Yay! I won last week’s Thursday Threads using the prompt: **She had never been there.** I thought I’d do something a little different this week. The flash fiction challenge is limited to 250 words and those scenes always get expanded when I use them in a WIP. So, a little insight into my working writer’s brain. Today, you get the original posting of 250 mostly bare-bones words telling a tale. Tomorrow, for Thursday Thoughts, I’ll post the expanded scene after a discussion of how my writer’s brain works and the process of adding words and actions.

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“Oh, mercy,” she cried, whipping around. “My apologies, surely!”

The woman she’d rammed smiled. “No harm done. You look confused.”

“I am, yes. An’ a wee bit lost.” Fiona smiled shyly. “Well, truth be told, I’m a lot lost.”

“No worries. Where are you going?”

And wasn’t that the question. “I think I’m lookin’ for Telescope Hill.”

“Might that be Telegraph Hill?”

Fiona considered. “Maybe? There’s a pub nearby.” Fiona suddenly brightened.
“Clancy’s.”

“Clancy’s?” Maura breathed, regained control. “My name is Maura Brannigan. What’s yours?”

“Fee.”

“Short for Fiona, yes?” At the girl’s nod, she asked, “Are you safe?”

“Yah,” Fee whispered. “For the first time in forever, I’m safe.” She sighed. “A bloomin’ igit, I am. Bowie’ll be so worried.”

Maura grabbed her cell phone. “Do you know his number?”

Fiona shook her head.

With no other choice, Maura called a number she should not know by heart.

A gruff male voice answered, “Ronan O’Connor.”

“Are any of your boys missing a sweet little redhead?”

“Where are you? I’ll send a car.”

“There’s the T. I’ll get Fee home. See you in about thirty,” She clicked off. After all, she had never been there and what a perfect opportunity to visit the infamous Clancy’s Irish Pub and beard the dragon in his lair.

****

So now you’ve had a glimpse at how this writer works, and I think to some degree, all writers handle their craft. Some brainstorm the whole story then plot each scene and outline them–your classic Plotter. Others get a flash of inspiration, think “Hrm. That’ll make a great tale!” They then sit down and start writing and get “light bulb moments” along the way dealing with characters, settings, and plot points. Yes, these Pantsers write by the seat of their pants–so to speak. And then there’s the rest of us–a combination of the two, plus folks like me. I’m a Puzzler. I get a flash of inspiration then I dream up characters (the who) to fit the situation, along with the where and the when. That’s all the straight pieces of the puzzle. And then… Well, tune in tomorrow to discover the how and the why. Writers, use it or lose it. Readers, where’s someplace you’ve never been?