Let’s Write About a Car
There’s so much here for a story. An old car, a crow, an Auto Service. Where will it take you?
Parked vintage car. Photo: Tanya Clarke 2020
From One Year to the Next
I took this picture while waiting in the queue for the Christmas turkey I'd ordered.
I try not to look at my phone when I'm waiting unless necessary, which most of the time, is not. What did we do in The Time Before Smartphones? As a teen, I spent a lot of time waiting for a bus, or a train or sitting in a cafe waiting for a friend to arrive. I usually carried a book or a magazine in my bag. I hated sitting on my own, not doing anything. I didn't want anyone to catch my eye. I remember the feeling of discomfort. I hated looking as if I had no friends. At least that's what I thought was happening. It wasn't of course.
Anyway.
There I was standing, waiting, trying not to look at my phone, when I caught sight of the car (pictured above) tucked almost into the hedge. To my British eye, this car looks North American. With its sleek, long body and low wheel arches it has the look of a different time, when cars didn’t have airbags or seatbelts. The swoop of the back suggests a cramped rear seat. There’s no passenger door here. Perhaps the front seat leans forward to let passengers in and out. Maybe there isn't a back seat. I don't know. I don't even know what type of car this is.
What’s in This Picture?
An empty car park.
A crow sat on top of the car.
I think there’s a small patch of ice melting on the ground. Another car sits in the background in the low morning sun.
Blue sky.
Auto Service.
No people anywhere. And that hedge. A huge hedge.
This is a picture that could be from an earlier decade.
Let's Write a Story About a Car
Stephen King (of course!) wrote a story where the car is a malevolent force, an evil character in its own right. I haven't read the book but I have a sense I've watched the John Carpenter movie of the same name.
But you don't have to write a horror story if that is not your thing. I'm interested in inanimate things being given names and personalities. We had a camper van for a few years. We tried to think of a name. In the end, we called it Nugget as that was its model name, a Westfalia Nugget. Not very romantic or imaginative. I think you can do better when you write your story.
Have fun!
Until next time.
