Fiction Stories and Writing
Phebe is on a roll lately! Check out her latest at Literary Heist
This was a piece we reviewed at FFM as a group and I remember it well. I wondered if Lloyd (the main character) would ever find a new family. Check out the story -- Insert Family by Phebe Jewell.
Finally getting a few minutes to write up an update from NYC Midnight's 2019 Flash Fiction Competition. Back in July I got the prompts for Round 1, Challenge 1 -- Romance/A Fairground/A 'no trespassing' sign.
I wasn't incredibly thrilled with the genre as it's not something I write much in, but I managed a piece titled "Turning the Wheel" that turned out better than I thought it would. Well, apparently the judges largely agreed. It managed 2nd place in my group, giving me a total of 14 points for the first challenge. This is great momentum going into the second round.
Last year I managed 9th and 5th place finishes in the first round and the total was only 1 point shy of making the cut for the second round.
The second challenge I got prompts of Fairy Tale/A Dining Room/A Sharpening Stone. This should have been a really easy set of prompts, but I was pretty exhausted last week with some personal events, so it would up being a harder challenge than I anticipated. Nevertheless, I feel like I put a solid piece out there and hopefully I'll get enough points to move on.
I'll write up some notes in my section on the NYC competitions as little later, but for now, I'm happily waiting for the Micro Fiction competition (250-words or less) that starts in 2 weeks.
Wish me luck!
Man, the folks at FFM are killing it lately. Here's another one by Phebe Jewell titled Shelter in Place.
It's tragically real I'm sure for many students. I love how Phebe takes us through the passage of time for this character in short, very engaging sentences/paragraphs. Each one spans a year, but gives the reader so much insight into this character that by the end, we know him.
Give it a read. Congratulations Phebe!
I've mentioned several places in my posts that I participate in some of the NYC Midnight writing competitions. Some of my friends from FFM also participate and while some of our stories don't win or we don't go far enough in the rounds to continue, there are some good pieces of writing turned out from these fast and furious sessions.
One such piece just landed at Every Day Fiction. from my friend Sharon Wishnow. Her piece titled The Tattooed Artist is one such example. I remember being in the competition last year and she drew the Romance genre. She did a great job with this story, it's a shame it didn't place higher at the time, but I'm so happy it found a home at EDF, since I frequently read their stuff (and even have a piece there myself.
I just hope my Romance piece for NYC Midnight does as well as this one! (I'll know in about 2 weeks). Nicely done Sharon, congratulations.
A couple of more of my friends at Flash Fiction Masters have had their works published.
First, from Ed Kratz is Olivia's Escape. I featured one of Ed's stories in a post here back in June. This one is absolutely worth a look. Ed has a great narrative voice and the main character, Olivia, grabs the reader and makes you empathize with her struggle. I can't say more without giving things away, but it was an engaging read for sure.
Second, from Phebe Jewell comes The Secret Life of Spoons. This very short piece of flash is told from the perspective of the spoon and it just filled to the brim (you'll get it when you read it) with delightful sensory details. I remember Phebe posting this in our group and I think we all enjoyed getting to read and provide suggestions. The final product turned out great. Well done Phebe!
Another of my Flash Fiction Masters friends, Sharon, had a story published at The Dead Mule School. This is a devastatingly tragic story. I dare you not to feel the main character's anguish and sorrow with her.
Give this one a read, Sharon is a magnificent author: An Article of Lost Faith
...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!
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...
My latest piece to be featured on 101words.org! This is the fifth time I've had a story published on their site. I'm actually very pleased as this one was submitted and published all within about a two week time frame. It might be the fastest I've seen a piece go up.
Of course, I still have a number of stories that have been waiting in the wings for weeks or months. It's just nice to see one of them turn around quickly and see some success.
OK, enough of my babbling. Here it is -- One Less Space
Another friend from Flash Fiction Masters, the fabulous Phebe Jewell, has one of her pieces up at Moon Park Review.
I remember reading this one as part of our writing group, and it still brings a smile to my face.
Check it out - One Minute Wonders.
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