Month: July 2019

Romance isn’t dead…

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...but I had to drag it back to life kicking and screaming.

The first challenge of round 1 of NYC Midnight Flash Fiction competition is in the books.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I was given 48 hours to write a 1000 word story from the prompts -- Romance/A Fairground/A "No Trespassing" Sign.

I managed a piece that revolved around a main character that was a roustabout at a carnival in 1941.  He meets a girl that he falls for who gives him an empty journal to fill on his travels, hoping he'll return with the carnival the following year.  But that return never comes.  The world changes in December 1941 and he is pulled away by the inevitably of war.  Injured on D-Day, he returns to rural Indiana in hopes to find that girl from his past.

That's the crux of the story.  I may post it here once we're done with this round of judging.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated when I drew my genre.  Still not my favorite to write in, but that's part of the fun (and agony) of this competition - challenging yourself as a writer.

Thanks to all of my friends in the Flash Fiction Masters group that provide feedback for me during these competitions.  They are a fantastic group of writers and editors that help me to no end!

 

Well this was bound to happen…

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The NYC Midnight Flash Fiction competition kicked off last night.  Meaning that we all get our prompts and then need to get those creative juices flowing to come up with a 1000 word (max) piece in less than 48 hours that revolves around a genre/location/item provided randomly by the competition.

I've been fortunate in the past, to get pull some fairly easy and fun genres to work with -- Thriller, Fairy Tale, Action/Adventure.  But as I've feared, my luck would eventually run out and I'd draw a genre with which I'm not very comfortable.

And so, my weekend will now be filled with agonizing over R O M A N C E

Somehow I've got to work in a Fairground and a No Trespassing Sign, but those two pieces of the puzzle will delightfully simple if I can just figure out how to write a romantic piece.

Where for art thou romantic inspiration?

Wish me luck...