These Boots ARE Made for Talking

These are my new boots. They are also my sale bargain of the year and they are a thing of beauty...Don’t you agree? I stalked them until they came down to half price in the sale, then I marched in with my credit card and like a certain Disney princess’s ugly sister, was determined to make them fit. The thing is, they don’t really. Fit, that is. Well, they sort of do but I have to zip them all up at ankle level, then haul them up over my lardy calves. This results in slight circulatory problems if I wear them for too long or walk in them. Which does limit their use slightly to a) something to be stored and looked at every now and then, or b) something to wear when not much walking and mucho posing is required. Alas, I did only got to wear them twice before they went in the cupboard, only to be removed for airing in October.

Fascinating, I hear you all murmur. But what have my new boots got to do with writing? They can do a lot, but can’t write a story or help me write one. Well, my new boots are, I think, a bit like my manuscript seems to be. A thing of beauty to me, but maybe not be a perfect fit to all. They’re stylish and current and commercial, but by the time October comes and I get to wear them again, they may feel a little dated? And my manuscript, telling a story based around the 2012 Olympics has a certain shelf life before it will be, frankly past its sell by date...

By some weird co-incidence, I had written the first part of this post yesterday to the above ellipsis when this morning, in my in-box appeared my ‘writing’ prompt for the day. (A friend of mine sends me a random word daily, in order to get the writing muscle flexed for the day) The word she gave me today was ‘boot’. So, with this post in mind; here’s what I wrote today having received the prompt and it’s as good a way as any to end the post. (By the way, I should point out that my way of doing this exercise involves simply writing down words or at most a short expression that the given word inspires for one minute only)

Sexy, leather, crinkles, wrinkles, zippy, rainbow, George, Bush, Bungle, Rod Jane and Freddie, lard, fat, dead cow skin, patent, shiny, glossy, crevice, car arse, shape, shift, pressure, circulation, blood, skin indent, pattern, zip teeth, white stitching, heels, buckle, silver.

Was it me saying only yesterday that my boots wouldn’t write a story or help me write one? Silly moi... I’m off to write about a silver shape shifting cow called ‘Sungle.’ She’s a little on the overweight side and has zips instead of udders to make milking easy. Her best friend is a car called Buckle in honour of his safety belts.

Yay! A new children’s series?! Thank you boots...

12 comments:

Debs Riccio said...

Fi, I think I need whatever you're on! and those boots probably inspired the quote "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" - or would it be "no pain, no gain"?

Old Kitty said...

Hi

Beautiful stunning boots!! I too suffer from calves that do not fit most boot sizes so can only watch and admire from afar!

But after reading this maybe I ought to take the plunge too and to hell with my fat calves! LOL! I mean look at how much inspiration it's done for you already! :-)

Fabulous!

Take care
x

Helen Black said...

Fi, my next project ( book five) is supposed to be a thriller set in 2012 and I too am wondering if it aint all just a bit late now.

But my publisher says no - so there you go. And you're way ahead of me. I haven't even started writing it yet. LOL.
HB x

Caroline Green said...

Ooh, I have serious boot envy now...
Great post, Fi. But I'm completely flummoxed at why the word boots made you think of the classic kids programme, Rainbow!!! Que?

Gillian McDade said...

Nice boots, Fi!

Fionnuala said...

Caroline LOL! Remember Zippy? The pink guy with the long zip for a mouth? Oh dear, its just me isnt it?!

Caroline Green said...

Ah...[penny drops with a clunk]. I remember Zippy very well. I was thinking the association was with boots, rather than zips.
Sartorially speaking, I was thinking dungarees in fetching primary colours were more of a connection than footwear ;)

Essie Fox said...

Wonderful post! You have such a great sense of humour, Fi, and I love your writing style too. Go Sungle!

Fidelity said...

Satisfying read Fionnula - that's a nice Irish name!

My appetite for the short story has been deepening for weeks and this somewhat assauged it pleasantly. Not that I couldn't be reading them but that doing it as a group is more fun.

It's tomorrow, isn't it? Goody.

I'm a terror for nit-picking - yeah, but you've got a word too many here and a elipsis there...which usually brings a hailstorm of abuse on my head but for tomorrow I've bound myself over. I'm sure it is, as J. Cameron is keen to point out to us tryers, the reason I can never get anything started finished. Never mind, I'll have my niggling demon critic locked firmly up from 6am tomorrow - might even throw away the key.

Julie P said...

Fab boots that have also inspired me, Fi!

Julie xx

Julie P said...

Fab boots that have also inspired me, Fi!

Julie xx

Rosalind Adam said...

Which just goes to show that inspiration for writing can come from anywhere, even a pair of boots... Love the boots by the way.