By William Van Zyl Published in October 2024 Under the darkened skies of ancient Bolivia, the air hums with an otherworldly energy. Massive rocks, too heavy for any human hand, rise effortlessly from the earth, suspended by invisible forces as alien figures guide them into perfect alignment. Sharp and unyielding, Lasers slice through the dense… Continue reading Puma Punku – Stone Engineering from Outer Space?
Category: Fiction.
Novels, novellas, short stories, creative ideas, concepts, and creative non-fiction.
Hola and Revola, the two firing Pistolas.
By William Van Zyl Published on 18 August 2024 Bang! The shockwaves from the shrimp’s claw stunned the small fish. Research divers reported a tiny flash of lightning as the pistol’ went off. Here is a concise, fantastic, and fun story about how Hola and Revola—the two pistol shrimps—developed their ‘handguns.’ An extraordinary tale—to build writing… Continue reading Hola and Revola, the two firing Pistolas.
Subtext or The Third Thing.
By William Van Zyl Published on June 23, 2024 I listened to Brad Read’s podcast, Subtext or The Third Thing, yesterday. Well, I must say, “A stunning Podcast!” The content is simply brilliant. His examples of The Third Thing are so good. The extravagant sound files, which he includes as examples, explain the technique perfectly.… Continue reading Subtext or The Third Thing.
Writing Skills – Wood and Stone: How Prophecy Changes Everything.
By William Van Zyl (Published in 2021 & Edited in 2024) Fantasy Prophecy is a fascinating and compelling technique for Writing Fiction and Non-fiction. Prophecies, or prophecies, can add a fascinating plotline to a novel. They give depth, cleverly weave mystery and suspense into the fabric of the story, elevate the storyline, and intrigue! [Prophesy]… Continue reading Writing Skills – Wood and Stone: How Prophecy Changes Everything.
Mirror Opens Ancient Temple Door.
By William Van Zyl – Published in December 2023. A tiny beam of light – entering from a slit in the roof of the cave – shines like a long shaft of enlightenment onto the rugged cave floor. Thousands specks of dust – hundreds of years asleep – are disturbed. They wake up. The ancient… Continue reading Mirror Opens Ancient Temple Door.
The Weight of Words
By William Van Zyl Published in May 2023 Credit image: Contemporary Art by Sefira Lightstone – Golden Calf. In a tent in the hot desert somewhere in the middle east, a young girl – adorned with gold and silver jewellery around her neck, wrists, ankles and hair – turned and looked into a polished bronze… Continue reading The Weight of Words
True stories with unfathomable depth, rich cultural variations, and extensive contexts will develop creativity in young children.
By William Van Zyl Published in April 2023 Listen to the Podcast: https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=uh8kj-13eb31d-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=7 ‘The stories from the Bible are too violent for my young children,’ said the caring mum. ‘I prefer different stories which do not include violence,’ said another mum. ‘The stories from the Bible are probably the best stories you can ever tell… Continue reading True stories with unfathomable depth, rich cultural variations, and extensive contexts will develop creativity in young children.
Creatica: A Believers Guide to Perfectica.
By William Van Zyl Published on July 6, 2019. Edited in 2023. Before the year 3000, the earth was teeming with life. Natural life. But, catastrophically, the earth’s environment has collapsed. The destructive weight of industrial pollution, irresponsible disposal of effluent, and uncontrolled radioactive waste have crushed all life on earth as we know it.… Continue reading Creatica: A Believers Guide to Perfectica.
Get the name of the dog.
By William Van Zyl Published in December 2022. “One moment, please tell me, what is the name of the dog?” asked the reporter. “His name is Jason. I’ve had him for 6 years. He is my most trusted friend.” “What makes Jason special to you? Do you have any significant stories of Jason?” asked the… Continue reading Get the name of the dog.
World War 3 Victory Gardens: ThingSpeak and Eels save the day.
By William Van Zyl. Published on November 8, 2022. A high-frequency air raid siren goes off above Jacob’s head. He flinches. Urgent notifications ping on his phone – a row of warnings. His wife clings to his arm in the anti-nuclear bunker. Two large grey-coloured grasshoppers with huge eyes are looking into one another’s eyes.… Continue reading World War 3 Victory Gardens: ThingSpeak and Eels save the day.
He Never Gave Me a Name.
By William Van Zyl – published Aug 2022. “He never gave me a name,” whispers the rejected monster as he prepares to die. His facial expressions are gruesome – the stitches crisscrossed over his face, neck and head. It tells a story of science that has gone wrong, horribly wrong. The pain in his eyes… Continue reading He Never Gave Me a Name.
Crystal Radio shortens Gravedigger’s night.
By William Van Zyl – Published June 2022. *Listen to the podcast while reading: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-e78d4-124aaff “At the sound of the gong, it will be exactly 1 am on 2ZC radio.” “B-O-I-I-I-N-G” “You are listening to the music selected by Dave – Dave Marney,” announced the broadcaster. “Our next song is a song that goes with… Continue reading Crystal Radio shortens Gravedigger’s night.
Leaving Your Comfort Zone Requires Courage. A Brave Move Will Make You More Efficient! A Lesson from ‘The Little Prince’ (Famous Novel by French Writer: Antoine De Saint-Exupèry 1943).
By William Van Zyl. Published in 2021. A pilot’s bracelet lost at sea was found in a fishing net—what a coincidence. The bracelet belonged to a pilot that had gone missing many years ago – in fact, just before the second world war ended in 1944. The pilot was reported to be lost at sea… Continue reading Leaving Your Comfort Zone Requires Courage. A Brave Move Will Make You More Efficient! A Lesson from ‘The Little Prince’ (Famous Novel by French Writer: Antoine De Saint-Exupèry 1943).
Odourless Poison Saves Murderer from Prison.
By William Van Zyl (Published December 2021). Listen to the podcast while reading: https://williamvzyl.podbean.com/e/odourless-poison-saves-murderer-from-prison-by-william-van-zyl/ She grabs the black book – nobody is watching. She turns, holding the book in her right hand, behind her back. The doctor is at the large window in the bedroom; he looks over the ocean. She quickly and securely slips… Continue reading Odourless Poison Saves Murderer from Prison.
Advice to Beginner Bloggers and Prospective Writers.
By William Van Zyl (published in December 2021). Listen to the podcast: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z8md6-1169742 Answers to the questions and comments from blog readers (Five House Publishing). I have received many questions from visitors to my website – Five House Publishing. The questions range from: How do I write good blog posts? I want to start blogging;… Continue reading Advice to Beginner Bloggers and Prospective Writers.
Silver Chopsticks Miraculously Save Dong-Hyun’s Life.
By William Van Zyl (December 2021) Listen to the dramatised podcast of this story: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-a6m27-1148599 The grey and blue coloured nutrient-rich placenta swirled around in the large glass bowl before it fell into a small hole with a soft thud. The bloodied mass pulled the severed umbilical cord into the hollow at the base of… Continue reading Silver Chopsticks Miraculously Save Dong-Hyun’s Life.
Ancient Leviathan finally rolls over – 5000 fathoms under the sea – and reveals its secrets.
By William Van Zyl (November 2021) Listen to the podcast of the article/short story while reading it: https://williamvzyl.podbean.com/e/ancient-leviathan-finally-rolls-over-%e2%80%93-5000-fathoms-under-the-sea-%e2%80%93-and-reveals-its-secrets/ The yellow coloured speckle – at 5000 fathoms under the surface of the South China Sea – was filming. The umbilical cord of the small motorised submarine sent images to the mother ship from the yellow seeker… Continue reading Ancient Leviathan finally rolls over – 5000 fathoms under the sea – and reveals its secrets.
The Sauniere Code.
By William Van Zyl (Nov 2021). The muffled scoop and thump of a spade and pick disturbed the dead. The unexpected sound – at 1:15 am – sent a shiver through the cemetery. The moist soil and decaying bodies were disturbed. Though many of the dead were at peace, the sound of spades and picks… Continue reading The Sauniere Code.
Hairspray and magnets outwit Medici Bank!
By William Van Zyl (2021) A can of hairspray made a clanking sound as the small glass ball mixed the sticky liquid in the canister. Jules Bartolnoro lowered himself slowly; he covered the can with his right hand – cupping his hand over his pocket – as he held on to the rope. At 12:16… Continue reading Hairspray and magnets outwit Medici Bank!
Out-Foxed.
Two one-page stories. By William Van Zyl (Oct 2021). Listen to the dramatised story on podbean: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-y4nr5-11407a5 At 11:16 am, it was all over. On July 15, 2016 – at 11:17 am – John Parrish ran over his robber-friend, Jack Leonard, and grabbed his bag full of money. They had just robbed the Atlantic Bank… Continue reading Out-Foxed.