The dusty shop is small, almost empty, and in need of repair and resupply. Peeling paint and dust is in abundance. The burly shopkeeper is reading a day-old paper and smoking a cigarette. He regards me warily over the headline. “What do you want, comrade?” “Cigarettes,” I say hastily. “I want cigarettes.” Having never smoked […]

The line is long, but it always is. Most days, I count the people in front of me. Sometimes, I count the people walking away from the pile. Today, I can’t be bothered to do either so look at the woman in front of me. She has a nice ass and a slim waist, and […]

I’ve finally finished the first draft of my novel, Ragnar Blaise’s High Idea.  It’s taken about five years to get to this point, and the storyline has deviated a lot from my initial plot.  Some authors don’t like “winging it” but I disagree; a story that changes whilst in writing does so because it evolves […]

“Papers,” said the supervisor, so I held out my paperwork. He rifled through roughly, scanning for key words and anything that might distinguish me from everyone else. “Do you have anything?” “No,” I replied, “only my health and the clothes I’m currently wearing.” “You have the ability to move,” said the supervisor, taking a burning […]

There is too much of everything. There is too much music; a smash hit is now meaningless and irrelevant, tunes made to a recipe and instantly forgettable. There are too many music artists; singers are manufactured and disposed of as demand requires.  There are too many video games, a flow of bland colourful soulless kaleidoscopes […]