Raymond G. Taylor
Bio
Author based in Kent, England. A writer of fictional short stories in a wide range of genres, he has been a non-fiction writer since the 1980s. Non-fiction subjects include art, history, technology, business, law, and the human condition.
Achievements (2)
Stories (272/0)
To Vocal or not to Vocal
Recently, I was asked whether it is worth joining Vocal Media's community of creators. It's a question I asked myself just over a year ago, eventually answering in the affirmative. Having recently passed various minor milestones as a Vocal+ creator, I thought I would give my views here.
By Raymond G. Taylor8 months ago in Writers
Boom ta ra! the winners of the Write-a-witch challenge are...
Congratulations to all who entered the unofficial Vocal Write-a-witch awards. There were some truly magical entries and everyone's a winner as far as I am concerned. But of course in any such challenge, choices have to be made. I have selected the six winners, those that I think best match the given criteria. I now need your help in ranking the stories. Please read the linked stories and comment in this thread, on which one you think should be the overall winner. Of course feel free to comment on the stories themselves, but I will only be taking into account those comments that appear below.
By Raymond G. Taylor8 months ago in Writers
The wayward witch
Breezes calm and waters placid . Render this man's member flaccid! With these words Morwenna cast the corn dolly into the duck pond. She had made the crude image from a few strands of straw picked that morning from the wheat field nearby. She attached a tiny twist of wool she picked up from the hedge where some sheep had been herded earlier. The twist of wool was what made it a boy dolly rather than a girl. Not just any boy, the effigy was intended to represent the young man who had, the night before, refused Morwenna's clumsy advances.
By Raymond G. Taylor8 months ago in Fiction
Witches of the waterfront
"Bless this day and make it fruitful. Bring me a man with gold coin, a hatful." Jacinda's sing-song voice was a delight to hear on a bright spring morning, as the four women strutted through the streets on their way to the harbor market. Baskets on their heads, laden with their simple wares, the women teased and taunted the good people they passed. Many shook their heads at so brazen a procession, some mouthing "harlots" or even "witches" under their breath. Witches they may have been, harlots they were not.
By Raymond G. Taylor8 months ago in Fiction
Run with the Pack: Chapter 11
When Bahr returned from his night’s hunt for food, unlike Elha, he did not bring a freshly killed carcass with him. His muzzle was hardly bloodied from the scraps and carrion that he had unearthed on his circuitous route through the labyrinth of the forest. There would be no family feasting that morning. A wolf could not expect to feast every day and would soon grow to a lardy, disfigured lump, if it did, and would likely fall prey to the forest. Feast followed by famine was what kept the wolf sleek and fast at the chase and allowed it to fight off any kill thief, whether wolf, bear or just a mangy, scavenging no-wolf.
By Raymond G. Taylor8 months ago in Fiction
Still looking for ideas for your 'under a spell' entry?. Top Story - October 2023.
Bless you! What's that if not a magic spell? Well I guess it could be a prayer but then again... what's the difference? "Happy birthday to you" is a line from a song. But if you sing it and then ask the birthday girl or boy to blow out candles on a cake, then surely that's a spell too? I once heard a talk about magic that made just this point.
By Raymond G. Taylor9 months ago in Writers
Run with the Pack: Chapter 10
From small, sightless, black-coated, fluffy squiggles of crawling furball, the pups grew into mischievous, playful, squeaking, mini-wolves, looking for adventure and desperate to explore the whole new world outside their dimly lit den. From milk sopping babes that never ventured far from their mother, they started to wean to diets that were part-milk, part regurgitated food.
By Raymond G. Taylor9 months ago in Chapters
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