his gaze to meet his father’s. His real father, that was, not the Father. The child — for he had only very recently taken a few unsteady footsteps along the path towards manhood — knew that if he didn’t look Papa in the eyes, he may never do so again.

 

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I hope it’s not too dark, but — hey — I don’t make this stuff up, I simply report on the facts as they’re given to me!

Until we meet again, in Boddi Craig…

‘The Repellers of Boddi Craig’: My entry for this month’s #BlogBattle!

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Blogbattle_CASTLE

How is it March already!? Where’s the year going/gone? “Life moves pretty fast.” — Ferris Bueller

Anyway, this month’s #BlogBattle had a great word — ‘castle’! A bit easier than last month’s ‘vivacious’ (although I had a lot of fun trying to make that one work — a challenge is always appreciated!). The title for my story is The Repellers of Boddi Craig, and you can read it here on WordPress. I’ve got this idea of maybe making the story that I’ve hinted at in this month’s entry into a larger thing — perhaps I’ll try and work each #BlogBattle entry into fitting into the larger universe of Boddi Craig? We’ll see, my friends, we’ll see.

I put out my own eyes with a knife at the age of thirteen.

 

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I really loved writing this one. Quite dark, but that’s just how I like it! I wanted to write more, but I was limited to 1,000 words. As I said, maybe I’ll return to Boddi Craig in next month’s #BlogBattle (if I can make it work, that is!).

Oh, and be sure to check out the other entries — there’s always something for everyone, not just my bleak horror! 😀

P.S. If you like the artwork for this story, why not check out my other blog? It’s dedicated purely to my art: https://artinsoulstudio.wordpress.com/

My entry for the February #BlogBattle: ‘Old Strittie’

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Blogbattle_VIVACIOUS

Well, another month, another #BlogBattle! You might be thinking, “Josh, you’re awfully late with this entry, aren’t you?” And you’d be absolutely right! This month’s prompt word was ‘vivacious’ — a great, but tricky word! I had to have a think about how I could work this one into a story… But I got there, in the end! The title of my short story is Old Strittie.

Something was feeding off the child. It came out at night, from out of the closet.

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I hope you guys like the story! I rather enjoyed writing it, once I knew where I was going with it. Also, I did the artwork for this story — hope you guys dig it! I’m not very good at painting “real” things, I’m more into the abstract stuff…

Also, be sure to head over to the #BlogBattle site, and check out the other stories! There’s always some corkers to read!

Read ‘Spy-Hopper’: My entry for the first #BlogBattle of the new decade!

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Blogbattle_BUCKET

A new month, a new year, a new decade. New, new, new. What a time to be alive, eh? In these times of unpredictability, if there’s one thing we can rely on, it’s a new prompt for the monthly #BlogBattle! January’s prompt is ‘bucket’!

As always, I wrote this quite quickly! I’m trying to write a book at the moment, and it’s going rather slowly… so, it’s a nice change of pace to smash out a story in less than an hour! I must admit, I had to stop and think for a moment when I saw the new prompt word, but once that initial seed of an idea had been sown, it was nose to the grindstone! The title of my entry is Spy-Hopper, and you can read it right here!

Our little rust bucket didn’t stand a chance. Serenity was thirty feet long exactly. Whatever we lured up from the depths was longer.

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I had a blast writing this — I’m really starting to enjoy ‘implied horror’. (Not to say I’ve grown out of a good ol’ fashioned gore-fest, ’cause I haven’t!).

If you have a spare moment, please check out the other bloggers’ stories as and when they get posted — there’s always an incredibly diverse selection!

‘A Heart Is Not an Orange’: My strange entry for this week’s Reedsy contest!

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https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/joshua-insole/

Well, here we go again! How are you guys? In the Christmas spirit? As if there’s only a handful more of these Reedsy short stories left of 2019… It’s hard to believe that there’s less than two weeks left of this decade!

Anyway, this week’s Reedsy theme was ‘talking shop’. After some deliberation, I chose prompt #3 — “Write a short story about someone watching a convincing infomercial.” Even by my standards, the story I wrote is a little strange… It’s about a vampire who buys a fruit juicer. No, I’m not joking. The title of my story is A Heart Is Not an Orange, and you can read it here on WordPress or over on my Reedsy profile.

Martin Wilson never returned from his student exchange program abroad. This is mostly due to the fact that he didn’t escape the vampire.

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I hope you guys like it! I did laugh to myself once or twice whilst writing this. I did mutter to myself, “What the hell are you writing, Joshua?” on more than one occasion. But, I had fun. And really, isn’t that the goal of this hobby?

Also, I hope everyone is enjoying my little Christmas tale — Yule Be Sorry: A Very Bite-Sized Christmas. I’m having a blast with it!

‘Don’t Let It Feed’: My entry for the December #BlogBattle!

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Blogbattle_Innocent

Well, here we are! Another month, another #BlogBattle! This is the final one of 2019! I can’t quite believe it… Well, here’s to 2020, and the stories we will tell!

The prompt for December was ‘innocent’. I knew exactly the kind of story I wanted to tell… I just struggled to keep it within the 1,000 word limit! You have to really cut away the fat when the story is this short.

The title for my story is Don’t Let It Feed, and you can read it here!

Ernest Kirby didn’t die in vain. The soft-spoken 73-year-old with painful arthritis and an inoperable tumour somewhere in his bowels saved twelve others on that bleak night in early December.

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I hope you enjoy the last #BlogBattle entry for the year! As always, please be sure to check out some of the other short stories, when they get posted! There’s always something for everyone over at the #BlogBattle!

‘Play It Again, Daddy-O’: My short story for the November BlogBattle!

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Blogbattle_Harp

Well, here we are again! Another month, another #BlogBattle prompt. The word for November is ‘harp’. At first I was a bit baffled as to where to take the prompt, but after the first idea floated to the top of my mind the rest slotted into place rather smoothly!

“Take it away, man,” said the first.

“Play it, daddy-o,” said the second.

“Gotcha,” replied the third.

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I tried to avoid writing a chase scene again, as I’d done a few of those already for the #BlogBattle… I quite like the direction the story took. Perhaps we’ll visit this world again, at some point in the future? I feel that there’s potential here.

As always, check out the other bloggers’ stories when they get posted! They’re always great!

 

Read ‘Public Order’: My entry for the October #BlogBattle!

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Blogbattle_Clone

Well, here we go again! It’s time for the monthly #BlogBattle! The prompt for October is ‘clone’. Such a great word! So many directions to take it in…

As with the last #BlogBattle, I wrote this piece as quickly as possible — to give it a sense of urgency. I hope the sensation translates well to the story! You can read my entry here, it’s titled Public Order.

Our eyes lock, and for an instant, I can’t breathe. I avert my gaze to the floor. Keep walking, I tell myself. Just. Keep. Walking.

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I really enjoyed writing this piece, and I feel as though it’s slightly more horrific than my straightforward horror pieces — mainly because, for the most part, it’s rooted in reality, rather than fantasy.

As always, you should definitely check out the other bloggers’ stories, when they’re up!