Every Saturday when I go to the Phoenix Writers (unless I’m MIGHTILY unorganised) I take with me a 100 word piece of fiction, written with the use of a word chosen the week before. We’re done for the holiday season now, but I’m particularly pleased with some of the 100 Worder pieces that I thought I might share them with you. They are different from the A-Z (Flash Fiction) Challenge (I’ve paused writing those; mainly because of NaNo, but I want to start again so I can get to Z before May), but just as much fun to do. More than that, they are a good exercise for me, simply because I get so carried away with writing snappy dialogue, colourful description that I forget that some of the time… the reader can do that themselves. Nobody needs me to spell it all out for them and a story can benefit from letting a reader do a little of the work themselves.

So… This is the piece I wrote for Saturday (10/12/11). Funnily enough I wrote it on Saturday morning (as I often do) but I wrote it 1) because its Christmas season and 2) because, for some reason, I was thinking of the film Love Actually.

I you haven’t seen the film don’t bother (unless you like Rom-coms -_-) but the word of the week was bracelet and with the head-space I was in that morning, this seemed to fit rather well. Let me know what you think.

I saw him wrapping it yesterday; slender, silver links and six tiny charms. I was thrilled; he’s never bought me something so beautiful before. Excitement made me as bad as the kids, but I just about made it through to morning.

They were first – of course – but my turn soon followed. I stared at him as I carefully pulled at the wrapping so as not to spoil the box underneath.

My heart raced, I was already smiling when I opened the box; a smile that died when I pulled out a small book of poets quotes.

…where the fuck is the bracelet?!