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Reigate and Redhill
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Sue Fairclough
 
I have always liked reading. As a child I would literally lose myself in stories. In
primary school I got one hundred lines: 'I must pay attention in class'. The teacher
thought I was being deliberately awkward when I didn't stir after the end of lesson
bell had sounded. I was sitting at my desk, oblivious to my fellow students putting
their books away and preparing for the next lesson, gripped by an adventure story
concerning Romany gypsies. I felt aggrieved, after all, the lesson had finished. Ah
well, not quite as bad as the five hundred lines: 'I must not blow bubbles in the
cloakroom'.
Fast forward to 2000 and some American internet acquaintances invited me to
contribute to some short stories based on the myths and legends of the Western.
There's nothing like kindly peer pressure to point out deficiencies in historical
knowledge and writing style. So I went to Creative Writing evening classes and
revelled in the challenge and freedom of creative expression. A few years later I
enrolled for an Open University degree in Humanities, specialising in Creative
Writing. It was great fun, despite the effort needed to get all the reading done and the
essays submitted on time, whilst working at a full-time job.
So here I am, retired but as busy as ever. I never have enough time for my writing,
but when I do, it is such a joy and perhaps, one day, I will get around to writing my
own adventure story about Romany gypsies.
Sue

The Telephone Box. February 2020

Why did Superman change his clothes in a phone booth? I suspected that may be the consequence of American coyness. I Googled the question – it seems I am not the only one wondering.

The Meeting October 2019

Nature Reserve (added July 2018)

This is Sue's sketch based on the six characters. She managed five but compensated by adding a sixth.

The Writing Class (Added February 2018)

A Creative Writing class gets real.

Harvest Supper. 2/10/2017

This is a piece in response to an exercise to develop a character though descriptions of action rather than direct use of character description.

Stars in your eyes (New June 2017)

A Playlet written in response to the Song "Hey There: You with the Stars in Your Eyes" from the Pyjama Game

Rite of Passage, 56

This is what the Open University likes to call 'Life Writing', or autobiography. Only the names of the characters have been changed.

Treading on Eggshells Chapter 1

This is the first of several pieces about the fictional residents and staff of a home for people with learning disabilities. It is 'work in progress'.

Treading on Eggshells, Chapter 2