What a fabulous turn out for Red, thank you all so much for joining us. Here are some images and thought provoking opening and closing, and some middle, lines that the crowd came up with. Find yours, then check at the bottom for feedback and naming the winner, who we can’t name so hoping you will raise your hand in a comment below!!

 

Here you were asked to write an opening line, or a closing line, for a short story. It had to be cranking and also include the word ‘red’. Here’s what you came up with…

Page 01

• Opening: Louise had never had the confidence to wear red. Now, at the age of 43 she had finally bought some red corduroy pants.
• Closing: If only… If only Louise hadn’t worn her new red corduroy pants! She’ll never live it down, she made such a fool of herself. Fancy wagering her best red pants with that man!

 

Page 02

• Opening: She found herself dumped, unceremoniously, in the red Australian dust.
• Closing: With the sun burning red in the sky she knew she had won.
• Closing: The red ute careering off in clouds of dust exploded, a fireball against an agry sky.

 

Page 03

• Opening: It wasn’t the first time that ‘Ruddy Red Ruben’ had heard laughter as his pants suddenly hit the deck.
• Closing: They looked into each others eyes, just the way they did when they first met.

 

Page 04

• Opening: It was just a card game, but with some extraordinarily red players.
• Closing: So, it was not a mystery, just a little… red… button…

 

Page 05

• Opening: As the rising sun burned through the heavy fog, the rows of carrots in the damp soil grew longer.
• Closing: As the sprinklers skated up the crops, the rising sun revealed the bloat of red splashed the wall of the farmhouse.

 

Page 06

• Opening: She realised how red her face had become after such an awkward pause.
• Closing: Instead of a red rose, he came out sproting a wet ‘red rider’.

 

Page 07

• Opening: Red end – not a dead end, not as final as that. It would never be over. John had too much left to do.
• Closing: I slipped the pocket knife back into my jeans pocket, still open and yiped as it bit into my thigh, leaving my jeans increasingly red.

 

Page 08

• Opening: Why is it called red-handed… I was white as a sheet.
• Closing: I was thrown into the paddy wagon, still dizzy and nauseous after the riot at the gallery.

 

Page 09

• Opening: Red Symonds turned to Red Adair as they rode the red rattler intos Readings and said ‘Geez is my face red?’
• Middle: Was it? Was it really? Surely not, I live a boring old suburban existance… how could this be…
• Closing: In the dark light all was monchrome, except for where the floor was captured by the moonlight; there is glinted dull red.

 

Page 10

• Opening: Red is the colour of my true loves hair…
• Closing: And yet the carpet didn’t match the curtains. I was expecting it to be red too!

 

Page 11

• Opening: It was dawn, a brand new day. The sun shone a bright bleeding red, scarlet red, like Id never seen before.
• Closing: At dusk the burning red sky turned pink and the glowing sphere shrank away until the carnage of the day dissappeared.

 

Page 12

• Opening: In the red, fiery glow of the Ballarat sunset, the disaster began in earnest…
• Middle: My cheeks washed red with the realisation that he knew what I thought was exactly that… a thought.
• Closing: Death by selfie red-eye.

 

Page 13

• Opening: “Red Red wine…” Ironically as I sing this I have a beer in my hand.
• Closing: And even though I see through a berry haze, I know I’ve seen him before.

 

Page 14

• Opening: He was a red-neck, a lout, uncaringly egotistical gorgeous hunk of a man.
• Middle: It was Luke waving a red flag to a bull. The way she was flirting with… right under his nose.
• Closing: Despite many attempts, she could not get the red stain our of her best silk shirt.

Thanks to Merlyn Gwyther-McCuskey for some fabulous shots from the evening.

You will find more here. https://www.flickr.com/photos/yumhq/sets/72157648160292078/

What a fabulous bunch you are.. and some slightly strange! We love the use of red, of irony, the suns and lipstick and blood. WE pronouce the winning line to be Page 08 Opening Line: “Why was it called red-handed? I was white as a sheet.” Fabulous line. We dont know who you are but hope you might reveal yourself eventually in a comment below. We have a surprise for you!

Thanks heaps to The Main Bar Ballarat for hosting our event, and our screen! And to the fabulous Amy Tsilemanis, Jill Blee and Albert Filippa for helping out on the night.

Stay tuned for invites to “Yum Studio presents Purple” the next in our short series of crazy things that cannot be defined but are about storyelling, creative media and fabulousness! For an invite sign up at right!

Love Madame Yum and Mickey Gee.