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My 200-Word Tuesday Stories for February

In February, I launched the writing prompt game, 200-Word Tuesdays, and was absolutely thrilled to have other Twitter writers join in.

The February theme was
"inky-red" (or "red ink"), and people's different takes on the theme were in equal parts: inspiring and eye-popping and just plain envy-inducing... The individual interpretations are what make a writing prompt game so much fun; no two people will ever take the same path. It might be the same starting point (kinda) but it won't ever be the same ending.

I can already see how much work I have to do to get my skills up in the flash fiction, and #200WT (the Twitter hashtag name) is the perfect place to practice.

I wrote one 200-word piece on the "inky-red" theme each week. (I want to be able to post a story every week - even if that means I have to write them myself!! So I'm getting in that much-needed practice!!)

My four "Inky-red" tales are:

Inky-Red #2: The Duel
I like this tale - it explains why we write brilliantly and flowingly on some days, and why we get hung up over semi-colons for minutes at a time on other days. I'm trying to apply this to each writing session so that I consciously decide which character I need on my shoulder to help me be most productive!

Inky-Red #3: Sleeves
I think this is my most 'complete' story - a full narrative, with characters I care about, and with a sweet and convincing ending. I actually developed a much fuller story in my head that then had to be boiled down to the cruel 200 word limit.

Inky-Red #5: The Creator
This was my attempt to do something completely different - mystical, lyrical and poetic. I'm not sure yet if I succeeded... But I do like the idea and I hope that I will one day be able to paint landscapes with words (after lots of practising!!)

Inky-Red #7: InkRedibles by Vlad
This is a silly tale, but silly can mean freeing, and freeing is fun. Boy, did I have fun as I wrote this tale! Lots of grinning to myself on the train as I tapped away. And can I just say: I have THREE puns going on in the word "InkRedibles"!! And the best bit is - it was organically, unconsciously done!!!

I've gathered all the February tales - their summaries and links - in one place for your easy browsing/reading pleasure.

Enjoy, and I'm looking forward to more 200-word Tuesdays in March. I've never looked forward to Tuesdays so much before in my life! :-)



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