Tag: short fiction

  • Flash Fiction and Short Stories

    Flash Fiction and Short Stories

    My hiatus from blogging is now at an end, thank goodness, and I’m dabbling in different types of writing–including flash fiction.

    Since November, when my life got a little crazy for a while, I completed a novel and sent it off to a number of agents and publishers. It’s receiving good reviews but not good enough to convince a publisher to buy. Yet.

    I’ve begun a new novel, have returned to writing short stories, and am having a lot of fun creating flash fiction. I’ll be submitting some of the shorter pieces to publishers and sharing others here on my blog.

    Here’s the first installment of flash fiction. I used a prompt for this piece, which included writing for a total of 10 minutes: 2 minutes each for:

    • A mint
    • A flower
    • A pair of shoes
    • A calendar
    • A phone

    Tea Party

    The tea tasted awful–like the spearmint leaf floating on top had been soaked in motor oil before being brewed–acrid and brown rather than perky and green.

    Perhaps Lorna had allowed the plant to flower, sucking from the herb most of its tingly flavor and imbuing it, instead, with a tang reminiscent of a pair of shoes worn without socks in the middle of summer.

    I pulled up the calendar app in my phone and entered a note: Do NOT revisit Lorna’s house for refreshments.

  • My Short Story, Mama, is now Available

    Mama, appears in the 17th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection … and the book has hit the stands. Of the more than 5,200 entries,  Mama placed 15th.

    The book is currently on sale for 50% off retail price if you purchase it from the Writer’s Digest website by using this link.

  • And the winner is…

    SSS-300x220Me!

    No, I didn’t win first prize, but I placed 16 out of 25, so my short story, “Mama,” will be published in the 17th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection.

    Each year, Writer’s Digest sponsors a variety of writing competitions, the winners of which win cash prizes and/or have their work published in the magazine or one of the books it publishes. Since this was only the second short story I’ve ever written, I’m very pleased with the win.

    Once I have details about how you can obtain your copy of the short story collection, I’ll post it here. I’ll be entering WD’s Annual Writing Competition next, so stay tuned for another announcement in October!