The box was pushed back upon the highest shelf, untouched for decades and gathering dust. I had long ago forgotten it existed. To see it again and feel the memories return from yesterday lost… I was overwhelmed. I sat upon the floor and carefully took out each memento. Year book, pictures, love letters and under all…some old youthful musings in foolish rhyming syntax. Precious thoughts and wishful dreams to be a writer, as I read those old poems...

A cracking story and poem for you. I like them both, a lot. The Inspiration Point is trickier than it looks - and it can give some startling results to your writing. I urge you to have a go. http://www.abctales.com/story/ewan/everlasting-pie http://www.abctales.com/story/lavadis/doubt-my-mistress http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip

We all have a story to tell whether it is funny or uplifting or dramatic depends on what moment in our lives we focus on. A story is easy to tell when recounting true events but as a fiction writer…I can embellish to my hearts content… and that is so much more fun. Let’s face it…Life can be mundane and boring…and since we still don’t know the big answer to why we are here…I would rather presume we are here for a reason… a good reason of course…...

I didn't have to think very hard this week, as two pieces (luckily one prose, one poetry!) have refused to leave my head since I first read them. The Other Terrence Oblong's 'The Coldplay Problem' is my favourite of all his Island Stories. It has everything anyone could want, including David Bowie, a bottomless well and - this is a big plus - the utter rubbishing of Coldplay. Do read it if you haven't already: http://www.abctales.com/story/other...

I’ll give you a tick box and let you decide. ‘He was a sturdy straw haired man…with rather a hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face, and he gave the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward…it was a body capable of enormous leverage – a cruel body.’ Tom Buchanan or Donald Trump? He ‘conveys’…’the impression of fractiousness. There was a touch of paternal contempt in it,...

A wonderful poem and a poignant story for you this week - and an Inspiration Point that should make you cogitate a little! http://www.abctales.com/story/sid/recoil http://www.abctales.com/story/scorpio88/noah-and-blue-shawl-parts-1-and-2 http://www.abctales.com/inspiration-point-ip Congratulations to sid and scorpio88.

Childhood nightmares and surreal dream-like poetry came from January’s brief. It was unsettling yet magnetic to read. There are many familiar faces contributing to Poetry Monthly now which is so encouraging and this month saw some new participants who have contributed some striking pieces of work. I hope they return this month. I wrote my own mythical poem too – a foxy family one – and shamelessly made full use of peer critical feedback. Not...

I like a good ghost story. And you can see from the number of re-prints and the way that The Little Stranger in no stranger to the shortlist for the Man Booker that this is a good. The book begins after The First World War then jumps thirty years to the end of the Second World War, with Dr Faraday and Hundreds Hall. The Hundreds Hall is in itself not just a Gothic backdrop but a major character in the book. It opens with Faraday an intelligent...

Without any preamble, here's Joe Lawrence - one of our top editors - who has been diligently sifting through all the wonderful things that have appeared on ABCTales this month: It’s always a challenge when asked to pick the SOTM and POTM. There are just so many great pieces to choose from. But for me SOTM goes to Stephen Thom for his magical “As long as sea beats on stone.” http://www.abctales.com/story/stephen-thom/long-sea-beats-stone The...

What's this whole anti-Russian thing? I reckon Britain's never gotten over the Crimean War. Nationalisation of assets Edwardian Britain thought it owned? It's time the "elite" of Eton and Oxford's clubs got over themselves a bit. 1400 civilians killed by Russian air strikes in Syria? What about Iraq, and Syria since "we" got involved? Afghanistan? Libya? Headlines like those serve a purpose: they reveal who owns the press. They reveal what they...